Alcyone (1810 ship)

Alcyone (or Alcione) was launched in 1810 at Kingston-on-Hull. She spent her career as a merchantman sailing across the Atlantic. She suffered a major grounding in 1824. Circa 1827 Alcyone sailed to India under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). After her one voyage to India, Alcyone traded to the Baltic and to North and Central America. In 1844–1845 she participated in the guano rush at Ichaboe Island. She was last listed in 1847.

For other ships with the same name, see Alcyone (ship).

History
United Kingdom
BuilderThomas Steemson, Paull, Hull,
Launched18 August 1810
FateLast listed 1847.
General characteristics [1]
Tons burthen383, or 391, or 392 (bm)
Length108 ft 5 in (33.0 m)
Beam29 ft 1 in (8.9 m)
Armament4 × 9-pounder guns + 8 × 18-pounder carronades

Career

Alcyone was first listed in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1810.[2]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1810 Vollans Read & Co. Hull–Rio de Janeiro LR
1812 J.Vollans
Simpson		 Read & Co. Hull–Rio de Janeiro
London–Jamaica		 LR
1815 Simpson
E.Davis		 Read & Co. London–Jamaica LR
1816 Simpson
E.Davis
Shakespeare		 Read & Co. London–Jamaica LR
1818 Shakespeare
J.Ranking		 Read & Co. London–Jamaica LR
1819 J.Rankin
Chapman		 Read & Co. Plymouth–West Indies
London–Quebec		 LR
1823 Chapman Stanes & Co. Liverpool–New Brunswick '"LR
1824 Chapman
T.Mever (Muir?)		 Stanes & Co.
W.Reed		 Liverpool–Mrimk (Miramichi?) LR
1825 T.Mever Reed & Co. Liverpool–New Brunswick LR

A report from Liverpool stated that on 25 December 1824 a hurricane from the west drove Alcyone aground as she was coming from St Johns, New Brunswick. Her stern post broke and she filled with water. The weather was shocking, but it was hoped that it would be possible to remove the timber she was carrying between decks. It was expected that in spring every endeavor would be made to get her off.[3] Alcyone was refloated on 7 January 1825 and taken in to Hoylake, Lancashire.[4]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1826 T.Mure Reed & Co. Liverpool–Leghorn
Liverpool–"Mhimck"		 LR; damages and thorough repair 1824[lower-alpha 1]
1828 T.Mure Reice & Co. Liverpool–Newry LR; damages and thorough repair 1824; small repairs 1827[lower-alpha 2]

In 1813 the EIC had lost its monopoly on the trade between India and Britain. British ships were then free to sail to India or the Indian Ocean under a licence from the EIC.[6]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1829 T.Mure Reice & Co. Liverpool–Bombay[7] LR; damages and thorough repair 1824; small repairs 1827
1830 T.Mure Reide & Co. Liverpool–Petersburg LR; thorough repair 1824 & small repairs 1827
1833 T.Mure Reice & Co. London LR; damages and thorough repair 1824; small repairs 1827
1836 T.Muir Reid & Co. Liverpool–Savannah
Liverpool–Darien		 LR; small repairs 1836 and damages repaired 1837
1840 T.Muir
W.Gales		 Reid & Co. Liverpool–Darien
Liverpool–Quebec		 LR; small repairs 1836, & damages repaired 1837 & 1840
1841 W.Gales Reid & Co. Liverpool–Quebec
Liverpool		 LR; small repairs 1836 & 1842, & damages repaired 1837 & 1840
1845 Storr Hudson & Co. Liverpool–Ichebo LR; small repairs 1836 & 1842, & damages repaired 1837 & 1840

Alcyone was at Ichaboe to participate in the guano "gold rush". In the early 1840s the Peruvian government had raised its royalty demands on Peruvian guano, the main source of the fertilizer for the United Kingdom. Andrew Livingstone, was a retired master-mariner, living in Liverpool, where he had a school of navigation. In 1842 he read an account published in New York in 1832, by Benjamin Morrell, an American sealing captain, who wrote about having landed at Ichaboe in 1828 and seen massive deposits of guano. Livingstone was eventually able to convince some Liverpool investors to send out a small exploration expedition of three vessels.[8] By 1844 286 British vessels had visited Ichaboe, and in 1845 679 vessels.[9] The guano deposits were quickly exhausted and interest briefly shifted to smaller deposits of lower quality on Malagas Island in Saldanha Bay.[10]

Alcyone, Storr, master, was reported on 10 March 1845 to be at Table Bay. She had left Ichaboe 20 February and sailed on to Saldanha Bay on 14 March.[11]

Career

Alcyone was last listed in 1847.

Notes
  1. The volume of the Register of Shipping (RS) for 1826 gave the name of Alcyone's owner as Haines, and noted that she had had damages repaired in 1825.
  2. From 1828 on the Register of Shipping showed Alcyone having been almost rebuilt in 1825.[5]

Citations
  1. Hackman (2001), p. 249.
  2. LR (1810), Supple. pages Seq.No.A43.
  3. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 5973. 31 December 1824.
  4. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 5976. 11 January 1825.
  5. RS (1828), Seq.No.A358.
  6. Hackman (2001), p. 247.
  7. Register of Shipping (1829), "Licensed Ships".
  8. Craig (1964), pp. 27–28.
  9. Craig (1964), pp. 54.
  10. Craig (1964), pp. 46.
  11. Van de sandt (1846).

References
  • Craig, Robert (1964). "THE AFRICAN GUANO TRADE". The Mariner's Mirror. 50 (1): 25–55.
  • Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.
  • Van de sandt, J.B., ed. (1846). The Cape of Good Hope Almanac and Annual Register, for 1846: Containing a List of the Public Departments, Local Institutions, and Various Other Miscellaneous Information Connected with the Home and Foreign Trade of this Colony. B. J. van de Sandt, jun.
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