Stentor was a British transport and merchant vessel launched in 1814 at Sunderland. In 1820 she transported settlers to South Africa. She made several journeys to India under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). As a transport she carried troops and supplies to such destinations as Sierra Leone, Fernando Po, Ceylon, and the West Indies. She was wrecked in November 1846.
Stentor appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1815 with J.Hodgson, master, changing to G.Surr, Bevorn & Co., owners, and trade London, changing to Liverpool–Boston.[1]
In 1813 the EIC had lost its monopoly on the trade between India and Britain. British ships were then free to sail to India or the Indian Ocean under a license from the EIC.
On 16 June 1816 Stentor, Harris, master, sailed for Bombay under a license from the EIC.[2]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1818 | Harrison | Taylor & Co. Beavir & Co. | Liverpool–India | LR; damages repaired 1816 |
| 1820 | Harris | Beavin & Co. | Liverpool–Calcutta London–Cape of Good Hope (CGH; the Cape) | LR; damages repaired 1818 |
| 1821 | T.Harris | Beavin & Co. | London–CGH London–Baltimore | LR; damages repaired 1818 |
In 1820, Stentor served as a transport vessel under the British government's 1820 Settlers scheme. Stentor, Harris, master, sailed from Liverpool on 13 January 1820 with 194 settlers. She reached Table Bay on 19 April.[3] At Simon's Bay Stentors immigrants had to transfer to to finish their journey. Weymouth arrived at Algoa Bay on 15 May.
See also: Transport vessels of the 1820 British settlers to South Africa.
On 2 November 1821 Stentor, of and from London and bound for Baltimore, was at 34.5833°N -124°W, having lost her foremast and bowsprit.[4]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1822 | T.Harris | J.Taylor | London–Baltimore | LR; damages repaired 1821 |
| 1824 | T.Harris | J.Taylor | London–Bengal London–Quebec | LR; damages repaired 1821 |
On 3 October 1823 Stentor, Harris, master, ran aground on the Long Sand near Saugor Point while sailing from Bengal back to London. She was got off and put into Diamond Harbour. It was expected that she would return to Calcutta to go into dock.[5]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1826 | A.Wade | J.Somes | Cork [transport] | LR; damages repaired 1821 |
| 1827 | Marshall Wade | T.Somes | London Transport | LR; damages repaired 1821 |
On 8 October 1826, the Stentor Transport, Marshall, master, put into Portsmouth. She had been sailing from London to Africa and had reached Longitude 16°, but on 29 September experienced heavy gale. She had lost sails and bulwarks, had had to throw her guns and spars overboard, and had become leaky.[6]
Lloyd's List reported on 6 March 1827 that on the 2nd the Stentor Transport had run into the Champion Transport at Portsmouth and had done considerable damage to Champion.
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | T.Birkitt | J.Somes | Cork-based transport | LR; small repairs 1830 |
| 1835 | Not listed | |||
| 1836 | J.Somes | London | LR; large repair 1835 | |
| 1840 | A.Smith | Hull Shipping Co. | Hull–Africa | LR; large repair 1835, small repair 1838, & damage repair and small repair 1840 |
| 1845 | Wright | W.Wright | Hull–Quebec | LR; large repair 1835 & damage repair and small repairs 1840 |
In 1831 Stentor transported supplies to Fernando Po where the Royal Navy wished to establish a naval depot where the ships of the West Africa Squadron might refit and re-provision. While she was there her master and a boy died of disease. (The West Africa, or Preventative Squadron, was employed in suppressing the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.)
Stentor was driven ashore and wrecked on 23 November 1846 in the Gut of Canso. She was on a voyage from Hull to Miramichi, New Brunswick.[7]
Lloyd's Register for 1846 showed Stentor with Wright, master, M.Wright, owner, and trade Hull–Quebec. The entry carried the annotation "Abandoned".[8]