Skelton (1818 ship)

Last updated

History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameSkelton
Owner
  • 1818:Dixon & Co.
  • 1825:Dixon & Co.
BuilderHolt and Richardson [1]
Launched1818
FateWrecked July 1828
General characteristics
Tons burthen260, [1] or 261 [2] (bm)
Length93 ft 10 in (28.6 m)
Beam28 ft 5 in (8.7 m)
Crew1820:17
NotesThree-masted ship

Skelton was launched in 1818 at Whitby. She made one notable voyage in 1820 to Australia, notable because her captain later published a detailed account with extensive economic, commercial, and other observational information about the Cape of Good Hope, Hobart Town (Van Diemen's Land), Port Jackson, and Rio de Janeiro. She later became a West Indiaman and was wrecked in 1828.

Contents

Career

Skelton first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1819 with Dixon, master and owner, and trade "L"–Quebec. [3] LR for 1820 showed Skelton's trade changing from London–Quebec to London–New South Wales.

The state of the British economy in 1820 not being strong, and the demand for vessels likewise being weak, a number of shipowners sought to transport emigrants to the Cape and Australia. Captain James Dixon sailed Skelton from Leith on 20 June with 57 passengers and 17 crew. She was bound for the Cape, Hobart Town, and Port Jackson. [4] She was the first vessel to sail direct from Scotland to Australia. [5]

Skelton arrived at Table Bay on 28 September. The colony's medical officer limited the number of people that might land as she had an outbreak of measles on board. Still, three of four passengers who had booked passage to the Cape disembarked. [6] [lower-alpha 1]

Skelton sailed from South Africa on 14 October, [8] and the pilot brought her into port at Hobart Town on 27 November. [9] Dixon sailed from Hobart on 5 January 1821 and arrived in Port Jackson on 17 January. [10]

Dixon sailed from Sydney for Hull, via Rio de Janeiro, on 10 June. Skelton was carrying 181 bales of wool, 40 tons of timber and plank, 1680 kangaroo skins, a little wattle bark, and 2800 ox horns. [11] Skelton sailed via Cape Horn, which she reached on 3 August. [12] She arrived at Sugarloaf Mountain and Rio on 23 August. She was the first vessel in five years to arrive at Rio from Port Jackson. [13]

Dixon and Skelton sailed from Rio on 24 September. Three days later, at 21°49′S39°20′W / 21.817°S 39.333°W / -21.817; -39.333 a sloop and a schooner approached in a suspicious manner. They would not identify themselves and Dixon made preparations to resist if they attempted to attack Skelton, but eventually they left. [14]

Skelton arrived at the Isle of Wight on 24 November where she landed some passengers, and the Downs the next day, where she landed some more. She reached the Humber on 27 November, and arrived at Leith on 5 December. [15]

Dixon’s voyage was a commercial success. Between 1820 and 1824 ten vessels sailed from Lieth to Australia. Among them were Westmoreland (1820), Castle Forbes (1821), Minerva (1822), Urania (1822), Skelton (1822), Andromeda (1822), Greenock (1823), Triton (1823), Portland (1824), and City of Edinburgh (1824). [16]

LR for 1828 showed Skelton's master changing from Tait to Percy. Her trade was London–Trinidad. [17]

Fate

On 30 July 1828 Skelton, Percy, master, was sailing from Trinidad to London when she struck a rock 13' under water, some 10 miles west of Anguila. Although she foundered, her crew was saved. [1] Lloyd's List reported on 23 September 1828 that they had arrived at Tortola in a boat.

Notes

  1. ↑ A website dedicated to documenting the immigrants to South Africa who arrived under the British Government's 1820 Settlers scheme lists Skelton among the vessels bringing migrants. [7] She was not part of the scheme.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Weatherill (1908), p. 132.
  2. ↑ Hackman (2001), p. 313.
  3. ↑ LR (1819), Supple. pages "S", Seq.№S29.
  4. ↑ Dixon (1822), pp. 13–14.
  5. ↑ Nix (2005), p. 25.
  6. ↑ Dixon (1822), pp. 18–20.
  7. ↑ British 1820 Settlers to South Africa; Skelton.
  8. ↑ Dixon (1822), p. 24.
  9. ↑ Dixon (1822), p. 31.
  10. ↑ Dixon (1822), pp. 57–58.
  11. ↑ Dixon (1822), pp. 100–101.
  12. ↑ Dixon (1822), pp. 102–103.
  13. ↑ Dixon (1822), p. 104.
  14. ↑ Dixon (1822), pp. 109–110.
  15. ↑ Dixon (1822), p. 111.
  16. ↑ Nix (2005), p. 30.
  17. ↑ LR (1828), Seq.№S581

Related Research Articles

Edward Lombe was a merchantman and passenger three-masted barque built in 1828 by Thomas Brodrick, of Whitby, England.

Indefatigable was a square-rigged, three-decked, three-masted merchant ship launched in 1799 at Whitby for James Atty & Co. for the West Indies trade. In 1804 she served as an armed defense ship and recaptured a merchantman that a privateer had captured. She was a transport in the 1805–1806 British invasion of the Dutch Cape colony. She twice transported convicts to Australia; on the first trip she was chartered to the British East India Company (EIC). She burned to the waterline in 1815.

Baring was a three-decker East Indiaman that made six voyages to India for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1802 and 1814. Her owners then sold her and under new owners she made two voyages transporting convicts to Australia. Her last appearance in Lloyd's Register is in 1820.

Ocean was built in 1808 at Whitby, England, that once carried settlers to South Africa and twice transported convicts to Australia.

Asia was a merchant barque built at Whitby in 1813. She made one voyage to India for the British East India Company (EIC) in 1820–21, and one voyage to Van Diemen's Land in 1827–28. Asia then traded to the Mediterranean, but mostly to Quebec. She was last listed in 1850.

Andromeda was built in Sunderland, England in 1819. Initially she made one voyage to India, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company. She then started sailing to Australia, carrying voluntary and involuntary migrants. She made four voyages transporting convicts: one voyage to Van Diemen's Land and three to New South Wales. She continue to trade, primarily to Australia. Her last voyage was to Ichaboe Island. She was last listed in 1847.

Brothers was built in Whitby, England in 1815. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC), and two transporting convicts to Australia. Afterwards she traded across the Atlantic, primarily to Quebec, and was last listed in 1837.

Castle Forbes was a merchant ship built by Robert Gibbon & Sons at Aberdeen, Scotland in 1818. She was the first vessel built at Aberdeen for the trade with India. She then made several voyages to India, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She made two voyages transporting convicts from Ireland to Australia. She sustained damage in 1826 on a voyage to India and was condemned at the Cape of Good Hope. However, she was repaired. She was last listed in 1832, and in 1838 in Lloyd's Register (LR).

Henry Wellesley was a barque built in 1804 by Bacon, Harvey & Company at Calcutta, British India. In 1808 a French privateer captured her, but she returned to British ownership. Between 1820 and 1824 she was a whaler that made three voyages to the British southern whale fishery. Later, she twice transported women convicts from England to Port Jackson, New South Wales. She was wrecked near Calais in 1841.

Lotus was a ship launched at Whitby, England in 1826. She made several voyages to Australia carrying emigrants. She made one voyage transporting convicts to Van Diemen's Land. On that voyage, in 1833, she rescued 61 survivors from Hibernia, which a fire had destroyed in the South Atlantic as Hibenia was carrying immigrants to Van Diemen's Land. Lotus herself was lost in May 1844 while sailing between Bristol and Quebec.

Mariner was launched at Whitby in 1807, and registered in London. Her notability comes from her having made three voyages transporting convicts to New South Wales between 1816 and 1827. She continued trading until 1857.

Hindostan was launched at Whitby in 1819. She made one voyage, in 1821, transporting convicts to New South Wales. Later, she made two voyages transporting convicts to Van Diemen's Land, one with female convicts (1839), and one with male convicts (1840–1841). When not transporting convicts Hindostan was a general trader, sailing across the Atlantic, to India, and perhaps elsewhere as well. She was lost in 1841.

Cumberland was launched in 1800 and sailed as a West Indiaman until 1807 or 1808 when she was sold to Enderbys. She then made five voyages as a whaler in the British southern whale fishery. Enderbys sold Cumberland and she proceeded to sail between England and Australia. In 1827 she sailed from Hobart and was never seen again. It later transpired that pirates had captured her off the Falkland Islands and killed her crew and passengers.

Tiger was launched in America in 1813 and apparently captured on her maiden voyage. Captain Lewellyn purchased her in prize and initially she sailed between England and the Mediterranean. Under new ownership in the early-1820s, she started trading with New South Wales and India under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She is last listed in 1833.

Competitor was launched at Whitby in 1813. She was initially a West Indiaman and then traded with India. She made two voyages transporting convicts to Australia, one to Van Diemen's Land and one to Port Jackson. She is last listed in 1833.

Barrosa was launched in 1811 at Cossipore. She sailed to England and then made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC); during this period she also made one voyage carrying immigrants to South Africa. After the EIC gave up its maritime activities in 1833-1834, Barossa became a transport. She made three voyages transporting convicts to Australia. She was lost in 1847, without loss of life, while transporting contract labourers from Madras to Jamaica.

Regalia was launched at Sunderland in 1811. In 1819 she made a voyage to Calcutta, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She also sailed to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. From Sydney she engaged in several sealing hunting voyages to the waters around Macquarie Island. In 1826 she transported convicts from Dublin to New South Wales. From 1831 until 1852, when she was wrecked at Davis Strait, Regalia was a whaler in the northern whale fishery.

Princess Charlotte was a ship launched in Sunderland in 1813. She immediately started trading with the Indian Ocean and India under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She made one voyage for the EIC, and she made two voyages transporting convicts to Australia, one to Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land, and one to Port Jackson, New South Wales. She foundered in 1828 in the Bay of Bengal.

Argo was launched at Whitby in 1807 as a West Indiaman. She made one voyage to India under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). Thereafter she traded between Liverpool and Miramichi, New Brunswick. She was last listed in 1824 and may have foundered in June 1824.

Intrepid was a ship launched at Whitby in 1829. She traded with Quebec in 1830, later carrying migrants to Canada. She was lost at Colombo in 1834.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.