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LIVING HISTORY: Diary of the Schooner Sultana
In the months when community volunteers in Chestertown were building an historically accurate replica of the
18th-century American-built schooner Sultana, history major Kees de Mooy '01
became intrigued with the history of the original.
He began his investigation by transcribing the ship's logs, and then,
with a grant from the Society of Junior Fellows, visited all the ports
the Sultana had seen, on American shores and in England.
His senior thesis, on which this article is based, documents the exploits
the Sultana made "in pursuit of revenue" for Mother Britain.
In the mid-1760s, a crisis was developing between Britain and her American colonies. After more than 100 years of relative autonomy, Americans suddenly faced taxes imposed on them by British Parliament. British army and naval forces had defended the 13 colonies in the French and Indian War, and Parliament needed to make up for the tremendous debts incurred during seven years of fighting.
In order to bring money into the Treasury, the Royal Navy was charged with aiding in the enforcement of the Navigation Acts, which consisted of duties on many goods imported into the colonies. American merchants responded to what they considered to be unfair taxes by evading customs officials and smuggling prohibited items on smaller coasting vessels. In 1764, the British Admiralty purchased six small American-built schooners to patrol the shallower waters preferred by smugglers. More vessels were needed and, four years later, a schooner built at the Boston shipyard of Benjamin Hallowell was sailed to England, where it was purchased and refitted for service on the North American Station.
This is the story of His Majesty's Armed Schooner Sultana, as told through logbook entries that begin in London at Deptford Dock, one of the largest naval yards in England.
JULY 18, 1768. Lying in Deptford Dock. Moderate & Fair Weather. People employed getting the Iron Ballast on board the Schooner.
On July 15, Captain John Inglis, an American-born Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, began the work of readying the Sultana for its mission in the colonies. As his crew of 24 men arrived over the course of several weeks, he had them install and rig new sails, build a brick ship stove and caulk the deck. Provisions including barrels of Irish Sea bass, fresh beef, salted tongue, peas, bread, cheese, raisins and vinegar were stored in the hold. Casks of beer and brandy, the preferred beverages of sailors, were likewise stowed away. Eight swivel guns were mounted on the sides of the schooner, and muskets, pistols and powder were brought below. On September 1, the Sultana steered out of the River Thames and sailed westward across the Atlantic.
NOVEMBER 16, 1768. Moored in Boston harbor, the Long Wharf WSW one Cable's length. First part Moderate & Cloudy with Rain. Middle & Later parts Strong Gales & Cloudy. At 7 AM Manned Ship for General Gage Going on board of the Romney as did all the Ships of the Fleet. The Boats Employed in Landing the Troops out of the Transports.
After a rough voyage lasting several harrowing weeks, during which the schooner nearly capsized, Captain Inglis and his men arrived in Boston Harbor. Several months earlier, customs officials had seized John Hancock's sloop Liberty on suspicion of smuggling, causing fierce riots to erupt in the city. The insurgency led to an increased British naval presence and the landing of two regiments of British soldiers in October. With tensions running high, two additional regiments were sent by transports from Ireland. Treated as foreign occupiers, the soldiers frequently clashed with Bostonians, culminating in the Boston Massacre of March 1770.
DECEMBER 25, 1768. Newport Harbor. Moderate & Clear. Seized the Royal Charlotte Brig with 6 Cases of Gin. At _ past went on board the Brig & Found the Customhouse officer on Shore. Seized the Brig with all her tackling & Left an officer on board with 3 men & nailed up her hatches for the Benefit of his Majesty & heirs.
From Boston, Captain Inglis was ordered to sail to Rhode Island, a hotbed of smugglers. One week after anchoring near Newport, Captain Inglis spotted a brig surreptitiously unloading crates of gin near shore. The captain of the Royal Charlotte was unable to provide proper documentation, so his ship was seized according to maritime law. The day before, Newport Customhouse officials had boarded the brig and had placed one of their men on board, but he was bribed and put ashore. The Newport Customhouse and the Sultana filed competing court claims against the Royal Charlotte, which drove up costs to the point where neither party stood to profit. The ship was returned to its owners after two months of legal wrangling, during which only the gin was condemned. Colonists and merchants grew emboldened by legal victories such as this.
APRIL 1, 1769. Moored in Rhode Island Harbor. Fresh breezes. Received from the Senegal half a Cord of wood. Broke one of the boat oars by Accident. Prince Gould, a black man entered on board.
Keeping his schooner manned was a constant problem for Captain Inglis. Cramped quarters and miserable working conditions caused sailors to run away at an alarming rate. Multiracial crews became common. Prince Gould, a 45-year-old free African American, volunteered to serve on the Sultana following the escape of several crewmen. When Gould came on board, he was discovered to have a herniated abdomen. The combination of advanced age (most sailors were in their teens and twenties) and medical disability limited his effectiveness. However, he served ably for eight months before being discharged in Virginia.
OCTOBER 7, 1769. Moored in Hampton Road, Virginia. Strong breezes and Cloudy. Sent the boats to search two Vessels within the Capes. Boarded a brig from Leith with coal bound to Norfolk. Sent the Cutter to Hampton for sweet water & in coming off she was overset & the said water was lost & no part of them could be saved, being some time before the people were discovered hanging to the boat.
From September 1769 to August 1770, the Sultana was stationed near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. The Bay's watershed was recognized as one of the most commercially advantageous regions in the world and drew many settlers to its shores. By 1770, more than 750,000 people had flocked there to take advantage of its fertile lands and well-stocked waters. While patrolling Chesapeake Bay, the Sultana's crew stopped and searched nearly 150 vessels in weather conditions that could turn dangerous very quickly. On this particular day, the schooner's cutter capsized in rough waters, nearly drowning several men who were on their way back from shore with six large leather containers of fresh water.
JULY 13, 1770. Smith Point SW 3 Leagues. Light breezes and cloudy. At 2 PM set the topsails, at 10 PM came to Anchor with the small bower in 9 fathoms water. Going down to Potomac River in company with the Boston.
Accompanied by H.M.S. Boston, the Sultana sailed up the Potomac and anchored near Belvoir, the estate of George William Fairfax. Next door to Belvoir was Mount Vernon, the home of Fairfax's friend George Washington, who at this time was a powerful member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. On July 29, Washington invited Inglis and his pilot, David Bruce, to dinner. Interested in meeting an American captain of a Royal Navy vessel, Washington also knew John Inglis' brother Samuel, a prominent Norfolk merchant who was in partnership with Robert Morris, the future financier of the American Revolution. The Sultana returned to its station in Hampton Road after two weeks in the Potomac River.
NOVEMBER 23, 1770. Fishers Island ENE 4 miles. Cloudy & Hazy thick weather. At 11 AM Boarded the Polly Sloop Bound to Dartmouth with Ballast & Some Provisions & the Greyhound Sloop with wood to Nantucket Island. At 2 PM aired the sails. The people Employed Looking out for the two Sloop which were to Come From Amsterdam with Contraband Goods.
Admiral Gambier, the commander of the Royal Navy in North America, learned in early November that a large shipment of illicit tea was headed to New York from Holland. He ordered Inglis to block the northern approach to New York by patrolling between Fishers Island and Montauk Point on Long Island. For two weeks the Sultana sailed back and forth, stopping and searching a variety of vessels. However, the two sloops evaded the blockade and safely offloaded their cargos in New York. Furious at the ease with which his blockade was eluded, Gambier appealed to the British Admiralty for additional schooners, but his request was not fulfilled.
APRIL 12, 1771. Anchored in Newport Harbor. Hard gales & Cloudy Weather. At 4 PM Manned and armed the Boat to go on Shore to Assist the Collector of His Majesty's Customs at Rhode Island. He Seized a Brig that was running their Cargo, & the Mob gathered & beat him, & threatened to pull down the Custom house & Seize on the King's property.
In the week prior to the Sultana's arrival, a Newport customs official had attempted to seize the brig Polly for carrying contraband goods. Knocked unconscious and dragged into town by a mob, the customs official barely escaped with his life. The attackers returned and emptied out the suspected ship, then tarred and feathered a suspected informant. When the Sultana appeared several days later to transport a chest of customs revenues to Boston, the mob reassembled and threatened to destroy the Newport Customhouse. Inglis responded to the crisis by sending 14 heavily armed men to shore in the cutter. A tense standoff ensued, but order was eventually restored. Two days later, the king's money was taken on board the Sultana and delivered to the Custom Commissioner in Boston.
SEPTEMBER 10, 1771. Anchored off New Castle on Delaware. Light breezes with Cloudy & rain. At 4 PM Read the Articles of War to the Schooner's Company. Punished Henry Black & Robert Whaley with 2 dozen lashes each for absenting themselves from their duty & attempting to run away.
The Articles of War stipulated the penalties for 36 shipboard offenses. Sailors accused of cursing, drunkenness, dereliction of duty, sleeping while on watch, disobeying an order, desertion or mutiny were liable to be penalized with 12 to 100 lashes, or death in extreme cases. Sailors Henry Black and Robert Whaley tried to make their escape from the Sultana's cutter when it was sent to Gloucester for supplies. They were apprehended by local authorities and spent the night in jail. Led back to the schooner in chains, the two men were tied to the mainmast with their arms over their heads, then whipped with a cat-o'-nine-tails in front of the entire crew. In May 1772, Henry Black fell and drowned while boarding a ship that had been stopped in the Delaware River. Four months later, Whaley escaped from the Sultana while it was anchored near Philadelphia.
MAY 8, 1772. Delaware River. Strong Gales and Squally. Going down the River in pursuit of the Brig that brought in Prohibited Wine. In Company with the King George Customhouse boat. Boarded the Said Brig, and found on board her some empty wine & brandy Casks. Seized her on Suspicion.
Acting on a tip, the Sultana crew pursued and seized the brig Carolina on suspicion of smuggling. Inglis placed his midshipman and six sailors on the prize and began to escort the vessel to the Philadelphia Customhouse. A boisterous crowd formed on shore and threatened to attack the Sultana. Fearing a rescue attempt, Inglis ordered his gunner to load six swivel cannon with grape shot. Fortunately, tide and wind cooperated to keep the Sultana and its prize out of harm's way. Another Royal Navy ship arrived on the scene and helped to get the brig safely to Philadelphia. One month later, the Sultana's crew was paid prize money stemming from the condemnation of the Carolina, the only recorded bounty paid during more than four years of service.
OCTOBER 23, 1772. Cape Race NNE _ E 49 Leagues. Hard Gales & Squally with rain. A great deal of Sea from the WSW board. At 2 PM Shipped a Sea. Filled the boat. Washed away the Companion & overset the binnacle. Laid the Schooner on her beam ends. Cut away the boat and let her go overboard to save the schooner. She righted.
In mid-October 1772, after 54 months of service on the coast of North America, Inglis was ordered to sail the Sultana back to England. Admiral Montagu stated that the schooner was "too small and not able to encounter the heavy Gales of wind, especially in the Winter Season." One week into the trans-Atlantic journey, heavy swells engulfed the Sultana, pushing it over on its side. The cutter was thrown into the sea and pulled the schooner further downward. A quick-thinking crewman released the cutter, allowing the schooner to float upright, thereby saving the lives of all on board. Attempts to dry out the hold and its content were prevented by heavy winds and rain that followed the schooner all the way back to England.
DECEMBER 7, 1772. Moored in Portsmouth Harbor. Moderate and hazy with drifting rain. Paid the Schooner's Company their wages.
The Sultana finally arrived on the coast of England after an exhausting six-week voyage. When the schooner was forced to wait one week before entering the Portsmouth shipyard, storm seas broke over the deck and filled the hold yet again. At last the schooner was escorted into dock, where it was stripped of sails, rigging and supplies. On December 7, Inglis made the last entry in his logbook. The men were paid off and then transferred to other ships in the harbor. Worn out by his ordeal in the colonies, Inglis left the Royal Navy and traveled to Scotland to recuperate. On August 11, 1773, the Sultana was sold at auction to John Hook Jr. for £85, less than one-third of the original purchase price. The eventual fate of the schooner is unknown, but it most likely spent the next few years along the coast of England as a trading vessel before succumbing to damage sustained in the American colonies.
Kees de Mooy, a former contractor, was always fascinated by the history of the buildings he worked on. Chestertown's Sultana Project provided him the impetus to donate his carpenter tools to the effort and to complete his degree in history.
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