''Bellona'' was launched at Lancaster in 1799. She was a

West Indiaman West Indiaman was a general name for any merchantman sailing ship making runs from the Old World to the West Indies and the east coast of the Americas. These ships were generally strong ocean-going ships capable of handling storms in the Atlantic ...

that made one voyage as a

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

. She disappeared in 1809 as she was returning to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

from

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Career

''Bellona'' first appeared in ''

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...

'' (''LR'') in 1799 with W.Croft, master, Stuart, owner, and trade Lancaster–

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

.''LR'' (1799), Seq.№B408.
/ref> Captain William Croft acquired a letter of marque on 14 December 1799. The ''Register of Shipping'' for 1804 showed ''Bellona'' with Munro, master, Hill, owner, and trade London–Southern Fishery. Captain Mark Monro received a letter of marque on 7 July 1803. Captain Mark Monro (or Munro, or Monroe), sailed from

on 20 July 1803, bound for the Isle of Desolation.British Southern Whale Fishery Database – Voyages: ''Bellona'' (Voyage #BV0093.00).
/ref> ''Bellona'' engaged in

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

and

seal hunting Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. Seal hunting is currently practiced in ten countries: United States (above the Arctic Circle in Alaska), Canada, Namibia, Denmark (in self-governing Greenland only), Ice ...

in 1803–1804 and was reported to have been "all well" in February 1804. ''Bellona'' returned on 10 July 1804. The ''Register of Shipping'' for 1806 showed ''Bellona''s master changing from M.Munro to J.Thompson, her owner from J.Hill to "Captain", and her trade from Southern Fishery to London–Jamaica. Later issues of ''LR'' and ''RS'' gave the name of her owner as Auldjo.

Loss

''Bellona'', Thompson, master, was one of three ships that had left Jamaica on 27 July 1809 in a convoy and that were last heard from on 27 August 1809. When the convoy, under the escort of , encountered a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

, the three ships had separated from the convoy.''

Lloyd's List ''Lloyd's List'' is one of the world's oldest continuously running journals, having provided weekly shipping news in London as early as 1734. It was published daily until 2013 (when the final print issue, number 60,850, was published), and is ...

'
№4399.
/ref>

Notes

Citations

References

* * {{1809 shipwrecks 1799 ships 1800s missing person cases Age of Sail merchant ships of England Maritime incidents in 1809 Missing ships Ships built in England Ships lost with all hands Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean People lost at sea Whaling ships

Career

Loss

See also

Notes

Citations

References