Little Catherine (1801 ship) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids History
United Kingdom
Name	Little Catherine
Owner	1809:C. Walker 1812:Blewett & Co.
Builder	Bermuda
Launched	1801
Captured	June 1814
United Kingdom
Name	Blucher
Namesake	Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Owner	Government Post Office (1815)
Acquired	1814 by purchase of a prize
Fate	Sold 1823
United Kingdom
Name	Little Catherine
Owner	Various
Acquired	1823 by purchase
Fate	Last listed 1845
Acquired	circa 1845 by purchase
Fate	Wrecked 24 October 1847
General characteristics
Tons burthen	18067⁄94, or 18249⁄94, or 183, or 185 (bm)
Length	83 ft 0 in (25.3 m)
Beam	23 ft 10+1⁄2 in (7.3 m)
Armament	1809:12 × 12-pounder carronades 1812:6 × 12-pounder + 10 × 6-pounder carronades 1814:10 × 9-pounder guns 1815:2 × 6-pounder guns

The Little Catherine was a ship launched in 1801 in Bermuda. She likely had a different name at first. In 1809, she was taken as a "prize" in Barbados. This means she was captured and legally claimed by another country. She then joined the British shipping records.

At first, Little Catherine sailed between Liverpool, England, and Africa. Later, in 1813, she became a temporary packet ship. Packet ships carried mail, passengers, and goods on a regular schedule. She worked for the Post Office Packet Service from Falmouth, Cornwall.

Her journey was full of adventures! The French Navy captured her in 1813. They took her crew but left the ship. Three days later, the Royal Navy found and recovered her. In 1814, an American privateer (a private ship allowed to attack enemy ships) captured her. But the Royal Navy quickly got her back within two weeks.

Her owner didn't want to pay the "salvage" fee to get her back. So, they gave her to the Post Office. The Post Office put her back into service as a Falmouth packet. They renamed her Blucher. This was to honor Prince Blucher, a hero who helped defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.

The government sold Blucher in 1823. New owners changed her name back to Little Catherine. She kept sailing around the world until 1845. She was last recorded as being owned by someone in China. Sadly, she was wrecked in October 1847.

Little Catherine: Early Years and Captures

Little Catherine was officially taken as a prize in Barbados on May 9, 1809. Some records hint she might have been involved in the slave trade. However, there's no clear record of a ship by that name in slave trade databases. She might have been sailing under a different name or flag. She could have been captured for breaking the Slave Trade Act 1807. This law made it illegal for British ships to be part of the slave trade.

First Records and Trade Routes

Little Catherine first appeared in Lloyd's Register in 1809. Her master was C. Walker, and Taylor & Co. owned her. She sailed on a route between Liverpool and Africa. By 1812, the Register of Shipping showed Irvine as master and Bluet & Co. as owner. She still sailed the Liverpool–Africa route.

In 1813, Lloyd's Register showed C. Walker as master, then Jeffrey. Taylor & Co. owned her. Her route changed from Liverpool–Africa to being a Falmouth packet. The 1814 Lloyd's Register listed Jeffrey as master, then Richards. Blewett & Co. were the owners, and she was a Falmouth packet.

Captured by the French

The Post Office hired Little Catherine on March 13, 1813. John Vivian became her captain. On November 25, 1813, two French frigates, Sultane and Étoile, captured Little Catherine. She was sailing from Passages at the time. The French took her crew off the ship and left her.

Three days later, on November 28, HMS Hotspur found her at sea. Hotspur found the ship had been robbed. All but two of her guns were thrown overboard. Her sails were set, but her rudder was loose. She was just drifting. Captain Jocelny Percy of Hotspur put a crew on board. They took her to Penzance. A storm on November 30 caused her to tip over. She lay waterlogged.

Captain Vivian's Brave Act

While Captain Vivian was on the French frigate Sultana, a storm hit. The French crew were not well trained, and many were seasick. Sultana's captain asked Vivian for help. Vivian and his men agreed to help sail the frigate. They would give control back when the weather improved. In return, the French captain promised to put the Englishmen on the next ship they captured.

When the French captured another Falmouth packet, Duke of Montrose, on December 12, they put Captain Vivian and his crew on board. Captain Vivian was more senior in the Packet Service. So, he took command of Duke of Montrose. The French also put other prisoners on board. The British reached Falmouth on December 20. Both captains confirmed they had sunk their secret signal books with the mail. This was done before the French captured their ships.

Captain John Richards became captain of Little Catherine on April 16, 1814.

Captured by Americans, Then Recaptured

On May 9, Little Catherine sailed from Falmouth. She was heading for Madeira, Teneriffe, and Brazil. On June 13, an American privateer named Herald captured her. Herald had 17 guns and 110 men. The capture happened at 41°6′N 12°8′W / 41.100°N 12.133°W / 41.100; -12.133, near Oporto. Herald put Little Catherine's crew on a Russian ship. This ship took them to Madeira. HMS Constant then took them from Madeira to Penzance. They arrived in early June.

The British frigate HMS Lacedaemonian recaptured Little Catherine on June 25. This happened within two miles of the Charlestown bar. She was sent to Bermuda. She sailed from Bermuda on July 18 and arrived at Falmouth on August 2.

A special court looked into Captain Richards' actions. They said he should have sailed closer to the wind. They also said he should have used the brass guns in his stern (back) ports. He was not allowed to command packets again. Mr. Blewitt, Little Catherine's owner, refused to pay the salvage fee. He gave the ship to the Post Office instead.

Blucher: A New Name and New Journeys

Blucher first appeared in Lloyd's Register in 1815. She was listed as a Falmouth packet. The Government Post Office owned her. The Post Office used her for captains who were waiting for their new packet ships to be ready.

Voyages Across the Atlantic

Blucher made many trips across the North Atlantic:

• On August 15, 1816, Blucher, with Eddy as master, sailed from Falmouth. She reached Halifax, Nova Scotia, on September 9. She then sailed to New York. She arrived back in Falmouth on December 9, 1816.
• Blucher, with Richards as master, sailed from Falmouth on April 15, 1819. She arrived in Halifax on May 20. She sailed to New York, then back to Halifax. She returned to Falmouth on August 10, 1819.
• On July 12, 1820, Blucher, with Anderson as acting master, sailed from Falmouth. She arrived in Halifax on August 20. HMS Cyrene took the mail for Bermuda that Blucher had brought. Blucher sailed to New York, then back to Halifax. She arrived back in Falmouth on November 19.
• On November 13, 1820, Blucher, with White as master, rescued three survivors. They were from the schooner Plover, which had sunk on October 24 at 41°N 31°W / 41°N 31°W / 41; -31. Plover had been sailing from Newfoundland. Blucher brought the survivors to Falmouth.

Trips to the Caribbean and South America

Blucher also sailed to warmer places:

• On March 10, 1817, Blucher arrived at Barbados from Falmouth. She reached Jamaica on March 20. On May 23, she arrived back in Falmouth. She had left Jamaica on April 7.
• Blucher sailed from Falmouth on September 14. She arrived at Madeira on September 28 and left the next day for Teneriffe. She reached Bahia from Pernambuco on November 4, 1817. She sailed for Rio de Janeiro on November 6 and arrived there on November 16. She arrived back in Falmouth on February 7, 1818. She had left Rio on December 12, 1817.
• Blucher arrived at Barbados on April 12, 1818, from Falmouth. She arrived back in Falmouth on October 5, 1818. She had come from the Leeward Islands, leaving St Thomas on September 8.

Sale of Blucher

The "Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy" put the "Blucher Packet Vessel" up for sale. She was "lying at Falmouth" on December 16, 1823.

Little Catherine: Later Years and Final Fate

In 1825, Little Catherine appeared in LR again. She was listed as 185 tons and built in Bermuda in 1802 (though the earlier date was 1801). In March 1824, new owners changed her name back to Little Catherine.

On April 16, 1829, Arthur Hunt sold his ownership of Little Catherine to C. and E. Hunt and Co. The ship was registered in Bristol on May 1, 1829. Her masters during this time included Thomas Wakeman, Robert Larica, James McLean, and Philip Willis.

On September 23, 1833, Little Catherine was sold to John Croft, a merchant from Liverpool. She was registered in Liverpool on May 26, 1834.

In 1834, Little Catherine was advertised to carry people moving to the Swan River Colony, Hobart, and New South Wales. But there were arguments about her age and condition. People said she was older than advertised, had poor rooms for passengers, and was partly rotten. She didn't make that trip. Instead, she sailed to the Bahamas and possibly the South Seas.

In 1838, Little Catherine did sail to New South Wales. In 1840, she was sold to the Trinidad and Sabine Company. This company advertised she was ready to take people from England to Texas. But she was sold again. She was then hired to carry settlers to the Musquito Shore. She was at Deal on March 10, 1841, getting ready to sail. She returned and around August 10, 1842, sailed for Hong Kong with Franklyn as master. Later, she was reported in Singapore, coming from China and sailing to Bombay.

A court case in 1847 showed that the trip to the Mosquito Coast was part of a plan by the Segovia Company. This company claimed to be setting up a colony at Nueva Segovia. The expedition was stopped on August 31 by the government of New Grenada. They were released on October 22. The group returned to England in June 1842 without success.

Final Fate of Little Catherine

Little Catherine was last listed in LR in 1845. She had been sold to a Chinese owner. This owner changed her into a "lugger," a type of sailing vessel. In early September 1847, she sailed from Singapore for Hong Kong. She had an English master, Victor Howes, and a local crew.

According to Howes, the local crew took control of the ship. They ran her ashore around Longitude 16½° in the Gulf of Tonquin. This was on the coast of Cochinchina on October 24. Another survivor said she hit a rock. This happened after she became impossible to steer in a strong storm.