Royal Bounty (1785 ship)

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

History
Great Britain
NameGeorge and Sarah
BuilderSouth Carolina
Launched1770
RenamedRoyal Bounty
FateWrecked 16 July 1819
General characteristics
Tons burthen282 (bm)
Armament6 × 6-pounder guns, or 6 × 6-pounder guns + 2 × 12-pounder carronades

Royal Bounty was launched in South Carolina in 1770, probably as George and Sarah. Her owners changed her name to Royal Bounty circa 1786. As Royal Bounty she sailed out of Leith, going on annual whale hunting voyages to the Northern Whale Fishery (Greenland and Davis Strait). She was wrecked in 1819 on her 35th such voyage.

Career[]

George and Sarah[]

George and Sarah first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1779.[1]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1779 G.Watson G.Selby Cork transport LR; lengthened 1774
1784 G.Watson
G.Selby 		G.Selby London
London–Memel 		LR; lengthened 1774, and good repair 1784

Royal Bounty[]

Circa 1785 new owners renamed George and Sarah to Royal Bounty; she also underwent a thorough repair. From then on until her loss she was a whaler. Although there is no online copy of LR for 1785, there is a press report that she had returned to Leith from Greenland in August 1785 "clean", i.e., without having caught anything.

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1786 R.Liddell J.Scougal Greenland–Leith LR; lengthened and rebuilt 1778, thorough repair 1785; former George and Sarah
1787 R.Liddell
W.Paton 		J.Scougal Greenland–Leith LR; lengthened and rebuilt 1778, thorough repair 1785; former George and Sarah
1789 W.Paton
J.Wilson 		J.Scougal Leith–Greenland LR; lengthened and rebuilt 1778, thorough repair 1785, repairs 1786
1790 C.Reid
J. Boyd 		J.Scougal Leith–Greenland LR; lengthened and rebuilt 1778, thorough repair 1785, repairs 1786
1792 J.Boyd
J.Newton 		J.Scougal Leith–Davis Strait LR; lengthened and rebuilt 1778, thorough repair 1785
1805 J.Newton
J. Wright 		Douglas Leith–Davis Strait LR; lengthened and rebuilt 1778, thorough repair 1785, repairs 1786, 1796, and 1800
1810 J.Wright
R.Kelly 		Douglas Leith–Davis Strait LR; repairs 1800
1810 J.Wright
Kellie 		Wood & Co. Leith–Davis Strait RS; small repairs 1806 & 1807
1814 R.Kellis
Drysdale 		Douglas Leith–Greenland LR; repairs 1811
1818 J.Drysdal
J.Rich 		Woods & Co. Leith–Greenland LR; repairs 1811
1819 J.Rich Wood & Co. Leith–Greenland LR; repairs 1811

Whaling voyages[]

The data below for the period 1785 to 1814 comes from press mentions. The data from 1814 on comes primarily from Coltish,[2] augmented by press reports.

Year Master Where Whales Tuns whale oil Butts blubber Notes
1785 Liddell Greenland Clean late in the season
1786 4
1787 Paton Greenland 12
1788 Paton Greenland 1 20 Seven seals, & 1 cwt of whalebone
1789 Reid Greenland Clean
1790 Boyd Davis Strait
1791 Boyd Greenland Clean
1792 No press report
1793 Davis strait 1
1794 Davis Strait 2
1795 Davis Strait 7
1796 Davis Strait 5
1797 Newton Davis Strait 8 Full ship
1798 Davis Strait Clean
1799 Newton Davis Strait 8 Full ship
1800 Newton Davis Strait 7
1801 Newton West coast of Greenland Full ship; Royal Bounty grossed £5463 for the voyage[3]
1802 Newton Davis Strait 10
1803 Newton Davis Strait
1804 Newton Davis Strait 9 400
1805 Wright Davis Strait 6

On 13 April 1806 Royal Bounty lost her mizzen mast and several men but was able to get a new mast and proceed to the fishery.

Year Master Where Whales Tuns whale oil Butts blubber Notes
1806 Wright Davis Strait 3
1807 No press report
1808 Wright Davis Strait 8
1809 Wright Davis Strait 9
1810 Kelley Davis Strait Well fished
1811 Davis Strait 8
1812 Kellie Greenland 19 300
1813 Kelly Greenland 2 70 butts
1814 Drysdale Greenland 6 47.5 260 butts or 291 casks 3.5 tons whale fins
1815 Drysdale Davis Strait 3, 7, or 8 36.5
1816 Drysdale 6, or 15 50
1817 Drysdale Greenland 4 26.5
1818 Ritch Greenland 3 15
1819 Ritch Greenland 3 Lost with her cargo

Fate[]

Royal Bounty, Ritch, master, was wrecked on 16 July 1819. She was one of 10 whalers lost within a few days of each other in the Davis Strait due to gales in the ice fields. Her crew was saved.[4] She had taken three whales before she was lost.[5]

Citations and references[]

Citations

  1. ^ LR (1779), Seq.No.G251.
  2. ^ Coltish (c. 1842).
  3. ^ Jackson (2017), p. 75.
  4. ^ "DAVIS'S STRAITS WHALE FISHERY". Caledonian Mercury (Edinburgh, Scotland), 21 August 1819; Issue 15283.
  5. ^ "DAVIS'S STRAITS FISHERY". Caledonian Mercury (Edinburgh, Scotland), 26 August 1819; Issue 15285.

References

  • Coltish, William (c. 1842). An account of the success of the ships at the Greenland and Davis Straits fisheries 1772-1842 inclusive.
  • Jackson, Gordon (2017). The British Whaling Trade. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9781786949073.
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