Lady Penrhyn was a ship originally launched in America in 1777, possibly under the name Rainbow. The vessel was captured by the British in 1782 and condemned by the Vice admiralty court in Antigua on 7 January 1783. She was subsequently acquired by Liverpool merchants and entered Lloyd's Register in 1784, with T. Reeves listed as master and E. Bent as owner, operating in the Liverpool-Africa trade. Constructed as a brig, Lady Penrhyn was employed primarily in the transatlantic slave trade between 1784 and 1794. Her tonnage was increased to approximately 205 tons after repairs, indicating a sizable vessel capable of carrying significant cargo and human freight. Throughout her career, she completed five documented slave voyages, each transporting enslaved Africans from West Africa (notably New Calabar, Bonny, and Calabar) to the Caribbean, primarily Kingston, Jamaica, and Grenada. Her first voyage (1784–1785) under Captain Thomas Rives involved purchasing slaves in New Calabar, delivering 370 to Kingston, and returning to Liverpool with a crew of 40, suffering five crew deaths. The second voyage (1785–1786) again under Rives, saw her land 276 slaves at Kingston with seven crew fatalities. Her third voyage (1787), also commanded by Rives, delivered 270 slaves to St. Vincent, with eight crew deaths. In 1789, Captain John Gillis took command, and she underwent repairs that increased her burthen. The fourth voyage (1790–1791) saw her deliver 228 slaves to Grenada, with seven crew deaths. The fifth voyage (1792–1793), initially commanded by Nathaniel Ireland and later by Captain John Mount, transported 342 slaves from Calabar and Bonny, landing 290 at Kingston, with an overall crew death toll of eight. Notably, Captain Mount acquired a letter of marque in 1793, reflecting the wartime context. Lady Penrhyn’s service ended in 1794 when, during her final voyage under Captain Luke Mann, she was intercepted by a French squadron off the coast of Africa. The French vessels drove her ashore at Papaw (Little Popoe) on 7 December 1794, where she was destroyed. Her operational history exemplifies the brutal and perilous nature of the late 18th-century transatlantic slave trade, as well as the broader maritime conflicts of the period.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.