Biographical details |
Previously a slave ship, HMS BLACK JOKE was captured by the Royal Navy in 1827 and detailed to patrol the coast of West Africa for other slave ships. Due to her speed, the ‘Black Joke’ proved highly successful and played a significant part in the supression of the slave trade during the late 1820s and early 1830s. The material relates to the famous action between the vessel, commanded by Lieutenant Henry Downes, and the Spanish slave ship El ALMIRANTE in the Bight of Benin on 1 February 1829. |