Recovery (1791 ship)

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History
British-Red-Ensign-1707.svg Great Britain
NameRecovery
Launched1781
Acquired1791
Captured1797
General characteristics
Tons burthen180, or 189 (bm)
Armament6 × 3-pounder guns (1796)

Recovery was launched in 1781, possibly under another name. She first appeared in British sources in 1781. She made two voyages as a Bristol-based slave ship in the triangular trade] in enslaved people. The first such voyage give rise to a landmark court case. During the 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 slaves. She then became a West Indiaman until the French Navy captured her in 1797.

Contents

Career

Recovery's origin are ambiguous. Various sources give her origin as a British plantation (colony), [1] America, [2] an American prize, [3] and Nova Scotia. [4]

Recovery first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1789. [2]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource & notes
1789Jn. KimberW.JacksBristol–AfricaLR; good repair 1791

1st slave voyage (1791): Captain John Kimber sailed from Bristol on 10 April 1791. Recovery started gathering slaves at New Calabar on 2 June. She left Africa on 1 September and arrived at Grenada on 28 October. She had embarked 304 embarked slaves and she arrived with 283, for a loss rate of 7%. She sailed from Grenada on 20 November and arrived back in Bristol on 22 December. She had left Bristol with 25 crew members and she had arrived at Grenada with 24. (She had taken on one man at Calabar, and she discharged one at Grenada. [1]

Captain Kimber was tried for murder in 1792, after the abolitionist William Wilberforce accused him of torturing to death an enslaved teenage girl on the deck of his ship. Kimber was acquitted, but the trial gained much attention in the press. The case established that slave ships' crew could be tried for murder of slaves.

Recovery, Kimber, master, was on shore in the Bristol River in March 1792 as she sailed for Africa. [5]

2nd slave voyage (1792–1793): Captain Kimber sailed from Bristol on 3 May 1792, bound for New Calabar. On this voyage Kimber, together with five other captains of 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 bombardment by some 66 guns killed and wounded 50 or so of the local inhabitants and resulted in the traders agreeing to the prices the captains offered. [6] [lower-alpha 1]

Recovery arrived at Falmouth, Jamaica on 3 November. She had embarked 321 slaves and she arrived with 216, for a loss rate of 33%. She had left Bristol with 31 crew members and she had 29 when she reached Jamaica. Six crew members were discharged there. [3] Recovery arrived back at Bristol on 28 January 1793. At some point Samuel Priez or Price, may have replaced Kimber as master. On her return she was advertised for sale. [3]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource
1796J.SouterL.JackBristol–AfricaLR
1797J.SouterS.TeastBristol–AfricaLR [4]

The Bristol shipowner and builder Sydenham Teast purchased Recovery. He traded with Africa, but directly, not via the slave trade. Recovery arrived at Cape Coast Castle on 26 September 1796 and sailed for England on 10 February 1797. [7]

Fate

Lloyd's List reported in July 1806 that Recovery, Suter, master, was one of four vessels that "Renau's squadron" had captured off the Windward Coast of Africa. [8] [lower-alpha 2]

Notes

  1. ↑ The other five were Amacree, Betsey, Martha, Thomas, and Wasp, Hutchenson, master.
  2. ↑ The other three were Betsey and Ann, Bellas, master, Chollet, Lloyd, master, and Calypso, Dickens, master. The French ransomed Calypso. Chollett was on her first slave voyage and Betsey and Ann was on her second. Neither had embarked any slaves. Calypso was on her first slave voyage too. Calypso, Dixon, master, arrived at Barbados on 1 June 1797 with 79 slaves. [9]

Citations

  1. 1 2 Richardson (1996), p. 193.
  2. 1 2 LR (1789), Seq.No.M123.
  3. 1 2 3 Richardson (1996), p. 224.
  4. 1 2 LR (1797), Seq.No.R54.
  5. ↑ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 2387. 27 March 1792.
  6. ↑ Wilberforce (1899), pp. 25–26.
  7. ↑ Richardson (1996), p. 250.
  8. ↑ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 2937. 7 July 1797.
  9. ↑ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Calypso voyage #80727.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kimber</span> Captain of a slave ship, tried for murder

John Kimber was the captain of a British slave ship who was tried for murder in 1792, after the abolitionist William Wilberforce accused him of torturing to death an enslaved teenaged girl on the deck of his ship. Kimber was acquitted, but the trial gained much attention in the press. The case established that slave ships' crew could be tried for murder of slaves.

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 slave ship, and was lost in an explosion on her tenth voyage after she had already embarked her slaves. All the slaves died as did her captain and most of her crew. The explosion occurred during a single ship action with a French privateer.

Albion was launched at Liverpool in 1783. She made two voyages as a slave ship before she was sold to a Bristol merchant. She then made two more voyages as slave ship. In 1793 as she was on the homeward-bound leg of her fourth voyage a vessel ran into her and Albion's crew abandoned her. She then drifted to Salem, Massachusetts, where she was recovered. She was sold in Boston.

Hannah was built at Liverpool in 1786. She made six complete voyages as a slave ship. French frigates captured her in 1794 as she was sailing to West Africa outward bound on her seventh slave trading voyage.

African Queen was built at Folkestone in 1780, though almost surely under a different name. She became a 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 slave trading 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. On her second she recaptured two British merchant ships. She was lost in 1796 at Jamaica after having landed her third cargo of slaves.

King George was launched in France in 1775 under another name, possibly as Enterprize. She became a Bristol-based slave ship. Under the name Sally she made three slave-trading voyages between 1783 and 1786. Then from 1787 on as King George she made three more complete slave-trading voyages. She was lost at Barbados in 1791 on her seventh voyage with the loss of 280 of the 360 slaves on board.

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 a slave ship. She foundered in 1800 as she was returning to England from her ninth, having delivered slaves to Jamaica.

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 slaves. A French privateer captured her in 1799 after she had delivered her slaves 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.

Martha was launched in 1788 in Liverpool. She made eleven voyages as a slave ship, carrying slaves from West Africa to the West Indies. On her fourth voyage, she and five other vessels bombarded Calabar for more than three hours to force the local native traders to lower the prices they were charging for slaves. After her last slave trading voyage in 1803, Martha became a West Indiaman. She was wrecked circa October 1806.

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 slaves. The French captured her in 1794 as she was on her way for her eighth voyage.

Enterprize was launched in 1790 at Liverpool as a slave ship. Between 1791 and 1802 she made eight complete voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship. She was wrecked in 1803 while returning to Liverpool from her ninth slave trading voyages.

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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.

Liverpool Hero was built in France in 1777, almost certainly under another name. 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 slave trading voyage she suffered an exceptionally high mortality rate among the slaves she had embarked. Her third voyage had been marred by high mortality, but on the fourth 330 slaves, 59% of the number she had embarked, died. She was lost in 1794 off the coast of Africa on her seventh voyage.

Betsey was launched in 1787 at Newfoundland. She sailed to England and initially she traded between Bristol and the Mediterranean. In 1792 she made one complete voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people before a French privateer captured her on her second slave voyage after she had embarked slaves in West Africa and was bringing them to Jamaica.

Trelawney or Trelawny was a ship launched at Bristol in 1781. Initially she was a West Indiaman. In 1791 she made one voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She then made one voyage as a whaler in the British southern whale fishery. She was sold to Liverpool and then made two voyages as a slave ship. She was damaged outbound on a fourth slave trading voyage and then disappears from online records.

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 slaves she was carrying. Then in 1777–1778 she made another slave 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 voyages as a slave ship. In 1786 her ownership changed, and so did her name. She became Lord Stanley, and under that name proceeded to make 11 slave voyages. In 1794, at Havana, a deadly fever spread through the vessel, apparently after she had landed her slaves. 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.

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.

References

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