The Province of Freedom 1787-1789
In 1787, a plan was established to settle some of London's "Black Poor" in Sierra Leone in what was called the "Province of Freedom". A number of "Black Poor" arrived off the coast of Sierra Leone on 15 May 1787, accompanied by some English tradesmen. This was organized by the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor, composed of British philanthropists who preferred it as a solution to continuing to financially support them in London. Many of the "Black Poor" were African Americans, who had been given their freedom after seeking refuge with the British Army during the American Revolution, but also included other West Indian, African and Asian inhabitants of London.
The area, said to have previously been a slave market was first settled in 1787 by 400 formerly enslaved Black Britons sent from London, England, under the auspices of the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor, an organization set up by the British abolitionist, Granville Sharp. They established the 'Province of Freedom' or Granville Town on land purchased from local Koya Temne subchief King Tom and regent Naimbana, a purchase which the Europeans understood to cede the land to the new settlers "for ever." The established arrangement between Europeans and the Koya Temne did not include provisions for permanent settlement, and some historians question how well the Koya leaders understood the agreement. Disputes soon broke out, and King Tom's successor, King Jimmy, burnt the settlement to the ground in 1789. Alexander Falconbridge was sent to Sierra Leone in 1791 to collect the remaining Black Poor settlers, and they re-established Granville Town (later on renamed Cline Town) near Fourah Bay. Although these 1787 settlers did not establish Freetown, which was founded in 1792, the bicentennial of Freetown was celebrated in 1987.
After establishing Granville Town, disease and hostility from the indigenous people eliminated the first group of colonists and destroyed their settlement. A second Granville Town was established by 64 remaining black and white 'Old settlers' under the leadership of St. George Bay Company leader, Alexander Falconbridge and the St. George Bay Company. This settlement was different from the Freetown settlement and colony founded in 1792 by Lt. John Clarkson and the Nova Scotian Settlers under the auspices of the Sierra Leone Company.
Wikipedia.
October 1786 about 500 black emigrants in London were ready to immigrate to Sierra Leone, with the change an other 250 would follow. Three ships, ATLANTIC, BELISARIUS and VERNON were chartered by the Royal navy for the transport of the emigrants. When the departure date arrived less than 300 arrived, and the Admiralty requested the Authorities in London to round up black wanderers in the streets and send to the three waiting ships.
Only two ships sailed in December 1786 from London under which the ATLANTIC who made a call in Portsmouth, at Portsmouth she were joined by the British navy sloop HMS NAUTILUS.
The departure was delayed first by an influenza epidemic, then a storm damaged two ships and she had to sail to Plymouth for repair.
08 April1787 the ships sailed from Portsmouth with on board 300 black men, 40 black women and a few white artisans, officials and their families and a group of women with a questionable past. The ships made a call at Tenerife for fresh provision and water, they stayed their for one week before she headed south again.
10 May 1787 she arrived off the Sierra Leone River where she dropt their anchors. The emigrants and officials where landed on the 15th May on the northern river banks of the peninsula where the British flag was hoisted. The new founded settlement was called Granville Town.
Built as a sloop by Crookenden, Taylor & Smith at Itchenor for the Royal Navy.
13 May 1782 ordered.
August 1872 keel laid down.
09 January 1784 launched as the NAUTILUS one of the Echo class.
Tonnage 345 ton (bm), dim. 100.9 x 27.7 x 12.10ft., length of keel 84.3 ft., draught 9.3 ft.
Armament: 16 – 6pdrs upper deck, 4 – 12 pdrs carronades on quarter deck and 2 – 12 pdrs carronades on forecastle deck.
Crew 125.
23 January 1784 completed at the builder’s yard, moved to Portsmouth for fitting out, completed 17 December 1784.
November 1784 commissioned. Under command of Commander George Tripp.
28 September 1785 sailed out with private orders.
1786 Under command of Commander of Thomas Boulden Thompson.
08 April 1787 sailed for Sierra Leone.
After her return in the U.K. was she decommissioned, recommisioned in January 1789, under command of Commander John Trigge.
26 May 1789 sailed out bound for Newfoundland.
03 June 1790 sailed out again for Newfoundland.
28 July 1791 under command of Commander Charles Craven.
December 1792 under command of Commander Henry Powlett.
06 February 1793 sailed for the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean.
October 1795 decommissioned.
September 1975 commissioned under command of Commander Henry Gunter for North Sea duty.
May 1797 took with consorts the French 12 gun privateer L’ADOLPH and on 12 June 1797 with the cutter FOX the 16 gun Le STIJRÉNE and the 6 gun Dutch privateer BRUTAL off the Norwegian coast.
02 June 1797 took with consorts the 6 gun Dutch privateer DE KLEINE SPEARER off the Skaw.
04 April 1798 took with HMS NARCISSUS the 10 gun La LÉGÉRE in the North Sea.
02 February 1799 still under command of Gunter with a crew of 125 and returning from Christiansand as escort of a convoy of 22 sails during a violent snow storm she touched ground near Flamborough Head at six in the morning. The storm was so violent that she was in de midst of the breakers on a lee shore, before she realised her position. Two attempts were made to clear the land on each tack, but without success, and finding their position hopeless she was run ashore and wrecked off Skeeton Cliff about four miles to the northward of Flamborough Head.
All the crew managed to get ashore to the amazement of the locals who doubted if there could be any survivors.
Sierra Leone 1987 60le MSsg1000, scott? (most probably she is the warship in the foreground of the MS)
The Lost Ships of the Royal Navy 1793-1900 by W.P.Gosset. Shipswrecks of the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Eras by Terence Grocote. British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714-1792 by Rif Winfield