Chesterfield (1791 ship)

Chesterfield was built in "America" in 1781, but it is not clear under what name. She arrived in England in 1791. Between 1792 and 1798 Chesterfield made three voyages to the Southern Whale Fishery. She then traded with the Mediterranean until a Spanish privateer captured her in 1805.

History
Great Britain
Name: Chesterfield
Namesake: Chesterfield
Builder: America
Launched: 1781
Captured: 1805
General characteristics
Tons burthen: 180,[1] or 187[1] (bm)
Complement:
Armament:
  • 1799:10 × 6-pounder guns + 2 swivel guns[1]
  • 1803:10 × 6-pounder guns[1]
  • 1805:12 × 6-pounder guns + 2 × 9-pounder carronades[2]

Career

Chesterfield, of 180 tons (bm), first appeared in Lloyd's Register in 1791 with P. Oke, master, Thomas York, owner, and trade Halifax, Nova Scotia–Portsmouth.[3] This data continued unchanged into the 1795 volume. However, from 1793 Lloyd's Register also showed Chesterfield, of 180 tons burthen, built in America. Her master was M.B.Alt, her owner, Duncan, and her trade London–Southern Fishery. She had in 1791 undergone coppering and a good repair.[4][5]

1st whaling voyage (1792–1794): Captain Matthew Bowles Alt sailed from England on 21 July 1792. In October Chesterfield was at the Kerguelen Islands.[6]

Chesterfield arrived at Port Jackson on 18 November 1792 from the Cape of Good Hope to refit. She sailed on 19 April 1793 for Bengal.[7]

Chesterfield sailed in company with Indiaman Shah Hormuzier, William Bampton, master.[8] Alt named the Chesterfield Islands. At some point the two vessels anchored off Darnley Island (then known as Tate Island) inTorres Strait. The islanders attacked a party of seven men from the two boats, killing four men, including Captain Hill, of the New South Wales Corps, and three lascars, when the sailors were discovered polluting Darnley Island's only supply of fresh water. Alt and Bampton, finding some remains and believing all their men dead, ordered the destruction of huts, canoes, and gardens on Darnley Island; the reprisals also resulted in the deaths of several islanders. Captains Alt and Bampton next travelled to Stephens Island in search of a boat that had gone missing during the attack. The islanders shot arrows at the sailors when they landed on the island; the sailors fired on the islanders and set fire to a village on Stephen Island.[9][10][11] The missing boat, containing the three survivors from the original party having drifted away from the ships, Mr. Shaw, Chesterfield's mate, sailed it towards Timor. After 14 days the boat and its three men arrived at the island of Sarrett. There they met with hospitality. On 10 April 1794 they were able to take a boat to Banda, and on 10 October they were able to sail to Batavia.

Lloyd's List reported on 28 February 1794 that Chesterfield, Alt, master, had arrived on 10 December 1793 at the Cape from Botany Bay. She sailed on 15 December for Thompson Island to complete her cargo.[12] Captain Alt returned to England on 29 October 1794 with 54 tuns whale oil, 40 Cwt bone, and 300 seal skins.[6]

Lloyd's Register for 1796 showed Chesterfield's master changing from M.B. Alt to J. Nichols, and her owner from Duncan to J.Jarrett.[13]

2nd whaling voyage (1796–1797): Although Captain William McClane was listed as Chesterfield's master prior to her sailing,[14] Captain J. Nicols sailed from England on 3 June 1796.[6] In 1797 Chesterfield, Nicols, master, was at Delgoa Bay, having come from the South Seas. She was there at the same time as Fonthill,[15] and so probably there when Hope captured Haasje. Chesterfield and Nichols were back at London on 28 November 1797.[6]

3rd whaling voyage (1797–1798): Captain Nicols sailed from England in 1797. He and Chesterfield returned on 24 June 1798.[6]

Lloyd's Register for 1799 showed Chesterfield's master changing from J. Nichol to N.Brooks, her owner from Jarret Jr to Williams, and her trade from London–South Seas to London–Cape of Good Hope. Captain Nicholas Brooks acquired a letter of marque on 31 March 1799. He sailed from Gravesend on 13 June, bound for the Cape. She sailed via Madeira and in March 1800 was reported to have reached the Cape.

Captain Thomas Brame acquired a letter of marque on 25 July 1803.[1]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1804 J. Bream Williams London–Mediterranean LR
1805 J. Bream Williams London–Mediterranean LR;good repair 1791 & damages repaired in 1802

Fate

On 4 March 1805 Carpenter observed Chesterfield west of Gibraltar, heading east, and passed close by. From the number of men on Chesterfields's deck and her lack of response to Carpenter's signals, Captain Meyer, of Carpenter, surmised that Chesterfield had been captured.[16] The Spanish privateer Fuerte, of Cadiz, brought Chesterfield and Hannah, Horn, master, into Malaga on 6 March.[17][Note 1]

Lloyd's Register for 1806 had the annotation "captured" beneath her name.[2]

Notes, citations, and references

Notes

  1. Hannah, of 140 tons burthen, had been launched in 1793 at Whitby. Her entry too is annotated "captured".[18]

Citations

  1. "Letter of Marque, p.56 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. LR (1806), Seq.№467.
  3. Lloyd's Register (LR), №609.
  4. LR (1793), Seq.№268.
  5. Lloyd's Register, and later the Register of Shipping too, were only as accurate as owners bothered to keep them. Both would carry stale data for up to five years.
  6. British Southern Whale Fishery Database – Voyages: Chesterfield.
  7. "Arrival of Vessels at Port Jackson, and their Departure". Australian Town and Country Journal, Saturday 3 January 1891, p.16. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  8. Cumpston, J.S. (1977) Shipping arrivals & departures Sydney, 1788-1825, Canberra, Roebuck, p.28. ISBN 0909434158
  9. Mullins (1995), pp. 18-20.
  10. Singe (1979), pp. 23-25.
  11. Ganter (1994), p. 37.
  12. Lloyd's List №2590.
  13. LR (1796), Seq.№C263.
  14. Clayton (2014), p. 88.
  15. Lloyd's List №2971, Ship arrivals and departures (SAD) data.
  16. Lloyd's List №4208.
  17. Lloyd's List №4208.
  18. LR (18060, Seq.№H72.

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.
  • Ganter, R. (1994). The Pearl Shellers of Torres Strait. Melbourne University Press.
  • Mullins, Steve (1995). Torres Strait: A History of Colonial Occupation and Culture Contact 1864-1897. Rockhampton: Central Queensland University.
  • Singe, J. (1979). The Torres Strait, People and History. University of Queensland Press, St Lucia.
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