Tarleton (1796 ship)

Last updated

History
British-Red-Ensign-1707.svg Great Britain
NameTarleton
OwnerTarleton & Co. [1]
BuilderLiverpool
Launched1796
FateLost late 1798
General characteristics
Tons burthen260, [2] or 261 [3] (bm)
PropulsionSail
Complement20 [2]
Armament
  • 1796:10 × 6-pounder guns [2]
  • 1797:16 × 4-pounder + 6 × 6-pounder guns

Tarleton was launched in 1796 at Liverpool for Tarleton & Co., a Liverpool firm that had been in the slave trade for three generations. She made two full voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people before she was wrecked on a third voyage in late 1798. On her first voyage she repelled two attacks by French privateers in single-ship actions. Unusually, but not uniquely, slaves helped work her guns.

Contents

Career

Radcliffe Shimmins, Tarleton's master, received a letter of marque on 13 May 1796. [2] [lower-alpha 1] She proceeded to make three cruises as a slaver between 1796 and 1798.

On her first enslaving voyage, Shimmins sailed Tarleton from Liverpool on 19 June 1796. [4]

In 1796, 103 British vessels left British ports on enslaving voyages. Ninety-four of these vessels sailed from Liverpool. [5]

Tarleton arrived at Loanga on 25 August. She left Africa on 26 October. [4]

On 28 November Tarleton drove off a French privateer of 12 guns with a single broadside, and later that day succeeded in repelling another after an engagement of three hours. This second privateer mounted twenty 9-pounder guns on her main deck, and eight guns on her quarterdeck. [6] Shimmins and his men, including some captives that helped man the guns, sustained no casualties. [7] Tarleton was approaching Barbados at the time and the next day arrived there. [8]

Tarleton arrived at Martinique on 13 December. She had embarked 394 captives and disembarked 380, for a mortality rate of 3.6%. Tarleton left Martinique on 9 January 1797 and arrived back at Liverpool on 13 April. On her voyage she had also lost four crew members; she had left Liverpool with 37 crew members. [4]

On his second enslaving voyage, in 1797, Shimmins gathered his captives in the Bight of Biafra at Bonny Island and Gulf of Guinea island, and delivered them to St. Vincent. He had arrived with 435. [lower-alpha 2] By the time Tarleton arrived back at Liverpool on 8 March 1798, she had lost five crew members; she had left Liverpool with 43 men. [10]

Loss

Tarleton left Liverpool on 30 July 1798. [11]

In 1798, 160 British vessels left on enslaving voyages; 149 sailed from Liverpool. [5]

In January 1799 Tarleton was reported to have been lost at Cape Palmas. [12] [13] She was lost before she had embarked any slaves. [14] [lower-alpha 3]

In 1799, 18 British slave ships were lost. Seven, including Tarleton, were lost outbound before they could embark slaves. [16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Radcliffe Shimmins had been captain of Prince of Wales in 1794 when a French privateer had captured them as they were carrying slaves to the West Indies.
  2. ↑ The Dolben Act mandated a limit of 400 slaves per voyage for Tarleton. On her previous voyage she had been within the limit, though the Dolben Act limit was in abeyance for 1796 as Parliament had failed to renew the Act that year. On her second voyage the Act was again in force so she may have been subject to a penalty on her return to Liverpool for exceeding the limit. [9]
  3. ↑ Radcliffe Shimmins went on to captain King George in April 1799 on a slave voyage. [15]

Citations

  1. ↑ Lloyd's Register (1796) Supplement, no sequence number.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Letter of Marque, p.89 - accessed 25 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Lloyd's List, Seq.№7.
  4. 1 2 3 Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Tarleton voyage #83712.
  5. 1 2 Williams (1897), p. 680.
  6. ↑ Brooke (1853), p. 461.
  7. ↑ Williams (1897), pp. 349–350.
  8. ↑ Howley (2008), p. 233.
  9. ↑ Howley (2008), p. 151.
  10. ↑ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Tarleton voyage #83713.
  11. ↑ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Tarleton voyage #83714.
  12. ↑ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 3051. 1 January 1799. hdl:2027/mdp.39015036615428.
  13. ↑ Inikori (1996), p. 73.
  14. ↑ Wilkins (2000), p. 75.
  15. ↑ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – King George voyage #82142.
  16. ↑ Inikori (1996), pp. 62 & 73.

Related Research Articles

<i>Will</i> (1797 ship) British enslaving ship 1797–1806

Will was a ship launched at Liverpool in 1797 for Aspinal & Co., who were one of Liverpool's leading slave-trading companies. She made numerous voyages between West Africa and the Caribbean in the triangular trade in enslaved people, during which she several times successfully repelled attacks by French privateers. Will apparently foundered in a squall in July 1806, shortly before the passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807 abolished the slave trade for British subjects.

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.

Elliott was launched at Liverpool in 1783. She made ten voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade, carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the West Indies. Next, she made one voyage as a whaler. She then became a merchantman, sailing between England and South America. In November 1807 French privateers captured her.

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.

Sarah was launched at Liverpool in 1797. She then made six voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the West Indies. A French privateer captured Sarah in 1804 in a single-ship action on her seventh voyage after Sarah had gathered her slaves but before she could deliver them to the West Indies.

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.

King George was a French ship that the British captured circa 1797. Her new owners renamed her and employed her as a Liverpool-based slave ship. She made three complete voyages in the triangular trade, transporting enslaved peoples from Africa to the West Indies. She was lost on her fourth voyage in February 1803 as she returned to Liverpool after having delivered captives to Havana.

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.

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, between 1793 and 1808, she made six voyages as a slave ship, alternating between the triangular trade in enslaved people, and sailing as a regular West Indiaman. French privateers captured her between the second and third voyages, and the third and fourth voyages, 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 enslaving voyage. After the end of British participation in trans-Atlantic enslaving 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.

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.

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 in the triangular trade in enslaved people. 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 wrecked in 1804 or so after she had delivered her captives to St Thomas.

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.

Tonyn was launched at Newfoundland in 1779 as Plato. Plato was renamed to Tonyn in 1781. She then traded with North America and as a West Indiaman. From 1797 she made two voyages from Liverpool as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was captured and recaptured in 1798 on her first voyage, and sunk on her second circa 1800 as she was returning home.

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 voyage transporting enslaved people after she had embarked her captives. In 1798, the Royal Navy destroyed her.

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.

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.

Elizabeth was launched at Liverpool in 1798. She made five complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Spanish privateers captured her in 1805 while she was on her sixth voyage after she had embarked enslave people and took her into Montevideo.

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.

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.

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.