| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Paragon |
| Builder | Lancaster |
| Launched | 1801 |
| Fate | Last listed 1830 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 295, [1] [2] or 308 [2] (bm) |
| Complement | |
| Armament | |
Paragon was launched at Lancaster in 1801, or 1800. She traded across the Atlantic with the West Indies, South America, and North America. She captured one French vessel, and was herself captured, but swiftly recaptured by the Royal Navy. She was last listed in 1830, but with stale data from 1825.
Paragon entered Lloyd's Register in 1801 with W. Hart, master, Ridley, owner, and trade London–Demerara. [1] After the resumption of war with France, Captain William Hart acquired a letter of marque on 20 June 1803. [2]
Lloyd's List reported on 12 August 1803 that Paragon, of Lancaster, Hart, master, while south of the Azores, had captured Harmonie. Harmonie had been sailing from New Orleans to Marseilles. Paragon sent her into Lancaster. [4]
On 12 October 1804 Captain Paul Redmayne acquired a letter of marque. [2] Captain William Hart acquired a letter of marque on 2 October 1805. [2]
Lloyd's List reported on 10 June 1806 that Paragon had gone on shore at Berbice. She had then go into Demerara to unload, having lost her rudder. [5]
On 4 August 1807 Captain Robert Millar acquired a letter of marque. This letter of marque gave Paragon's burthen as 308 tons. [2] Lloyd's Register for 1807 showed Paragon's master changing from W. Hart to R. Millar, her owner from Ridley to Robinson, and her trade from London–Demerara to Greenock–Halifax, Nova Scotia. [6] From Greenock she also sailed to New York City and to Demerara. In 1809 her master and owner changed to Forsyth.
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | Forsyth | Forsyth | Greenock–Demerara | Register of Shipping (RS) |
| 1812 | Forsyth | Holt | Liverpool–Lisbon | RS |
Paragon, Clint, master, was sailing from Liverpool to Buenos Aires in company with William, Gell, master, when on 3 April 1813 they encountered the American privateer Grand Turk at 27°S40°W / 27°S 40°W . Grand Turk was armed with 16 guns and had a crew of 130 men. An engagement ensued that lasted 17 minutes before the two British merchantmen struck. William had suffered two men killed and six men wounded. [7]
HMS Tenedos recaptured Paragon near Boston and Paragon arrived at Halifax on 2 June. William remained a prize and arrived at Salem on 30 May. [8] A great wind struck Halifax on 12 November, sinking or damaging many ships. One of these was the "ship Paragon", which had been driven ashore, lost her mizzenmast, and had her upper works greatly damaged. [9] Lloyd's Register for 1814 had the annotations "captured" by her name. [10]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1814 | J.Clint D,Steward | Kernso | Liverpool–Brazils | LR; |
The Register of Shipping for 1815 showed Paragon with Stewart, master, Collins, owner, and trade London–Halifax. It also noted that she had undergone repairs in 1814. [11]
On 21 August Paragon, Stuart, master, sailed from Portsmouth for Halifax. The transport Alexander arrived at Plymouth from Halifax on 25 October. On her way she had encountered Paragon at 47°33′N37°0′W / 47.550°N 37.000°W . Paragon was on her way to Halifax but had been dismasted and was "in great distress". Alexander rendered assistance and parted on 14 October. [12] Paragon, Stewart, master, arrived at Halifax on 5 November, having come via Newfoundland.
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1815 | D. Steward | Collins | London–Halifax | Register of Shipping (RS); damages repaired in 1814 |
| 1820 | W. Hide G. Smith | Capt. & Co. | London–Grenada Exmouth–Quebec | Lloyd's Register (LR); large repair 1817 |
On 23 July Friendship, Weeks, master, had to put into Exmouth with damage. Paragon, Smith, master, had run into her as Paragon was coming from America. [13]
Paragon, Smith, master was entering Shields Harbour when she ran aground on the Herd Sand [14] on 4 November 1821. [15] She was later refloated and taken in to South Shields. [16] She underwent a large repair in 1821.
Paragon was last listed in the Register of Shipping in 1825 with trade London coaster. [17] She was last listed in Lloyd's Register in 1830 with trade London–Newcastle. [18] Information in Lloyd's Register was stale, having shown no change relative to 1825.
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The ship that became Mary Ann was built in 1772 in France and the British captured her c. 1778. Her name may have been Ariadne until 1786 when she started to engage in whaling. Next, as Mary Ann, she made one voyage transporting convicts to New South Wales from England. In 1794 the French captured her, but by 1797 she was back in her owners' hands. She then made a slave trading voyage. Next, she became a West Indiaman, trading between London or Liverpool to Demerara. It was on one of those voyages in November 1801 that a French privateer captured her.
Tobago was a ship launched in 1790. She came into British hands in 1793 and was probably a prize taken immediately after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars in early 1793. She traded with Tobago for several years before new owners purchased her for whaling. She made two whaling voyages to the East Coast of Africa before her owners sold her to new owners. She then made two voyages as a slave ship. She was abandoned or condemned in 1802.
Backhouse was launched at Hull in 1799 as a West Indiaman. Mather & Co. purchased her in 1800 and then employed her on two whaling voyages to the Southern Whale Fishery. They sold her in 1805 and her new owner sailed her to the West Indies. In September 1806, as she was homeward-bound, her crew burned her as she was too leaky to continue.
Cornwallis was a French vessel launched in 1802 that came into British hands in 1803. Under a sequence of owners she traded with the West Indies, Spain, the Cape of Good Hope, and Singapore. She is last listed in 1834.
Peggy was built at Calcutta in 1793 and initially sailed in the Indian coastal and Far East trade. In 1801 she assumed British registry and her name was changed to Juliana. Her owners sold her to the Transport Board but in 1804 the government resold her and she was sailing as a West Indiaman between London and Antigua. She then made two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), and one voyage to Hobart, Van Dieman's Land, transporting convicts. On her return from this voyage she wrecked in 1821 on the English coast.
Otway was a French or Spanish vessel built in 1799 that became a Liverpool-based slaver in 1800. She made four voyages delivering slaves from West Africa to the West Indies before the French Navy captured her in 1806. She became the Guadeloupe-based privateer Alerte and captured a number of British merchantmen before the Royal Navy captured her i October 1807.
Eliza was built in Spain in 1794 under another name and taken as a prize circa 1800. She then made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). On her return she made one voyage to Timor as a whaler. She next became a West Indiaman. In 1810 she apparently was sold to Portuguese interests and who continued to sail her under the name Courier de Londres. She is last listed in 1814.
Irlam was launched in 1800 at Liverpool as a West Indiaman, sailing between Liverpool and Barbados. Although a merchantman not a privateer, she made an unusually aggressive use of her letter of marque, capturing or recapturing four vessels.
Auspicious was built in 1797. The British East India Company (EIC), chartered her for a voyage to Bengal and back. At Calcutta a fire almost destroyed her. She was rebuilt there some years later. She served as a transport vessel in the British government's expedition to the Red Sea in 1801. She then sailed to England, again under charter to the EIC. In 1811 she sailed to Bengal to remain. She was sold in 1821 either to Malabars or Arabs.
Andersons was launched at Poole in 1798. She then made seven voyages as a slave ship. After the end of the British slave trade in 1807 her owners sold her to new owners who employed her as a West Indiaman. By 1810 she was registered in Whitby. She then served as a general merchant vessel until she was wrecked in 1823.
Lord Forbes was launched at Chester in 1803 as a West Indiaman. She soon became an "armed defense ship", but by 1805 had returned to being a West Indiaman. She made two voyages as an "extra" ship for the British East India Company (EIC). She continued trading with India until 1817 when she sustained damage on her way to Bengal. There she was surveyed, condemned and sold.
Otter was launched at Liverpool in 1797, initially as a West Indiaman. She made seven voyages as a slave ship and was lost in 1807 on her way back to Britain from her seventh slave voyage.
Lancaster was built in France in 1787. She entered British ownership c.1803. In 1805 made one voyage as a slave ship during which a French privateer captured her in a single-ship action, but the Royal Navy recaptured her. She also recaptured a British ship. Thereafter she traded widely until she was last listed in 1825.
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 and foundered off Bermuda in 1803 after having disembarked her slaves.
Minerva was launched in 1795 at Lancaster as a West Indiaman. In 1801 she was captured but immediately recaptured. Between 1802 and 1808 she made five voyages as a slave ship. She was last listed in 1816.
Horatio was launched in 1800 at Liverpool. She made four voyages as a slave ship, during two of which she was captured and recaptured. Shortly before the British slave trade ended she left the slave trade and sailed between Britain and South America and as a West Indiaman. She was wrecked in 1817.
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.
Alexander was launched in France or Spain in 1797, probably under another name, and taken in prize circa 1799, when she was lengthened and raised. She was registered at Liverpool in 1801 and proceeded to make six voyages as a slave ship. She then sailed to Brazil and the West Indies and was last listed in 1809.
Harmony was launched in 1798 in Lancaster as a West Indiaman. Between 1805 and 1807 she sailed to the Pacific on a privateering voyage. Early in the voyage she was engaged in a single ship action in which her target repelled the attack, killing Harmony's master and inflicting severe casualties on her crew. Although Harmony returned to trading with the West Indies, in 1817 she made one voyage to India under a licence from the British East India Company. On her return she traded between Hull and Petersburg, and Quebec. New owners in 1821 decided to use her as a whaler in the northern whale fishery. She was lost there on her first whaling voyage.
