''Britannia'' was launched in 1774 at Bombay. She was the focus of a protest against the
Tea Act in Charleston, South Carolina in 1774. In 1796 she transported
convicts from
Ireland to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. This voyage was noteworthy for her captain's cruelty, for which he was tried but not sanctioned. She then sailed to China to pick up a cargo for the
East India Company. On the way she visited or saw four islands in the present-day
Marshall Islands. She remained employed in the services of the
East India Company (EIC) until 1799. She then traded with India for a number of years, twice taking cargoes back to England for the EIC. Between 1808 and 1809 she was a
whaler in the South Seas Fishery.
Voyages
In November 1774, ''Britannia'' sailed from London to
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. In addition to passengers, she was carrying "seven chests of East Indian tea." The Captain, Samuel Ball, Jr., said that the tea had been ordered "without his knowledge or consent." Because of local objections to the British duty on tea, "on Thursday at Noon
ovember 3, 1774 an
Oblation was made to
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
." This incident has been called "The Charleston Tea Party" because the tea was dumped over the side, in the same fashion as had occurred at the
Boston Tea Party a year earlier.
Captain Thomas Dennett (or Dennott) sailed ''Britannia'' from
Calcutta on 28 November 1785 and
Diamond Harbour
Diamond Harbour () is a town and a municipality of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. It is the headquarters of the Diamond Harbour subdivision.
Histor ...
on 4 January 1786. She reached
the Cape on 2 March, and
St Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
on 23 March. She arrived at Plymouth on 15 May and Deptford on 8 June.
[
''Britannia'' was admitted to Registry in Great Britain on 20 June 1796.
]
Convict ship
On 5 August 1796, Thomas Demmett icreceived a letter of marque, which authorized him to capture French ships should the opportunity arise.[ Under the command of Thomas Dennett, ''Britannia'' departed ]Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
, Ireland on 10 December, and arrived in Sydney Cove
Sydney Cove (Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central Sydney locatio ...
on 27 May 1797. She embarked 144 male and 44 female prisoners; ten male convicts and one female convict died during the course of the voyage.[Bateson (1959), p.153.] An enquiry into the conduct of Captain Dennott (Demmett) was held in Sydney and is recorded in the '' Historical Records of Australia''. The enquiry recommendations as to Demmett's "callous and brutal" treatment of the convicts was sent to England but the only repercussion was that Demmett never served on a convict ship again.
Exploration
''Britannia'' left Sydney on 2 August 1797 for China, where she would pick up a cargo of tea. She initially followed the route that ''Scarborough'' followed. ''Britannia'' sailed north and into the region of the Marshall Islands. On 19 September she sighted an island that Dennott named "Hunter Island" ( Kili Island). Canoes brought out some islanders who wanted to trade breadfruit. The next day she sighted an island in the Ailinglaplap Atoll that Dennott named "Lamber Island". Natives again came out to trade but ''Britannia'' sailed on. Later that day ''Britannia'' did stop at an island in Namu Atoll that Dennott named "Ross Island". This time ''Britannia'' stopped and traded with the natives who came out. One native tore off a galley rail and took it away as a prize. On 21 September ''Britannia'' sighted "Princess Island" at ; this would appear to be Lib Island.
Dennett arrived at Macao on 16 October 1797 and was at Whampoa on 2 December. For her return to Britain, ''Britannia'' was at Macao on 28 March 1798, False Bay on 25 July, the Cape on 8 September, and St Helena on 17 November. ''Britannia'' reached the Downs on 4 February 1799.[ She reached London on 7 February.
Dennott left ''Britannia'' and apparently died around 1800. ''Lloyd's Register'' for 1800 records her owner as Lambert, and her master as "Palmer".
]
London-India trade
Captain Edward Hanoner Palmer received a letter of marque of ''Britannia'' on 1 May 1799.[ On 28 May ''Britannia'' sailed from London for Madras. On 24 September she left the Cape in company with the American armed ship ''Atlantic''. The two planned on sailing together as far as "Achun Head" (]Aceh
Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...
). On 8 October a ship came into sight and appeared to be chasing them, but they separated and both escaped. Palmer and ''Britannia'' left Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
on 16 April 1800, reached St Helena on 8 July, and arrived at The Downs on 23 September.[British Library: ''Britannia'' (8).]
/ref> ''Britannia'' arrived back in London on 30 September.
''Lloyd's Register'' for 1801 repeats the names of owner and master from the prior volume, but indicates a change with the name of ''Britannia''s new owner as "Cleland Co." and the name of her master as "J. Johnson". It also indicates that she carried two 9-pounder guns and ten short 9-pounders "on the New Construction".
''Britannia'' sailed from London on 21 January 1801 for Madeira and India. In Portsmouth her captain was relieved by Captain Stout. Benjamin Stout had received a letter of marque for ''Britannia'' two days earlier.Kedgeree
Kedgeree (or occasionally ) is a dish consisting of cooked, flaked fish (traditionally smoked haddock), boiled rice, parsley, hard-boiled eggs, curry powder, butter or cream, and occasionally sultanas.
The dish can be eaten hot or cold. Other ...
on 4 January 1802, the Cape of Good Hope on 7 February, and St Helena on 26 March, arriving at The Downs on 29 May.[ She returned to London on 31 May2.
In 1802 Captain J. Reddy replaced Stout, though her master had still been listed as J. Johnson. Captain James Reddy, of ''Britannia'' was reported to have died in Bengal on 29 August 1803.
]
Fate
Contradictorily, another report has ''Britannia'' still under Reddy's command between 1808 and 1810, with Cleland & Co. employing her on the South Sea whale fishery.[Clayton (2014), p.77.] Supporting evidence is thin.
A database of whaling voyages does not include ''Britannia''.
Jones, A.G. E.; Dale Chatwin; and Rhys Richards. BSWF Database – voyages: ''Britannia''.[''Lloyd's Register'' (1810), Seq. №B435.]
/ref> ''Britannia'' is no longer listed in the ''Register of Shipping'' after 1809, or in ''Lloyd's Register'' after 1810.
Cultural depictions
''Britannia''s voyage as convict ship to New South Wales is depicted in the second episode of the Australian miniseries Against the Wind (miniseries), ''Against the Wind''.
Citations
References
*
*
*Druett, Joan (2000) "She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea". (Simon & Schuster
*
*
* {{cite book , last=Williams , first=Greg H. , year=2009 , title=The French assault on American shipping, 1793-1813: a history and comprehensive record of merchant marine losses , publisher=McFarland , isbn= 9780786438372
External links
Brittania (1774) GeoCities page
1774 ships
Maritime incidents in 1774
Tax resistance in the United States
History of the Thirteen Colonies
History of Charleston, South Carolina
Ships of the British East India Company
Convict ships to New South Wales
Whaling ships
Age of Sail merchant ships
Merchant ships of the United Kingdom
18th-century in Charleston, South Carolina