Liverpool Hero (1781 ship)

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

History
Kingdom of Great Britain
NameLiverpool Hero
Launched1777, France[1]
Acquired1781
FateLost 1794
General characteristics
Tons burthen120, or 200,[1] or 211,[2] or 226,[3] or 239[4] (bm)
Length82 ft 3 in (25.1 m)[2]
Beam25 ft 1 in (7.6 m)[2]
Armament1781:14 × 9-pounder guns[1]

Liverpool Hero was built in France in 1777, almost certainly under another name. She was taken in prize 1780. In 1781 she entered into the triangular trade in enslaved people. From 1781 she made six complete voyages from Liverpool as a slave ship and was lost in 1794 off the coast of Africa on her seventh voyage.

Career[]

Liverpool Hero was taken in prize in 1780 and condemned that same year. In 1781 she was sold to buyers at Liverpool.[2] She first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1781.[1]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1781 I.Cooper Earle & Co. Liverpool–Africa LR

1st slave voyage (1781–1782): Captain John Cooper sailed from Liverpool on 24 May 1781. Liverpool Hero acquired her slaves at Calabar and sailed from Africa on 17 January 1782. She arrived at Antigua on 4 March with 418 slaves. She sailed from Antigua on 15 June and arrived back at Liverpool on 14 August. She had left from Liverpool with 47 crew members and had suffered eight crew deaths on the voyage.[5]

2nd slave voyage (1783–1784): Captain Cooper sailed from Liverpool on 16 March 1783. Liverpool Hero acquired her slaves at Calabar and arrived at Dominica on 26 January 1784 with 400 slaves. She sailed for Liverpool on 17 February and arrived there on 13 April. She had left Liverpool with 41 crew members and she had suffered four crew deaths on her voyage.[6][a]

3rd slave voyage (1784–1785): Captain John Savage sailed from Liverpool on 28 July 1784. Liverpool Hero started gathering slaves at Calabar on 17 September and sailed from Africa on 30 April 1785, having embarked 513 slaves. She arrived at Dominica on 26 June with 299 slaves; the mortality rate among the slaves was 42%. She had left Liverpool with 43 crew members and she arrived with 29. Liverpool Hero arrived back at Liverpool on 5 September; she had suffered 16 crew deaths on her voyage.[8]

4th slave voyage (1786–1787): Captain John Cooper sailed from Liverpool on 19 February 1786. Liverpool Hero started gathering slaves at Calabar on 27 April, and sailed from Africa on 15 June, having embarked 560 slaves. She arrived at Dominica on 3 September with 230 saves, having lost 59% of her slaves on the way. She departed Dominica on 14 October and arrived back at Liverpool on 10 December. She had left Liverpool with 41 crew members and had suffered 14 crew deaths on her voyage.[9]

The Slave Trade Act 1788 (Dolben's Act) limited the number of enslaved people that British slave ships could transport, based on the ships' tons burthen. It was the first British legislation passed to regulate slave shipping. On her next two voyages Liverpool Hero carried fewer slaves than she had on the previous two.

5th slave voyage (1790–1791): Captain Thomas Smith sailed from Liverpool on 3 March 1790. Liverpool Hero acquired her slaves at Calabar and arrived at Grenada with 286 on 4 March 1791. She left Grenada on 20 March and arrived back at Liverpool on 27 April. She had left Liverpool with 26 crew members and had suffered six crew deaths on her voyage. She had arrived at Grenada with Smith as master, but arrived back at Liverpool with William Lace as master.[10][b]

6th slave voyage (1790–1791): Captain Joseph Hodgson sailed from Liverpool on 3 July 1791. Liverpool Hero started acquiring her slaves on 28 August at Calabar. She then acquired more at New Calabar. She left Africa on 10 December, having embarked 360 slaves. She arrive at Grenada on 20 January 1791 with 343 slaves, for a 5% mortality rate. She sailed from Grenada on 7 February 1792 and arrived back at Liverpool on 19 March. At some point in the voyage John Mount replaced Hodgson as master.[c] Liverpool Hero had sailed from Liverpool with 25 crew members and had suffered three crew deaths on her voyage.[13]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1793 Thornbro Webster & Co. Liverpool–Africa LR; raised 1784, & repairs 1791 & 1792[3]


7th slave voyage (1792–Loss): Captain John Thornborrow (or Thornborrow) sailed from Liverpool on 6 October 1792. Liverpool Hero started acquiring slaves on 16 April. She acquired slaves at Cape Coast Castle, Little Popo, and Badagry or Appa.[4]

Loss[]

In July 1794, Lloyd's List reported that Liverpool Hero, Thornborough, master, had been lost off Papo, on the coast of Africa. She had been on her way from Africa for the West Indies.[14]

Notes, citations, and references[]

Notes

  1. ^ Captain Coopers articles of agreement are in the collection of the Maritime Museum, Liverpool.[7]
  2. ^ Smith had not died. He would die on 19 June 1801 while master of .[11]
  3. ^ Hodgson died in 1794 while master of .[12] Mount died in that same year while master of .[12]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d LR (1781), Seq.No.298.
  2. ^ a b c d Craig & Jarvis (1967), p. 130–131.
  3. ^ a b LR (1793), Seq.No.L226.
  4. ^ a b Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Liverpool Hero voyage #82330.
  5. ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Liverpool Hero voyage #82324.
  6. ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Liverpool Hero voyage #82325.
  7. ^ [1].
  8. ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Liverpool Hero voyage #82326.
  9. ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Liverpool Hero voyage #82327.
  10. ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Liverpool Hero voyage #82328.
  11. ^ Behrendt (1790), p. 137.
  12. ^ a b Behrendt (1790), p. 135.
  13. ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Liverpool Hero voyage #82329.
  14. ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 2630. 18 July 1794. Retrieved 28 October 2021.

References

  • Behrendt, Stephen D. (1990). The Captains in the British Slave Trade from 1785 to 1807. Vol. 140. Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire. pp. 79–140.
  • Craig, Robert; Jarvis, Rupert (1967). Liverpool Registry of Merchant Ships. Series 3. Vol. 15. Manchester University Press for the Chetham Society.
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