Neptune (1785 ship)
Neptune was launched in America in 1778. She enters "Lloyd's Register" as "Neptune" in 1786. (She apparently entered British ownership in 1785, but "Lloyd's Register" was not published in 1785.) She then sailed as general merchantman. In the late 1790s she was a whaler. She is last listed in 1803, though the data is stale and she was last surveyed in 1797. Career. "Lloyd's Register" (1786) lists "Neptune" with P. Martin, master and owner, and trade London–Jamaica, changing to London–Maryland. "Lloyd's List", however, reported on 4 October 1784 that "Neptune", Martin , master, from Suriname, had arrived at Hispaniola, and was expected to sail from Port-au-Prince to Quebec in mid-August. "Lloyd's List" reported on 5 June 1789 that "Neptune", Martin, master, had had to put back into Waterford after having been out some three weeks. She had become very leaky. "Lloyd's Register" for 1797 shows "Neptune"s master changing from J. French to T. Hopper, and her trade to London–South Seas. Captain Hopper sailed "Neptune" in 1797 on a whaling voyage to the East Coast of Africa. She was at Delagoa Bay in late June 1798. There , on 28 June 1798, Captain Sever, of the East Indiaman , chartered "Neptune", Hopper, master, and two other English ships, "London", Keen, master, and , Kerr, master, to carry "Lion"s cargo back to England. "Lion" had been carrying a cargo from Madras and Columbo to England when she had put into Delagoa Bay in distress. Despite the efforts of the three other English ships and three American ships there, "Lion" could not be saved. "Neptune" and "Eliza" towed "Lion" farther up the Maputo River and then remained for some weeks. Eventually, all three British whalers left with only a portion of the  cargo. The bulk of "Lion"s cargo was to go on "Britannia", which had since arrived. Citations and references. Citations References