''Commerce'' was launched at Liverpool in 1791. She was initially a
West Indiaman. New owners in 1795 sent ''Commerce'' to the
southern whale fishery in 1796. The Spanish captured her in 1797, but by 1799 she had returned to British ownership. She then traded generally until a French privateer captured her in 1805.
Career
''Commerce'' first appeared in ''
Lloyd's Register'' (LR) in 1791 with J.Conning, master, G. Slater, owner, and trade Liverpool–St Vincent.
After the outbreak of
war with France in 1793, Captain William Bosworth acquired a
letter of marque on 24 October 1794.
[
In 1795 ownership of ''Commerce'' changed to Bolton & Co., and her new owners employed her as a whaler, sending her to the Pacific. Captain Welham Clarke acquired a letter of marque on 17 June 1796.][ Captain Clarke sailed from London on 27 June 1796, bound for Chile.][British Southern Whale Fishery – Voyages: ''Commerce''.]
/ref> ''Commerce'' sailed for the Southern Fishery from Gravesend on 11 August 1796. On her way to the Pacific she stopped at Rio de Janeiro for water, refreshment, and calefaction.
''Lloyd's List'' reported on 13 February 1798 that ''Commerce'', Clark, master, was one of several British whalers that the Spanish had captured off the coasts of Chile and Peru. Spanish records have ''Commerce'' being taken at Pisco, Peru.
In a process that currently is obscure, ''Commerce'' had returned to British ownership by late 1798 or early 1799.[LR (1799), Seq.№C529.]
/ref> She then traded between Britain and North America, the West Indies, Portugal, and Ireland. On 14 January 1804, sailing from Jamaica to London, ''Commerce'' was assisted (for unknown cause) in mid-Atlantic at by , which believed she would put into Fayal
Faial Island (), also known in English as Fayal, is a Portuguese island of the Central Group (Portuguese: ''Grupo Central'') of the Azores. The Capelinhos Volcano, the westernmost point of the island, may be considered the westernmost point of E ...
, Azores. Later, ''Commerce'' lost her rudder in bad weather and was, with difficulty, assisted into Cove of Cork about 29 February by , eventually reaching London on 2 April 1804.
Fate
''Lloyd's List'' reported on 5 April 1805 that ''Commerce'', Whitaker, master, had been taken while sailing from 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 ...
to London and taken into Calais, where she arrived before 26 March. ''Lloyd's Register'' for 1806 carried the annotation "capt." by her name.[LR (1806), Seq.№C686.]
/ref> Her captor was the French privateer ''Glâneur''.''Lloyd's List'' №4202.
/ref>
''Lloyd's Register''
Notes
Citations
References
*
*
*
*
{{italic title
1791 ships
Age of Sail merchant ships of England
Whaling ships
Captured ships