User:Steveprutz/jamestown/seaflower

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. Regarded as sister ship to the Mayflower, the Seaflower also transported settlers to the New World, specifically to Jamestown, Virginia colony in 1621.

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. The Earl of Warwick was looking for a new location to build a colony, yielding the setup of Providence Island Company. In c. February 1631, 100 men and boys (mostly Puritans recruited from Essex, England) boarded the Seaflower, sailing from Deptford to Providence Island. The passengers settled the island, intending to load the ship with exotic plants and produce for profit in London. 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. Later, the Seaflower returned to Providence Island and was loaded again, this time with 1 t of "mechoacan potatoes" (Ipomoea purga) for their medicinal value.

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

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

The Seaflower was accidentally destroyed in the Somers Isles (Bermuda) during a English relief mission to Virginia.

The Marine Protected Area and Biosphere Reserve surrounding the islands is named after the ship.