Albion (1800 ship)

History
Great Britain
Name	Albion
Namesake	Albion
Owner	1800:J. Hayman 1810:Higgins
Builder	Obadiah Ayles, Topsham, Devon[1]
Launched	18 January 1800[1]
Fate	Condemned 1816
General characteristics
Tons burthen	367,[2] or 36762⁄94,[1] or 369[3] (bm)
Propulsion	Sail
Armament	1801:6 × 12-pounder guns ("of the New Construction"; NC) 1810:8 × 6-pounder guns + 2 × 12-pounder guns (NC) + 8 × 6-pounder guns 1814:12 × 9-pounder guns + 2 × 12-pounder carronades

Albion was launched at Topsham, Devon, in 1800. She spent most of her career sailing between London and Jamaica. After 1814 she held a license from the British East India Company to trade with India, but she does not appear to have availed herself of the option. In 1814 the American privateer Brutus captured Albion, but the British recaptured her within a few days. She was condemned at Charleston, South Carolina, and broken up in 1816.

Albion first appears in Lloyd's Register in 1800.^[3]

On 25 December 1814, towards the end of the War of 1812, the American privateer schooner Brutus captured Albion, "Skoulding", master, off the coast of Ireland as Albion was sailing to Bermuda from England. Brutus was armed with 12 guns and had a crew of 120 men. Even so, Albion resisted for some two hours.^[4]

Brutus, of Boston, was under the command of Captain William Austin.^[5] American records indicate that at the time of capture Albion, of 350 tons, was armed with eight guns and had a crew of 15 men. Her captors estimated the value of Albion's cargo at $200,000. Austin put a prize crew on board her and sent her to America.^[6][7]

However, on 7 January 1815 Harlequin, Allen, master, recaptured Albion, "Scolding", master, at 50°20′N 14°50′W / 50.333°N 14.833°W / 50.333; -14.833 and sent her into Liverpool.^[8]

As Albion was sailing from Jamaica to London, Curry had to put into Havana on 18 October, having sprung a leak. She landed and sold 70 hogsheads of sugar. She was expected to sail again on 18 November.^[9]

Curry did not get far. Albion put into Charleston in some distress. At Charleston the surveyors condemned her as unseaworthy. She was sold on 11 January 1816 for breaking up. Her cargo was put on Commerce, Wilson, master.^[10]

• Coggeshall, George (1856). History of the American Privateers, and Letters-Of-Marque. New York.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Emmons, George Foster (1853). The navy of the United States, from the commencement, 1775 to 1853; with a brief history of each vessel's service and fate ... Comp. by Lieut. George F. Emmons ... under the authority of the Navy Dept. To which is added a list of private armed vessels, fitted out under the American flag ... also a list of the revenue and coast survey vessels, and principal ocean steamers, belonging to citizens of the United States in 1850. Washington: Gideon & Co.
• Good, Timothy S., ed. (2012). American privateers in the war of 1812: the vessels and their prizes as recorded in Niles' weekly register. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786466955.
• Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.