Britannia (1798 ship)

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
Tonnage: 296,[1] or 309[2] (bm)
Propulsion: Sails
Armament: 8 × 12-pounder carronades[2]

Britannia 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 and returned on 30 May 1800.[5] Britannia had called in at Rio de Janeiro in July for sugarcane syrup.[6]

Loss: A Spanish ship of 24 guns captured "Britannia, late Mortlock, of London", and Castor & Polux, 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 and references

Citations

References

  • 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", pp. 253–262. El último viaje de la Fregata Mercedes. Museo Naval & Museo Arquelogico Nacional, Peru.
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