Name Kitty Fate Last listed 1805 Armament 6 × 3-pounder guns | Builder Sunderland Tons burthen 363 (bm) Launched 1787 | |
Owner 1790Captain & Co.1791Christopher & Co.1800Reeve & Co. | ||
Kitty was a 363 burthen ton merchantman built at Sunderland in 1787. In 1790 she carried slaves from the Gold Coast to Jamaica. Then in 1791 she transported convicts and goods from England to Australia. She was last listed in 1805.
Contents
Slave voyage
In 1790 Kitty was under the command of Captain James Glynn. Under his command she gathered slaves on the Gold Coast and carried them to Jamaica.
Convict voyage
Lloyd's Register for 1792 shows the ownership of Kitty changing to Christopher & Co., and her master from Glynn to G. Ramsey.
Under the command of George Ramsay she sailed from England, on 31 March 1791, with 10 male and 30 female convicts and a cargo of stores. Kitty sprung a leak shortly after departure and returned to Spithead for repairs. There eight male convicts escaped. She left Portsmouth on 6 April 1792. Further repairs were undertaken at Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town before she arrived at Port Jackson, New South Wales, on 18 November 1792. Three female convicts died during the voyage. Daniel Woodriff was Naval Agent for the voyage. Kitty also brought out 282,567 lbs. of flour, 165,360 lbs. of pork, and 126,000 lbs. of beef for the colony.
Kitty, Pitt, and Royal Admiral, the three convict transports that arrived in Australia in 1792, are often referred to as the Fourth Fleet.
Woodriff reported that homeward-bound, Kitty left Port Jackson on 4 June 1793, having taken a cargo to Norfolk Island in the interim. She sailed via Cape Horn, St Catherine's, and Rio de Janeiro, before arriving at the Cove of Cork on 5 February 1794.
Merchantman
On her return from Port Jackson, Kitty became a merchantman. In 1795 Ramsey was still her master, and she was listed as being at Cork.
In 1800 Kitty's trade was London transport, and her master was A. Sterling. This entry continues to 1805, which is the last listing for her.