''Cora'' was launched in 1812 and came to England from

New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It is the location of the national capital city of Nassau, whose boundaries are coincident with the island; it had a population of 246 ...

. She sailed to Britain and between 1813 and 1820 she was a

West Indiaman West Indiaman was a general name for any merchantman sailing ship making runs from the Old World to the West Indies and the east coast of the Americas. These ships were generally strong ocean-going ships capable of handling storms in the Atlantic ...

. Then in 1820 she sailed to the New

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 195 ...

to engage in

seal hunting Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. Seal hunting is currently practiced in ten countries: United States (above the Arctic Circle in Alaska), Canada, Namibia, Denmark (in self-governing Greenland only), Ice ...

. She was wrecked there in 1821.

Career

''Cora'' entered ''

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...

'' in 1813 with J. Kitchen, master, H. Wood, owner, and trade Liverpool–New Providence.''Lloyd's Register'' (1813), Supple. pages "C", Seq.№C12.
/ref> She had damages repaired in 1814. On 27 January 1815 ''Cora'', Kitchen, master, sailed from Nassau, Bahamas, in a convoy under escort by . ''Cora'' returned to the West Indies and then sailed from New Providence on 26 September, arriving at Liverpool in late November. In 1817 ''Cora'' sailed to , before returning to the Liverpool–New Providence trade. ''Lloyd's Register'' for 1820 showed Fildes replacing Kitchen as master, and ''Cora''s trade changing from Liverpool–New Providence to Liverpool–South Seas.''Lloyd's Register'' (1820), Seq.№C842.
/ref> Robert Fildes (or Fyldes), was Henry Wood's son-in-law. He sailed to the South Shetlands, and Desolation Island.

Fate

''Cora'' was lost at Desolation Island on 6 January 1821. The cove where ''Cora'' was lost was later named Cora Cove. Fildes lived in a hut made from ''Cora''s wreckage and spent his time while awaiting rescue by preparing several charts and sailing directions for the islands. In particular, Fildes in 1821 introduced the name ''

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...

'' for the second largest island in the South Shetlands, known then as 'Friesland Island' or 'Smolensk Island'. , Captain Spiller, master, brought Fildes and some of his crew back to England, as well as eight men from another damaged sealer. Fildes returned to the South Shetland Islands later in 1821 in , also owned by his father-in-law. ''Robert'' was lost in the Islands in early 1822.

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References

* * * * {{italic title 1812 ships Age of Sail merchant ships of England Sealing ships Maritime incidents in January 1821