Victory 1803
Sailing vessel; ship; privateer; owned Case & Co., Liverpool.
384 tons, b 1799 France.
Wooden, copper sheathed with iron bolts; draught 16'; trade Liverpool-Africa.
Mounted 18 carriage guns, 12 and 9 pounders
Captain Alexander Morrison and 58 crew; 54 (or 37) lost.
Struck West Hoyle Bank 20 Sepember 1803.
The Victory captured the Hamburg ship Vrow Anna Catharina which was carrying a cargo of coffee from Batavia [Dutch East Indies] to Amsterdam. The capture took place at Sao Miguel, one of the Azores Islands in August 1803. She then brought the captured vessel and its cargo to Liverpool.
At that time, many Liverpool-based ships had letters of marque which enabled them to capture vessels from countries with which Britain was at war. This was a very lucrative business for Liverpool ship owners. On this occasion, a court case ensued, since the Vrow Anna Catharina, master Conrad Matthias Mahts, claimed to be in the process of anchoring in Portuguese territory to obtain fresh water supplies, so not on the high seas, and, therefore, legally protected from capture.
The Victory, described as a remarkably fine ship, subsequently left Liverpool with a huge crew (59 people) presumably to strengthen her offensive capability. The contemporary report of her voyage:
The Victory, Morrison, which sailed from Liverpool for Africa, on Tuesday [20 September 1803], struck on West Hoyle Bank, in a violent gale of wind that evening, and yesterday morning, at ten o'clock, went to pieces. We are sorry to say, that the Captain and fifty three of the people perished, five only saved.
Another report: sailed from Liverpool at 7pm of the 20th during a severe gale and was driven on to the West Hoyle sandbank at the mouth of the Dee, where it completely went to pieces at 10am the following morning. The mainmast was cut away and five of the crew who had lashed themselves to it were picked up by a fishing boat, while another seventeen managed to save themselves in the ship's boat. Thirty-seven people died including Capt. Morrison, who the ship's carpenter stated received a severe blow on the head from a falling spar and was then washed overboard just before the vessel went to pieces.
More about the history of Liverpool Privateers
For the report of a Liverpool Vessel captured and then escaping from French warships and privateers see Hiram