HMS Shark (1776)

The British Royal Navy purchased HMS ''Shark'' on the stocks in 1775. She was launched in 1776, and in 1778 converted to a fireship and renamed HMS ''Salamander''. The Navy sold her in 1783. She then became the mercantile ''Salamander''. In the 1780s she was in the northern whale fishery. In 1791 she transported convicts to Australia. She then became a whaling ship in the southern whale fishery for a number of years, before becoming a general transport and then a slave ship. In 1804 the French captured her, but the Royal Navy recaptured her. Although she is last listed in 1811, she does not appear in ''Lloyd's List'' (''LL'') ship arrival and departure (SAD) data after 1804.

Royal Navy

The Navy purchased ''Shark'' on the stocks in November 1775 and launched her on 9 March 1776. She was commissioned under Commander John Chapman. She sailed to the Leeward Island on 26 May 1776. On 27 July 1776 ''Shark'' had a sharp but inconclusive encounter with the . Vice-admiral James Young sent her back to England in April 1777, together with ''Comet'', as escorts to a convoy that also included , which Young was sending back for repairs following her engagement with the American privateer ''Randolph''.
She returned to the Leeward Islands, leaving Britain on 27 July 1777. The Navy converted ''Shark'' to a fireship and renamed her ''Salamander'' on 23 July 1778.

Commander James Kinneer commissioned ''Salamander'' in November 1778 for Admiral Hardy's fleet. In September 1779 Commander the Hon. Seymour Finch replaced Kinneer. On 28 May 1780 Finch ''Salamander'' sailed for the Leeward Islands. In February 1781 Commander R. H. Hichens replaced Finch. In a case that went all the way to the Lords of Appeal, ''Salamander'' was among the vessels entitled to share in the prize money for the capture of the island of Saint Eustatius in February 1781.

Commander the Honourable Henry Edwyn Stanhope replaced Hichens in around April. Stanhope was promoted post-captain on 16 June and replaced by Commander Edward Bowater on 5 September. Although she was assigned to Sir George Brydges Rodney's division, she did not participate in the action at the Battle of the Chesapeake. In March 1782 Commander Richard Lucas replaced Bowater on the Leeward Islands stations, but one month later Commander Henry Deacon replaced Lucas on the Jamaica station. ''Salamander'' shared with in the proceeds of the French sloop ''Prince of Orange'', captured in March 1782 at Saint Lucia.

The Navy then sold ''Salamander'' on 14 August 1783.

Mercantile service

Northern whale fisheries (1784–1790): ''Salamander'' appeared in the 1786 ''Lloyd's Register'' (''LR'') with T. Ash, master, and P. Mellish, owner. Her trade was London-Greenland. That is, she was engaged in the Greenland whale fishery. Already in 1784 she was reported to have taken "3 fish" (whales). In August 1786 ''Salamander'', Ash, master, was off Whitby with eight fish, returning from Greenland. In July 1787, ''Salamander'', Ash (or Ashton), master, was reported to have taken two fish, at Davis Strait. In June 1788, "Salamander, of London", was reported to have no fish. Still, ''Salamander'', Paterson, master, returned to London with three fish.

Convict transport (1791): Under the command of John Nichol, master, ''Salamander'' was part of the Third Fleet, which transported convicts to Australia. She departed Portsmouth on 27 March 1791 and arrived on 21 August 1791 in Port Jackson, New South Wales. She embarked 160 male convicts, five of whom died during the voyage.

She left Port Jackson on 4 September 1791 for Norfolk Island and on the voyage was the first known vessel to enter Port Stephens. Salamander Point (now Nelson Head and Fly Point), Salamander Bay (now Nelson Bay), the present Salamander Bay and associated suburb were named after her.

Southern whale fisheries (1791–1793): ''Salamander'' then became a whaler in the South Pacific. Not having much luck she sailed on to Peru. She was reported off the coast there in November 1792 with 30 tons of sperm oil. On 30 March 1793 she was "all well" at with 132 barrels of sperm oil and 6000 seal skins. She returned to England on 15 September 1793 with 117 tuns of sperm oil and 6100 seal skins, having come via St Salvadore.

Southern whale fisheries (1794–1796): Under the command of Captain William Irish, on 9 February 1794 ''Salamander'' sailed again for the New South Wales fishery.British Southern Whale Fishery Database – voyages: ''Salamander''.
/ref> By May she was at Rio de Janeiro, where she underwent repairs and calefaction. She was in Rio again in May two years later, replenishing her supplies. She returned to Britain on 2 September 1796 with 141 tuns of sperm oil, seven tuns of whale oil, five cwt of bone, and 250 seal skins.

Transport (1797–1799): SAD data shows that the "Salamander transport" sailed from Yarmouth on 17 June 1797, bound for the West Indies. She was later reported at Barbados and Jamaica. The "Salamander (Transport)" returned from Jamaica, arriving at Gravesend on 27 July 1799.

Southern whale fisheries (1800–1801): ''Salamander'' underwent a "good repair" in 1799. Captain Thomas Hopper then received a letter of marque on 13 December for ''Salamander''. The Protection Lists, which exempted the crews of certain classes of vessels, such as whalers, from impressment, listed her from 1798 to 1800. She sailed in 1800 for the Brazil Banks. She stopped in at Rio de Janeiro in May 1800 seeking repairs after having been attacked. She was reported off the Cape of Good Hope on 4 April 1801 on her way to the Cape of Good Hope for the condemnation of a small Spanish prize ''Salamander'' had taken off the Brazilian coast. At the time ''Salamander'' had 150 tons of whale oil. On 2 October 1801 ''Salamander'' was at St Helena. She then returned to England on 8 November.

''Lloyd's Register'' for 1802 listed ''Salamander'' as a London-based transport, with Hutchins, master, and still under the ownership of Mellish & Co. There was no mention of armament. She underwent another "good repair" that year.

1st slave voyage (1802–1803): A database of slave voyages shows that ''Salamander'' became a slave ship with William Jameson, master and Anthony Calvert, owner. Captain William Jameson sailed from London on 11 October 1802, bound for West Africa. Because she sailed during the short-lived Peace of Amiens Jameson did not acquire a letter of marque. ''Salamander'' stated acquiring slaves at Cape Coast Castle on 12 December 1802. she delivered 313 slaves to Havana on 1 May 1803. She arrived back at London on 26 August 1803.

2nd slave voyage (1804): ''Lloyd's Register'' for 1804 showed ''Salamander''s ownership had changed to Carver & Co., her master to Walbert, and her trade to London-Africa. Captain Derick Woolbert acquired a letter of marque on 17 February 1804. He sailed from London on 4 March 1804.

Despite her armament and letter of marque, ''Salamander'' was captured in 1804, recaptured, and taken into Barbados.''Lloyd's List''
n°4507.
/ref>

The French privateer ''Grand Décidé'', of 20 guns and 153 men, captured ''Princess Royal'', a brig privateer of 10 guns, which was carrying government stores. ''Grande Decide'' manned ''Princess Royal'', and on 22 September she captured ''Salamander'' after a "smart action". ''Grand Décidé'' put 95 slaves from ''Salamander'' on ''Princess Royal'', and took 134 slaves. ''Grand Décidé'' then sent ''Salamander'' and two other Guineamen to Basse-Terre, ."Ship News", ''Morning Post'' (London, England),17 December 1804; Issue 11295.

When recaptured the "English Ship Salamander - (a Guineaman)", ''Salamander'' had only five slaves aboard. ''Princess Royal'' too was recaptured, by , and arrived at Barbados on 13 October."SHIP NEWS", ''Morning Chronicle'' (London, England), 22 November 1804; Issue 11080.

Subsequent career: After 1804 ''Salamander'' disappeared from newspaper mentions in "Ship News" sections, particularly of ship arrivals and departures. From 1805 on, ''Lloyd's Register'' had an unchanged entry showing Wolbert, master, Calvert & Co., owner, and trade London-Africa. The database of slave voyages, however, has no further record of such voyages, and Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807. The entry continues unchanged through 1811. ''Salamander'' was no longer listed in 1812. With minor differences, the same holds true for the entry in the ''Register of Shipping''.

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External links

''Salamander''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shark (1776)

1776 ships
Sloops of the Royal Navy
Fireships of the Royal Navy
Ships built on the River Thames
Ships of the Third Fleet
Port Stephens Council
Whaling ships
Sealing ships
London slave ships
Captured ships
Age of Sail merchant ships
Merchant ships of the United Kingdom