anti-Slavery patrols

Aug 26, 1816

A landing party of HMS Prometheus sneak into Algiers in an attempt to rescue the British consul, his wife and their infant son. They are captured by held by soldiers of the Dey of Algiers.

Location: North Africa

Aug 27, 1816

A joint force of British and Dutch ships attack Algiers in order to try and stop them kidnapping and enslaving europeans.

Location: North Africa

Sep 24, 1816

The Dey of Algiers accepts the British conditions and releases the British Consul and 1083 other Christian slaves. Over 3000 Christian slaves were released later, although the Islamic Slave trade continued.

Location: North Africa

Jun 02, 1826

Captain Charles Austen is appointed second in command of HMS Aurora and send to Jamaica to take part in the anti-slavery patrols. The intercept several slavers taking slaves to the United States and to the Spanish colonies in Caribbean.

Location: West Indies

Dec 1828

HMS Aurora is paid off

Location: Britain

Jul 20, 1841

HMS Growler is launched. She is a First Class Sloop with a wooden hull and paddle wheels to supplement her sails. She was dispatched to the west coast of Africa to be used in the anti-slavery patrols under Commander Claude Henry Mason Buckle

Location: West Africa

Jul 24, 1841

HMS Ardent is commissioned under Commander John Russell and sent to the South America and African stations

Location: West Africa

May 25, 1843

Commander Morrell is given command of HMS Espoir, a wooden Brig-sloop. He is then sent to the coast of Africa to take part in the anti-slavery patrols.

Location: West Africa

May 27, 1843

HMS Growler chases a suspected slaver, but is unable to catch her

Location: West Africa

Aug 07, 1843

HMS Hydra is recommissioned at Woolwich under the command of Commander Horatio Beauman Young.

Location: Britain

Jun 06, 1844

HMS Hydra captures a Spanish slave-vessel Cyrus

Location: West Africa

Jul 21, 1844

HMS Growler captures a Spanish slaver the Brigantine Veterano

Location: West Africa

Aug 12, 1844

HMS Hyacith's gig captures a a slaver equipped to hold 1000 slaves and take it as a prize

Location: Atlantic

Aug 30, 1844

Lieutenant Thomas Belgrave joins HMS Eclair on the west coast of Africa

Location: West Africa

Sep 07, 1844

Commander Harris is given command of HMS Flying Fish. She is initially part of the experimental brig squadron and then sent to the west coast of Africa as part of the West Africa Squadron to take part in the anti-slavery patrols.

Location: West Africa

Sep 23, 1844

HMS Growler captures the Spanish slave schooner Concepcion

Location: West Africa

Nov 23, 1844

HMS Hyacinth detained a suspicious looking craft and discovered several captured British guns on board as well as several British prisoners. The ships and its crew was sent to trial, but there was not enough evidence of wrong doing so they had to be set free.

Location: Atlantic

Dec 02, 1844

Commander young sends a letter from Ascension Island

Location: Atlantic

Dec 06, 1844

Commander Morrell takes command of HMS Tortoise a stores ship located at Ascension Island in the South Atlantic

Location: Atlantic

Jan 12, 1845

Lieutenant Lodwick is cruising off the west coast of Africa in a pinnace despatched from HMS Growler in order to look for slavers. She sees a Felucca, which hove to when it saw the pinnace. The Lieutenant took this to mean that she would surrender without a fight, however when he got within 30 yards the slavers suddenly appear with their muskets.

The Lieutenant called on his men to try and get to the Felucca before they could open fire, but no sooner had his men cheered this order and the slavers on the Felucca opened fire on them. They riddled the boat with shot, with one ball going through the rim of Lieutenant Lodwick's hat. He returned fire with the pinnace's gun, using both round shot and grape.

Their next volley hit him on the left knee and thigh, and struck down two of his men. The volley also damaged their oars allowing the slaver to get away.

Location: West Africa

Mar 25, 1845

HMS Ardent captures the Spanish slaver Dos Hermanos off the Pongo River

Location: West Africa

Mar 30, 1845

HMS Hydra captures the Felucca that had attacked the pinnace from HMS Growler.

Location: West Africa

Apr 08, 1845

HMS Hydra captures the felucca Pepita in a night chase.

Location: West Africa

Jul 31, 1845

HMS Hydra captures a slave brig called Africano with 589 slaves on board. She was sent to Sierro Leone under Lieutenant H G Gray so that the slaves could be set free, and the ship adjudicated for prize money.

Location: West Africa

Sep 1845

HMS Ardent returns to Britain to be paid off

Location: Britain

Nov 06, 1845

Commander Buckle is promoted to Captain when HMS Growler returns to Britain to be paid off after her patrols on the west coast of Africa

Location: Britain

1846

Archibald McMurdo is made the Captain of HMS Contest as part of the West African squadron that was tasked with the suppression of the slave trade.

Location: West Africa

Apr 1846

Lieutenant Powell is made the Acting Commander of HMS Kingfisher on the west coast of Africa

Location: West Africa

Apr 17, 1846

HMS Flying Fish chases a slaver ashore, but then tragedy strikes as when they attempt to salvage the prize

Location: West Africa

May 19, 1846

Commander Dyke is given command of HMS Flying Fish and sent to the west coast Africa to take part in the anti-slavery patrols as part of the West Africa Squadron

Location: West Africa

Aug 29, 1846

HMS Hydra escorts a trade mission up the Cameroon River. She had a cargo of muskets, powder and a quantity of cotton bales, as well as two handsome coats covered with gold lace for the kings ruling that region. They agreed a trade of ivory, but before leaving one of the kings asked for a cup of naval rum "to keep his insides warm".

Location: West Africa

Sep 13, 1846

HMS Hydra captures a Brazilian slaver called Amelia

Location: West Africa

Sep 30, 1846

HMS Hydra captures a Brazilian slaver called Isabel and freed 352 slaves

Location: West Africa

Oct 29, 1846

HMS Hydra ran aground on a sand bar. They removed her 68-pounder and her 32-pounder carronade to try and lighten her, and eventually gets free.

Location: West Africa

Oct 30, 1846

HMS Hydra is piloted up the Bonny to negotiate a trade dispute

Location: West Africa

Nov 1846

Command of HMS Hydra is transferred from Commander Young to Commander Commander Arthur Fleming Morrell on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic

Location: Atlantic

Nov 09, 1846

Commander Young is promoted to Captain while in the South Atlantic

Location: Atlantic

Nov 18, 1846

HMS Hydra accompanied by HMS Styx take up a position off the river Bimbia having been given a tip off that there was a slaving trading encampment there, only to find that it was in fact a settlement of Baptist missionaries.

Location: West Africa

Mar 06, 1847

The Captain of HMS Hydra writes a letter home about the treatment of slaves

Location: West Africa

May 19, 1847

Charles Napier is appointed the Commander-in-Chief of the western squadron patrolling the western Atlantic to counter the Riff pirates who were capturing ships and enslaving everybody on board close to their home ports on the shores of Morocco.

Location: North Africa

Sep 16, 1847

HMS Flying Fish arrives in St Helena from Java

Location: Atlantic

Sep 17, 1847

Count Bomfim and his sons had escaped from Angola but HMS Flying Fish had over taken their vessel and restored them to their jailers

Location: West Africa

Sep 28, 1847

HMS Flying Fish arrives in Loanda. Captain Dyke tells the British Consul there what had happened and a message is sent to the Governor-General of Angola to inform him that they had captured Count Bomfim.

Location: West Africa

Sep 30, 1847

A message from the Governor-General of Angola reaches HMS Flying Fish informing them that he claimed Count Bomfim. The Count asked to appeal to the British consul, but before he could be rowed out to HMS Flying Fish the prisoners were transferred over to the Portuguese warships.

Location: West Africa

Dec 02, 1847

HMS Hydra is recommissioned under Commander Grey Skipwith. She is then sent to the south-east coast of America to patrol the seas for slavers.

Location: South America

Jan 01, 1849

HMS Centaur was the flagship of Commodore Arthur Fanshawe on the west coast of Africa

Location: West Africa

Mar 02, 1849

HMS Hydra under Commander Grey Skipwith captures a very valuable slaver off Rio.

Location: South America

Mar 03, 1849

A prize crew is sent to the slaver Uniao to take her back to Demerara

Location: South America

Jul 14, 1849

HMS Hydra captures the slave vessel Fidalga off the coast of South America

Location: South America

Jul 28, 1849

The brig Uniano is sold for scrap as she had been a slaver

Location: South America

Aug 11, 1849

Commander Patey is given command of HMS Flying Fish and sent to the west coast of Africa as part of the anti-slavery patrols

Location: West Africa

Dec 15, 1849

HMS Hydra sighted a slave brig and captures her rescuing the slaves on board

Location: South America

1850

He then returns to Britain in order to recover.

Location: West Africa

May 28, 1850

HMS Wasp is commissioned under Commander William Pearson Crozier and sent to the West African coast as part of the Royal Navy's anti-slavery patrols.

Location: Britain

Jun 13, 1850

HMS Hydra takes part in the capture of a notorious slaver off the coast of South America.

Location: South America

Nov 02, 1850

HMS Flying Fish captures her seventh prize of that commission

Location: West Africa

Jan 31, 1851

Prize money is awarded to the crew of HMS Hydra for their capture of a slaver

Location: South America

Apr 15, 1851

HMS Hydra captures a slaver off the coast of South America

Location: South America

Dec 06, 1851

HMS Flying Fish arrives at Plymouth on her return to Britain for paying off

Location: Plymouth

Mar 13, 1852

Commander Crozier is invalided on the west coast of Africa and sent back to Britain

Location: West Africa

Apr 1852

Acting-Commander Bonham takes command of HMS Wasp on the west coast of Africa

Location: West Africa

Aug 1852

Command of HMS Wasp transfers to Samuel Pritchard who remains in command until she returns to Britain.

Location: West Africa

Aug 03, 1853

The Prize money for the capture of the Pepita is distributed to the crew of HMS Flying Fish

Location: Britain

Aug 29, 1853

The prize money was awarded to the crew of HMS Flying Fish for the capture of a brig. This was a slaver that had been captured on the 14th of July 1851. This is now lodged with the court of the admiralty and ready for the crew to collect.

Location: Britain

Jan 11, 1854

Hugh Burgoyne is promoted to Lieutenant and appointed to HMS Britomart on the West Coast of Africa

Location: West Africa

May 24, 1856

Cecil Buckley is promoted to Commander in HMS Merlin on the West Coast of Africa

Location: West Africa

Nov 12, 1857

Command of HMS Ardent is given to Commander John Halliday Cave and she is sent off to patrol the West Coast of Africa again as part of the navy's ongoing anti-slavery operations.

Location: West Africa

1858

The west coast of africa was a notoriously unhealthy environment. Out of HMS Ardent's crew of 150 there were 238 cases of sickness serious to get recorded, and 10 of them were serious enough to require them to be invalided back to Britain.

Location: West Africa

Jun 04, 1858

Commander Hamilton is given command of HMS Hydra and sent to west Africa as part of the anti-slavery patrols

Location: West Africa

Sep 13, 1858

William Hewett is promoted to Commander and appointed to HMS Viper on the West Coast of Africa

Location: West Africa

Apr 07, 1859

HMS Ardent returns to Britain

Location: Britain

Sep 20, 1859

George Day joins HMS Firefly on the west coast of Africa

Location: West Africa

May 15, 1860

HMS Wrangler is given to Commander Henry Hamilton Beamish and sent to the west coast of Africa

Location: West Africa

Jul 1860

The Clotilda reaches the coast of Mississippi and becomes the last ship to have transported slaves from Africa to the USA. The ship was burned in order to hide the evidence that it had been involved in illegally importing slaves. Cudjoe Lewis and the other slaves were dispersed in order to hide them from the authorities who were already looking to prosecute Timothy Meaher who had arranged for Foster to buy them.

Location: usa

Dec 01, 1860

Letters from Commander Hamilton were received in Plymouth about the state of the ship

Location: West Africa