| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Lynx |
| Builder | Whitby |
| Launched | 26 November 1776 [1] |
| Captured | 23 January 1812 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 325, [1] or 337 (bm) |
| Length | 99 ft (30 m) |
| Beam | 28 ft (9 m) |
| Armament |
|
Lynx was launched at Whitby in 1776. From 1777 to 1798 she traded with the Baltic. Between 1798 and 1811 Lynx engaged in whaling in Davis Strait, in the British northern whale fishery. She then changed to trading with New Brunswick; in 1812 a French privateer captured her.
Lynx first appeared in Lloyd's List (LR) in 1778. [2] She had already sailed to the Baltic early in 1777.
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1778 | Middleton | Capt.&Co. | Archangel–Hull | LR |
| 1781 | Middleton R.Smith | Middleton | Riga–London London transport | LR |
| 1784 | H.Smith E.Preston | Middleton | London transport | LR |
| 1787 | E.Preston | Middleton | Liverpool–Baltic | LR |
In 1786 Lynx's ownership shifted her registry to Hull. Her owners in 1787 were Jos. Barker, Thos. Middleton and James Atty. Her captain was Elisha Preston. [1]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1789 | E.Preston W.Lumsden | Middleton | Petersburg Hull | LR |
| 1792 | Lumsden J.Medd | Middleton | Hull Petersburg | LR; small repairs 1792 |
| 1797 | Wray | Middleton | Hull Petersburg | LR; small repairs 1792 |
| 1798 | Wray Banks | Middleton | Hull Petersburg | LR; small repairs 1792 & almost rebuilt 1797 |
From 1798 to 1811 Lynx sailed from Hull on annual whaling voyages to Davis Strait. The data below is from Coltish, [3] augmented with information from newspaper reports.
| Year | Master | Whales | Butts blubber | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1798 | Banks | 72 | ||
| 1799 | Banks | 5 | 200 | 66 |
| 1800 | Banks | 7 | 290 | 90 |
| 1801 | Palmer | 10 | 150 | |
| 1802 | 53 | |||
| 1803 | Wallace | 3 | 130 | 45 |
| 1804 | Wallace | 7 | 270 | 98 |
| 1805 | Wallace | 7 | 275 | 106 |
| 1806 | Wallace | 4 | 84 | |
| 1807 | Wallace | 5 | 93 | |
| 1808 | Wallace | 8 | 185 | |
| 1809 | Weldon | 17 | 500 | 194 |
| 1810 | Wallace | 16 | 480 | 196 |
| 1811 | Briggs | 3 | 42 | |
After her return from Davis Strait in 1811, her owners withdrew Lynx from whaling and started to sail her to North America.
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1811 | Wildon Briggs Dewear | J.Dopkins | Hull–Davis Strait | LR; almost rebuilt 1797, & damages repaired 1802 |
| 1813 | S.Dewear | J.Dopkins | Hull–America | LR; almost rebuilt 1797, damages repaired 1802, & good repair 1811 |
Lynx, Dewar, master, sailed from Hull to New Brunswick. As she was returning from New Brunswick a French privateer captured her on 23 January 1812 at 18°N14°W / 18°N 14°W . Her crew arrived safely at Kingsbridge. [4]
The LR issue for 1813 carried the annotation "captured" under Lynx's name. [5]
Camden was built at Whitby in 1813. She served as a general trader for much of her career, though in 1820-21 she made one voyage to Bombay for the British East India Company (EIC). Between 1833 and 1837 she was a Greenland whaler out of the Whitby whale fishery, and was the last vessel from Whitby to engage in whaling. She was last listed in Lloyd's Register in 1850.
Andrew Marvel was launched at Hull in 1812. From 1812 to 1835 she was a Greenland whaler, hunting bowhead whales in the northern whale fishery. Thereafter she became a merchantman. She foundered in September 1843 while on a voyage from Hull to Saint John, New Brunswick.
Earl Fauconberg was launched at Whitby in 1765. From 1784 on she made numerous voyages as a Greenland whaler. She was lost there in 1821.
Aurora was launched at Kingston upon Hull. She traded with the Baltic until 1803 when she became a Greenland whaler. She was lost in 1821 on her 18th voyage to the northern whale fishery.
Blenheim may have been launched in 1776 in Philadelphia as Britannia. By 1777 she was the Massachusetts-based privateer American Tartar and had taken several prizes. She had also participated in an inconclusive single-ship action with a British merchantman. The British Royal Navy captured American Tartar late in 1777 and she became HMS Hinchinbrook. The Royal Navy sold her in 1783 and she became the West Indiaman Blenheim. In 1785-86 she became a Greenland whaler and she continued in that trade until two French frigates captured and burnt her in 1806.
Lord Wellington was launched in 1810 at Hull. She made 20 voyages to Davis Strait and Greenland as a northern whale fishery whaler. She was lost in June 1834 on her 21st voyage.
Majestic was launched at Sunderland in 1811. In 1812 she became a whaler in the British northern whale fishery, whaling at Davis Strait. She was lost there on 16 July 1819.
Regalia was launched at Sunderland in 1811. In 1819 she made a voyage to Calcutta, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She also sailed to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. From Sydney she engaged in several sealing hunting voyages to the waters around Macquarie Island. In 1826 she transported convicts from Dublin to New South Wales. From 1831 until 1852, when she was wrecked at Davis Strait, Regalia was a whaler in the northern whale fishery.
Gardiner and Joseph was launched at Hull in 1802. She made seven voyages as a whaler in the northern whale fishery until she was wrecked in November 1808.
Gardiner and Joseph was launched at Hull in 1810. She made 11 voyages to Greenland or Davis Strait as a whaler in the northern whale fishery. She then traded briefly between Hull and North America. She foundered on 9 October 1824.
Jane was launched at Kingston upon Hull in 1813 as a West Indiaman. Between 1818 and 1836 she was a whaler in the northern whale fishery. She then became a merchantman and was wrecked in 1866.
Comet was launched in 1791 at Rotherhithe. At the outbreak of war with France, she briefly became a privateer before the British East India Company (EIC) chartered her for one voyage to bring back sugar, saltpeter, and other goods from Bengal. Between 1812 and 1821 she made three voyages as a whaler in the British southern whale fishery. Then between 1823 and 1840 she became a whaler based in Hull, whaling in the northern whale fishery. She returned to trade in 1841 and was lost on 1 December 1843 homeward bound from Quebec.
Hebe was launched at Hull in 1809. She initially sailed as a West Indiaman, but then sailed to the Mediterranean. In 1813 a privateer captured her but the Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. Between 1816 and 1819 she made two voyages to India, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). On her return new owners sailed her as a whaler. She was wrecked on 10 March 1821 on her second whaling voyage to the British northern whale fishery.
King George was launched on the Thames in 1781. She spent about three-quarters of her career sailing for the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), and was the third vessel by her name to sail for the HBC. She then spent the last quarter of her career as a whaler in the British northern whale fishery. She foundered there without a trace in 1822.
Fame was launched in India in 1786. She was sold to Portuguese owners. A French privateer captured but the Royal Navy recaptured her in 1794. She then became a West Indiaman, sailing from Liverpool. Between 1796 and 1804 she made three voyages as a slave ship. She then returned to the West Indies trade. From 1818 on she was a whaler in the Greenland whale fishery, sailing from Whitby and then Hull. She burnt in 1823 while outward bound on a whaling voyage.
Home Castle was launched in Aberdeen in 1811. From 1813 on she was a whaler in the British northern whale fishery. She was lost in 1829 while whaling in Davis Strait.
Several vessels have been named Lynx for the lynx:
Cumbrian was launched at Shields in 1811. Initially, during the last years of the French Revolutionary Wars, Cumbrian was a transport. After the end of the war she became a West Indiaman. In 1817 she made one voyage to Bengal, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). In 1819 she became a whaler, sailing from Kingston upon Hull to the northern whale fishery. From 1835 on she left whaling and started trading more widely, to North America, Bombay, and Africa. She was driven ashore in August 1844, refloated, and subsequently condemned.
Gibraltar was launched in 1776 in France, almost certainly under another name. Between 1787 and 1795, she was a whaler in the northern whale (Greenland) fishery. A French privateer captured her in February 1796 as she was on her way to the fishery, and burnt her. Her loss led the British government to increase the protection of the outward-bound whaling fleet.
William was launched at Kingston upon Hull in 1811. She made 19 complete voyages to Davis Strait and Greenland in the British northern whale fishery, but was lost to ice on her 20th.