Neptune

Official Number
none

The Neptune was a full-rigged ship buiilt at Lancaster in 1805. She was owned by Thomas Burrow and Thomas Mason, both of Lancaster, and was commanded by Capt.Thomas Wilson, formerly of the Mars and the Lancaster. The Neptune was armed with 4 x 12 pounder cannon and 2 x 24 pounder carronades (see Source 5).

The Neptune, Capt.Wilson, arrived at Lancaster on the 10th July 1805, from Tortola. In company with two Liverpool ships, the Crescent and Hibernia, he had recaptured two American ships from the Spanish privateer Maria, Lono, of Porto Rico. One of the American ships, the Huntress, arrived at Lancaster the same day.

In a letter from Tortola, dated 31st December 1805, Capt.Wilson of the Neptune, of Lancaster, reported to his owners Barrow & Mason, that he had arrived safely the previous day, and that his ship was the sole survivor of a fleet of 17 vessels that had left Madeira. The majority of the fleet were captured by the Rochfort squadron some days after leaving the island, only the Neptune and the Robert, of Lancaster, escaping. The Robert was subsequently brought to by a frigate under English colours, off Barbados. Capt.Wilson regarded the frigate as suspicious, and made his escape.

The Neptune was captured by a French navy corvette on the 22nd April 1809, having departed Lancaster seven days earlier bound For St.Thomas. The Neptune surrendered after an engagement of 30 minutes, and Capt.Wilson and the crew were taken aboard the French ship. Some passengers were left aboard the Neptune, and they eventually persuaded the Spanish crew to mutiny against the French prize master. The Neptune was sailed into Madeira on the 5th May. She later resumed her career in the Lancaster to West Indies trade, under Capts.Johnson, Burney and Dickson. Capt.Wilson was sent as a prisoner to Verdun, eventually escaped and arrived back at Lancaster in January 1814. The Neptune disappeared from Lloyd's Register of Shipping after 1825.

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Neptune
1805
299 
 
 
 
 3
 
 
 

Sources :

  1. Lancaster Shipping Register (1786-1824), Ref SS 5/1 at Lancashire Record Office, Preston.
  2. "The Making of Lancaster: People, Places and War, 1789-1815", by George Howson (Palatine Books, 2008, ISBN 978-1-874181-44-6).
  3. From the Times newspaper, Tuesday, 16th July, 1805, page 2.
  4. The Times newspaper, Monday, 17th February 1806, page 3.
  5. Lloyd's Register of Shipping (Underwriters' Green Book) 1806.