Mediterranean was launched in 1810 in Lowestoft or Great Yarmouth. Initially she sailed to the Mediterranean. Between 1819 and 1823 she made two voyages as a whaler in the British southern whale fishery. She then traded with India, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). She may have shifted to India, before returning to British registry in 1835–1837 while performing a third whaling voyage. She then disappeared from online records.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Mediterranean |
| Namesake | Mediterranean Sea |
| Launched | 1810, Lowestoft or [Great] Yarmouth |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 19820⁄94,[1] or 202 (bm) |
| Length | 84 ft 2 in (25.7 m) |
| Beam | 23 ft 8 in (7.2 m) |
| Armament | 4 × 4-pounder + 4 × 6-pounder guns |
Career
editMediterranean first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1810.[2]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | H.Martin | Captain & Co. | Yarmouth | LR |
| 1812 | H.Martin | Captain & Co. | London–Malta | LR |
| 1814 | H.Martin | Captain & Co. | London–Mogador | LR |
| 1819 | S.Coleman | T.Sturge | London–South Seas | LR |
1st whaling voyage (1819–1821): In 1820 Mediterranean became a whaler. Captain Coleman sailed from London, bound for Peru. Mediterranean returned to London on 26 March 1822 with 125 tuns of oil, plus fins.[3]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1819 | S.Coleman Ross |
T.Sturge | London–South Seas | LR; repairs 1822 |
2nd whaling voyage (1822–1823): Captain Ross sailed from England on 10 May 1822. On 17 October Mediterranean was at the Cape of Good Hope; on the 24th she sailed for London. She arrived at Gravesend on 18 December 1823 with 30 tanks and 20 casks of whale oil, fins, and 40 cwt of whale bone.[3]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1824 | Ross Stewart |
T.Sturge | London–South Seas | LR; repairs 1822 |
| 1825 | J.Stewart | Stewart | London–Ceylon | LR; small repairs 1824 |
In 1813 the EIC had lost its monopoly on the trade between India and Britain. British ships were then free to sail to India or the Indian Ocean under a licence from the EIC.[4]
Captain Stewart arrived on 29 July 1824 from Madeira and elsewhere. He sailed for Ceylon on 31 July 1824 under a licence from the EIC.[5] He arrived at Madeira on 17 August and sailed for Ceylon on the 24th. Mediterranean arrived at Ceylon on 22 December. On 13 February 1825 she was at Bengal, having come via Columbo.
Although LR continued to carry Mediterranean for some time with data unchanged from 1825, she disappeared from ship arrival and departure (SAD) data. However, in 1828 and 1829, the East-India register and directory did carry a vessel named Mediterranean, of 200 tons. Her master was J.Stephens and her owner Gilmore& Co. The same entries show her being built in "Bayhore", which is possibly Beypore.[6][a]
Mediterranean may have returned to England, though she does not reappear in LR. There is evidence for a third whaling voyage.
3rd whaling voyage (1835–1837): Captain R.Ross sailed in 1835 and returned to England on 19 December 1837 with 20 casks of oil, 30 tuns of oil, and fins. Her owner at the time was Thomas Sturge, Jr.[3][b]
Fate
editThereafter Mediterranean disappeared from online records.
Notes
editCitations
edit- ^ Hackman (2001), pp. 297–298.
- ^ LR (1810), Supl.pages "M", Seq.No.M147.
- ^ a b c British Southern Whale Fishery Database – Voyages: Mediterranean.
- ^ Hackman (2001), p. 247.
- ^ LR (1826), "Ships Trading to India – 1824".
- ^ East-India register and directory (1829), p.154.
- ^ Phipps (1840), p. 174.
- ^ Howard (2015), p. 431.
References
edit- Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.
- Howard, Mark (2015). "Thomas Sturge and his fleet of South Sea whalers". International Journal of Maritime History. 27 (3): 411–433. doi:10.1177/0843871415587249. S2CID 162836593.
- Phipps, John (1840). A Collection of Papers Relative to Ship Building in India ...: Also a Register Comprehending All the Ships ... Built in India to the Present Time ... Scott.