[MR] BBC: Earliest Scottish Ship in the Americas

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble friends, Especially fellow Scots:

Today the BBC has a brief story a forgotten record of the earliest known
voyage of a Scottish ship to the Americas. A chance discovery in Aberdeen's
old municipal records tells of a ship named "William" which sailed from
Aberdeen to Newfoundland in 1596. The article does not say if the ship
returned safely, but let's be optimists and hope it did.

The story is at
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-46552305 .

History often doesn't recognize that independent Scotland was both a
military and commercial maritime power. Among their military fleet was the
"Great Michael", at one time the largest warship in Europe. Not to be
outdone, Henry VIII's "Henry Grace a Dieu" eclipsed the "Great Michael" in
1512:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-46552305 .
Scotland also had many smaller civilian ships that carried on trade with
Flanders, Holland and across the Baltic. Despite having the same king, the
Scots were banned from trade with the English colonies in the New World.
Many of their ships snuck in anyway, and by the time of the Union of Flags,
the Scots controlled the rich tobacco trade from America. When restrictions
ended in 1707, Scottish ships, ports and sailors became an important part
of British maritime policy.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆