Queen Charlotte (1790 ship)

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History
Hudson's Bay Company Flag (1707-1801).svg Great Britain
OperatorHudson's Bay Company (1790–1800)
Launched1790, The Thames
FateFinally wrecked 10 December 1813
General characteristics
Tons burthen152, or 157 (bm)
Armament2 × 3-pounder guns

Queen Charlotte was built on the Thames in 1790. She made eight voyages for the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) before it sold her in 1800. She then traded to South America and the Mediterranean. In 1803 her crew mutinied and turned her over to the French, who promptly handed her and them back to the British authorities, despite the two countries being at war. She then spent much of her career sailing between London and the Cape of Good Hope (CGH; the Cape). [lower-alpha 1] She was sailing for the Cape in October 1813 when a collision with another vessel resulted in Queen Charlotte being wrecked shortly thereafter.

Contents

Career

Queen Charlotte spent the first decade of her career sailing for the HBC. [2] during this time she made eight voyages between London and Hudson Bay, primarily to York Factory. [3] Turner then took command of King George, another HBC ship. [4]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource & notes
1801J.Turner
Andrews
HBC
Capt. & Co.
Hudson BayLR
1803A.AndrewsCapt & Co.Liverpool–Leghorn Register of Shipping (RS)

In early 1804 Queen Charlotte, Andrews, master, was returning from Smyrna on her way to London when she put in at Gibraltar. There her crew took control of her and sailed to Cadiz where they turned themselves over to the French Navy. However, at Cadiz the captain of a French 74-gun, took vessel and crew into custody, turning them over to the British consul. [5] The French also returned Queen Charlotte to Andrew's control. [6]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource & notes
1804A.Andrews
Mounton
Capt.&Co.Liverpool–Leghorn
London–Surinam
LR
1806A. CarrWilkieLondon–SurinamLR
1806Moresdon
A. Andrews
Wilkie & Co.
Capt.& Co.
London–Surinam
London–Surinam
London–Cape of good Hope (CGH)
RS
1809AndrewsJ.WilkieLondon–CGHLR
1809A.AndrewsCapt&Co.London–CGHRS; damages repaired 1806
1810A.AndrewsCapt&Co.London–CGHRS; damages repaired 1806 and small repairs 1809

Lloyd's List reported on 15 November 1811 that Queen Charlotte, Andrews, master, had lost an anchor and cable in Margate Roads. [7]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource & notes
1813Andrews
Jackson
J.WilkieLondon–CGHLR; several repairs

On 27 December 1812 Queen Charlotte sailed from Rio de Janeiro together with four three other British merchant vessels bound for Great Britain and under convoy by the schooner HMS Juniper. At 4°25′N22°30′W / 4.417°N 22.500°W / 4.417; -22.500 one left the group, all of which, including Queen Charlotte, Jackson, master, were short of provisions. Queen Charlotte was bound for Greenock. [8]

Fate

Queen Charlotte collided on 20 October 1813 with the transport Phœbe and sank off Spithead. Queen Charlotte's mate drowned. She was on a voyage from London to the Cape of Good Hope. [9] Queen Charlotte was raised from six fathoms (18 ft (5.5 m)) of water to 8 ft (2.4 m) feet in early December but a gale on 10 December broke up her decks and scattered her cargo. [10] LR for 1814 carried the annotation "sunk" by her name. [11]

Post script

She may have been salvaged and become Queen Charlotte (1815 ship).

Notes

  1. Although there is one mention of her having made a whaling voyage in 1808–1809, [1] there is no corroborating evidence for that.

Citations

  1. British Southern Whale Fishery – Voyages: Queen Charlotte.
  2. Archives of Manitoba - Hudson’s Bay Company Archives – Ships’ Histories: Queen Charlotte.
  3. Houston, Ball & Houston (2003), p. 150.
  4. Houston, Ball & Houston (2003), p. 151.
  5. "LONDON, THURSDAY, MARCH 29". Morning Post (London, England), Thursday, 29 March 1804; Issue 11070.
  6. Naval Chronicle (June–July 1804), Vol. 11, p.424.
  7. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4615. 15 November 1811. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735025.
  8. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4768. 7 May 1813. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735026.
  9. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4815. 22 October 1813. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735026.
  10. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4829. 14 December 1813. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735026.
  11. LR (1814), Seq.№Q16.

Related Research Articles

A number of sailing ships have been named Queen Charlotte.

HMS Sparkler was an Acute-class gunvessel launched in 1797 as GB No.7 and renamed HMS Sparkler in August 1797. She served the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars. The Navy sold her in 1802. She became a merchantman. In 1813 a French privateer captured her but the Royal Navy recaptured her shortly thereafter. She was wrecked in February 1814.

Auguste was a French 14-gun privateer commissioned in Saint-Malo in November 1811 under Pierre Jean Marie Lepeltier. She captured numerous British merchant vessels before the Royal Navy forced her in January 1814 to run onshore and wreck.

Clarendon was built in 1807 at Whitehaven. Between 1808 or so and 1813 she sailed as a West Indiaman between London and Jamaica. In 1814 she sailed for Batavia under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). The privateer Young Wasp captured Clarendon off the Cape of Good Hope, on 6 January 1815, and she arrived at Baltimore on 15 April.

HMS Juniper was launched at Bermuda in 1809 for the British Royal Navy. She participated in one campaign for which her crew was awarded the Naval General Service Medal (1847) with clasp "San Sebastian". She also participated in the capture of several merchant ships. The Navy sold her in 1814.

Dry Harbour was launched in 1804 in France under another name. She was apparently captured in 1812 and became a British merchantman. American privateers captured her in 1814 but she was recaptured shortly thereafter. She was condemned at Antigua circa December 1814.

Duck was launched in Boston in 1804, presumably under another name. She was taken in prize in 1812 and became a British merchantman. She spent much of her career sailing between Britain and Newfoundland. In 1813 French frigates captured her, but released her. She was wrecked on 15 October 1829.

Brilliant was launched in Sweden in 1804, probably under another name, and take in prize circa 1812. She became a British merchantman. In 1813 two French frigates captured her, but then abandoned her. She continued to trade widely until she became a coaster sailing between London and Newcastle. She foundered in December 1840.

HMS Bramble was launched in Bermuda in 1809. She had a relatively brief and uneventful career before the Royal Navy sold her in December 1815. She became the mercantile Bramble, and was last listed in 1824.

Harriot was launched in 1784 on the Thames as a West Indiaman. Her owners may have intended to send her to the South Seas as a whaler in 1786, but there is no evidence that she actually made such a voyage. A new owner renamed her Dominica Packet around 1787. She then spent her career primarily sailing between Britain and the West Indies. During her career she captured a Spanish merchantman and a Dutch East Indiaman. A Baltimore privateer captured Dominica Packet in 1813, but the British Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She foundered circa January 1821.

Agreeable was launched at Bermuda in 1786, probably under a different name. French owners acquired her at some point and sailed her as Agréable. In 1793 the British captured her. Subsequently, she made six voyages as a slave ship between 1793 and 1808, alternating between slave trading and sailing as a regular West Indiaman. French privateers captured her between the second and third, and the third and fourth, but each time the British Royal Navy recaptured her. In the case of the second capture she was in French hands long enough for them to send her out as a privateer. She herself captured an American vessel in 1808 as she was returning to Liverpool from her last slave voyage. After the end of British participation in the slave trade Agreeable traded more widely, particularly to South America. She was condemned at Buenos Aires in 1814 after running aground in the River Plate. She was repaired and continue to sail to Brazil until she returned to Liverpool in June 1819.

Star was built in Calcutta in 1800. Between 1803 and 1811 she made three seal hunting voyages. From 1812 she sailed as a merchantman until she was wrecked on 18 December 1829 on a voyage to Jamaica.

Thames was launched in New York in 1798, probably under another name. Bebby & Co., of Liverpool, acquired her circa 1807. An American privateer captured Thames in January 1813 as Thames was sailing back to Liverpool from Africa.

HMS Thrasher was launched in 1804 at Brightlingsea, or Colchester as the merchant vessel Adamant. The British Royal Navy purchased her in June 1804, renamed her, and fitted her out as a gunbrig. She captured numerous small merchant vessels, most of them Dutch or Danish. After the Navy sold her in 1814, she returned to mercantile service under her original name of Adamant. She made a voyage to Malta in 1815 and was wrecked as she was returning to London.

John Tobin was a ship launched in 1809 at Hull. In 1810 she recaptured a British vessel and in November 1812 she repelled an attack by an American privateer in a single ship action. From 1816 John Tobin made three voyages to India, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She then sailed to Calabar, West Africa. She left there on 28 November 1821 and was never heard of again.

Nimble was built in Kingston upon Hull in 1802. She traded with Portugal, first from Hull and then from Liverpool. She was lengthened in 1806. Later, she traded between London and Brazil, and then London and the West Indies. An American privateer captured her in 1814. She was recaptured and then disappeared from ship arrival and departure (SAD) data.

Sea Horse was launched in 1782 at Gravesend for the Hudson Bay Company. She then became a merchantman that a French naval squadron captured in 1794. She became the Spanish merchantman Principe Fernando that a Guernsey privateer recaptured in January 1800. She became a merchantman again, and then made one voyage as a whaler. She became a Government transport and it was as a transport that she was wrecked in 1816 with great loss of life.

Commerce was a French vessel launched in 1798 and taken in prize in 1800. Initially she sailed as a West Indiaman. Then between 1801 and the end in 1807 of British participation in the triangular trade in enslaved people, Commerce made four voyages as a slave ship and also spent some time in 1803 cruising as a privateer. Afterwards, she continued to trade between Liverpool and West Africa. During one voyage in 1811 a French privateer captured her, but Commerce was recaptured. She was wrecked in November 1813 while returning to Liverpool from South America.

Mary Ann was launched in 1807 at Liverpool. She made one voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She then became a West Indiaman. From 1811 she became a Falmouth packet. In 1813 a United States privateer captured her.

William Dawson was launched at Lancaster in 1812 as a West Indiaman. In 1818–1819, she made one voyage to India, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). Thereafter William Dawson sailed to North America, primarily Canada from homeports such as Liverpool and later Alloa. She suffered several relatively minor mishaps and was last listed in 1859.

References