Severn, c.1835; Joseph Walter (1783–1856), Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | Severn |
Namesake | River Severn |
Builder | Hilhouse, Sons and Co.,[1] Bristol, Gloucestershire |
Launched | 1806 |
Fate | Abandoned at sea late 1838 |
General characteristics | |
Tons burthen | 478,[2][3] or 47850⁄94[1] (bm) |
Length | 113 ft 5 in (34.6 m)[1] |
Beam | 31 ft 6 in (9.6 m)[1] |
Propulsion | Sail |
Sail plan | Ship-rigged; later barque |
Complement | 30[2] |
Armament | 12 × 9&4-pounder guns[2] |
Notes | Two decks, three masts, square stem, quarter galleries, and figure head[1] |
Severn was launched at Bristol in 1806. She spent most of her career as a West Indiaman. In 1813 she ran down and sank another merchantman. In late 1838 Severn's crew had to abandon her in the Atlantic in a sinking condition.
Severn first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1806.
Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Notes and source |
---|---|---|---|---|
1806 | Etheridge | Protheroe | Bristol–Jamaica | Lloyd's Register (LR; 1806)[4] |
Captain Richard Drew acquired a letter of marque on 5 April 1810.[2]
On 11 February 1813 Severn ran down and sank Wargrave. HMS Cressy rescued Wargrave's crew. Wargrave, Ostler, master, was on a voyage from Dublin to Surinam.[5][a]
Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Notes and source |
---|---|---|---|---|
1810 | J. Drew | R. Claxton | Bristol–Nevis | LR |
1815 | J. Arew | R. Claxton | Bristol–Nevis | LR |
1820 | E.J. Power | R. Claxton | Bristol–Nevis | Good repair in 1815; LR |
1825 | Christopher Claxton | R. Claxton | Bristol–Nevis | Good repair in 1815 & small repair 1821; LR |
1830 | F. Foster | J. Irvine | Bristol–Trinidad | Thorough repair in 1828; LR |
1835 | Brown | J.Irving | Bristol–Quebec | LR |
1838 | Brown | J.Irving | Bristol–New York | Damages repaired in 1836 and small repairs in 1837; LR |
Other masters: Christopher Claxton; Gabriel Forster (9 Sept. 1825); Richard Radford (3 Feb. 1831); Thomas Sandon (24 Oct. 1831); Adam Dixon (25 July 1833 (London)); Charles Timothy Stewart (25 Aug. 1834 (London)); Thomas Brown (26 Mar. 1835); Charles Skirling (29 Sept. 1834); Edward Purse (1 May 1837); and William Johns (30 August 1838).[1]
On 10 December 1833 Captain Adam Dixon was sailing by the Chagos Archipelago when he sighted an uncharted island or islands at 5°30′N 72°24′E / 5.500°N 72.400°E that he named Severn Island.[7]
In late 1838 her crew abandoned Severn in the Atlantic Ocean at 48°N 31°W / 48°N 31°W as she had 16 feet of water in her hold. She was on a voyage from Miramichi, New Brunswick, to Bristol. Russell, of New York, which was sailing from New Orleans to Havre, rescued Severn's crew.[8]