Wright was a merchantman launched at Shields, Northumberland, in 1794 and owned by the Newcastle mariner and brewer, Stephen Wright. From 1797 to 1801 she was a hired armed ship for the British Royal Navy during which service she captured a French privateer. She then returned to mercantile service, sailing out of Newcastle, first as a transport and then trading between Newcastle and Charleston. She was captured circa December 1809.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Wright |
| Owner | Stephen Wright |
| Builder | Thomas Hearn, North Shields[1] |
| Launched | 1794 |
| Captured | c. December 1809 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 341[2] (bm) |
| Armament |
|
Career
editWright first appeared in Lloyd's Register in the 1797 issue with E.Walker, master, Wright, owner, and trade Saint Petersburgh–Portsmouth.[3]
Armed ship: Wright's contract with the Admiralty lasted from 6 May 1797 to 5 December 1801.[2] In May 1797 Commander Thomas Campbell commissioned Wright for the North Sea.[4]
On 7 April 1798, Wright, Captain Thomas Campbell, was about six leagues from Huntcliff when she recaptured three colliers that a French privateer had captured earlier that morning.[a] After securing the three colliers, Campbell set out after the privateer. He captured her after a chase of about six and a half hours during which she had thrown five of her six guns overboard. Her name was Marveilleuse and she had a crew of 39 men under the command of Pierre Lefevre. She was eight days out of Dunkirk and had only taken one collier the day before.[5][b] On 13 April Lloyd's List (LL) reported that the armed ship Wrights had brought into Tynemouth a privateer of six guns and her three prizes. The privateer had left Dunkirk on 2 April in company with six other privateers.[8]
Merchantman: Wright appeared in the Register of Shipping (RS) volume for 1802 with J.Mills, master, S.Wright, owner, and trade Newcastle transport.[9]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1806 | S.Mills | S.Wright | Newcastle transport | RS |
| 1810 | Gillespy | S.Wright | Newcastle–Charleston | RS |
Fate
editLL reported on 2 January 1810 that Wright, Scott, master, of six guns and 17 men, had been captured and taken into Rotterdam.[10]
RS continued to carry Wright for a number of years, but with data unchanged since 1809. LL had not carried Wright after the Admiralty hired her.
Notes
edit- ^ The three colliers were Spalding, of Boston, Ranger, of Yarmouth, and Elizabeth, of Wells.[5] Ranger, of 89 tons (bm), J.England, master, had been launched at Yarmouth in 1789.[6]
- ^ Merveilleuse was a 27-ton (French; "of load") privateer schooner from Honfleur, built on a design by the naval architect Jean-Louis Pestel. She was commissioned in 1798.[7]
Citations
edit- ^ Tyne Built Ships: "W".
- ^ a b c Winfield (2008), p. 389.
- ^ LR (1797), Seq.№W186.
- ^ Marshall (1825), p. 1006.
- ^ a b "No. 15006". The London Gazette. 10 April 1798. p. 306.
- ^ LR (1797), Seq.№R25.
- ^ Demerliac (2003), p. 237, n°1977.
- ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 2993. 13 April 1798. hdl:2027/uc1.c3049069.
- ^ RS (1802).Seq.№W313.
- ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4419. 2 January 1810. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735024.
References
edit- Demerliac, Alain (2003). La Marine de la Révolution: Nomenclature des Navires Français de 1792 à 1799 (in French). Éditions Ancre. ISBN 2-906381-24-1.
- Marshall, John (1825). . Royal Naval Biography. Vol. 2, part 2. London: Longman and company. p. 1006.f
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-246-7.