Britannia (1783 Saltcoats ship)

Britannia, was a vessel launched in 1783 at Saltcoats. She made two voyages in the African slave trade, grounding at Liverpool in 1793 after the first, and having a French privateer capture her in 1795 during the second.

History
United Kingdom
Name:	Britannia
Owner:	Salisbury[1] Robert Bent[2]
Builder:	Saltcoats[Note 1]
Launched:	1783[2]
Fate:	Captured 1795
General characteristics
Tonnage:	205[1][3] (bm)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Brig
Complement:	1793:45[3] 1795:25[3]
Armament:	1793:6 × 6&9-pounder guns[3] 1795:10 guns,[1] or 12 × 4-pounder guns[3]

First slave voyage Lloyd's Register for 1793 shows Britannia's master as J. James, her owner as Gregson, and her trade as Liverpool-Africa. She had undergone a thorough repair in 1792.[4]

A database of slave voyages from Liverpool shows that Britannia, Joseph James, master, and John Gregson, owner, had sailed her for West Central Africa and St. Helena on 17 January 1793.[5] James received a letter of marque dated 25 April 1793,[3] i.e., in absentia, war with France having broken out after Britannia had sailed. She then delivered her slaves to Grenada, arriving on 5 September. She had embarked 361 slaves and she disembarked 331, for a rate of loss of 8.3%.[5]

She arrived at Liverpool on 19 December. As she returned from Grenada to Liverpool, the pilot ran her ashore. Her cargo was saved, but there was doubt as to whether it would be possible to save her too.[6] At some point in the voyage Captain John Bolton Rooke had replaced Captain Joseph James. Of her crew of 28, 13 died on the voyage.[5]

Second slave voyage Lloyd's Register for 1795 shows Britannia as having undergone a repair in 1794. It gives her master as Wilson, changing to Curry, owner Salisbury changing to R. Bent, and her trade as Lancaster-Martinique, changing to Liverpool-Africa.[1] On 13 October 1795 Gilbert Curry received a letter of marque.[3]

Curry sailed Britannia from Liverpool 17 October 1795 on a slaving voyage though the records do not make clear when and where he gathered his cargo of slaves.[7] Britannia was sailing from Africa to the West Indies when the French captured her and took her into Guadeloupe.[8] At the time, Guadeloupe was in the hands of anti-slavery republicans under the leadership of Victor Hugues. Britannia had embarked 359 slaves and she disembarked 328 in Guadeloupe, for a loss rate of 5.6%.[7]