Thames (1807 American ship)

For other ships with the same name, see Thames (ship).

History
United Kingdom
Name| Thames
Namesake| River Thames
Owner| Bebby & Co.
Builder| New York[1]
Launched| 1798[2]
Acquired| 1807
Captured| 10 January 1813
General characteristics
Tons burthen| 171[2][3] (bm)
Sail plan| Snow[3]
Complement|

* 1809: 25[3]
* At capture: 14[4]

Armament|

* 1809: 12 × 9&6-pounder guns[3]
* 1813: 6 × 6-pounder guns + 4 × 12-pounder carronades
* At capture: 4 × 9-pounder guns + 4 × 12-pounder carronades[4]

Thames was launched in New York in 1798, probably under another name. Bebby & Co., of Liverpool, acquired her circa 1807. An American privateer captured Thames in January 1813 as Thames was sailing back to Liverpool from Africa.

## Career

[edit]

Thames first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1807.[2]

Year  | Master  | Owner  | Trade  | Source & notes

|
|
|
|

1807  | Roberts  | Bebby & Co.  | Liverpool–Dublin  | LR
1809  | W.Ward
F.Toole  | Bebby & Co.  | Liverpool–Gothenburg
Liverpool–Africa  | LR

Captain Francis Toole acquired a letter of marque on 28 March 1809.[3]

Year  | Master  | Owner  | Trade  | Source & notes

|
|
|
|

1812  | F.Toole  | Bebby&Co.  | Liverpool–Dublin
Liverpool–Africa  | LR; large repair 1811
1813  | F.Toole  | Bebby & Co.  | Liverpool–Africa  | LR; large repair 1811

## Fate

[edit]

The United States privateer Yankee captured Thames, Toole, master, in December 1812 or January 1813 off the coast of Africa. Thames was returning to Liverpool from Africa. Yankee landed Toole at Pernambuco in February.[5] Thames arrived at Boston on 8 April.[6]

LR for 1814 carried the annotation "capt." by her name.[1]

Yankee, Captain Oliver Wilson, was on her second (of five cruises). She captured Thames on 10 January 1813 off Annabona. Thames was returning to Liverpool from Mayjumba with a cargo of 240 tons of camwood, some dry goods, and some ivory. Wilson estimated the value of vessel and cargo at $25,000.[4] Another report put the value of the cargo at $40,000. A prize crew brought Thames safely into Boston.[7][8]

In 1813 Yankee captured two vessel named Thames, the Thames of this article and Thames.

## Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b LR (1814), Seq.No.T71.
2. ^ a b c LR (1807), supple. pages "T", Seq.No.T109.
3. ^ a b c d e "Letter of Marque, p. 89 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
4. ^ a b c Munro (1913), pp. 46–47 & 61.
5. ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4764\. 23 April 1813. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735026.
6. ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4776\. 8 June 1813. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735026.
7. ^ Maclay (1900), p. 268.
8. ^ Good (2012), p. 104.

## References

[edit]

* Good, Timothy S., ed. (2012). American privateers in the war of 1812: the vessels and their prizes as recorded in Niles' Weekly Register. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786466955.
* Maclay, Edgar Stanton (1900). "A history of American Privateers". Sampson, Low, Marston & Co. OCLC 606621677.
* Munro, Wilfred Harold (1913). "The Most Successful American Privateer: An Episode of the War of 1812". American Antiquarian Society (April): 12–62.