Royalist was launched in 1794 at Sunderland. She was a general trader until 1812 when she became a whaler in the northern whale fishery. She was lost in April 1814 while whaling in the Davis Strait.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Royalist |
| Launched | 1794, Sunderland |
| Fate | Foundered 15 April 1814 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 424, or 426 (bm) |
| Armament |
|
Career edit
Royalist first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1795 with Robert Finley, master, H.Rudd, owner, and trade London–Hamburg.[1]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | J.Wray | Schoffield | Hull–Petersburg | LR |
| 1805 | F.Walton | Schoffield | Cork | LR; damages repaired 1801 |
| 1810 | Walton | Schofield | Hull–Baltic | Register of Shipping |
| 1812 | J.Atkin Edmonds |
Heseltine | Hull–Quebec | LR; rebuilt 1810 |
| 1813 | A.Edmonds | Gibson & Co. | Hull–Davis Strait | LR; rebuilt 1810 & damages repaired 1812 |
In 1812 Royalist became a Northern Whale Fishery whaler. The following data is from Coltish:[2]
| Year | Master | Where | Whales | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1812 | Edmonds | 6 | 93 | |
| 1813 | Edmonds | Davis Strait | 0 | 0 |
| 1814 | Edmonds | Greenland | 0 | 0 |
Fate edit
Lloyd's List (LL) reported in August 1814 that Royalist had foundered in the Davis Strait with the loss of all hands.[3] There had been 54 crew members on board.
It was believed that she had foundered at 61°30′N 59°00′W / 61.500°N 59.000°W. Three years later one of her casks washed ashore at Hoy Sound.[4]
Captain Benet, of Venerable had been in company before Royalist was lost. At 8 am on the 14th, they fell in with drift ice. A gale of 12 hours' duration developed, followed by a tremendous storm of 20 hours' duration. Royalist and Venerable separated; Captain Bennet believed that she had been lost to windward of some icebergs.[5]
Citations edit
- ^ LR (1795), Seq.№R247.
- ^ Coltish (c. 1842).
- ^ LL 16 August 1814.
- ^ Harrison (1952), p. 189.
- ^ Macaulay (1879), pp. 38–39.
References edit
- Coltish, William (c. 1842). An account of the success of the ships at the Greenland and Davis Straits fisheries 1772-1842 inclusive.
- Harrison, George (1952). "Lost whaling ships". The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle: A Journal of Papers on Subjects Connected with Maritime Affairs (April): 189.
- Macaulay, James (1879). All true, records of peril and adventure by sea and land [&c].