Kitty (1810 ship)

''Kitty'' was a French vessel taken in prize c. 1810. She became a West Indiaman and then, following a change of ownership, a privateer. She was one of only two British privateers to target slave traders. She captured three off Sierra Leone before one of her targets captured her in 1814, killing her master, enslaving some of her crew, and setting fire to her.

British career

''Kitty'' enters '' Lloyd's Register'' in 1810.

John Roach acquired ''Kitty'' in 1811. He received a letter of marque for her on 2 October 1812."Register of Letters of Marque against France 1793-1815"; p.72

In early 1813 ''Kitty'' captured three slave ships off Sierra Leone, all of which she took into Freetown where the Vice admiralty court condemned them:

The need to put prize crews aboard ''San Jose Triumfo'' and ''Phoenix'' strained Roach's resources. Instead, at the cost of sharing the proceeds, he arranged for to take them into Freetown.

Fate

''Lloyd's List'' reported on 27 May 1814 that ''Kitty'' had been totally lost sometime in February off the coast of Africa while chasing a Spanish vessel.''Lloyd's List''.
/ref> An English slave trader called Crawford was working with a Spanish schooner carrying slaves that Crawford had gathered. The schooner captured ''Kitty'' and the schooner's master murdered Roach. The Spaniards plundered ''Kitty'' before scuttling her. The schooner also enslaved the black crew on ''Kitty'', including two freed Negroes from Sierra Leone, and sold them into slavery at Havana. rescued the surviving crew members and captured Crawford's launch and trade goods, but was unable to capture either Crawford or the Spanish schooner.

Citations and references

Citations

References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitty (1810 ship)
1805 ships
Captured ships
Privateer ships of the United Kingdom
African slave trade
Maritime incidents in 1814
Age of Sail merchant ships
Merchant ships of the United Kingdom