| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Ranger |
| Launched | 1789, Liverpool |
| Captured | 1795 and recaptured 1796 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 110 [1] [2] (bm) |
| Complement | 24 [2] |
| Armament |
|
Ranger was launched in Liverpool in 1789. She made four complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. A French privateer captured her in 1796 in a single ship action during her fifth voyage transporting enslaved people. She was recaptured, but thereafter disappears from online records.
Ranger first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1789. [1]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1789 | J.Corran | W.Boats | Liverpool–Africa | LR |
1st voyage transporting enslaved people (1789–1790): Captain John Corran sailed from Liverpool on 4 November 1789. Ranger started acquiring captives on 3 March 1790, first at Cape Coast Castle, and then at Anomabu. She sailed from Africa on 26 June and arrived at Kingston, Jamaica on 28 August 1790. She had embarked 180 captives and she arrived with 179. On 25 September she sailed from Jamaica and arrived back at Liverpool on 25 November. She had left with 25 crew members and suffered no crew deaths on her voyage. [3]
The Slave Trade Act 1788 (Dolben's Act) was the first British legislation passed to regulate the shipping of enslaved people. One of the provisions of the act was bonuses for the master (£100) and surgeon (£50) if the mortality among the captives was under 2%; a mortality rate of under 3% resulted in a bonus of half that. Dolben's Act apparently resulted in some reduction in the numbers of captives carried per vessel, and possibly in mortality, though the evidence is ambiguous. [4] [lower-alpha 1]
2nd voyage transporting enslaved people (1791): Captain John Corran sailed from Liverpool on 20 February 1791 and began acquiring captives on 6 May. She acquired captives at Bonny and left Africa on 24 June. She arrived at Kingston on 18 August. She had embarked 190 captives and arrived with 170, for an 11% mortality rate. She sailed from Kingston on 16 September and arrived back at Liverpool on 17 November. She had left Liverpool with 22 crew members and had suffered four crew deaths on her voyage. [6]
3rd voyage transporting enslaved people (1792–1793): Captain Corran sailed from Liverpool on 16 April 1792. Ranger gathered captives at Whydah. She sailed from Africa on 29 September and arrived at St Vincent in November with 169 captives. She arrived back at Liverpool on 6 February 1793. At some point Captain Ladwick Carlile replaced Corran, but it is not clear when. [lower-alpha 2] Ranger had left Liverpool with 19 crew members and she had suffered two crew deaths on her voyage. [8]
4th voyage transporting enslaved people (1793–1794): By the time Ranger left on her fourth enslaving voyage, war with France had broken out. Captain John Gardner acquired a letter of marque 2 September. [2] However, apparently it was Captain Caleb Gardner that sailed from Liverpool on 13 September. Ranger began acquiring captives on 30 November, somewhere in West Africa. She sailed from Africa on 11 March 1794 and arrived at Kingston on 24 May. She had embarked 183 captives and she had arrived with 181, for a 1% mortality rate. She sailed from Jamaica on 23 July and arrived back at Liverpool on 7 October. [9]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1796 | R.Wilson | H.E.Beats | Liverpool–Africa | LR; repairs 1794 |
5th voyage transporting enslaved people (1795–1796): Captain John Wilson sailed from Liverpool on 17 January 1795. [10] In 1795, 79 British ships sailed on enslaving voyages, 59 from Liverpool. [11]
Ranger was reported to have arrived at Angola. In February 1796, Lloyd's List reported that Ranger, Wilson, master, was the windward of Barbados, having come from Africa, when she encountered a privateer. After an action of two hours, the privateer captured Ranger. [12]
Her captors took Ranger into Curacao, where Captain Wilson died soon after. Two of her crew had died in the action. [13] [14]
In 1795, 50 British vessels in the triangular trade were lost. This was the largest number for the period 1793–1807. Of the 50 vessels, seven were lost in the Middle Passage, i.e., while sailing from Africa to the West Indies. [15] 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 enslaving vessels. [16]
In May Lloyd's List reported that Ranger, Wilson, master, had been retaken and brought into Barbados. [17] [13]
Britannia, was a vessel launched in 1783 at Saltcoats, possibly under another name. She made four voyages from Liverpool as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She grounded at Liverpool in 1793 after the first. A French privateer captured her in 1795 during the second, and took her to Guadeloupe where the Republican Government almost certainly freed the captives. She returned to British ownership and made two more voyages as a slave ship. A French privateer captured her during her fourth voyage.
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.
Iris was launched at Liverpool as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. In all she made eight voyages (1783-1800) transporting captives 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.
Eliza was launched in America in 1780 and taken in prize in 1782. She entered the Liverpool registry in 1783, 1786, and again in 1792. She made nine voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was lost in an explosion on her tenth voyage after she had already embarked her captives. All the captives died, as did her captain and most of her crew. The explosion occurred during a single ship action on 17 December 1797, with a French privateer.
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.
Hannah was built in Liverpool in 1795. She made four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade of enslaved people. She was lost in 1801 as she was returning home after having delivered her captives on her fourth voyage.
African Queen was built at Folkestone in 1780, though almost surely under a different name. She became a Bristol-based slave ship in 1792 and made two complete slave voyages. On her first slave voyage she suffered a high mortality, both among her slaves and her captains and crew. A privateer captured her in 1795 as she was on her way to Jamaica with slaves while on her third enslaving voyage.
Old Dick was launched at Bermuda in 1789. She sailed to England and was lengthened in 1792. From 1792 on she made two full voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On her second she recaptured two British merchant ships. She was lost in 1796 at Jamaica after having landed her third cargo of captives.
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. On her fifth she had to repel an attack by a French privateer in a single ship action. A French privateer captured her in September 1797 after she had delivered her captives on her sixth voyage.
Agreeable was launched in 1786 in Liverpool, possibly under another name. Between 1798 and 1802 she made three voyages as a slave ship. A French privateer captured her in 1803 as she was sailing from Africa to the West Indies on her fourth slave trading 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.
Liverpool Hero was built in France in 1777, probably as Jeune Emilia. She was taken in prize in 1780. In 1781 she entered into the triangular trade in enslaved people. From 1781 she made six complete voyages from Liverpool as a slave ship. On her fourth enslaving voyage she suffered an exceptionally high mortality rate among the captives she had embarked. Her third voyage had been marred by high mortality, but on the fourth 330 captives, 59% of the number she had embarked, died. She was lost in 1794 off the coast of Africa on her seventh voyage, probably with her crew and captives.
Tom was launched in 1780 in America, possibly under another name. She first appeared in British records in 1792. From 1792 Tom participated as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made two complete voyages from Liverpool. French frigates captured her in 1794 while she was on her third voyage, but before she could acquire any captives.
Bell was launched in 1788 in Liverpool. Between 1788 and 1795 she made five voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. The French captured her in 1798 on her sixth enslaving voyage after she had embarked her captives. In 1798, the Royal Navy destroyed her.
Onslow was a Spanish vessel launched in 1789 that was taken in prize in 1795. She became a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made one complete slave trading voyage before a French privateer captured her in 1797 as she was just on her way to embark slaves for a second voyage.
Aeolus was built in Liverpool. Between 1787 and 1806 she made 13 voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On one voyage she repelled an attack by a French privateer in a single ship action. She was last listed in 1808.
Brothers was launched in 1782 at Liverpool as a Guineaman. She made seven complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. A French privateer captured her in 1795, on her eighth voyage after she had embarked her captives. In a highly unusual move, the privateer sold Brothers and the captives she was carrying to the master of a Spanish vessel that the privateer had captured. The purchaser then took Brothers into Havana.
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.
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.