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The American barque Sea Flower signalling for a pilot by William Gay Yorke, 1860
Satellite photo of Providence Island, part of the ship's namesake Seaflower Marine Protected Area

The Seaflower was a sailing ship built in England. It was most notable for helping settle Puritans on the Caribbean Providence Island colony in c. 1631.[1][2] Regarded as sister ship to the Mayflower, the Seaflower also transported settlers to the New World, specifically to Jamestown, Virginia colony in 1621.[3][4]

In 1629, Privateer Captain Daniel Elfrith (aboard the Robert) scouted the archipelago of "Santa Calatina" for riches and as a staging point for Spanish ship plundering.[5] The Earl of Warwick was looking for a new location to build a colony, yielding the setup of Providence Island Company.[6] In c. February 1631, 100 men and boys (mostly Puritans recruited from Essex, England) boarded the Seaflower, sailing from Deptford to Providence Island.[7] The passengers settled the island, intending to load the ship with exotic plants and produce for profit in London.[8] Seaflower returned to London in March, 1632. It was attacked-at-sea by Spanish during the return voyage, with Captain John Tanner and crew narrowly escaping. The ship's cargo was only a small cargo of poor quality tobacco.[9] Later, the Seaflower returned to Providence Island and was loaded again, this time with 1 tonne (1,000 kg) of "mechoacan potatoes" (Ipomoea purga) for their medicinal value.[10]

In autumn 1676, the ship was still in use, transporting slaves from Africa to the Caribbean.[11] The ship's passengers were taken captive by Metacom, the son of Massasoit.[12]

In 1696, notorious pirates Henry Every and Joseph Faro most likely[note 1] used the ship during their time in and around Rhode Island.[14]

The Seaflower was accidentally destroyed in the Somers Isles (Bermuda) during a English relief mission to Virginia.[15][additional citation(s) needed]

The Marine Protected Area and Biosphere Reserve surrounding the islands is named after the ship.[16][17][additional citation(s) needed]

Notes

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ It is debatable that the single-sail sloop, the Sea Flower [sic] used by Henry Every was a different ship than the multi-sail Seaflower.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Coldham, Peter Wilson (1987). The Complete Book of Emigrants: 1607–1660. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 978-0-8063-1192-0. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  2. ^ https://www.tomfeiling.com/the-island-that-disappeared-US-edition.html
  3. ^ Feiling, Tom. The Island that Disappeared: The Lost History of the Mayflower's Sister Ship and Its Rival Puritan Colony. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-61219-708-1.
  4. ^ Stevens, Anne. "Seaflower 1621". Packrat Productions. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  5. ^ Feiling, Tom. The Island that Disappeared: The Lost History of the Mayflower's Sister Ship and Its Rival Puritan Colony. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-61219-708-1.
  6. ^ Feiling, Tom. The Island that Disappeared: The Lost History of the Mayflower's Sister Ship and Its Rival Puritan Colony. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-61219-708-1.
  7. ^ Feiling, Tom. The Island that Disappeared: The Lost History of the Mayflower's Sister Ship and Its Rival Puritan Colony. p. 30-33. ISBN 978-1-61219-708-1.
  8. ^ Feiling, Tom. The Island that Disappeared: The Lost History of the Mayflower's Sister Ship and Its Rival Puritan Colony. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-61219-708-1.
  9. ^ Feiling, Tom. The Island that Disappeared: The Lost History of the Mayflower's Sister Ship and Its Rival Puritan Colony. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-61219-708-1.
  10. ^ Feiling, Tom. The Island that Disappeared: The Lost History of the Mayflower's Sister Ship and Its Rival Puritan Colony. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-61219-708-1.
  11. ^ Newell, 2015, p. 148. https://mayflowermavericks.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/news2/
  12. ^ https://mayflowermavericks.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/news2/
  13. ^ Rogoziński 2000, p. 90
  14. ^ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coins-new-england-help-solve-mystery-of-murderous-1600s-pirate-henry-every/
  15. ^ Stanard, Mary Newton (1928). Story of Virginia's First Century. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott. pp. 179-181. Free access icon
  16. ^ https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20201014-providencia-an-island-with-a-sea-of-seven-colours
  17. ^ https://www.car-spaw-rac.org/IMG/pdf/Factsheet_Colombie_Seaflower_Marine_Protected_Area.pdf