''Minerva'' was launched in 1787 at Veere for the navy of the Dutch Republic. In 1799 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 ...

captured her. She became HMS ''Braak'', but the Navy sold her with the arrival of the

Peace of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it se ...

. Daniel Bennet purchased her and she became the whaler ''Africaine'' or ''African'' or ''Africa''. She made two whaling voyages. After 1805 she was still listed 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 ...

'' for some years but there is no record of further whaling or other voyages.

Dutch navy

Admiral Mitchel's squadron captured ''Minerva'' on 28 August 1799 in the New Diep off Texel.

Royal Navy

''Minerva'' arrived at Sheerness on 3 May 1800. The Royal Navy took ''Minerva'' into service as HMS ''Braak'', the former having been lost in 1798. ''Braak'' underwent fitting between July 1800 and September 1801. Captain John Mason Lewis commissioned ''Braak'' in August 1801. However, the Navy sold her in 1802. The "Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy" offered "Braak, 615 Tons, Copper-bottomed, lying at Deptford" for sale on 9 September 1802. She sold on that day or shortly thereafter.

Whaler

The shipowner Daniel Bennett purchased ''Braak'' and renamed her ''Africaine'' (or ''Africa'', or ''African''). She first appeared in ''

'' in 1803 as ''African'' with R. Jones, master, and Bennett, owner, and trade London–South Seas. Captain Ransom Jones sailed from England on 4 February 1803, bound for the Isle of Desolation. He returned on 22 May 1804 with a reported 7000 barrels of oil.British Southern Whale Fishery database: Voyages: ''African''/''Africaine''.
/ref> Captain Ransom (or Ranson) Jones received a letter of marque on 18 July 1804. He sailed on 18 August 1804, again bound for the Isle of Desolation. She was reported to have been "all well" there on 25 February 1805. On 3 August 1805 ''African'' left

Saint 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 ...

in a convoy under escort by . On 26 September the convoy was in the Channel south of the

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...

when it encountered Admiral Allemand's squadron. ''Calcutta'' ordered the convoy to make for England while she engaged the French. The French ultimately captured ''Calcutta'', but by her sacrifice ''Calcutta'' had saved the convoy. A French frigate chased ''African'' for some time but ''African'' escaped by "superior sailing". ''African'' reached Falmouth, and then returned to her moorings on 4 October 1805 with 70,000 seal skins, and oil.

Fate

''African'' was last listed in 1810 but with data unchanged from 1805. One source reports that she was broken up and her registration cancelled in 1817.

Notes

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Minerva (1787), Dutch ship 1787 ships Ships built in the Netherlands Captured ships Post ships of the Royal Navy Whaling ships