Sovereign (1789 ship)

Sovereign was launched at Newcastle in 1789. She traded between London and South Carolina and then as a transport. In 1802 she became a Guineaman, i.e., a slave ship. She wrecked on 22 January 1804 as she was returning from the West Indies where she had landed her slaves at Trinidad.

For other ships with the same name, see Sovereign (ship).

History
United Kingdom
Name: Sovereign
Builder: Edward Mosley, Howdon[1]
Launched: 1789
Fate: Wrecked 22 January 1804
General characteristics [2]
Tons burthen: 382,[3] or 395, or 430[4] (bm)
Complement: 49[3]
Armament:
  • 1803:8 × 4&12-pounder guns[3]
  • 1804:10 guns + 2 × 12-pounder carronades

Career

Sovereign first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1789.[4]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1789 J.Benn Brown London–South Carolina LR

On 19 November 1791 as Sovereign was returning to London, she came across a brig on her side at 49°10′N 8°30′W. The brig was had been abandoned and a strong wind was causing the seas to break over her.[5] Sovereign arrived in the Downs on 26 November.

Lloyd's List reported on 14 November 1794 that Sovereign, Benn, master, was one of seven transports that had sailed to Toulon from Corsica as cartels. The French had detained them there.[6] The transports were presumably carrying prisoners from the British capture of Corsica.

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1795 J.Benn Brown London–South Carolina LR
1800 Balmano Brown & Co. London transport LR
1802 Balmano
J.Ward		 Brown & Co. London transport
London–Africa		 LR

Slave voyage (1802–Loss): Captain John Ward sailed from London on 7 November 1802. Sovereign gathered slaves at Bonny.[7] Ward was issued a letter of marque on 2 July 1803,[3] but by that time he was dead.[8] Lloyd's List (LL) reported on 3 September 1803 that Sovereign, late Ward, had arrived at Suriname from Africa and was bound for Trinidad.[9][8] Ward had died while Sovereign was in Africa.[8] She arrived at Trinidad on 22 July 1803 with 319 slaves.[7]

Fate

On 22 January 1804 Sovereign, B.Richardson, master, struck the Smith's Rock, in the Irish Sea off Ballycotton, County Cork about a mile from shore as she was coming from Trinidad and Tortola to London. She foundered within 10 minutes of striking the rock with most on board drowning. Casualty counts differed by report. One stated that eight of 37 people on board were saved. Another stated that 31 of the 40 people on board were lost. A third stated nine out of 35 were saved. Four of the people on board were passengers, three or four of whom were saved. She was carrying sugar, coffee, indigo, hides, and elephants' teeth (ivory).[10][11][8]

Citations
  1. Tyne Built Ships: "S".
  2. British Library: Sovereign (2).
  3. "Letter of Marque, p.87 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  4. LR (1789), seq.№S560.
  5. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (2355). 29 November 1791.
  6. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (2664). 14 November 1794. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  7. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Sovereign voyage #83574.
  8. "Ship News". Aberdeen Journal (Aberdeen, Scotland), 15 February 1804; Issue 2927.
  9. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (4384, Ship arrival and departure (SAD) data). 13 September 1803.
  10. "Ship News". The Hull Packet (893). 21 February 1804.
  11. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (44). January 1804.
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