''Canada'' was launched at

King's Yard The King's Yard was a facility developed in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in which newly Liberated Africans in Sierra Leone, liberated Africans were taken after being dropped off in the colony from ships captured by the West Africa Squadron. This fleet ...

in 1779 for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, which sold her circa 1782 at the end of the war. Her name while in Royal Navy service is unknown as of November 2022. John St Barbe purchased her and named her ''Adriatic'', but renamed her ''Canada'' circa 1786. She made three

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 ...

and

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 ...

voyages between 1791 and 1799 under that name. On the first of these a French privateer captured her, but a British merchant ship recaptured her. She was lost at South Georgia in 1800 on her fourth voyage to the southern whale fishery.

Career

''Adriatic'' entered ''

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 ...

'' in 1783. Her master was K. St Barbe and her trade was London-Ancona.''Lloyd's Register'' Seq. №A446.
/ref> In 1786 her master was Cole, her name changed to ''Canada'', and her trade became London-Quebec. 1st whaling voyage: Captain Alexander Muirhead left Britain on 15 July 1791.British Southern Whale Fishery Database – voyages: ''Canada''
In August 1793 ''

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 ...

'' reported that the French privateer ''Ajax'', of Bordeaux, armed with twenty-six 12-pounder guns and having a crew of 286 men, had captured ''Canada'' at as ''Canada'' was returning from the South Seas fishery. However, ''Prince of Wales'', of Greenock, recaptured ''Canada'' and took her into Greenock. Muirhead then sailed her to

Gravesend, Kent Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is t ...

, arriving there on 28 October 1793. He returned with 15 tuns of sperm oil, seven tuns of whale oil, and 7000 seal skins. Smyrna trade: ''Lloyd's Register'' for 1794 showed ''Canada'', still with Muirhead, master, changing her trade from London-South Seas to London-Smyrna.''Lloyd's Register'' (1794), Seq.№C28.
/ref> This entry continued until 1797 when J. Cundall replaces Muirhead and her trade became London-Jamaica. 2nd whaling voyage: In 1798 ''Canada''s owner changed from J. Cundall to J. Hill, and her master from J. Cundall to J. French. Her trade changed from London-Jamaica to London—South Seas. Also, her armament increased. Captain John French received a letter of marque on 11 June 1798. He left Britain on 25 June for South Georgia, and returned on 16 July 1799.

Loss

''Canada'', Captain Lewis Llewellyn, left Britain on 2 September 1799, bound for South Georgia. ''Canada '' arrived around March and was lost soon after. The location of her wreck is unknown. On 6 June 1800 ''

'' reported ''Canada'', French, master, lost at South Georgia.''Lloyd's List'', 6 June 1800, №4057.
/ref>

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Canada (1786 ship) 1779 ships Ships built in England Captured ships Sealing ships Whaling ships Maritime incidents in 1800 Age of Sail merchant ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean