Aurora was launched at Kingston upon Hull. She traded with the Baltic until 1803 when she became a Greenland whaler. She was lost in 1821 on her 18th voyage to the northern whale fishery.
 The Greenland whaler Aurora, of Hull; Robert Willoughby, Hull Maritime Museum
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Aurora |
| Builder | Hull |
| Launched | 1782 |
| Fate | Wrecked 27 August 1821 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 366,[1] or 370, or 470,[2] or 500[3] (bm) |
| Armament | |
Merchantman
editAurora first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1782 with Robinson, master, Hall & Co., owners, and trade Hull–Riga, changing to London transport.[3]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1786 | J.Robinson W. Proctor |
F.Hall | Narva–Hull | LR |
| 1790 | S.Lazenby | Hall & Co. | Narva–Hull | LR |
| 1795 | T.Scofield J.Hall |
F.Hall | Hull–Petersburg | LR;[2] new deck 1792 & repairs 1793 |
| 1800 | Campion | T.Hall & Co. | Hull–Petersburg | LR; damages repaired 1797[1] |
Lloyd's List (LL) reported on 20 December 1799, apparently erroneously, that Aurora, Campion, master, had been lost near Cronstadt while sailing from Petersburg to London.[4]
Greenland whaler
editLR for 1803 showed Aurora with Campion, master, Hall & Co., owners, changing to Gilder, and trade Hull–Petersburg, changing to Hull–Greenland.[5] She underwent repairs for damages in 1803, and Sadler became her master.
The following whaling data is from Lloyd's List (master and grounds), and Coltish (whale oil):[6]
| Year | Master | Where | Whales | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1803 | Sadler | Greenland | 182 | |
| 1804 | Sadler | Greenland | 214 | |
| 1805 | Sadler | Greenland | 26 | 244 |
By one account, in 1804, Captain Sadler took 44 whales that yielded only 190 butts.[7]
In 1805, Aurora rescued the crew of Maria, of Hull, Ross, master. Maria had been lost on the "Johns-a-Main". Two of Maria's crew died in an accident to one of Aurora's boats.[8][a] In addition to the 26 whales and 244 tons of oil, Aurora took nine tons of whale bone.[9]
| Year | Master | Where | Whales | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1806 | Sadler | Greenland | 12[10] | 160/400 butts |
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1806 | A. Sadler | J. Gilder | Hull–Greenland | Register of Shipping; thorough repair 1797, new wales 1803, & good repair 1805 |
| 1807 | Sadler | Greenland | 28[11] | 230/570 butts[11] |
LL reported in March 1808 that Aurora had had to put back into Hull. She had been bound for Greenland but had gotten on shore.[12] Despite the delay this caused, in 1808 Aurora had the most successful voyage of her career in terms of the amount of whale oil she gathered. It was also the ninth-best haul in the history of the Hull whaling fleet.[13]
| Year | Master | Where | Whales | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1808 | Sadler | Greenland | 38[14] | 263/700 butts[14] |
| 1809 | Sadler | Greenland | 180 | |
| 1810 | Sadler | Greenland | 13 | 146/366 butts[15] |
In the 1810 season, Aurora, Sadler, master, was the most successful whaler from Greenland.[15]
| Year | Master | Where | Whales | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1811 | Sadler | Greenland | 39 | 250/630 butts[16] |
| 1812 | Sadler | Greenland | 22 or 24[17] | 156, or 210[17] |
| 1813 | Sadler | Greenland | 2 | 20 |
| 1814 | Sadler | Greenland | 24 | 189 |
In 1813, Aurora, Sadler, master, had been beset by ice from the middle of April to early July.[18]
LL reported that Aurora, Sadler, master, had had to put into Aberdeen on 20 April 1815 leaky. She had been bound for Greenland and had gotten as far as latitude 63°N before she had had to put back.[19] She finally sailed at the end of April.[20]
| Year | Master | Where | Whales | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1815 | Sadler | Greenland | 6 | 69 |
| 1816 | Sadler | Greenland | 12 | 76 |
| 1817 | Sadler | Greenland | 5 | 70 |
In 1818 Sadler became master of Jane, sailing her to Greenland.
| Year | Master | Where | Whales | Tuns whale oil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1818 | Griswood | Greenland | 7 | 95 |
| 1819 | Griswood | Greenland | 1 | 19 |
| 1820 | Thomas | Greenland | 9 | 80 |
| 1821 | Davis Strait | 9 |
The first week of June 1820, saw heavy ice. Aurora had to saw a dock in ice 12' thick.[21]
Fate
editAurora, of Hull, Thomas, master, was lost on 27 August 1821 at Davis Strait. At the time of her loss she had taken 10 fish.[22] Aurora was one of 11 ships sunk during the 1821 season. She was on her first voyage to Davis Strait.[23]
Note
edit- ^ Maria, of Hull and of 204 tons (bm), was launched at Liverpool in 1766.
Citations
edit- ^ a b c LR (1800), Seq.No.A634.
- ^ a b c LR (1795), Seq.№A611.
- ^ a b c LR (1782), Seq.№A463.
- ^ LL No.4018.
- ^ LR (1803), Seq.A1005.
- ^ Coltish (c. 1842).
- ^ Lubbock (1937), p. 165.
- ^ Lubbock (1937), p. 168.
- ^ Lubbock (1937), p. 169.
- ^ Lubbock (1937), p. 178.
- ^ a b Lubbock (1937), p. 180.
- ^ LL №4240.
- ^ Munroe (1854), p. 39.
- ^ a b Lubbock (1937), p. 182.
- ^ a b Lubbock (1937), p. 186.
- ^ Lubbock (1937), p. 188.
- ^ a b Lubbock (1937), p. 191.
- ^ Lubbock (1937), p. 194.
- ^ LL №4967.
- ^ Lubbock (1937), p. 199.
- ^ Lubbock (1937), p. 215.
- ^ Lloyd's List №5636.
- ^ Lubbock (1937), p. 227.
References
edit- Coltish, William (c. 1842). An account of the success of the ships at the Greenland and Davis Straits fisheries 1772-1842 inclusive.
- Lubbock, Basil (1937). Arctic Whalers. Glasgow: Brown, Son & Ferguson.
- Munroe, Henry (1854). "Statistics of the Northern Whale Fisheries, from the Year 1772 to 1852". Journal of the Statistical Society of London. 17 (1): 34–42. doi:10.2307/2338354. JSTOR 2338354.