| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Princess Royal |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Liverpool |
| Launched | 1790 |
| Fate | Captured December 1794 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 405 [1] [2] (bm) |
| Propulsion | Sail |
| Complement | 70 [2] |
| Armament | 20 x 9-pounder guns [2] |
Princess Royal was launched at Liverpool in 1790. She made four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. The French captured her in 1794 at the beginning of her fifth enslaving voyage.
Princess Royal first appears in Lloyd's Register with William Forbes, master, John Dawson, owner, and trade Liverpool–Africa. [3]
On all four slave trading voyages that Princess Royal completed, she gathered her captives in the Bight of Biafra and Gulf of Guinea islands. In 1791 she delivered them to Cuba. On the other voyages she took them to Jamaica. [4]
1st enslaving voyage (1790): Dawson sailed from Liverpool on 29 April 1790. He gathered his captives at Bonny Island and delivered them to Kingston, Jamaica on 6 November with 528 captives. Also, four of his 46 crew members died on the voyage. Princess Royal sailed from Kingston on 22 December and arrived back at Liverpool on 14 February 1791. [4]
2nd enslaving voyage (1791–1792): Robert Catterall replaced Forbes for the second slaving voyage. He sailed from Liverpool on 8 March 1791 and started slave trading on 6 June. Apparently he first gathered captives at "Barabalemo", and then at Bonny. Princess Royal sailed from Africa on 21 October and arrived at Havana on 30 December with 444 captives. She left Havana on 27 January 1792 and arrived back at Liverpool on 19 March. Princess Royal had left Liverpool with 39 crew members and four crew members died on the voyage. [5]
3rd enslaving voyage (1792–1793): John Bunnell replaced Catterall, but John Carson in turn replaced Bunnell. Carson sailed from Liverpool on 26 April 1792 and arrived at Kingston, Jamaica, on 1 December with 459 captives. Two of her 39 crew members died on the voyage. She left Jamaica on 14 January 1793 and arrived back at Liverpool on 2 March. Two of her 39 crew members died on the full voyage. [6]
4th enslaving voyage (1793–1794): Captain James Brown replaced Carson, and on 16 July 1793 acquired a letter of marque. [2] He sailed from Liverpool on 5 August 1793 and gathered captives at Bonny. Princess Royal left Africa on 14 November, and arrived at Jamaica on 28 January 1794. She had embarked 549 captives and landed 539, for a loss rate of 1.8%. She left Jamaica on 1 April and arrived back at Liverpool on 21 May. She had left Liverpool with 64 crew members and she suffered eight crew member deaths on the voyage. [7]
After the passage of Dolben's Act in 1788, masters received a bonus of £100 for a mortality rate of under 2%; the ship's surgeon received £50. For a mortality rate between two and three percent, the bonus was halved. There was no bonus if mortality exceeded 3%. [8] [lower-alpha 1]
5th enslaving voyage (1794–loss): Brown sailed from Liverpool on 29 July 1794. [10]
Lloyd's List reported on 12 May 1795 that a French squadron had captured Princess Royal, Brown, master, of Liverpool, in the Bonny River. The capture occurred between 22 and 29 December 1794. The French also captured the slavers Eliza and Vulture during the same period. [11] Lloyd's List reported on 27 October that Princess Royal, Brown, master, was among a number of vessels that a French squadron had captured and taken into Cadiz. [12] Princess Royal had not embarked any slaves before the French captured her. [10]
In 1794, 25 British slave ships were lost; three were lost on the coast of Africa. [13] During the period 1793 to 1807, war, rather than maritime hazards or resistance by the captives, was the greatest cause of vessel losses among British slave vessels. [14]
Experiment was launched on the River Thames in 1789. She made seven voyages for Calvert & Co. as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people, carrying captives from the Gold Coast to Jamaica. A French squadron captured her in 1795.
Iris was launched at Liverpool as a slaver. In all she made eight voyages (1783-1800) carrying slaves from West Africa to the Caribbean. She also made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) to Bengal and back (1795-1796). She was condemned in Jamaica in December 1800 as unseaworthy.
Vulture was built in France 1777 and captured. By early 1779 she was sailing as a privateer out of Liverpool. She then became a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made 10 voyages as slaver and was captured in 1795 on her 11th such voyage.
Dispatch was built in Bermuda in 1784 and came to England possibly as early as 1786. In 1792 she made a voyage as a slave ship carrying slaves from Africa to the West Indies in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was then briefly a privateer before returning to the slave trade. The French captured her in 1795 while she was on her third slave trading voyage.
Duke of Buccleugh was launched at Yarmouth in 1783. In 1789 she became a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made five complete enslaving voyages before a French privateer captured her in September 1797 after she had delivered her captives on her sixth voyage.
Prince was launched at Bristol in 1785 as Alexander and then made two complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Her owners changed her name to Prince in 1787. As Prince, she made six more complete voyages as an enslaving ship. She sailed on enslaving voyages for owners in Bristol, Liverpool, and London. She foundered in 1800 as she was returning to England from her ninth, having delivered captives to Jamaica.
Several ships have been named John:
HMS Garland was a frigate of the British Royal Navy, launched at Sheerness in 1748. She had an apparently uneventful career in the Royal Navy, not being listed as participating in engagements or battles. She did capture some French and American merchant vessels. Her most important capture in 1782, was that of the privateer Fair American, which had in some two years captured over 40 British vessels. The Navy sold her in 1783 and she became a slave ship, making six full enslaving voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was wrecked as she started for home having delivered the captives from her seventh voyage.
Nimble was built in Folkestone in 1781, possibly under another name. In 1786 Nimble was almost rebuilt and lengthened. Between 1786 and 1798 she made nine voyages as a whaler in the British Southern Whale Fishery. Between 1799 and 1804 she made four voyages from Liverpool as a slave ship. On her first voyage as to gather captives she detained a neutral vessel, an action that resulted in a court case. On her second voyage to gather captives, a French privateer captured her, but the Royal Navy recaptured her. She was sold in 1804 at St Thomas after she had delivered her captives.
Mentor was the former HMS Wasp. The British Royal Navy sold Wasp in 1781 and she became the mercantile Polly, which traded with Africa. In 1784 Polly became the slave ship Mentor. Mentor made eight full slave-trading voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She carried captives from The Gambia to the West Indies. French privateers captured her in late 1795 as she was on her way from West Africa to the West Indies on her ninth voyage.
Betsey was launched in 1790 at Liverpool as a slave ship. She made six complete voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On her second such voyage she, together with five other slave ships, bombarded Calabar for more than three hours to force the local native traders to lower the prices they were charging for captives. A French privateer captured her in 1799 after she had delivered her captives on her seventh voyage.
Amacree or Amachree, was launched in 1788 in Liverpool. She made ten voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade, carrying enslaved people from West Africa and primarily to Dominica. On her fourth such voyage, she and five other slave ships bombarded Calabar for more than three hours to force the local native traders to lower the prices they were charging for slaves. The last press mention of Amacree occurred in 1801.
Thomas was the ship Sally that James Jones acquired in 1785. Thomas made seven voyages from Bristol as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved persons. On her fourth such voyage,Thomas and five other slave ships, bombarded Calabar for more than three hours to force the local native traders to lower the prices they were charging for captives. The French captured her in 1794 as she was on her way for her eighth voyage.
Echo was launched in 1791 in Liverpool as a slave ship. She made two complete voyages from Liverpool in the Atlantic triangular slave trade. On her third voyage a French privateer captured her, but a British letter of marque recaptured her. She did not return to enslaving and was last listed in 1796.
Liver was launched at Liverpool in 1786, probably as a fishing smack. She was lengthened in 1790. Liver then made four complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved peoples. In these voyages she carried 827 captives. A French privateer captured her in 1797 as she was approaching the West Indies on her fifth voyage. Including this fifth voyage, over her career she almost surely delivered over 1000 enslaved people to the Americas.
True Briton was launched at Liverpool in 1775. She made two voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. During the second of these voyages there was an unsuccessful insurrection by the captives she was carrying. Then in 1777–1778 she made another enslaving voyage, this time under the name John. On her return to Liverpool, she became the privateer Bellona, and succeeded in taking several prizes. Bellona then made three enslaving voyages. In 1786 her ownership changed, and so did her name. She became Lord Stanley, and under that name proceeded to make 11 more enslaving voyages. In 1794, at Havana, a deadly fever spread through the vessel, apparently after she had landed her captives. On her last voyage the captain acted with such brutality towards a black crew member that the man, who providentially survived, sued the captain when the vessel arrived at Liverpool and won substantial damages.
Doe was built in 1780, in the Thirteen Colonies, possibly under another name. She was taken in prize. Between 1783 and 1786 Doe made three complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. New owners in 1787 renamed Doe to Ellen. Ellen was registered in Liverpool in 1787. Between 1789 and 1792, she made two complete enslaving voyages. A French privateer captured her in 1793 as she was on her way to the West Indies having embarked captives in Africa on her sixth slaving voyage.
Golden Age was launched at Havana in 1779, almost certainly under another name. She was taken in prize circa 1783. From late 1783 she sailed from Liverpool as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made four complete voyages. On her third her captives rebelled, but were unsuccessful. A French private frigate captured her in 1793 after she had disembarked her captives from her fifth enslaving voyage. Her captors took her into Philadelphia where she was sold to a French owner who named her Republican, and sailed her to France.
King Grey, first appeared in online British records in 1786. She made five enslaving voyages between 1786 and 1793. On her last enslaving voyage the French captured her but the Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She was sold at Kingston, Jamaica. She became a privateer but in December 1795 fire from French Republican shore artillery sank her at Tiburon where she was supporting French Royalist forces as an armed ship.
Bud was launched at Liverpool in 1783. Between 1783 and 1800 she made 12 complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. In 1796 she repelled an attack by a faster, better armed, and more heavily crewed French privateer in a single ship action. Then in 1798, a French privateer captured her in another single ship action after Bud's short but sanguinary resistance. The Royal Navy quickly captured her, and her captor. On her 13th enslaving voyage she was condemned at Kingston, Jamaica after she had arrived with her captives.