Speculator was launched in 1797 on the Thames. She may have served the British government between her launch and 1803. She then made one voyage as a whaler in the British southern whale fishery. What happened to her after her return is currently obscure.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Speculator |
| Launched | 1797, Thames[1][2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 100, or 161,[3] or 169,[1] or 183[2] (bm) |
Career
editSpeculator first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in the volume for 1802.[1]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1802 | J.Mildrum | Herbert | London–Southern fishery | LR |
Speculator was valued at £2,000 in 1802.[3]
Captain J. Mildrum (or Melden, Maldon, or Meldon), sailed from London on 25 May 1803, bound for the southern whale fishery.[4] On 5 March 1804 Speculator arrived at Saint Helena. She left on 15 March. As she crossed the equator she fell in with three ships flying British colours. One was a corvette of 20 guns and one was a large Dutch ship. Mildrum assumed they were a convoy from the Cape, at least until the corvette fired on Speculator. Speculator fled, firing her stern guns at her pursuers. She escaped and arrived safely at Ilfracombe prior to 2 May.[5]
The articles reporting this engagement mentioned that Speculator was a former gunbrig, and had false guns mounted.[5] There is no record of a gun-brig named Speculator during the period 1793 to 1817, either belonging to the Royal Navy or a hired armed vessel. It is possible that the Royal Navy purchased her and sailed her under another name, but there is no obvious candidate.[6]
Speculator remained listed in LR for some years, but with stale data. One source states that she was employed in the fishery during 1803 and 1807.[3] However, there was no further press mention of a Speculator, Mildrum, master, after 1804.
Citations
edit- ^ a b c LR (1802), Supple. pages "S", Seq.no.S156.
- ^ a b House of Commons (1814), p. 342.
- ^ a b c Clayton (2014), pp. 221–222.
- ^ British Southern Whale Fishery database – Voyages: Speculator.
- ^ a b "CORRESPONDENCE". 5 May 1804, York Herald (York, England,) issue: 725.
- ^ Winfield (2008).
References
edit- Clayton, J.M. (2014). Ships employed in the South Sea Whale Fishery from Britain: 1775-1815: An alphabetical list of ships. Jane M. Clayton. ISBN 978-1-908616-52-4.
- House of Commons, Parliament, Great Britain (1814). Minutes of the Evidence Taken Before the Select Committee on Petitions Relating to East-India-Built Shipping. H.M. Stationery Office.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates (2nd ed.). Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-246-7.