Rebecca (1805 ship)

History
United Kingdom
Name| Rebecca
Launched| 1802, Charleston
Acquired| 1805
Captured| 1805
General characteristics
Tons burthen| 265,[1] or 272[2] (bm)
Complement| 34
Armament| 16 × 4&6-pounder guns[2]

Rebecca was launched at Charleston in 1802, possibly under another name. She first appeared in online British sources in 1805. In 1805, Rebecca began a voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people but fell prey to Spanish privateers after she had embarked captives.

## Career

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Rebecca first appeared in Lloyd's Register in 1805.[1]

Year  | Master  | Owner  | Trade  | Source

|
|
|
|

1805  | Thompson  | M'Dowell  | Liverpool–Africa  | LR

Captain William Thompson sailed from Liverpool on 18 March 1805. He acquired captives at Loango and Cabinda.[3]

## Fate

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In December 1805, Lloyd's List reported that Rebecca, Thompson, master, William, Christie, master, and Clarendon, Grice, master, had been captured at Angola on 1 September.[4] They were among the seven vessels off the Congo River that had fallen prey to a privateer.[a] The privateer was described as being of 22 guns and 350 men. Rebecca's captor sent her to the River Plate.[5]

A second report named the captors as L'Orient, of 14 guns, and Dromedario, of 22 guns. The captured vessels arrived in the River Plate before 12 November.[6]

Spanish records report that in June 1805, Viceroy Sobremonte, of Argentina, issued two letters of marque, one for Dolores (24 guns), Currand, master, and Berro y Errasquin, owner, and one for Dromedario (20 guns), Hippolito Mordel, master, and Canuerso y Masini, owner. The two sailed for the African coast, looking to capture enslaving ships. In three months of cruising Dolores captured three ships and one brig, carrying a total 600 enslaved people. Dromedario captured five ships, carrying a total of 500 enslaved people.[7]

Rebecca's entry in the 1806 volume of the Register of Shipping (RS), carried the annotation "Captured".[2]

In 1805, 30 British slave ships were lost. Thirteen were lost on the coast of Africa.[8] During the period 1793 to 1807, war, rather than maritime hazards or slave resistance, was the greatest cause of vessel losses among British slave vessels.[9]

## Notes

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1. ^ Among the other vessels were Active, Elizabeth, and Nelly.

## Citations

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1. ^ a b LR (1805), Supple. pages "R", Seq.no.R9.
2. ^ a b c RS (1806), Seq. no.R99.
3. ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Rebecca voyage #83294.
4. ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4282\. 24 December 1805. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735022.
5. ^ "LIVERPOOL, DEC. 26". 28 December 1805, Lancaster Gazetter (Lancaster, England), Volume: 5, Issue: 237.
6. ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4294\. 4 February 1806. hdl:2027/mdp.39015005721496.
7. ^ Anon. (1864), p. 19.
8. ^ Inikori (1996), p. 62.
9. ^ Inikori (1996), p. 58.

## References

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* Anon. (1864). "History of the Argentine Republic: First English invasions, 1804–1806". River Plate Magazine. 2. Buenos Aires Typographical Society: 17–21.
* Inikori, Joseph (1996). "Measuring the unmeasured hazards of the Atlantic slave trade: Documents relating to the British trade". Revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer. 83 (312): 53–92. doi:10.3406/outre.1996.3457.