Vittoria (1813 Whitehaven ship)

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

History
United Kingdom
NameVittoria
Launched1813, Whitehaven
Captured7 August 1822
FateWrecked 1822 after capture
General characteristics
Tons burthen236, or 242 (bm)
Armament2 × 4–pounder guns

Vittoria was launched at Whitehaven in 1813 as a West Indiaman. Pirates captured and wrecked her in 1822.

Career

Missing pages in an on-line copy of Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1814 mean that Vittoria first appeared in LR in 1815.[1]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1815 Twentyman W.Bowes Greenock–Jamaica
London–New York 		LR
1818 Twentyman
Montgomery 		W.Bowes London–Barbados LR
1819 Montgomery J.Grigg
C.Davison 		London–Charleston LR
1820 Montgomery
W.Hearn 		C.Davison
Cohen & Co. 		London–Charleston LR

Judah Cohen and his older brother Hymen Cohen were co-partners in Hymen Cohen & Company, in London. They came to be the most extensive slave owners in Jamaica and the British West Indies in general. They also dealt with trade to Jamaica, and from 1820 or so owned Vittoria

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1821 W.Hearn Cohen & Co. London–Jamaica LR

On 7 August 1822 a pirate vessel captured Vittoria, Hearn, master, as Vittoria was sailing from Jamaica to London. The pirates also captured another vessel, Industry, Cook, master, which had been sailing from Montego Bay to St Thomas. The pirates put Vittoria's crew aboard Industry and let Industry go.[2]

On 10 August Industry encountered HMS Carnation, under Commander Walcott, which took Hearn and some of his men aboard, offering to take them to Jamaica. Instead, Hearn offered himself and his men to help in the search of the pirates. Then, on 13 August, Carnation transferred Hearn and some of his men to Blackett, which accepted them as passengers for Liverpool.[a]

Reports from Charleston stated that Vittoria sat inside the Colorados for six weeks while the pirates slowly unloaded her cargo of coffee, which was sold in Havana. Some weeks later Lieutenant Geary of HMS Speedwell discovered bills of lading and coffee bags from Vittoria, when Speedwell raided a pirate base.[3] The pirates also removed Nicaragua wood, lignum vitae and lancewood spars.[3]

Fate

The pirates ran Vittoria aground, wrecking her. Hymen Cohen, Judah Cohen, Andrew Cohen, Alexander Hiam Cohen, Judah Hymen Cohen, the owners of Vittoria and her cargo, put the value of their loss at £27,000.[3] Estimates of underwriters' losses ranged between £30,000 and £40,000, including losses on Industry.

Notes

  1. ^ Blackett, Benson, master, was a snow of 242 tons (bm), launched in Newcastle in 1819.

Citations

  1. ^ LR (1813), Seq.No.V57.
  2. ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 5740. 8 October 1822. hdl:2027/mdp.39015005730638.
  3. ^ a b c McCarthy (2013), p. 63.

References

  • McCarthy, Matthew (2013). Privateering, Piracy and British Policy in Spanish America, 1810-1830. Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-843-83861-6.