Traveller was launched at Peterhead in 1815. She made three voyages to India, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC), and then from 1821 to 1858 she was a whaler and sealer in the British northern whale fishery. She was wrecked on 2 May 1858.

Career Traveller first appeared in the Register of Shipping (RS) in the volume for 1815.RS (1815), "T" supple. pages.

Year Master Owner Trade Source 1815 Duthie Hutchinson London RS

On 25 June 1815, Traveller, Douchy, master, was at Archangel. Traveller, Dutcher, master, arrived at Gravesend on 31 August, from Archangel. On 23 May 1816, Traveller, Duthie, master, arrived at Petersburg from London. She returned to Gravesend on 19 August.

In 1813 the EIC had lost its monopoly on the trade between India and Britain. British ships were then free to sail to India or the Indian Ocean under a licence from the EIC.

Year Master Owner Trade Source 1818 Hutchinson Hutchinson London–Bombay RS

On 28 April 1817, Traveller, Hutchinson, master, sailed from Gravesend for Bombay, sailing under a licence from the EIC.LR (1818), "Licensed and Country Ships". On 6 February 1818 she was at the Cape of Good Hope, having arrived there from Penang; on 10 March she was off Ascension. On 4 May she reached Dartmouth and on 7 May she arrived at Gravesend.

On 26 September 1818 Traveller, Hutchinson, master, sailed from Gravesend, bound for Bombay. She sailed from Bombay on 7 March 1819 and was off The Start on 7 August 1819.

On 12 November 1819 Traveller, Hutchinson, master, sailed from Gravesend, bound for Bombay.

On 19 September 1820 Traveller, Hutchinson, master, arrived at Gravesend, having left Bombay on 1 May.

Year Master Owner Trade Source 1821 Hutchinson Hutchinson London–BombayLondon–Greenland RS

Traveller became a whaler, operating out of Peterhead. Having left for Greenland from London she returned to Peterhead in autumn 1821.

Almost all the tabular data below is from the Scottish Arctic Whaling Database.Scottish Arctic Whaling Database – Voyages: Traveller. The data for 1843 is from Sutherland.

Year Master Where Whales Tuns whale oil 1821 Hutchinson Davis Strait 18 218 1822 Hutchinson Davis Strait 2 21 1823 Hutchinson Davis Strait 26 262 1824 Hutchinson Davis Strait 5 67 1825 Hutchinson Davis Strait 6 65 1826 Simpson Davis Strait 13 150 1827 Simpson Davis Strait 27.5 282 1828 Simpson Davis Strait 19 240 1829 Simpson Davis Strait 17 171 1830 Simpson Davis Strait 7 110

On 2 July 1830 the whaler became trapped in ice at Davis Strait, leading her crew to abandon her and join other whaling vessels in the area. The crews of Traveller and worked for 48 hours to clear her of ice. They then set fire to the upper part of William, lightening her and causing her to rise. When she rose to the point that the beams above the casks of blubber she had collected were exposed, they set fire to them too. When the casks appeared, the crews put out the fire. When Williams master would not sign over her blubber and whale fins to the crews, Zephyr sailed away. Traveller took on 70 butts of blubber and one ton of whale fins. Captain Simpson took them back with him and sold them, keeping the proceeds for himself and his men. Williams owners sued for the proceeds, but Simpson argued that it was a long-standing custom of the whaling trade that salvaged cargo belonged to the men who had salvaged it. The jury found for the plaintiffs, who had estimated the value of the lost whale products at £500, and awarded them £392."Whale Fishery", Nautical Magazine (1833), pp.89−92. Although all but one witness, all of whom were masters of whaling ships, testified for the defendant, the jury found for the plaintiff.

Year Master Where Whales Tuns whale oil Seals 1831 Simpson Davis Strait 4 54 1832 Simpson Davis Strait 38 273 1833 Simpson Davis Strait 22 115 1834 Simpson Davis Strait 16 230 1835 Simpson Davis Strait 8 88 1836 Simpson Davis Strait 0 0 1837 Simpson Davis Strait 2 1838 Simpson Davis Strait 14 183 1839 Simpson East Greenland 4 39 117 1840 Simpson Davis Strait 0 0 1841 Simpson East Greenland 2 50 2800 1842 Simpson East Greenland 2 250 1843 Lee Greenland 0 0 1844 Simpson Davis Strait 6 63 1845 Simpson Davis Strait 27 172 1846 Simpson Davis Strait 3 46 1847 Simpson Davis Strait 3 39 1848 A.Ogston East Greenland 99 12,678 1849 A.Ogston East Greenland 15 1,320 1850 A.Hutchinson East Greenland 4 63 563 1851 A.Hutchinson East Greenland 2 121 (est.) 10,133 1852 A.Hutchinson East Greenland 7 62 + 23 (seal oil) 1,078 1853 A.Hutchinson East Greenland 5 50 + 70 (seal oil) 5,944 1855–1856 G.Brown East Greenland 0 120 (seal oil) 10,225 1857-1858 G.Brown East Greenland 28 (seal oil) 2754

Over her career Traveller gathered 3568–3858 tons of oil. The value was around £200,000.

Fate From 1854, Traveller joined Captain William Penny (), in opening up over-wintering and land station-based whaling in Cumberland Gulf.

Traveller was driven ashore by ice and wrecked on 2 May 1858 in Frobisher Bay. She fell on her side and a heavy piece of ice pressed down on her. Some provisions and other articles were recovered.

Gem and Jackall rescued her crew.

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