Heller 80831 Capricorne

The Capricorne is a French sailing slave from the first half of the 19th century. The total length of the vessel was 55 meters, the width of the hull - 9.5 meters, and the height of the highest mast was 37 meters. Capricorne was used to transport slaves from the Gulf of Guinea to South and North America, where they were to work on sugarcane or cotton plantations. Due to the fact that the slave trade was banned by Great Britain as early as 1807, and by France in 1848, this type of practice, although it could bring considerable profits, was also highly risky. In the event of an interception by a British or French warship, slave ships were drowned on the spot. For this reason, Capricorne received a very rich sails, enabling it to develop quite high speeds for the first half of the nineteenth century, which was to allow it to escape from a possible chase. The ship also had relatively spacious holds, in which, in inhumane conditions, slaves were transported to their destination.