Severn_(1806_ship)
Severn (1806 ship)
UK merchant ship 1806–1838
Severn was launched at Bristol in 1806. She spent most of her career as a West Indiaman. In 1813 she ran down and sank another merchantman. In late 1838 Severn's crew had to abandon her in the Atlantic in a sinking condition.
Severn, c.1835; Joseph Walter (1783–1856), Bristol Museum & Art Gallery | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Severn |
| Namesake | River Severn |
| Builder | Hilhouse, Sons and Co.,[1] Bristol, Gloucestershire |
| Launched | 1806 |
| Fate | Abandoned at sea late 1838 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 478,[2][3] or 47850⁄94[1] (bm) |
| Length | 113 ft 5 in (34.6 m)[1] |
| Beam | 31 ft 6 in (9.6 m)[1] |
| Propulsion | Sail |
| Sail plan | Ship-rigged; later barque |
| Complement | 30[2] |
| Armament | 12 × 9&4-pounder guns[2] |
| Notes | Two decks, three masts, square stem, quarter galleries, and figure head[1] |
Severn first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1806.
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1806 | Etheridge | Protheroe | Bristol–Jamaica | Lloyd's Register (LR; 1806)[4] |
Captain Richard Drew acquired a letter of marque on 5 April 1810.[2]
On 11 February 1813 Severn ran down and sank Wargrave. HMS Cressy rescued Wargrave's crew. Wargrave, Ostler, master, was on a voyage from Dublin to Surinam.[5][lower-alpha 1]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | J. Drew | R. Claxton | Bristol–Nevis | LR |
| 1815 | J. Arew | R. Claxton | Bristol–Nevis | LR |
| 1820 | E.J. Power | R. Claxton | Bristol–Nevis | Good repair in 1815; LR |
| 1825 | Christopher Claxton | R. Claxton | Bristol–Nevis | Good repair in 1815 & small repair 1821; LR |
| 1830 | F. Foster | J. Irvine | Bristol–Trinidad | Thorough repair in 1828; LR |
| 1835 | Brown | J.Irving | Bristol–Quebec | LR |
| 1838 | Brown | J.Irving | Bristol–New York | Damages repaired in 1836 and small repairs in 1837; LR |
Other masters: Christopher Claxton; Gabriel Forster (9 Sept. 1825); Richard Radford (3 Feb. 1831); Thomas Sandon (24 Oct. 1831); Adam Dixon (25 July 1833 (London)); Charles Timothy Stewart (25 Aug. 1834 (London)); Thomas Brown (26 Mar. 1835); Charles Skirling (29 Sept. 1834); Edward Purse (1 May 1837); and William Johns (30 August 1838).[1]
On 10 December 1833 Captain Adam Dixon was sailing by the Chagos Archipelago when he sighted an uncharted island or islands at 5°30′N 72°24′E that he named Severn Island.[7]
In late 1838 her crew abandoned Severn in the Atlantic Ocean at 48°N 31°W as she had 16 feet of water in her hold. She was on a voyage from Miramichi, New Brunswick, to Bristol. Russell, of New York, which was sailing from New Orleans to Havre, rescued Severn's crew.[8]
- Wargrave, of 175 tons (bm), had been launched in Denmark in 1801.[6]
- Farr (1950), pp. 38–9.
- Hackman (2001), p. 312.
- Horsburgh (1826), p. 193.
- Farr, Grahame E., ed. (1950). Records of Bristol Ships, 1800-1838 (vessels over 150 tons). Vol. 15. Bristol Record Society.
- Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.
- Horsburgh, James (1826). India Directory, Or Directions for Sailing to and from the East Indies, China, New Holland, Cape of Good Hope, Brazil and the Interjacent Ports. Vol. 1. Kingsburg.