Mary Ann (1772 ship)

History
France
Launched1772
Capturedc.1778
Great Britain
NameAriadne
Owner
  • 1786: Hattersley & Co.
  • 1786:Stephens & Co.
  • 1791:Calvert & Co.
Acquiredc.1778 by purchase of a prize
RenamedMary Ann (1786)
CapturedNovember 1801
General characteristics
Tons burthen298, or 300 (bm)
Sail planShip rig
Complement40
Armament
  • 1797: 18 × 12&9&3-pounder guns
  • 1797: 2 ×3 + 14 × 9-pounder guns + 2 × 12-pounder carronades
  • 1800: 18 × 9&12-pounder guns

The ship that became Mary Ann (or Mary Anne) was built in 1772 in France and the British captured her c. 1778. Her name may have been Ariadne until 1786 when she started to engage in whaling. Next, as Mary Ann, she made one voyage transporting convicts to New South Wales from England. In 1794 the French captured her, but by 1797 she was back in her owners' hands. She then made a slave trading voyage. Next, she became a West Indiaman, trading between London or Liverpool to Demerara. It was on one of those voyages in November 1801 that a French privateer captured her.