The Windsor Castle was a wooden sailing vessel launched at Whitby in 1783, primarily serving as a West Indiaman before transitioning to the triangular slave trade in 1797. According to Lloyd's Register of 1783, she was under the command of G. Young, with G. Tarbut as owner, and was engaged in trade between London and Jamaica. The ship's dimensions and specific construction details are not provided in the available sources. From 1797 onwards, Windsor Castle completed five documented voyages as a slave ship operating out of Liverpool. Each voyage involved acquiring captives from West Africa, primarily at Calabar and Bonny, and transporting them to the West Indies or South America. The voyages were characterized by the typical triangular trade pattern, with the ship first sailing to West Africa, then to the Caribbean or Suriname, and finally returning to Liverpool. During her first voyage in 1797–1798, Captain Thomas Jones acquired a letter of marque, indicating she was authorized for potential combat if needed. She embarked with 39 crew members, suffered 11 crew deaths, and disembarked 435 captives at Kingston, Jamaica. The subsequent voyages similarly involved acquiring hundreds of captives, with landings of 420 at Kingston in 1798–1799, 280 at Trinidad in 1801–1802, and approximately 289 at St Thomas in 1803. Crew casualties ranged from four to eighteen deaths per voyage, reflecting the perilous conditions of such expeditions. In 1803, the Windsor Castle foundered off Bermuda while returning from St Thomas to Liverpool. The incident was reported by Lloyd's List, noting that the crew was rescued by the vessel Eliza, under Master Moon, and taken to Lancaster. The loss of Windsor Castle marked one of the many maritime tragedies involving British slave ships during that period. Her service history highlights her as a significant participant in the transatlantic slave trade, with a notable career spanning two decades and five voyages, before her tragic sinking in 1803.

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