Honduras Packet (1800 ship)

History
Spain
Builder: Spain
Launched: 1798
Captured: 1800
United Kingdom
Name: Honduras Packet
Acquired: 1800 by purchase of a prize
Fate: Last listed 1828 (Lloyd's Register), or 1830 (Register of Shipping)
General characteristics
Tons burthen: 110,[1] or 142,[2] or 143,[3] or 150,[2] or 160,[4] or 165[5](bm)
Propulsion: Sail
Sail plan: Brig
Armament:
  • 1804:2 × 3-pounder guns + 6 × 4-pounder carronades
  • 1809:2 × 12-pounder guns ("of the New Construction")
  • 1810:8 × 6-pounder guns

Honduras Packet was launched in Spain in 1798 under another name and was renamed when the British captured her in 1802. She was a merchantman that between 1804 and 1809 made two voyages seal hunting or whaling in the Southern Fishery. She was also the first vessel to transport Scottish emigrants to Honduras in 1822-23 under Gregor MacGregor's ill-conceived and ill-fated "Poyais scheme". She is last listed in 1828-30.

Career

Honduras Packet enters Lloyd's Register in 1801 with J. Goodwin, master, Collingdon, owner, and trade London–Madeira. She was surveyed on 24 January.[1]

Year Master Owner Trade Notes & source
1802 J.Goodwin
W. Bulkeley		 F, Collingdon
C. Hurry		 London–Madeira
Yarmouth		 Lloyd's Register (LR)
1803 W.Bulkley
J. Nicholson		 E.C. Hurry Yarmouth–Madeira
London–Spain		 160 tons (bm); LR
1804 J. Nichols E.C. Hurry London–Spain
London–South Seas		 LR
1805 J. Nichols E.C. Hurry London–South Seas LR
1805 O. Bucker E. Hurry London–Southern Fishery Register of Shipping (RS)[2]

Between 1804 and 1809 Honduras Packet made two,[3] or three voyages as a sealer or whaler.[6] The three voyages would have been in 1804-1805 with J. Nichols, master, and C. Hurry and Co., owner, 1805-1806 with Owen Bunker, master, and William Edwards, owner, and 1806-1808 with J. Todrig, master and T. Todrig & co., owner.[6]

Sealing voyage (1804-1806): Captain Owen Bunker sailed Honduras Packet in 1804.[3] In 1804 he anchored at a bay on Stewart Island that became known as Port Honduras, but later Port Adventure after a later sealing ship. She explored Foveaux Strait on her way to the Antipodes Islands. In 1805 she was at Sydney where the partnership of Lord, Kable, & Underwood hired her. Late in December she returned to the Antipodes where she loaded a cargo of skins, and then sailed for London.[7] She returned to England on 22 May 1806.[3] By one account she was carrying 34,000 skins.[8]

Whaling voyage (1806-1809): Captain Francis Todrig sailed Honduras Packet from England on 2 September 1806. She was reported to have been well at the island of Boavista on 22 October 1806. She returned to England on 23 May 1809.[3]

Lloyd's Register for 1809 showed Honduras Packet with Todrig, master and owner, and trade London–South Seas.[4] Lloyd's Register continued to carry stale data for some time. The Register of Shipping shows that she became a West Indiaman, sailing to Jamaica, and later a general trader sailing to the Mediterranean.

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1810 Taylor
Clunning		 Smith & Co. London–Jamaica RS
1815 F. Gibbs
T. Luce		 N. Lavers London–Smyrna]] RS[9]
1820 Luxton N. Lavers London–Vence Good repair 1816 & damages repaired 1818; RS

At this point the Register of Shipping carries stale data and Lloyd's Register is more up-to-date.

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1822 Luxton
Hedgecock		 Camper & Co. London–Barbados LR
1823 Hedgecock Hedgecock London–Payais LR
1824 Hedgecock Hedgecock London–Poyais LR[5]

Poyais: Honduras Packet sailed from London on 10 September 1822 with 70 emigrants bound for Poyais. They arrived at black River, Honduras, in November, only to discover there was no settlement there and conditions were very different than they had been led to expect. Before they could unload all their stores, a storm came up and Honduras Packet sailed off, not to return. A second emigrant ship, Kennersley Castle, arrived in March 1823, having left Leith with some 200 emigrants in October 1822. With the coming of the rainy season insects infested the camp, diseases such as malaria and yellow fever took hold, and the emigrants sank into utter despair. Eventually, the schooner Mexican Eagle, from British Honduras, discovered the settlers in early May, and took them to Belize in three trips. Eventually, of the roughly 250 who had sailed on Honduras Packet and Kennersley Castle, at least 180 perished.

Fate

Honduras Packet's subsequent history is obscure as Lloyd's Register carried stale data to 1828. The Register of Shipping carried it to 1830.

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
  • Entwisle, Peter (2010) Behold the Moon: The European Occupation of the Dunedin District 1770-1848. (Book Baby). ASIN B008VVBJVY
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.