William and Ann (or William and Anne), was built at a King's Yard (naval dockyard) in 1759, under another name. From 1786 until 1791 she was a whaler in the northern whale fishery. In 1791 she transported convicts to New South Wales and then began whale hunting around New Zealand; she returned to England in 1793. Circa 1801 she again became a whaler in the northern whale fishery, sailing from Leith. She continued whaling until 1839. She then began trading widely, to Bahia, Bombay, Archangel, Spain, Honduras, and the Mediterranean. She was last listed in 1857, having been in service for over 90 years.

Career She was lengthened and raised in 1767, becoming 370 tons; a new upper part and thorough repairs were undertaken in 1785. She first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) as William and Ann in 1786.LR (1786), Seq.No.W117. Her immediate previous name was Ipswich. Missing volumes of LR and missing pages in extant volumes of LR have so far made it impossible to trace her back through name changes to her origins in the Royal Navy. Repairs to fix previous repair work were undertaken in 1789. Further repairs were undertaken in 1791, when she was sheathed and doubled.

Year Master Owner Trade Source 1786 H.Gilbert W.Gilson & Co. London–Greenland LR; thorough repair 1785 1790 H.Gilbert Sims & Co. London–Greenland LR; thorough repair 1785 1791 H.OllburgE.Bunker St.Barbe & Co. London–Davis strait LR; thorough repair 1785, damages repaired 1789, & good repair 1791 1792 E.Bunker St.Barbe & Co. London–Botany Bay LR; thorough repair 1785, damages repaired 1789, & good repair 1791

Under the command of Master Eber Bunker, she departed Plymouth as part of the third fleet on 27 March 1791, and arrived on 28 August 1791 in Port Jackson, New South Wales. She embarked 188 male convicts, of whom seven died during the voyage.

Captain Bunker then conducted the first recorded visit by a whaling ship to New Zealand, calling in at Doubtless Bay in 1791 while hunting sperm whales in the South Pacific. William and Anne was reported off the coast of Peru in 1792. She returned to Sydney and thence sailed to England. She was reported off the coast of Brazil in March 1793. She returned to England on 20 May 1793 with 68 tuns of sperm oil and 8468 seal skins.

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes 1794 J.Cowon St.Barbe & Co. London–Botany Bay LR; thorough repair 1785, damages repaired 1789, & good repair 1791 1797 J.Cowan St.Barbe & Co. London–Botany Bay LR; thorough repair 1785, damages repaired 1789, & good repair 1791 1798 J.Caitline Mather & Co. London transport LR; thorough repair 1785, damages repaired 1789, & good repair 1791 1801 J.CaitlineT.Hanson Mather & Co. London transportLondon–Greenland LR; thorough repair 1785, damages repaired 1789, & good repair 1791 1802 T.HansonR.Kellie Mather & Co. London–Greenland LR; thorough repair 1785, damages repaired 1789, & good repair 1791

In April 1802 William and Ann, Kelly, master, sailed from Leith for Davis Strait, but had to put back into Stromness, leaky.

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes 1803 R.KellieB.Lyons Woods & Co. London–Davis StraitLeith–Davis Strait LR; thorough 1785, damages repaired 1789, & good repair 1791 1804 B.Lyons Woods & Co. London–Davis StraitLeith–Davis Strait LR; damages repaired 1789, good repair 1794, & repairs 1802 1807 B.LyonsDavidson Wood & Co. Leith–Davis Strait LR; damages repaired 1789, good repair 1794, & repairs 1802 1808 Davidson Wood & Co. Leith–Davis Strait Register of Shipping; damages repaired 1789, & good repair 1791, & repairs 1802 1812 Davidson Wood & Co. Leith–Davis Strait Register of Shipping; repairs 1808 & large repair 1810

Year Master Where "Fish"(Whales) Tuns whale oil 1809 Davidson Davis Strait 19 Full 1810 Davidson Davis Strait 6 1812 Davidson Davis Strait 18 Full 1813 Davidson Davis Strait 8 1814 Davidson Davis Strait 7

The data below for the period between 1814 and 1839 comes primarily from Coltish, though amended or corrected with reports in the contemporary press.

Year Master Where "Fish"(Whales) Tuns whale oil 1814 Davidson Greenland 11 77 1815 Davidson Davis Strait 8 55 1816 Davidson Davis Strait 8 60 1817 Davidson Davis Strait 4 29.5 1818 Davidson Davis Strait 0 0 1819 Wake Davis Strait 7 42.5 Wake 1820 Davis Strait 17 83.5 1821 Wake Greenland 1 8.5 1823 Wake Greenland 32 127 (Full) 1824 Wake 5 31.5 1825 Wake 3 1826 Wake Davis Strait 4 25.5 1827 [William] Smith 27 240 1828 Smith 10 54 1829 Smith 14 76 1830 Smith 0 Clean 1831 Liston 8 50 1832 Liston 39 136.5 1833 Liston 12 160 1834 Liston 11 75.5 1835 Liston 1 8 1836 Stratton

In 1836 the whaler became beset in ice and overwintered in Davis Strait, drifting with the ice. William and Ann was the first whaler to sight Swan, on 14 May. Swan was then some 30 miles west of Disco and Captain Stairton's men refused to go to Swans assistance on the grounds that Swan was far off and they weren't paid to do so. She was only able to get free because the crews of five whalers came upon her and sawed 3000 feet of heavy ice to get her out. (One of the five may have been William and Ann."Arrival of the Swan Whaler". (7 July 1837) Hull Packet (Hull, England), issue: 2744, p.3.)

Year Master Where "Fish"(Whales) Tuns whale oil 1837 Stratton 2 15 1837 Stratton 10 80 1839 Stratton DS 5 22.5

Year Master Owner Trade Source 1839 J.StraitonPearson Woods Leith–Davis StraitLeith–Hull LR; large repairs 1823 & 1828, and small repairs 1810, 1833, &1834 1840 Pearson Woods Leith–HullHull–Bahia LR; large repairs 1823 & 1828, and small repairs 1810, 1833, & 1834 1841 Pearson Woods Hull–BahiaHull–Bombay LR; small repairs 1840 & 1842 1842 Pearson Woods Hull–BombayLondon–Archangel LR; small repairs 1840 & 1842 1843 Pearson Woods London–ArchangelHull–Cape of Good Hoop LR; small repairs 1840 & 1842 1845 PearsonCreser Woods Hull–Cape of Good HoopLiverpool LR; small repairs 1840, 1842, & 1845 1846 CreserDavis Woods LiverpoolLiverpool–Africa LR; small repairs 1840, 1842, 1845, & 1846 1847 S.Davis WoodsDenham London LR; almost rebuilt 1823, small repairs 1846 & 1848 1848 J.Scott Denham London–Spain LR; almost rebuilt 1823, small repairs 1846 & 1848– 1851 J.Scott Denham Shields–Spain LR; almost rebuilt 1823, small repairs 1848 & 1851 1853 J.Scott Denham London–Honduras LR; almost rebuilt 1823, small repairs 1848 & 1851 1854 Denham London LR; almost rebuilt 1823, small repairs 1848 & 1851 1856 W.Magub R.Magub Cardiff–Mediterranean LR; almost rebuilt 1823, small repairs 1851 & 1854 1857 W.Magub R.Magub LR

Citations

References

William and Ann