Name of Vessel:

Emperor of Germany

Master of Vessel:

John Richards

Rig of Vessel:

Ship

Date of Capture:

18 July 1777

Place of Capture:

47°30'N

Captor:

British Privateer Ship King of Spain

Home Port:

From What Port:

Bristol, England

To What Port:

Dominica and Jamaica, British West Indies

Cargo:

Tonnage:

Battery:

Crew:

9 [prize crew]

Owners:

Prize master:

Prize crew:

Ordered Into:

Ferrol, Spain

Into What Port:

Ferrol, Spain

Date Arrived:

23 July 1777

Date Tried:

Date Sold:

Action:

No

Recaptured:

No

Comments: Massachusetts Privateer Brigantine Civil Usage (Commander Andrew Giddings) was at sea in mid July 1777, off the Scilly Isles. About 14 July, some twenty-one miles west of there she had captured three vessels. The captured masters were put aboard a Dutch ship and arrived at Dublin on 20 July. They reported that, after they were put on the Dutch vessel, the Civil Usage took a large vessel, which fired five guns at her.

This large vessel was probably the British Privateer Ship Emperor of Germany (John Richards), which was captured on 15 July 1777. She was bound from Bristol to Dominica and Jamaica in the British West Indies. A prize crew of nine men from the Civil Usage, plus four men from the Emperor of Germany's crew were put aboard, and she was ordered to Bilboa, Spain. On 18 July the Emperor of Germany was at 47°30'N where she fell in with the British Privateer Ship King of Spain (James Hamilton), bound out from Carron, Scotland. The British privateer recaptured the Emperor of Germany and took her into Ferrol, Spain on 23 July. Hamilton proposed to release the prisoners there but was restrained from doing so by the British consul.

Civil Usage now apparently steered for Spain. There she discovered her prize Emperor of Germany, was in Ferrol. Giddings joined forces with another privateer to virtually blockade the King of Spain and Emperor of Germany. The two privateers were cruising off the port on 6 August 1777. Evidently Giddings soon gave up, for by 14 August she was in Bilboa and refitting.

[NDAR, IX, 519, 536-537, 554 and note, 615; X, 616-617 and 617 notes]