Hannibal (slave ship)

The earliest ships used to transport humans from Africa to enslavement in North America were converted merchantmen ships. Later on, special vessels were built specifically for the slave trade. The Hannibal, an English slaver of 1693, was 450 tons and mounted thirty-six guns, which it was frequently forced to use; seven hundred people could be forced into its hold at one time. Many slavers rigged shelves in the middle called a "slave deck," leaving only twenty inches of headroom, so that individuals could not even sit upright during the entire voyage. The ship is most remembered for its disastrous voyage of 1694. Captain John Phillips commanded the Hannibal. He was a British captain and a member of the Royal African Company. Phillips was more humane than most of his fellow slave traders of the time. To prevent the slaves from running away he was advised to “cut off the arms and legs of some to terrify the rest (as other captains had done)”, but he refused to do something so drastic.

The Voyage

In 1694 the ship "Hannibal" dumped 320 of its cargo of 700 slaves overboard during the Middle Passage. Thus 43% of its cargo was brutally murdered on the voyage from Africa to the "New World". This voyage began as any other slave trade in 1694. Seven hundred were being transported to North America from Africa by means of the Middle Passage. Upon boarding the ship the slaves were handcuffed to one another in pairs of two by their wrists and legs. These restraints lead to many quarrels among the slaves. The ship, which originally carried seven hundred slaves, reached the “New World with only three hundred and eighty slaves remaining. This means that throughout the trip, three hundred and twenty slaves died or were dumped overboard by Captain John Phillips. Some slaves may have been thrown overboard so that their insurance could be collected. Others may have jumped overboard out of fear. Phillips had twelve Negroes who "willfully drowned themselves" during the trip; several others persistently refused food, and so starved themselves to death, "for it is their Belief that when they die they return to their own Country and Friends again."

References

Intro To Afro-American Studies Slave Ships The Slave Trade On Shore