William Lee was launched in 1831 in Hull as a whaler in the British northern whale fishery. She made six whaling voyages. In 1833, she participated in the rescue of the explorer John Ross, and his crew. After the collapse of the whale fishery, her owners sold her in 1836. Under new ownership, she traded more widely, to Russia, Calcutta, and North America. She was wrecked in December 1847.

Career William Lee first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1831.LR (1831), Supple. pages "W", Seq.No.W8.

Year Master Owner Trade Source 1831 R.Hill Lee & Co. Hull–Davis strait LR

William Lee then made six annual voyages to Davis Strait for her owners, Messrs. Lee and Tall, of Hull. Hull Packet; and East Riding Times (Hull, East Yorkshire, England), 18 January 1831, p.3. The following data is from Coltish:

Year Master "Fish" (Whales) Tuns whale oil 1831 Hill 3 45 1832 Hill 27 202 1833 Parker 28 199

In 1833, William Lee and spent the season in company and stayed on in the region after the other vessels there had left. Isabella and William Lee sailed about 100 miles further into Lancaster Sound than any other whaler had ever gone. There Isabella rescued John Ross, whose ship Victory had become beset by ice on Ross's second Arctic expedition. Ross stated that Humphreys was looking for Ross, expecting to find that Ross and his men had been lost. Humphreys disputed Ross's claim, stating that he, Humphreys, had been looking for whales. William Lee was still in company when Ross's boats reached Isabella. After Humphreys rescued Ross, Isabella continued whaling for about another month. Some of Ross's crew were transferred to William Lee.

Year Master "Fish" (Whales) Tuns whale oil 1834 Parker 15 145 1835 Parker 3 1836 Lee 1

Although 1833 was a good year for the Northern Whale Fishery, after 1834 whaling collapsed. After two disappointing seasons of whale hunting, William Lees owners offered William Lee for sale on 5 December 1836.

Year Ships Ships lost Tons of whale oil 1833 27 1 5024 1834 8 6 225 1835 2 0 51 1836 2 0 23.5

Between 1835 and 1836, several other whalers from Hull, such as , , and left the whaling trade.

Year Master Owner Trade Source 1836 T.HillShepherd Lee & Co.Gee & Co. Hull–Davis StraitHull–Petersburg LR

In late 1837, William Lee took a cargo that included cotton from New Orleans and sailed for St Petersburg. She stopped at Elsinore where the Danish authorities insisted that the cotton go into quarantine for 40 days. The Danish Customs had received notice that yellow fever had broken out in New Orleans. Captain Shepherd presented documents that showed that the cotton had left New Orleans months before the notice, and that it had passed through Liverpool without incident. He left the cotton with Customs, which pocketed a fee of £1000 for the expense of holding it, and proceeded on to Petersburg. A vessel flying the Russian flag that also was carrying cotton from the same shipment from New Orleans was permitted to proceed. The newspaper report suggested that the difference in treatment was due to there being a Russian representative on the Danish customs board. The Standard (London, Greater London, England), 30 January 1839, p.1.

The opening in 1836 of the Hull Flax and Cotton Mill subsequently led her owners to send William Lee on several voyages to Calcutta.BHO: British History Online: Modern Hull.William Lee ship sailing notice. However, Joseph Rylands, the manager of Hull Flax and Cotton Mill, developed an associated fleet of sailing ships.

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes 1838 Shepherd Gee & Co. Hull–Calcutta LR; small repairs 1838 1845 ShepherdBennett Gee & Co. Hull–CalcuttaHull–St Johns LR; small repairs 1841, damages repaired 1843, & large repair 1846 1846 BennettT.Sykes Gee & Co. Hull–St JohnsHull–New York LR; large repair 1846 & damages repaired 1847

Fate William Lee, Captain Thomas Sykes, was driven ashore and damaged on 5 December 1847 on Öland, near Åkerby, Sweden. She was on a voyage from Saint Petersburg to Hull, with a cargo of deals, lathes, and battens. The crew were saved. Yorkshire Herald and the York Herald (York, North Yorkshire, England), 25 December 1847, p.3.

She was refloated on 10 December and taken in to "Egvaag".

Postscript The William Lee was featured in the series "Ships of Hull" by Arthur Credland, published in the Hull Daily Mail on 23 February 1980.

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