Britannia was a merchant vessel captured from the Dutch. She made one complete whaling voyage to the South Seas. A Spanish vessel captured her at the Galapagos Islands in 1801 on her second whaling voyage.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Britannia |
| Owner | W. Boyd[1] |
| Builder | Dutch |
| Acquired | 1798 by purchase of a prize |
| Homeport | London |
| Captured | 1801 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 296,[1] or 309[2] (bm) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Armament | 8 × 12-pounder carronades[2] |
Career
editBritannia was a Dutch prize, captured in 1797 that underwent repairs in 1798.[3] She entered Lloyd's Register in 1798 with W. Shaw, master, W. Boyd, owner, and trade Portsmouth-Jamaica.[1] In 1799 Mortlock replaced Shaw as master, and her trade was listed as Portsmouth-Cape of Good Hope.[4]
Whaling voyage: Captain Mortlake left Britain on 13 March 1799. Britannia called in at Rio de Janeiro in July for sugarcane syrup.[5] She returned to England on 30 May 1800.[6]
Loss: In May 1801 Lloyd's List reported that a Spanish ship of 24 guns had captured "Britannia, late Mortlock, of London", and Castor & Pollux, Anderson, master, in the Galapagos Islands. The Spaniards then took their prizes into Lima.[7] Their captor was the privateer Atlante, under the command of Dominque de Orué.[8]
Citations
edit- ^ a b c Lloyd's Register (1798), Supplement, Seq. №B381.
- ^ a b Lloyd's Register (1800), Seq. №290.
- ^ Register of Shipping (1801), Seq. №379.
- ^ Lloyd's Register (1799), Seq.№267.
- ^ Clayton (2014), p. 77.
- ^ Southern Whale Fishery - Voyages: Britannia.
- ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4152. 19 May 1801. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735020.
- ^ Ortiz Sotelo (2012), p. 258.
References
edit- Clayton, Jane M (2014). Ships employed in the South Sea Whale Fishery from Britain: 1775–1815: An alphabetical list of ships. Berforts Group. ISBN 9781908616524.
- Ortiz Sotelo, Jorge (2012). "El Callao y la Real Armada". El último viaje de la Fregata Mercedes (PDF). Peru: Museo Naval & Museo Arquelogico Nacional. pp. 253–262.