Ships were lost during these dark voyages, and said to have had a large variety of cargo including livestock. They were usually under an armed mate or a midshipman. In many cases the captains were not experienced in the waters in which they traded and were often lost. They were generally built in the North Sea region, but some were built in America and others were built in the Mediterranean, including some Spanish galleons. Nautical writer and mariner William Snow estimated that 20 to 25% of the ships sailing between Britain and the New World never made it and were lost. Rates of loss during the 16th and 17th centuries The majority of vessels of the period were small and able to sail to within 50 miles of their destination and land their cargo (in much the same way as modern ships). As a consequence, large losses were rare (and often overstated by contemporary sources), a state of affairs that did not change through most of the 17th century. Only four vessels of over 50 tons (most of which were ships of the line) were lost during the first half of the 17th century, while in the period between 1650 and 1675 just seven larger ships were lost (some of which foundered in bad weather). Losses of ships were uncommonly low from 1675 to 1685, when between three and four ships were lost each year. The years 1690 to 1713 saw a decrease in the number of ship losses as trade became more organised. Most of the losses were caused by storms, heavy weather or collisions at sea. Losses of ships of different size The largest loss recorded between the years 1620 and 1685 was that of the 800 ton Mayflower in September 1620. The second largest loss was that of the 400 ton Constant Warwick (1715) which was wrecked on the Scilly Isles, the result of being caught in a hurricane. According to the Royal Society of Marine Insurance, the 1720s, 1730s and 1740s were some of the worst and earliest times for shipping losses. Reasons for loss Losses of ships can be attributed to several causes: The dangers of the sea: Shipping losses of the 17th century were almost all due to loss of life. Ships' articles in the 16th and 17th centuries often did not provide for the families of officers in the event of their death. Many sailors had families to feed and in the 17th century it was rare for men to die at sea. This changed by the late 17th century when it became accepted that the families of men lost at sea would be provided for by insurance companies. Therefore, many more sailors died during the late 17th and early 18th centuries than earlier in history. Storms and maritime warfare: It was often storm conditions, high waves and harsh weather that caused ships to sink. When ships did sink it was usually because they struck rocks or other dangerous submerged objects. However, some captains were able to avoid these disasters, either through the use of good seamanship, or because they were saved by the timely arrival of a passing ship. In the case of both the Essex and the Sea Venture the passengers were saved because a passing ship was able to warn them of a storm and it was the storm that sank them. A major storm, the Great Storm of 1703, caused 300 ships to sink, and many of these occurred in the English Channel. The French privateer Sirène sank 23 ships at sea, despite being outmanned and outgunned by Royal Navy ships sent to protect against her attacks. Fire On 17 July 1704 the 400 ton merchant ship Hector was lost at sea when her cargo caught fire. She was loaded with coal, flour and a large quantity of gunpowder for a military convoy. The next day, on 18 July, her other cargo, i.e. cannon, also began to burn and within three days the ship had sunk. She was carrying a large number of French prisoners of war in addition to the soldiers on board the ship. Collisions Collisions at sea can often have catastrophic consequences; for instance, in 2001 the MV Le Jool lost its life when it collided with another cargo ship in the English Channel, sinking in a matter of minutes with the loss of all hands. In 1619, the Royal Navy ship Henry & Francis lost 600–700 of its 600 men in a ship collision on the River Thames, and sank so quickly it seems to have been overcrowded. On 25 June 1708, following a collision with a naval frigate, the 400-ton East India Company vessel The Sun of Surat went down with the loss of 140 people. The sinking of the Royal Navy's East Indiaman off Sennen Cove, Cornwall, with the loss of 500 lives, was caused by a severe storm on 21 December 1707. The ship lost her masts and was wrecked on rocks. This tragedy led to a decline in East Indiaman sailings to New England and the Falklands and a long period of protectionist sentiment on the part of the East India Company in 1707–1713. Legal issues Most ship losses resulted from extreme weather conditions that took ships by surprise and wrecked them. Such losses were usually accidental and did not fall within the scope of the law. Ships that were caught in a storm could be salvaged or they could be beached in shallow waters and repaired. A ship that was wrecked was another matter. If it was on rocks or if it was sunk in shallow waters it was often impractical to salvage the ship. This was often the case of shipwrecks in remote places, but also a hazard for ships that ran aground in the open sea. Even if a wreck was salvaged and brought into harbour, it could be very expensive to repair and re-equip the vessel. A wreck that was sunk in deep water would pose a threat to the local population and the local environment. There was little a captain could do if their ship was lost. Lawsuits were initiated to pursue owners for loss of the ship. The East Indiaman was lost in 1707 off Sennen Cove, Cornwall, after which Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Pitt the Elder had his ship, Sea Nymph and the captain, Thomas Burt, charged with murder, manslaughter, and the offence of manslaughter by merchant ship. All three were arrested, imprisoned and brought to trial. The Sea Nymph was condemned to pay 5,000 pounds and the captain to be transported back to England. The charges against the captain and the owner were dropped and he was pardoned for his behaviour. The case against the ship's company was not successful and they were dismissed from their duties. Another example is the case of the ship Avery. The cargo of this ship was insured at £20,000 in 1638. The ship was captured and sunk, with the loss of 21 lives. The ship and its captain were tried for murder, but as both escaped with their lives, the cargo was not covered under insurance. Notable losses The Essex and Sea Venture in the mid 17th century were the only two merchant ships of the East India Company that were wrecked on the coast of America in the 17th and 18th centuries. The former had a cargo worth £130,000 and the latter £40,000. In the same period, many other East Indiamen were captured and their cargo was either confiscated or divided among the crew. The ship Argyll was lost in the English Channel on 1 February 1744. She was lost when caught by a terrible storm and although the winds were such that she could not have been saved, if the ship had been equipped with better pumps and pumps had been carried aboard. The Titanic with a loss of over 1500 lives and a value of £7.5m when it sunk in April 1912. The went down at her moorings on 8 January 1919. She had sunk the day before at 0600 and in the early hours of the following day she struck the berth. The salvage ship Rani was being towed by her to make repairs and had caused her to be caught in her moorings. It was only with great difficulty that the salvage team had managed to free the wreckage of the ship, which was then a total wreck. The value of the Rani was £20,000. The loss of the Stalwart in November 1636 with more than 360 lives is the greatest loss of lives ever. This was caused by a storm while the ship was close to land. The ship capsized and her crew members swam towards land. The ship did not have enough boats on board to rescue everyone and only about 50 people were saved. The loss of the Ethelbert in February 1872 with a loss of over 200 lives is second only to the sinking of the Titanic in loss of lives. The loss of the Dunedin Star in March 1881 which was carrying a large quantity of coal. 17th century shipping The ship owners knew the state of their ships' hulls but had little idea of what could happen at sea. The East Indiaman may have been a reliable ship and may have travelled a relatively safe route, but on the open sea was far more vulnerable to unexpected disaster. Many accidents resulted in catastrophic losses of ships and cargo. For example the ship that sank in the Thames in 1614 was said to have caught fire from the light of the Sun shining on the sails. In 1610 a French man-o-war, carrying the French king's portrait