User:Stephus/General Carleton

General Carleton was British cargo ship, collier, launched in 1777 from the port of Whitby in North Yorkshire, and named for Sir Guy Carleton, a general who commanded British troops in the American Revolutionary War (The American War of Independence). She was typical of the type of merchant ships built at Whitby at that time, with blunt, square bows and a flat bottom, and would have looked very similar to Cook's "Endeavour", though she would have been ship-rigged. Although this type of ship is called a collier, "General Carleton" was probably never employed in the coal trade, mainly sailing to the Baltic, until she was employed by the Navy Board in 1782 as a storeship/victualler. Her international importance is due to the unique collection of 18th century seamen's clothing that was excavated from the wreck, in a good state of preservation due to being covered in tar from the ships cargo when she sank.