William and Ann (1759) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids History
Great Britain
Name	William and Ann
Owner	Samuel Enderby & Sons St. Barbe & Company
Launched	1759 (or 1742), King's Yard (possibly Ipswich)
Fate	Last listed 1857
General characteristics
Tons burthen	370, or 376, or 388, or 3881⁄14 (bm)
Draught	16 feet (4.9 m)
Sail plan	Ship rig
Armament	1812: 6 × 6-pounder guns + 2 × 18-pounder carronades
Notes	Two decks

The William and Ann (sometimes called William and Anne) was a very old and busy ship! She was built in 1759 at a special shipyard called a King's Yard. For many years, from 1786 to 1791, she worked as a whaler, hunting whales in the cold northern seas.

In 1791, she had an important job: she carried people who had committed crimes to a new land called New South Wales in Australia. After that, she started hunting whales around New Zealand. She returned to England in 1793. Around 1801, she went back to being a whaler in the northern seas, sailing from a place called Leith. She kept whaling until 1839. After her whaling days, she became a trading ship, sailing all over the world to places like Bahia, Bombay, and Spain. The William and Ann was last mentioned in records in 1857. This means she was in service for more than 90 years!

The Ship's Journey: Early Years

The William and Ann was made longer and taller in 1767. This made her bigger, weighing 370 tons. She also had big repairs in 1785. The ship first appeared in a shipping record book called Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1786, under the name William and Ann. Before that, her name was Ipswich. It's hard to know her full history because some old record books are missing. She had more repairs in 1789 and 1791 to keep her strong and seaworthy.

Voyage to Australia and New Zealand

Under the command of Captain Eber Bunker, the William and Ann left Plymouth on March 27, 1791. She was part of a group of ships known as the third fleet that sailed to Australia. She arrived in Port Jackson, New South Wales, on August 28, 1791. On board were 188 male convicts, but sadly, seven of them died during the long journey.

After dropping off the convicts, Captain Bunker took the William and Ann on the first recorded visit by a whaling ship to New Zealand. They stopped at Doubtless Bay in 1791 while hunting for sperm whales in the South Pacific Ocean. The ship was seen near the coast of Peru in 1792. She then sailed back to Sydney and from there, returned to England. She was spotted near Brazil in March 1793. Finally, she arrived back in England on May 20, 1793, carrying a lot of whale oil and seal skins.

In April 1802, the William and Ann, with Captain Kelly, sailed from Leith towards Davis Strait. But she had to turn back to Stromness because she was leaking.

Whaling Adventures

The William and Ann spent many years as a whaler, sailing to cold places like Davis Strait and Greenland to hunt whales. This was a tough and dangerous job.

Whaling Catches

Here's a look at some of the whales the William and Ann caught and the amount of whale oil she brought back:

The William and Ann continued whaling for many more years, often bringing back good amounts of whale oil.

In 1836, another whaling ship, the Swan, got stuck in the ice in Davis Strait and had to spend the winter there. The William and Ann was the first whaler to spot the Swan on May 14. At first, Captain Stairton's crew didn't want to help the Swan because it was far away and they weren't paid extra for rescue missions. However, the Swan was eventually freed when crews from five other whalers worked together to saw through a lot of thick ice. It's possible the William and Ann was one of those five ships that helped.

Later Years and Trading

After her long career as a whaler, the William and Ann became a trading ship. She sailed to many different ports around the world, carrying goods.

The William and Ann was a very long-lived ship, serving for over 90 years in different roles, from whaling to transporting people and goods across the oceans. She was last recorded in 1857.