PORT AU PRINCE

[aukepalmhof]

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Where built and when I could not find, but she did belong to the port of London and was owned by Robert Bent, London. Lloyds Register 1804 give that she was built in France, so most probably a prize.

12 February 1805 she set sail from Gravesend on the River Thames under command of Captain Duck for a privateer/whaling voyage to the South Seas.
She was 466 tons, and armed with 24 long guns and 9 -12pdrs. carronades.
Ship rigged.
Crew 96.

England was at that time in war with France and Spain and when not whaling she was used as a privateer.
06 May 1805 she reached the entrance of the River Plate, 3 July rounded Cape Horn, and till so far the voyage was uneventful.
That day she made contact with the British vessel EARL ST VINCENT homeward bound, from this vessel she got information that the Spanish had captured two British whalers, keeping them at the port Concepcion, Chile.
Looking for prize money she tried to capture the two whalers but failed.
29 July she arrived off Coquimbo, at that time she was dressed up as an American ship and anchored the next day in the roadstead under the American flag.
She did give that she was a trader, and when asked to supply samples of cloth, the officers cut out some from the inside of their coats.
Three Spanish gentlemen boarded the ship with 4000 dollars in specie to buy the goods. They were taken below deck and taken prisoner and their money was seized, and 400 dollars were taken from other victims.
Armed boats were sent ashore and the crew broke open the warehouses and carried away what they thought was valuable, like wine, copper and life-stock.
The prisoners were set ashore after taken all their belongings and the PORT-AU-PRINCE sailed away.
The trick was tried again in August in Copiapo on the Caldera Bay but this time it was not successful.
During the middle of that month three small vessels were captured.
2 September she attacked Arica but could not capture the port, the next day she captured Hilo taken prisoner the port commandant and a priest, holding them for ransom.
The town was plundered even the valuables from the church, then the town was set on fire and destroyed.

In company of an other privateer the LUCY they attacked the small town of Chinca but the spoils were meagre only 168 dollars and a few silver plates.
Then a few days later the two privateers attacked Payta, but this port was defended by the Spanish frigate ASTROEA and the attack was repelled by the frigate.
In the battle with the ASTROEA the PORT-AU-PRINCE got some damage and she returned to whaling, sailing along the equator until January 1806.

The crew more interested in booty were complaining, and in February and March a number of small prizes were taken, but in May she was whaling again.
June when near San Blas, Mexico she returned to a privateer.
On this coast Captain Duck died and command was taken over by the whaling master Brown, at that time the crew was discontent almost mutinous but Brown kept order and the PORT-AU-PRINCE sailed to the Benito Islands where she caught 8.338 seal skins in twenty days.
September the course was set for the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) while the ship was leaking badly. She stayed there from 29 September 1806 until 26 October 1806
Here they were provisioned but due to sickness of one of the crew, she were not allowed to land.

There after she sailed for Tahiti, but most probably due to a wrong position she missed the island, and headed for Tonga, which they reached on 29 November 1806 at 04.00p.m. she dropt her anchor at the NW point of one of the Hapai Islands called Lefooga.

While the vessel was careened for repair on the underwater hull 19 men deserted and many natives boarded.
01 December 1806 about 300 natives boarded the vessel and massacred the captain and crew, sparing only a few under which the captains young clerk William Mariner.
The vessel was ransacked and lost.
The storey of William Mariner is well known and after a stay of 4 years he returned to England with a few other survivors.

Tonga 1981 1p sg802, scott?. 1985 20s/32s sg905B/906B, scott?

Source: http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLib ... XIX03m.pdf
Lloyds Register 1804/05.

[aukepalmhof]

Local Diver Discovers Pirate Ship Wreck Off Foa Island, Tonga
Posted on Aug 9th, 2012 with tags Discovers, Local Diver, News by topic, Off
Foa Island, Pirate Ship, Tonga, Wreck.

Based on the latest developments, the sea depths have decided to unveil one
of its well-guarded secrets, namely the whereabouts of the wreck of the
Port-au-Prince, a privateer ship of war filled with raided treasures.
The ship has been rediscovered this month off the coast of Foa Island,
located within the Ha'apai Group in the center of Tonga, by a local diver
Tevita Moala, NZ Herald writes.
Currently the Greenwich Maritime Museum and the Marine Archaeological
Society are analyzing samples from the ship so as to confirm what everyone
is anxious to know. Based on the copper sheathing found at the site the
assumed age has been confirmed since the sheathing dates back to a period
between 1780 and 1850 when it was used to protect vessels from worms and
marine weeds.
Originally built in France, the 500 tonne ship was captured by the English
Navy with a primary goal of sailing to the New World and snatching treasure
from the Spaniards.
The legend says that the ship sailed into the Pacific waters in search of
whales in 1806 where it was seized by chief Finau Ulukalala and his people,
killing the crew and sinking the bounty loaded vessel.
According to a tourism marketing officer in the Tongan Government, Sandra
Fifita, if the wreck is proved to be the Port-au-Prince, treasure hunters
from across the world including local bounty-hunters may be swarming the
area so as to get the hold of the loot.
"Legend tells that the Chief salvaged the iron, which was of great value in
Tonga at the time, and then sunk the ship and all her bounty. It is believed
that a considerable amount of copper, silver and gold is resting with the
wreck, along with a number of silver candlesticks, incense pans, crucifixes
and chalices."
Aside to its potential economic and touristic impact, the ship bears
considerable importance due to its historic value for the people of Tonga,
having in mind what artifacts and relics might be found inside the
200-year-old wreck.