Greenwich (1800 ship)

Greenwich was launched on the Thames in 1800. Between 1800 and 1813 Samuel Enderby &amp; Sons employed her as a whaler in the British Southern Whale Fishery, and she made four whaling voyages for them. In 1813 the United States Navy captured her in the Pacific and for about a year she served there as USS "Greenwich". Her captors scuttled her in 1814.
Whaler.
"Greenwich" entered "Lloyd's Register" ("LR") in 1800 with A. Law, master, Enderby, owner, and trade London–Southern Fishery.
1st whaling voyage (1800–1803): Captain Alexander Law sailed from London on 26 December 1800, bound for New Zealand. She arrived at Port Jackson on 29 May 1801 with a cargo of merchandise. After whaling in New Zealand waters she left Port Jackson 18 May 1803 in company with . The two parted company 11 June in a gale at . "Greenwich" arrived back in England on 27 September 1803.
2nd whaling voyage (1804–1806): Captain Alexander Law acquired a letter of marque on 19 December 1803. He sailed from England on 16 January 1804, bound for Timor. She was reported at various places in the region such as Ambon, Buru, and Ternate. In late 1805 or early 1806 Law died; his son was on board at the time as an apprentice. "Greenwich" returned to London on 28 October 1806.
3rd whaling voyage (1807–1809): Captain Charles Cresar Bristow acquired a letter of marque on 16 December 1806. He sailed on 15 January 1807. "Greenwich" returned to England on 6 September 1809.
4th whaling voyage (1810–1812): Captain Bristow sailed from London but on 19 December 1809 "Greenwich" lost anchors and cables in the Downs and was blown into Margate Roads. She finally left on 16 January 1810. Around early August 1811 she was reported at Timor with 1300 barrels. Other vessels there were , Skelton, master, "William Fennings", Richardson, master, and . "Greenwich" returned to England on 18 February 1812.
5th whaling voyage (1812–Loss): Captain Shuttleworth sailed from London on 28 June 1812, bound for the Pacific Ocean.
USS "Greenwich".
, Captain David Porter, was
cruising in the Pacific when on 28 May 1813 she captured "Greenwich". In all, on his cruise Porter captured 13 British whalers.
Porter converted "Greenwich" to a storeship and placed her under the command of Lt. John M. Gamble, of the United States Marine Corps. "Greenwich" cruised with "Essex" off South America until 3 October 1813 when the ships departed for the Marquesas Islands for overhaul and provisioning.
Upon his arrival in the Marquesas, Porter erected a fort on what he called Madison Island, and before leaving for Chile 12 December placed prizes "Greenwich", , and under the protection of its guns. Soon after Porter's departure, Gamble, who was left in charge, was forced to land a detachment to quiet a threat from the local inhabitants.
Lieutenant Gamble, despairing of Porter's return, began to prepare for departure from the islands in April 1814 by rigging "Seringapatam" and "Sir Andrew Hammond" for sea. Evidence of an impending mutiny was discovered, and although Gamble transferred all ammunition to "Greenwich" as a precaution, the mutineers attacked and captured "Seringapatam" on 7 May 1814, wounding Gamble. Two days later Gamble attempted to get "Sir Andrew Hammond" to sea, but was attacked again, losing four of his men.
His entire party now reduced to eight men, only four of whom were fit for duty, Gamble finally put to sea in "Sir Andrew Hammond". Before he left he set fire to "Greenwich". Gamble made the 2,000-mile voyage to the Sandwich Islands without a chart, only to have the British capture "Sir Andrew Hammond" on 19 June 1814.
Post script.
The "Register of Shipping" ("RS") for 1814 annotated the entry for "Greenwich" with the word "CAPTURED". However, "LR" for 1814 not only did not mark the capture, it gave her a new master, Pease, and showed her continuing to sail to the South Seas for Enderby. "LR" continued to carry this information unchanged through 1816.
This led one source to state that Pease sailed her home in 1814 and that she continued whale hunting. The ship arrival and departure data in "Lloyd's List" between 1814 and 1816 has no trace of "Greenwich", with or without Pease, master, during this period.