Kitty was a French vessel taken in prize c. 1810. She became a West Indiaman and then, following a change of ownership, a privateer. She was one of only two British privateers to target slave traders. She captured three off Sierra Leone before one of her targets captured her in 1814, killing her master, enslaving some of her crew, and setting fire to her.
British career Kitty enters Lloyd's Register in 1810.
Year Master Owner Trade 1810Lloyd's Register (1810), Supplement Seq.№K1. R. Banks "Crutchlw" London-Barbados 1811Lloyd's Register (1811), Seq.№K62. R.BanksJ. Gibbs "Crutchlw"Roach & Co. London-BarbadosLiverpool-Africa 1812Lloyd's Register (1812), Seq.№K71. J.B.GibbsRoach Roach & Co. Liverpool-Africa 1813Lloyd's Register (1813), Seq.№K71. J. Roach Roach & Co. Liverpool-Africa 1814Lloyd's Register (1814), Seq.№K75. J. Roach Roach & Co. Liverpool-Africa
John Roach acquired Kitty in 1811. He received a letter of marque for her on 2 October 1812."Register of Letters of Marque against France 1793-1815"; p.72
In early 1813 Kitty captured three slave ships off Sierra Leone, all of which she took into Freetown where the Vice admiralty court condemned them:
Date Name Nationality Type Slaves landed 1813 Amelia 85 4 June 1813 San Jose Triumfo SpanishBrig 96 4 June 1813 Phoenix Portuguese Brig 1
The need to put prize crews aboard San Jose Triumfo and Phoenix strained Roach's resources. Instead, at the cost of sharing the proceeds, he arranged for to take them into Freetown.
Fate Lloyd's List reported on 27 May 1814 that Kitty had been totally lost sometime in February off the coast of Africa while chasing a Spanish vessel.Lloyd's List. An English slave trader called Crawford was working with a Spanish schooner carrying slaves that Crawford had gathered. The schooner captured Kitty and the schooner's master murdered Roach. The Spaniards plundered Kitty before scuttling her. The schooner also enslaved the black crew on Kitty, including two freed Negroes from Sierra Leone, and sold them into slavery at Havana. rescued the surviving crew members and captured Crawford's launch and trade goods, but was unable to capture either Crawford or the Spanish schooner.
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