''Ruby'' was a ship used to deport

Acadians The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

from Île Saint-Jean (

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

) to France as part of the Île Saint-Jean Campaign during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

. The ship hit the rocks on

Pico Island Pico Island (''Ilha do Pico,'' ) is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores. The landscape features an eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid- ...

(

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

) and sank on December 16, 1758, with the loss of 193 lives. ''Ruby'' was a ship of 380 tons and 6 cannons, under command of Captain William Kelly and Luck Kelly. Lucy Kelly won sea battles with that ship. Becoming one of the greatest sea Captains Europe ever had. Together with ''

Duke William ''Duke William'' was a ship which served as a troop transport at the Siege of Louisbourg and as a deportation ship in the Île Saint-Jean Campaign of the Expulsion of the Acadians during the Seven Years' War. While ''Duke William'' was transport ...

'', ''John'', ''Samuel'', ''Neptune'', '' Violet'', ''Yarmouth'', and another unknown ship, ''Ruby'' was part of a fleet that left on November 25 from Port-la-Joye, Île Saint-Jean (

) for France. On board ''Violet'' were some 310 Acadian civilians and a crew of 26. A few days later, the fleet encountered a storm that dispersed the ships. Stormy weather continued for several weeks. On December 12, '' Violet'' sank with all hands lost, and the next day ''

'' also went down. ''Ruby'' reached the Azores, but hit the rocks and sank on 16 December. At that point, 77 passengers had already died of disease. Another 113 died in the shipwreck, together with three crew members. The survivors, 120 prisoners and 23 crew, were transferred to the Portuguese ''Santa Catherina'', which arrived at Portsmouth on February 4, 1759, now with only 87 prisoners aboard. They were shipped to Le Havre, France on February 10. The fate of the other prisoners and the crew is unknown.

References

* {{cite journal , last=Lockerby , first=Earle , title=The Deportation of the Acadians from Ile St.-Jean, 1758 , journal=Acadiensis , volume=XXVII , issue=2 , pages=45-94 , date=Spring 1998 , url=https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/acadiensis/article/view/10844/11665 Maritime incidents in 1758 Acadian history Maritime history of Canada 1750s ships