Hibberts (or Hibbert), was launched in 1784 on the Thames as a West Indiaman. The first two times that French forces captured her the Royal Navy recaptured her. The second of these incidents, in 1804, gave rise to three court cases – an appeal to the Vice admiralty court at Halifax, Nova Scotia, a maritime insurance case that reached the United States Supreme Court, and one case in London dealing with the labor contracts covering seamen. Between these two captures and recaptures, in 1802–1803, Hibberts served briefly as an armed merchant ship under the command of a Royal Navy officer. The French captured her for the third and final time in 1811. Hibberts was the model for the sculpture that adorned the western gate of the West India Docks, giving it the name "Hibbert Gate".
