| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Hector |
| Owner |
|
| Launched | 1781, Bristol |
| Captured | 1804 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 338, [1] [2] or 361, [2] or 400 [3] (bm) |
| Complement | |
| Armament | |
Hector was launched at Bristol in 1781 as a West Indiaman. A new owner in 1802 sailed Hector as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made one complete voyage transporting enslaved people before a French privateer captured her on her second such voyage after Hector had disembarked her captives.
Hector entered Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1783. Between 1781 and 1783, LR conflated her with the Bristol-built Orange Valley. [lower-alpha 1] The following data is for Orange Valley.
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1781 | C.Watson | Meyler & Co. | Bristol–Jamaica | LR |
| 1782 | C.Watson | Meyler & Co. | Bristol–Jamaica | LR; "Now the Hector, Ronaldson" |
| 1783 | C.Watson | Gordon & Co. | Bristol–Jamaica | LR |
The following data is for Hector, with the data for 1783 still reflecting the confusion. [3]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1783 | Ronaldson | Meyler & Co. | Bristol–Jamaica | LR; former "Orange Valley" |
| 1786 | Ronaldson | Maxse & Co. | Bristol–Jamaica | LR |
Captain Thomas Harvey acquired a letter of marque on 30 January 1795. [2]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1795 | Ronaldson T.Harvey | Maxse & Co. | Bristol–Jamaica | LR; good repair 175 |
| 1799 | T.Harvey A. Ball | Maxse & Co. | Bristol–Jamaica | LR; damages repaired 1785, & repairs 1796 & 1798 |
| 1802 | A.Ball J.Williams | Maxse & Co. T. Parr | Bristol–Jamaica Liverpool–Africa | LR; damages repaired 1785, repairs 1796 & 1798, & large repair 1802 |
1st voyage transporting enslaved people (1802–1803): Captain Joseph Williams sailed from Liverpool on 3 June 1802. [5] In 1802, 155 vessels sailed from English ports on voyages to acquire and transport enslaved people; 122 sailed from Liverpool. [6]
Hector acquired captives at Calabar and arrived at Trinidad on 9 January 1803 with 339 captives. She sailed for Liverpool on 20 February and arrived there on 8 April. She had left Liverpool with 37 crew members and had suffered seven crew deaths on the voyage. [5]
2nd voyage transporting enslaved people (1803–loss): War with France had resumed shortly before Hector had returned to Liverpool from her first voyage transporting enslaved people. Before Captain Williams sailed again he acquired a letter of marque on 23 May 1803. [2] Hector sailed from Liverpool on 8 June. [7] In 1803, 99 vessels sailed from English ports on voyages to acquire and transport enslaved people; 83 sailed from Liverpool. [6]
Hector acquired captives at Calabar and arrived at Demerara on 14 January 1804 with 300 captives. She sailed for Liverpool on 27 February. She had left Liverpool with 37 crew members and she had suffered seven crew deaths on her voyage. [7] Parr sold Hector while she was on her way to Demerara.
Lloyd's List reported on 4 May 1804 that privateers had captured Sarah, Cannell, master, Caldicot Castle, Skerrett, master, and Hector, Williams, master, and taken them into Guadeloupe. Lloyd's List reported that the three were sailing to Liverpool from Demerara. [8] However, Sarah was not. She was coming into Demerara with captives from Africa. Her captor took her to Guadeloupe.
Caldicot Castle's captor was the privateer Grand Decide, which had brought two prizes into Guadeloupe, suggesting that she may also have been the captor of Hector. [lower-alpha 2]
In 1804, 30 British ships in the triangular trade in enslaved were lost. Only one was lost homeward-bound after having disembarked slaves. [10]
Amazon was launched in France in 1775 under another name and taken in prize in 1780. British owners named her Amazon and she became a West Indiaman. In 1782 an American letter-of-marque, a former British Royal Navy frigate, captured her, but the Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She then became Dumfries. She may have been renamed again. She reappeared as Amazon in 1790, and traded between London and Smyrna. In 1798 she made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1797 and 1798. She then made three voyages between 1800 and 1804 as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Her subsequent history is currently obscure.
Elliott was launched at Liverpool in 1783. She made ten voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade, carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the West Indies. Next, she made one voyage as a whaler. She then became a merchantman, sailing between England and South America. In November 1807 French privateers captured her.
Otter was launched at Liverpool in 1797, initially as a West Indiaman. She made seven voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. During her career she captured one merchantman and recaptured another. She was lost in 1807 on her way back to Britain from her seventh enslaving voyage.
Sarah was launched at Liverpool in 1797. She then made six voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the West Indies. A French privateer captured Sarah in 1804 in a single-ship action on her seventh voyage after Sarah had gathered her slaves but before she could deliver them to the West Indies.
Sarah was launched at Liverpool in 1803. She made a short voyage as a privateer during which she captured a valuable prize. She then made two voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. A French naval squadron captured her early in her third enslaving voyage.
Byam was a snow launched at Oban, or possibly Padstow, in 1800. She made four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. The French captured and burnt her in late 1807 or early 1808 as she was about to deliver the captives from her fifth voyage.
Windsor Castle was launched at Whitby in 1783. Initially she was primarily a West Indiaman. Then from 1797 she made five voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She foundered off Bermuda in 1803 after having disembarked her captives.
Ariadne was built in 1795 at Newbury, Massachusetts, probably under another name. She in 1801 became a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made two voyages transporting enslaved people before a French, and later a Dutch privateer, captured her in 1804 while she was acquiring captives on her third voyage. However, a Liverpool-based vessel recaptured her. Then in 1806, a French privateer captured her and took her into Guadeloupe while Ariadne was on her fourth voyage transporting captives.
Apollo was built in Bermuda in 1798. From 1803 she made two voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. The French captured her in port at Dominica in 1805.
Bolton was launched at Liverpool in 1792. She then made 10 voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. During her career she repelled one attack by a French privateer, was captured on a later voyage by another before being recaptured by the Royal Navy, and then was captured on her tenth voyage by yet another privateer after Bolton had gathered her captives but before she was able to deliver them to the West Indies. Bolton returned to British ownership, first sailing as West Indiaman, before embarking on an 11th enslaving voyage. She blew up on the African coast in 1806 after some of the captives aboard her succeeded in taking her over and setting fire to her.
Active was launched at Bermuda in 1789. She transferred to Liverpool circa 1798 and then spent a few years as a West Indiaman. Between 1802 and 1803 she made one voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved persons. She was captured off West Africa around late 1804 on her second voyage before she could start acquiring slaves.
Ellis was a French prize, captured in 1797, possibly built that year also. Liverpool merchants purchased her. She made five complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the British West Indies. She was lost at sea on 23 April 1806 on her sixth voyage before she could take on any captives.
Beaver was launched in 1796 at Liverpool. She made seven complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved persons. She was captured and retaken once, in 1804, and captured a second time in 1807, during her eighth voyage.
Active was built in Chester in 1781. Initially, she traded with the Baltic and North America. From 1798 she made four complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved persons. A privateer captured her on 1 September 1805 during her fifth slave voyage, after she had embarked her slaves, and took her into the River Plate.
Orange Grove was probably of Danish origin. She first appeared in British records in 1800. She made one complete voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. The French captured her in 1804 during her second slave trading voyage after she had embarked slaves but before she could land them in the West Indies.
Diligence or Diligent was launched in Spain in 1795 and came into British ownership as a French prize acquired in 1800. She became a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made three complete voyages transporting captives. During her third voyage she captured three French vessels. She was wrecked in 1804 on her fourth journey before she had embarked any slaves.
Elizabeth was launched at Liverpool in 1798. She made five complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Spanish privateers captured her in 1805 while she was on her sixth voyage after she had embarked enslave people and took her into Montevideo.
Nelly was launched at Liverpool in 1798. She initially sailed as a West Indiaman. From 1803 she made two complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Spanish privateers captured her in 1805 while she was on her third slave voyage after she had embarked slaves.
William was launched in Spain in 1788, almost certainly under another name. She was taken in prize in 1797. William sailed as a West Indiaman until 1800 when new owners started to sail her as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made four complete voyages as a slave ship. A report of her fourth voyage provides insight into the decision making over the planning of the voyage. Spanish privateers captured her in 1805 on her fifth slave voyage.
Laurel's origins are ambiguous. She first appeared in online British sources in 1802. She made three voyages from Liverpool to Africa. On the first she apparently was on a trading voyage. The second was a complete voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. During this voyage she was involved in two sanguinary engagements with French vessels, the second of which resulted in the death of her master. She set out in 1805 on a second voyage to transport enslaved people, but a French squadron captured her before she had embarked any captives.