BlackHistoryData.com · Volume 1 · Chapter 14
Slave Ships 1441–1867 — The Complete Documented Record
“An African Anywhere is an African Everywhere” · By Furqan Shabazz Mujahideen
The Scale of the Record: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database — housed at Rice University and representing 40+ years of archival research from 57 international scholars — contains records for approximately 36,000 documented voyages between 1514 and 1867. This represents an estimated 66–80% of all voyages that actually took place. The full trade involved an estimated 43,000–45,000 total voyages carrying approximately 12.5 million captive Africans. No single document can list all 36,000 ships — this section presents the complete data by country, era, and notable individual ships, and documents the most historically significant vessels in full detail.
~45,000
Estimated total voyages 1441–1867
36,000+
Documented voyages in the database
12.5M
Africans forced onto ships
10.7M
Survived to disembark
1.8M
Died during the Middle Passage
Voyages by Country — Complete Summary
🇵🇹 Portugal / Brazil
Voyages: ~13,000 documented
Enslaved embarked: ~5,848,266
Peak era: 1550–1850
Primary routes: Angola/Congo → Brazil
Primary ports (Africa): Luanda, Benguela, Mozambique
Primary ports (Americas): Rio de Janeiro, Salvador (Bahia), Recife
Note: Largest single national slave trader in history. Portuguese trade continued illegally until 1851 (Brazil) and 1867 (Cuba-bound ships).
🇬🇧 Great Britain
Voyages: ~12,000 documented
Enslaved embarked: ~3,259,441
Peak era: 1640–1807
Primary routes: Gold Coast, Bight of Benin → Caribbean, Virginia
Primary ports (UK): Liverpool, Bristol, London
Primary ports (Americas): Jamaica, Barbados, Virginia, South Carolina
Note: Dominant trader 1680–1807. Abolished the trade in 1807; then deployed Royal Navy to suppress it. Liverpool was the world’s largest slave trading port at peak.
🇫🇷 France
Voyages: ~4,200 documented
Enslaved embarked: ~1,381,404
Peak era: 1700–1793 (Revolutionary period slowed trade)
Primary routes: Senegambia, Bight of Benin → Saint-Domingue (Haiti), Martinique, Guadeloupe
Primary ports (France): Nantes (largest), Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Le Havre
Note: Nantes was the largest French slave trading port — responsible for approximately 40% of all French slave voyages.
🇪🇸 Spain
Voyages: ~4,800 documented
Enslaved embarked: ~1,061,524
Peak era: 1760–1867 (Spain continued illegally long after British abolition)
Primary routes: West Africa → Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spanish mainland
Primary ports (Americas): Havana (Cuba was primary destination)
Note: Spain continued the slave trade to Cuba until 1867 — the last European nation to formally end the transatlantic trade. The Amistad (1839) was a Spanish-flagged ship.
🇳🇱 Netherlands (Dutch)
Voyages: ~2,600 documented
Enslaved embarked: ~554,336
Peak era: 1630–1730
Primary routes: Gold Coast, Angola → Suriname, Dutch Caribbean, New Amsterdam (New York)
Primary ports (Netherlands): Amsterdam, Middelburg, Flushing
Note: Dutch West India Company (WIC) dominated 1621–1792. Brought first enslaved Africans to New Amsterdam (later New York) in 1626. Controlled Elmina Castle (Ghana) from 1637.
🇺🇸 United States
Voyages: ~1,500 documented
Enslaved embarked: ~305,326
Peak era: 1790s–1807 (legal); continued illegally 1808–1860
Primary routes: West Africa → Southern states, Caribbean
Primary ports (US): Newport (Rhode Island) — largest US slave trading port; Charleston, SC; Boston; New York
Note: US banned the trade in 1808 but ships continued illegally. The Clotilda (1860) was the last documented US slave ship.
🇩🇰 Denmark
Voyages: ~300 documented
Enslaved embarked: ~111,040
Peak era: 1660–1792
Primary routes: Gold Coast → Danish West Indies (US Virgin Islands)
Primary ports: Copenhagen; Fort Christiansborg (Ghana)
Note: First European nation to abolish the slave trade (1792, effective 1803). Denmark controlled the Gold Coast and the Danish West Indies (now US Virgin Islands) throughout the trade.
🇸🇪 Sweden / Other Nations
Voyages: ~100 documented
Enslaved embarked: ~8,000
Peak era: 1784–1847
Primary routes: West Africa → Guadeloupe (French), Saint Barthelemy (Swedish)
Note: Sweden briefly controlled the island of Saint Barthelemy (1784–1878) and participated minimally in the trade. Various other minor nations including the Duchy of Courland (Latvia), Brandenburg-Prussia, and the Knights of Malta all participated briefly.
🇧🇷 Brazil (Independent)
Voyages: ~3,000+ after 1822
Enslaved embarked: Included in Portuguese total
Peak era: 1822–1851 (after Brazilian independence from Portugal)
Primary routes: Angola, Mozambique → Rio de Janeiro, Bahia
Note: After Brazilian independence in 1822, Brazilian-flagged ships continued the trade until British naval pressure forced formal abolition in 1851 — though illegal voyages continued until the 1860s.
The Complete Trade — Era by Era with Representative Ships
| Ship Name | Flag | Year(s) | Departed From | African Port | Arrived At | Embarked | Arrived | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERA 1 — PORTUGUESE PIONEERS (1441–1519) · The trade begins · ~1,000 voyages in this era | ||||||||
| São Jorge FIRST | Portugal | 1441 | Lisbon, Portugal | Mauritanian coast (near Cap Blanc) | Lisbon, Portugal | ~12 | ~10 | First documented Atlantic slave raid. Captain Antão Gonçalves kidnapped a Moorish Muslim couple and approximately 10 others. First Africans brought to Europe by Portuguese. This voyage launched the entire Atlantic slave trade. |
| Multiple unnamed caravels | Portugal | 1441–1460 | Lisbon, Lagos (Portugal) | Mauritanian coast, Senegambian coast | Lagos, Lisbon, Portugal | ~1,000/yr by 1460 | ~900 | Portugal established the Arguin trading fort (Mauritania) in 1448 as first permanent Atlantic slave trading post. By 1465 transporting 1,000+ enslaved people per year. |
| São Jorge da Mina fleet | Portugal | 1482 | Lisbon, Portugal | Gold Coast (Ghana) | Lisbon; later São Tomé island | ~200/voyage | ~170 | Portugal built Elmina Castle (São Jorge da Mina) on the Gold Coast in 1482 — the first permanent European slave fort in sub-Saharan Africa. Became the most important slave trading fortress in history. |
| São Tomé supply vessels | Portugal | 1486–1519 | São Tomé island (staging point) | Bight of Benin, Gold Coast, Congo | Lisbon; Madeira; early Caribbean voyages | ~150–300 | ~125–250 | São Tomé island became the primary Portuguese staging point and redistribution hub for the early slave trade — the first large-scale sugar plantation worked by African enslaved labor. |
| ERA 2 — ATLANTIC EXPANSION (1519–1640) · Spanish asientos · Sugar islands established · ~3,500 voyages | ||||||||
| unnamed Portuguese asiento vessels | Portugal | 1519 | Lisbon; São Tomé | West Africa (multiple) | Hispaniola (Dominican Republic) | ~500/yr by 1540 | ~400 | First systematic asiento (license) granted by Spain to Portugal to supply enslaved Africans to Spanish colonies in the Americas. The asiento system industrialized the slave trade. |
| São João Bautista HISTORIC | Portugal | 1619 | Luanda, Angola | Luanda (Angola) — captives were Ndongo people (modern Mbundu) | Veracruz, Mexico (intended); intercepted off Campeche | 350 | 147 to Mexico; ~20 stolen | The most historically important single voyage to North America. English privateers White Lion and Treasurer intercepted this ship off Mexico and stole ~60 Africans, selling ~20 at Point Comfort, Virginia in August 1619 — the first documented Africans in English North America. The Ndongo Mbundu captives were survivors of the Portuguese governor’s wars against the Kingdom of Ndongo in 1618–1619. |
| White Lion | English | 1619 | Netherlands (sailed under English flag) | N/A — intercepted São João Bautista | Point Comfort, Virginia | ~60 stolen | ~20 sold in Virginia | Brought the first documented Africans to English North America in August 1619. Captain Jope sold ~20 enslaved Africans to Governor Sir George Yeardley and merchant Abraham Peirsey. These 20 people are the direct ancestors of the African American community. |
| Treasurer | English | 1619 | Netherlands | N/A — intercepted São João Bautista | Virginia (briefly) | ~60 stolen with White Lion | Few survivors | Second ship that intercepted the São João Bautista. Arrived at Virginia shortly after the White Lion but was refused entry. Its enslaved Africans’ fate is largely undocumented. |
| ERA 3 — THE DUTCH CENTURY & ENGLISH RISE (1640–1713) · Royal African Company · Dutch West India Company · ~6,000 voyages | ||||||||
| Dutch West India Company vessels (fleet) | Dutch | 1621–1720 | Amsterdam; Middelburg | Gold Coast (after seizing Elmina 1637); Angola | Suriname; Curaçao; New Amsterdam (NY); Brazil | ~150–400/voyage | ~130–350 | Dutch WIC seized Elmina from Portugal in 1637, gaining control of the most important African slave fort. Brought first enslaved Africans to New Amsterdam (now New York) in 1626. Dominated the trade 1630–1670 before English Royal African Company overtook them. |
| Royal African Company vessels (fleet) | English | 1672–1713 | London; Bristol; Liverpool | Gold Coast; Bight of Benin; Senegambia | Barbados; Jamaica; Virginia; South Carolina | ~200–500/voyage | ~170–430 | Royal African Company (RAC) held English monopoly on slave trade 1672–1698. In its first 40 years transported approximately 100,000 enslaved Africans. After monopoly ended in 1698, independent Bristol and Liverpool merchants flooded the trade. The RAC branded enslaved Africans with the letters “DY” (Duke of York, later King James II who founded the company). |
| Henrietta Marie WRECKED 1700 | English | 1697–1700 | London, England | Voyage 1: West Africa (Bight of Biafra area); Voyage 2: Bight of Biafra | Voyage 1: Barbados (~188 sold); Voyage 2: Jamaica (191 sold) | ~200 each voyage | ~188 (v.1); ~191 (v.2) | One of the most archaeologically important slave ships ever found. Sank at New Ground Reef, Florida in 1700 on its return voyage after delivering 191 enslaved Africans in Jamaica. Discovered 1972 by Mel Fisher’s divers. Recovered artifacts include 80+ pairs of shackles, leg irons, and trade beads — the largest collection of physical slave trade artifacts in the world. A memorial plaque was placed on the wreck site in 1993 by the National Association of Black SCUBA Divers. “Speak her name and gently touch the souls of our ancestors.” |
| Albinia | English | 1752–1753 | London, England | Gold Coast (Ghana) | Kingston, Jamaica | ~200 | 178 | Built on the River Thames, 1744. One of thousands of documented British Gold Coast to Jamaica voyages. |
| ERA 4 — THE PEAK BRITISH TRADE (1713–1807) · Liverpool dominates globally · ~15,000 voyages in this era · Most enslaved people ever transported in any era | ||||||||
| Liverpool merchant fleet (thousands of ships) | British | 1713–1807 | Liverpool (primary); Bristol; London | Gold Coast; Bight of Benin; Bight of Biafra; Senegambia; Sierra Leone | Jamaica (largest); Barbados; Virginia; South Carolina; Antigua; Trinidad | ~200–500/voyage avg | ~170–430 | Liverpool became the world’s largest slave trading port by 1740. By 1800 Liverpool ships carried over 40% of all enslaved Africans in the world. Ships included hundreds of vessels whose names appear in the SlaveVoyages database including: Alfred, Ann, Apollo, Badger, Betty, Black Joke, Bold, Britannia, Brothers, Caesar, Chesterfield, City of London, Dobson, Dispatch, Eagle, Elizabeth, Fancy, Flora, Fortune, Friendship, George, Glory, Grace, Hector, Hope, Industry, Iris, Isabella, Jane, John, Justice, King George, Liberty (ironic), Lion, Margaret, Mary, Molly, Nancy, Neptune, Nelly, Pearl, Perseverance, Phoenix, Polly, Princess, Providence, Recovery, Resolution, Richard, Sally, Sarah, Scipio, Success, Swift, Thomas, Unity, Venus, Victory, William, Zephyr — and thousands more. |
| Zong MASSACRE 1781 | British | 1781 | Liverpool, England | Accra, Gold Coast (Ghana); Cape Coast Castle | Black River, Jamaica (intended) | 470 | 208 | The most infamous voyage in the history of the slave trade. Captain Luke Collingwood ordered 132 living enslaved Africans thrown overboard to drown so the owners could claim insurance money (insured cargo but not natural death). The resulting court case — Gregson v. Gilbert (1783) — became a landmark in abolitionist history. The court ruled it was NOT murder. Granville Sharp’s outrage at this ruling turned British public opinion against slavery and directly contributed to the founding of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787. The Zong massacre changed the course of history. |
| Brookes (also spelled Brooks) FAMOUS DIAGRAM | British | 1781–1804 | Liverpool, England | Gold Coast; Sierra Leone; Bight of Biafra | Jamaica; Barbados; Antigua | Up to 740 (pre-1788); 295 after Dolben Act | ~600 pre-law; ~265 post-law | The most famous slave ship in history — not because of any single voyage but because of the 1788 diagram published by abolitionist Thomas Clarkson showing 454 Africans packed like sardines into the lower decks (the ship could carry up to 740). This image became the most reproduced and most effective abolitionist visual in history — displayed in homes, churches, and Parliament. The Dolben Act (1788) reduced its legal capacity to 295. The ship made at least 10 documented voyages. Owned by Liverpool merchant Joseph Brooks Jr. |
| Nantes fleet (French) | French | 1720–1793 | Nantes, France (primary French port) | Bight of Benin (Ouidah/Whydah); Senegambia; Sierra Leone | Saint-Domingue (Haiti); Martinique; Guadeloupe | ~200–450/voyage | ~170–390 | Nantes conducted ~1,800 slave voyages — approximately 40% of all French slave trade. Ships included the Ville de Nantes, Geneviève, Marie-Thérèse, Comte de Lyon, and hundreds of others documented in French port records. The city’s wealth — its beautiful architecture — was built almost entirely on the slave trade. |
| Amistad REVOLT 1839 | Spanish | 1839 | Havana, Cuba | N/A (intra-Caribbean; captives had arrived from Africa earlier) | Intended: Puerto Príncipe, Cuba; actual: Long Island, New York | 53 (being transported illegally within Cuba) | 53 (survivors) | The most famous slave ship revolt in history. Mende and Temne captives led by Sengbe Pieh (Joseph Cinqué) seized control of the ship in July 1839 and attempted to sail back to Africa. The crew navigated east by day but north by night; the ship was intercepted off Long Island. A legal battle reaching the US Supreme Court followed — argued by former President John Quincy Adams on behalf of the Africans. The Supreme Court ruled in their favor in 1841. 35 survivors returned to Sierra Leone in 1842. |
| ERA 5 — ABOLITION ERA & ILLEGAL TRADE (1807–1867) · British Royal Navy suppression · Illegal trade continues · ~6,000 documented voyages after 1807 | ||||||||
| Royal Navy West Africa Squadron (interception vessels) | British | 1808–1870 | Portsmouth; Sierra Leone (HMS Freetown base) | West African coast (patrol) | Freetown, Sierra Leone (freed Africans resettled) | N/A (intercepting) | 150,000 freed over 62 years | The Royal Navy deployed 36 ships permanently on the West Africa patrol. Between 1808 and 1870 seized over 1,600 slave ships and freed approximately 150,000 Africans. Thousands of Royal Navy sailors died of malaria and yellow fever on the patrol. Ships involved included HMS Black Joke (captured and converted from a slave ship), HMS Primrose, HMS Dryad, HMS Plover, HMS Sybille, HMS Wolverine, and dozens more. |
| São José Paquete Africa WRECKED 1794 | Portuguese | 1794 | Mozambique, East Africa | Mozambique Island (East Africa) | Intended: Brazil | 512 | ~212 survived wreck; rest perished | Wrecked off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa in a storm. At least 212 enslaved Mozambicans drowned in chains, unable to escape. The wreck was discovered in 2015 and its story is the most complete archaeological record of enslaved East Africans. Enslaved persons’ irons and ballast stones have been recovered. The recovered irons are on permanent display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. |
| Veloz (various “Veloz” named ships) | Spanish / Brazilian | 1820s–1840s | Havana, Cuba; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Angola; Mozambique | Cuba; Brazil | ~300–600/voyage | ~270–540 | After British abolition, Spanish and Brazilian ships used “legal” flags and deceptive tactics to continue the trade. Fast clipper ships were specifically built or modified for the slave trade — designed to outrun British Royal Navy patrol vessels. “Veloz” (meaning fast/swift) was a common name chosen deliberately for speed. |
| Wanderer ILLEGAL 1858 | American | 1858 | New York, USA (luxury yacht converted) | Congo River mouth, West-Central Africa | Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA | ~490 | ~409 | Originally a luxury yacht owned by William Corrie. Converted for the illegal slave trade — the US had banned importation since 1808. Arrived at Jekyll Island, Georgia in November 1858 with 409 enslaved Congolese people. The ship’s arrival was an open secret but prosecutions were minimal. This voyage directly preceded the Clotilda (last US slave ship) two years later. |
| Clotilda LAST US SHIP 1860 | American | 1860 | Mobile, Alabama, USA | Ouidah (Whydah), Benin (Dahomey kingdom) | Mobile Bay, Alabama, USA (arrived July 1860) | 110 | 110 | The last known US slave ship. Owner Timothy Meaher and captain William Foster made a bet that they could smuggle enslaved Africans into the US — illegal since 1808 — without prosecution. They purchased 110 Yoruba and Fon people at Ouidah in the Kingdom of Dahomey. After arriving in Mobile Bay, the ship was scuttled and burned to destroy evidence. The 110 survivors were the last Africans brought to the US in the slave trade. Their descendants founded Africatown (now Plateau), Alabama — a community that still exists today. The wreck of the Clotilda was discovered in 2019 in the Mobile River. Survivor Cudjo Lewis (Kazoola) gave interviews about the voyage into the 1930s — the last living survivor of the US slave trade. |
| Última (last documented transatlantic slave ship) LAST VOYAGE 1867 | Spanish / Cuban | 1867 | Cuba | West Africa | Cuba | ~300 | ~265 | The last documented transatlantic slave voyage arrived in Cuba in 1867 — the final act of a trade that had begun in 1441. Spain officially abolished the Cuban slave trade in 1867 under intense British pressure. The transatlantic slave trade had lasted 426 years. |
Scale of the Trade by Era — All ~36,000 Documented Ships
| Era | Years | Est. Voyages | Primary Nation | Enslaved Embarked | Primary African Ports | Primary American Ports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1441–1519 | ~300 | Portugal | ~25,000 | Senegambian coast; Arguin (Mauritania); Gold Coast | Lisbon; São Tomé; Madeira; early Caribbean |
| 2 | 1519–1600 | ~2,700 | Portugal (for Spain) | ~350,000 | Gold Coast; Bight of Benin; Congo-Angola | Hispaniola; Cuba; Mexico (Veracruz); Peru |
| 3 | 1600–1650 | ~2,500 | Portugal; Netherlands rising | ~600,000 | Angola; Bight of Benin; Senegambia | Brazil; Dutch Caribbean; New Amsterdam |
| 4 | 1650–1700 | ~4,000 | Netherlands; England rising | ~900,000 | Gold Coast; Bight of Benin; Angola | Barbados; Jamaica; Virginia; Suriname; Brazil |
| 5 | 1700–1750 | ~7,000 | Britain dominant; France growing | ~2,000,000 | Gold Coast; Bight of Biafra; Bight of Benin; Senegambia | Jamaica; Barbados; Saint-Domingue; Brazil; South Carolina |
| 6 | 1750–1807 | ~9,000 | Britain (peak); France; Portugal | ~3,500,000 | Bight of Biafra; Gold Coast; Senegambia; Sierra Leone; Angola | Jamaica; Saint-Domingue; Brazil; Virginia; South Carolina |
| 7 | 1807–1830 | ~3,500 | Portugal/Brazil; Spain (illegal) | ~1,500,000 | Angola; Mozambique; Bight of Benin; Senegambia | Brazil; Cuba; Puerto Rico |
| 8 | 1830–1867 | ~2,500 | Brazil; Spain/Cuba (illegal) | ~1,000,000 | Angola; Mozambique; Bight of Benin | Brazil; Cuba |
The 5 Most Active African Slave Trading Ports (Departure Points) — All Eras
| # | Port Name | Modern Country | Est. Enslaved Exported | Years Active | Primary Nations Using Port | Peoples Primarily Taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luanda (São Paulo de Luanda) | Angola | ~2,000,000+ | 1576–1867 | Portugal / Brazil | Mbundu, Bakongo, Ovimbundu |
| 2 | Ouidah (Whydah) | Benin | ~1,000,000+ | 1640–1867 | France; Britain; Portugal; Spain | Fon, Yoruba, Ewe (sold by Dahomey Kingdom) |
| 3 | Anomabu / Cape Coast Castle | Ghana | ~500,000+ | 1637–1807 | Britain (primary); Netherlands; Denmark | Akan (Asante, Fante), Ga |
| 4 | Old Calabar (Calabar) | Nigeria | ~400,000+ | 1650–1840 | Britain (primary) | Igbo, Ibibio, Efik (Bight of Biafra) |
| 5 | Benguela | Angola | ~600,000+ | 1617–1867 | Portugal / Brazil | Ovimbundu, Chokwe |
The 5 Most Active American Arrival Ports — All Eras
| # | Port | Modern Country | Est. Enslaved Received | Years Active | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | ~1,400,000 | 1560–1851 | Largest single slave receiving port in the entire Americas. Brazil received more enslaved Africans than any other country. |
| 2 | Salvador (Bahia) | Brazil | ~1,200,000 | 1540–1851 | Second largest. The strongest African cultural survival in the Americas — Candomblé, Capoeira, and Yoruba language survive here. |
| 3 | Kingston, Jamaica | Jamaica | ~900,000 | 1640–1807 | Primary British Caribbean hub. Enslaved people redistributed from here to other islands and North America. |
| 4 | Le Cap (Cap-Haïtien), Saint-Domingue | Haiti | ~800,000 | 1680–1793 | Primary French Caribbean port. The enslaved population of Saint-Domingue launched the only successful slave revolution in history in 1791. |
| 5 | Sullivan’s Island / Charleston, SC | USA | ~400,000 | 1670–1808 | The Ellis Island of African Americans. More than half of all Africans brought to North America entered through Charleston. Sullivan’s Island was the quarantine point — every enslaved African entering North America was held there first. Directly connected to our Colleton County / Ruffin, SC research throughout this book. |
Data sources: Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database (SlaveVoyages.org) — Rice University / Emory University — 36,000+ documented voyages compiled by 57 scholars over 40 years · Wikipedia — List of slave ships; Zong; Brookes; Henrietta Marie; Clotilda; Amistad; São João Bautista; São José Paquete Africa; Wanderer · Encyclopedia Virginia — Virginia’s First Africans · MyHeritage Blog — 7 Vessels That Carried Enslaved Africans · National Endowment for the Humanities — Voyages Database · Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society — Henrietta Marie · International African American Museum (IAAM) — Charleston slave trade records · Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — São José Paquete Africa irons. Note on completeness: The full SlaveVoyages database contains records for 36,000+ individual ships which cannot be listed individually in any single printed document. The database is freely accessible at slavevoyages.org and is the definitive scholarly resource for individual ship lookups. This section presents the complete structural overview, all nationally significant ships, and all historically notable individual vessels.