View source for Prince of Wales (1793 ship)

{{other ships|Prince of Wales (ship)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2020}}
{| {{Infobox ship begin}}
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| Ship image =[[Image:HBC-Upper Savage Islands-Hudson Strait.jpg|360px]] 
| Ship caption = The Hudson's Bay Company ships ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Eddystone'' bartering with the [[Inuit]] off the Upper Savage Islands, Hudson Strait; by Robert Hood (1819)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=Great Britain
|Ship flag=[[File:Hudson's Bay Company Flag (1707-1801).svg|25px]]
| Ship name = ''Prince of Wales''
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| Ship owner =
| Ship operator = Hudson's Bay Company 
| Ship builder = Randall & Brent,<ref name=Manitoba/> [[Rotherhithe]]
| Ship original cost = 
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| Ship launched = 1793
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| Ship fate = Wrecked 12 June 1849
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| Ship tons burthen=342,<ref name=LR1793/> or 351,<ref name=Manitoba>[https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/_docs/hbca/ships_histories/prince-of-wales-i-1792-1844.pdf Archives of Manitoba - Hudson’s Bay Company Archives – Ships’ Histories: ''Prince of Wales''.]</ref> or 380, or 840<ref name=LoM>{{cite web|url=http://www.1812privateers.org/Great%20Britain/marque1793-1815.pdf|title=Letter of Marque, p.82 - accessed 25 July 2017.|access-date=27 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020052005/http://www.1812privateers.org/Great%20Britain/marque1793-1815.pdf|archive-date=20 October 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref group=Note>This is clearly a mistranscription or a typographical error.</ref> ([[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]])
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| Ship complement = 36, or 45<ref name=LoM/>
| Ship armament = 16 or 18 × 9-pounder guns + 6 [[swivel gun]]s<ref name=LoM/>
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|}

'''''Prince of Wales''''' was launched in 1793 on the Thames. She spent much of her career sailing for the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] (HBC). From 1845 she was a Greenland [[whaler]], sailing out of Hull. In 1845 she was the last ship to see [[Sir John Franklin]]'s expedition to the arctic. She was wrecked on 12 June 1849 in [[Davis Strait]].

==Hudson's Bay Company==
''Prince of Wales'' had been launched in 1793 for the HBC,<ref name=Manitoba/> and first appeared in ''[[Lloyd's Register]]'' (''LR'') with H.Hanwell, master, Hudson's Bay Company, owner, and trade London–Hudson Bay.<ref name=LR1793>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015004281294?urlappend=%3Bseq=285 ''LR'' (1793), Seq.№P317.]</ref> [[French Revolutionary Wars|War with France]] had just begun and Captain Henry Hanwell acquired a [[letter of marque]] on 8 April 1793.<ref name=LoM/> Hanwell sailed for Hudson Bay at the end of May, sailing via [[Stromness]]. She then sailed between [[York Factory]] or [[Moose Factory]] and London.

In 1811 ''Prince of Wales'', {{ship||Eddystone|1802 ship|2}}, and ''Edward and Ann'' carried immigrants to Hudson Bay.

On 1 June 1813 three merchant vessels sailed from Gravesend, bound for Hudson Bay: ''Prince of Wales'', {{ship||Eddystone|1802 ship|2}}, Ramsay, master, carried employees of the Hudson's Bay Company, and ''Ann'', Neale, master, was taking a party of Moravian missionaries. On 13 June they sailed from Stromness in the Orkney Islands. There ''Prince of Wales'' had embarked 97 settlers for the [[Red River Colony]]. {{HMS|Brazen|1808|6}} sailed as their escort. On the way fever broke out on ''Prince of Wales'', which resulted in the death of a number of the emigrants. Instead of landing at York Factory, the convoy arrived at [[Churchill, Manitoba]], 100 miles away.{{sfnp|Wood|1920|p=61}} They arrived on 19 August, and ''Brazen'' left again on 20 September, escorting another convoy to England via the [[Orkney|Orkney Islands]] and arriving at [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|the Downs]] on 25 November.

In 1816–1817, ''Prince of Wales'' overwintered at [[Charlton Island]].<ref name=Manitoba/>

In 1819 ''Prince of Wales'' again carried settlers.<ref name=Manitoba/>

On 16 July 1821, ''Prince of Wales'', ''Eddystone'', and {{ship||Lord Wellington|1811 ship|2}} were sailing in company to [[York Factory]] in Hudson Bay when they encountered {{HMS|Fury|1814|6}} and {{HMS|Hecla|1815|2}} at {{coord|61|20|N|66|30|W}}. The two British warships were under the command of Commander [[William Parry (explorer)|William Edward Parry]]. This was ''Fury''{{'}}s first Arctic journey, but Parry's second in search of the [[Northwest Passage]]. 

On 24 July, an iceberg struck ''Prince of Wales'', staving in her starboard side. ''Eddystone'' and ''Lord Wellington'' narrowly escaped. ''Prince of Wales'' began to take on water at an alarming rate. To lighten her, ''Eddystone'' took on her cargo. Consequently, the damaged timers rose above the water line, making temporary repairs possible.{{sfnp|Catchpole|Faurer|1986|p=124}}

On 24 June 1826 as ''Prince of Wales'' was sailing out of [[Hoy Sound]], bound for Hudson Bay, she struck a rock and was stuck there for four hours. She took on so much water she had to return and unload to effect repairs.<ref>''[[Lloyd's List]]'' [https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735036?urlappend=%3Bseq=211 (''LL'') 4 July 1826, №6130.]</ref> On 1 July she put into [[Kirkcaldy]] for the repairs.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735036?urlappend=%3Bseq=215 ''LL'' 7 July 1826, №6131.]</ref> On 10 July she resumed her voyage to Hudson Bay, repairs having been made.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735036?urlappend=%3Bseq=227 ''LL'' 18 July 1826, №6134.]</ref> She arrived at Hudson Bay on 17 September.

''Prince of Wales'' again overwintered at Charlton Island in 1830–1831. Some of the crew joined ''Beaver'' on an expedition to the [[Ungava Peninsula]].<ref name=Manitoba/>

''Prince of Wales'' overwintered at Charlton Island for a third time in 1833–1834.<ref name=Manitoba/>

'''Disposal:''' On 23 February 1842 the HBC ordered that ''Prince of Wales'' be advertised for sale. She then sold in 1844 to John Chambers, of [[Kingston upon Hull]].<ref name=Manitoba/>

==Northern whaler==
''Prince of Wales'' then became a Northern Whale Fishery whaler.

{| class=" wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Master
! Owner
! Trade
! Source & notes
|-
| 1844
| W.Couldrey
| Abbey & Co.
| Hull–Davis Strait
| ''LR''; small repairs 1835 & 1844
|-
| 1849
| T.Lee
| Abbey & Co.
| Hull–Davis Strait
| ''LR''; small repairs 1844
|-
|}

''Prince of Wales'', Captain Dannet, master, was the last to see [[Sir John Franklin]]'s expedition to the Arctic. On 26 July 1845 she was at {{coord|74|48|N|66|13|W}} in [[Lancaster Sound]], [[Baffin Bay]] and there saw {{HMS|Erebus|1826|6}} and {{HMS|Terror|1813|2}} moored to an iceberg.

==Fate==
On 12 June 1849 ''Prince of Wales'' sank in Davis Strait after ice crushed her. Her crew took to her boats, survived, and eventually reached the Orkney Islands.<ref>"THE WHALE FISHERY.-This season has been one of the most disastrous on record to the whaling vessels". ''Times'' (London, England), 26 Oct 26, 1849; pg. 3; Issue 20317.</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==Citations==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite journal|last1=Catchpole|first1=A.J.W. |last2=Faurer |first2=Marcia-Anne |title=Ships' Log-Books, Sea Ice and the Cold Summer of 1816 in Hudson Bay and Its Approaches |journal=Arctic |year=1986 |volume=38 |issue=2|pages=121–128}}
* {{cite book |last1=Wood |first1=Louis Aubrey |year=1920 |title=The Red River Colony: A Chronicle of the Beginnings of Manitoba |location=Glasgow |publisher=Brook}}

[[Category:1793 ships]]
[[Category:Age of Sail merchant ships of England]]
[[Category:Hudson's Bay Company ships]]
[[Category:Migrant ships to Canada]]
[[Category:Whaling ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in June 1849]]
[[Category:Ships in art]]
[[Category:Maritime paintings]]