HMS Bonetta, originally launched in 1798 as the merchant vessel Adamant, was acquired by the Royal Navy in 1803. The vessel was initially a merchantman operating under the name Adamant, with Lloyd's Register listing her in 1798 under master W. Ranton and owned by M. Warren, trading between London and Lisbon. In 1803, her trade route shifted to London–Cadiz, and she was commanded by William Spalding, who acquired a letter of marque that year. Purchased by the Admiralty in August 1803, the vessel was renamed HMS Bonetta and underwent fitting at Woolwich between September and December of that year. She was commissioned in October 1803 under Commander Roger Savage and later served under Lieutenant John Meik, Commander Henry Probyn, and Commander Charles Bateman. Throughout her naval service, Bonetta primarily escorted convoys in the North Sea and the English Channel. Despite some reports of her being laid up at Sheerness in July 1807, she participated in prize captures, sharing in the proceeds from the seizure of Danish and other vessels, including the Hans and Jacob, Odifiord, Benedicta, and the Danish vessel Speculation. The Navy sold Bonetta on 20 September 1810 at Chatham. Her owners restored her original name, Adamant, and she reappeared in Lloyd's Register in 1811 as a London transport under master H. Nelson. After small repairs in 1815, she shifted her trade to the London–Petersburg route, with W. Elder as master. In 1816, Adamant embarked on a significant voyage as the first non-convict migrant ship to Van Diemen's Land, carrying free settlers James, William, and Thomas Salmon, along with cargo of merchandise. She departed from Deal in May 1816 and arrived at Hobart in September, marking a notable event in Australian maritime history. Later that year, she set out for whaling in the South Seas, reaching Timor by January 1818 with 500 barrels of whale oil. There are no further records of her after this date, with her last known report at Timor, and her subsequent fate remains unrecorded.

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