History | |
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Name | Almorah |
Namesake | Almora |
Owner |
|
Builder | J Foster, Selby |
Launched | 15 March 1817 |
Fate | Sank during storm in 1832 |
General characteristics | |
Tons burthen | 415, [1] or 416, [2] or 41671⁄94 [3] (bm) |
Length | 127 ft (39 m) (overall); 112 ft 0 in (34.1 m) (keel) |
Beam | 29 ft 2 in (8.9 m) |
Propulsion | Sail |
Almorah was built at Selby, England in 1817. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC), and three transporting convicts to Australia. She foundered in 1832 in the North Atlantic.
Her builders registered Almorah on 15 March 1817. Her first master was Captain Thomas McKissock.
Captain Thomas Winter sailed from the Downs on 27 May 1819, bound for Madras and Bengal. Almorah reached Madras on 17 September, and arrived at Fulta on 29 September. Homeward bound, she was at Diamond Harbour on 21 December, and Madras again on 3 January 1820. She reached the Cape of Good Hope on 12 March and arrived at Blackwall on 20 May. [2]
On her first convict voyage, under the command on William McKissock, Almorah departed The Downs on 26 April 1817 and arrived in Sydney on 29 August. [4] She transported 180 male convicts, none of whom died on the voyage. [5] She left Port Jackson on 26 October bound for Batavia. [6]
Almorah departed Waterford, Ireland, under the command of Thomas Wilson, on 22 August 1820, and arrived in Sydney on 22 December. [7] She embarked 160 male convicts, one of whom died on the voyage. [8]
In July 1822 Almorah was in the Java Sea in company with Richmond, the vessels having sailed from Port Jackson, when Richmond was wrecked on Hog Island on 31 July. Almorah picked up Richmond's crew and took them to Batavia, where they arrived on 5 August. [9]
Almorah, under the command of George Hay, departed Cork, Ireland, on 6 April 1824 and arrived in Sydney on 20 August 1824. [10] She carried 109 female convicts, one of whom died during the voyage. [11]
Thomas Brisbane, governor of the New South Wales colony, chartered Almorah to sail to Batavia and bring back supplies as the colony's food supplies were starting to run short. On 17 February 1825, Almorah returned to Sydney from Batavia. Captain Mitchell, of HMS Slaney, which was serving as a guardship at Port Jackson, seized Almorah for having on board 300 chests of tea. He was urged on by Sydney merchants who did not like Government imports. Probably more importantly, Mitchell would have been entitled to a quarter of the value of the vessel and her cargo if the court upheld his seizure. [12] There was no Court of Admiralty at Sydney, so over Governor Brisbane's objections, Mitchell put a crew aboard Almorah that sailed her on 2 March to Calcutta for adjudication. [13] There HMS Tamar seized Almorah and her cargo. [14] [15] The charge was that the tea violated the EIC's monopoly on the private trade in tea. Litigation lasted five years without any definitive result. One problem was that Brisbane had not specifically mentioned tea in his instructions. Had he done so, there would have been no issue as the EIC monopoly did not apply to government purchases. Eventually the British Government persuaded all concerned to give up their claims. It also paid Almorah's owners £5000 for their freight and losses. [12]
In 1828 Almorah was sold to Stephenson & Co., London, who placed her in the North Atlantic trade. [3]
The Register of Shipping in 1832 showed Almorah with Ward, master, and trade Hull—Quebec. [1]
Almorah sailed from Quebec, bound for Hull, on 5 November 1831, and was last seen on 1 December, at longitude 20°W. [16] Almorah foundered in the North Atlantic in 1832. [3]
Guildford was a two-decker merchant ship launched in 1810. She transported convicts to New South Wales. Of her eight voyages delivering convicts, for three she was under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). She underwent major repairs in 1819, her hull was sheathed in copper in 1822; in 1825 she received new wales, top sides and deck, the copper was repaired and other repairs. Guildford was lost without a trace in 1831.
Albion was a sailing ship of two decks and three masts, built at Bristol, England, and launched in 1813. She made three voyages transporting convicts to Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales. She also traded with Jamaica, India, and Quebec. For two of the voyages to India she was an "extra" ship to the British East India Company (EIC).
Brothers was built in Whitby, England in 1815. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC), and two transporting convicts to Australia. Afterwards she traded across the Atlantic, primarily to Quebec, and was last listed in 1837.
Hercules was built in 1822 at Whitby, England. She made three voyages to Australia transporting convicts to New South Wales. She also made two voyages under contract to the British East India Company (EIC). She was broken up in 1847.
Henry Porcher was launched in 1817 at Bristol, England. Between 1818 and 1831 she made three voyages to India for the British East India Company (EIC). On the second she first transported convicts to Sydney, New South Wales. Between these voyages for the EIC Henry Porcher traded privately to India as a licensed ship. She made two further voyages as a convict transport, one to Sydney in 1834–35, and one to Hobart in 1836. She grounded in 1858 and was broken up in 1860.
Norfolk was built at Littlehampton, England in 1814. She was originally a West Indiaman, and then sailed to India and Quebec. She made four voyages transporting convicts from England to Australia, one voyage from Ireland to Australia and one from Madras and Mauritius to Australia. She was wrecked on 7 July 1837.
Recovery was a merchant ship built at Batavia in 1799 and taken in prize circa 1811. She made two voyages transporting convicts from England to Australia and one from Ireland to Australia. She also made two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She was last listed in 1847.
Clyde was a merchant ship built at Greenock, Scotland in 1820. She made two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She then made three voyages transporting convicts from England and Ireland to Australia. She was last listed in 1845.
City of Edinburgh was a merchant ship built at Bengal in 1813. She transferred to British registry and sailed between Britain and India. She made two voyages transporting convicts from Ireland to Australia. Later, she made a whaling voyage to New Zealand. She was wrecked in 1840.
Castle Forbes was a merchant ship built by Robert Gibbon & Sons at Aberdeen, Scotland in 1818. She was the first vessel built at Aberdeen for the trade with India. She then made several voyages to India, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She made two voyages transporting convicts from Ireland to Australia. She sustained damage in 1826 on a voyage to India and was condemned at the Cape of Good Hope. However, she was repaired. She was last listed in 1832, and in 1838 in Lloyd's Register (LR).
Elizabeth was a merchant ship built at Chepstow, Wales in 1809. She made three voyages transporting convicts from England and Ireland to Australia. Elizabeth is no longer listed after 1832 and may have been lost in 1831.
Grenada was a merchant ship built at Kingston upon Hull, England in 1810. She made four voyages transporting convicts from England to Australia. In 1827, while returning to England from Australia via Batavia, she arrived at Mauritius in a damaged state and was condemned.
Isabella was a merchant ship built on the Thames, England, and launched in 1818. She made six voyages transporting convicts from England and Ireland to Australia. In between, she made one round trip to China for the British East India Company (EIC). From her launch to 1834 she traded with India and the Far East under a license from the EIC. From 1848 on served in the North America trade. She is last listed in 1850.
Hooghly was a full-rigged merchant ship built on the Thames, England, and launched in 1819. She made two voyages under charter to the British East India Company (EIC), four voyages transporting convicts from England and Ireland to Australia, as well as voyages transporting emigrants to South Australia between 1839 and 1856. Around 1858 she was re-rigged as a barque. She sank off Algiers in 1863.
York was a sailing ship built in 1819 at Southwick. She made one voyage to Bombay for the British East India Company (EIC) in 1820. She made three voyages transporting convicts to Australia between 1829 and 1832. She was condemned and sold for breaking up in 1833 at Mauritius.
Dick was a merchant ship built in 1788 in Rotherhithe, on the River Thames, England. She initially sailed as a West Indiaman. Her role and whereabouts between 1796 and 1810 are obscure. Later, she made two voyages as a troop transport, one to Ceylon and one to New South Wales. She then made one voyage in 1820 transporting convicts to New South Wales. She was last listed in 1822.
Larkins made ten voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), all as an "extra ship", i.e. under contract. On two of these voyages she first transported convicts to Australia. She also made one convict voyage independently of the EIC. She traded extensively between England and India or China, and in this twice suffered serious but not fatal maritime mishaps. In 1853 she became a coal hulk at Albany, Western Australia, and remained there until she was broken up in 1876.
Susan was launched at Calcutta in 1813. She initially traded in the East Indies as a country ship, and with Britain under license from the British East India Company (EIC). Between 1829 and 1831 she made two voyages for the EIC. Then between 1834 and 1836 she made four voyages transporting convicts, two to New South Wales, and two to Tasmania. She foundered in 1846 as she was sailing between London and the Cape of Good Hope.
Fairlie was launched at Calcutta in 1810 and sailed to England. There she became a regular ship for the British East India Company (EIC). Including her voyage to England, she made four voyages for the EIC. From around 1821 on she became a Free Trader, continuing to trade with India under a license from the EIC. She also made two voyages transporting convicts to New South Wales (1834), and Tasmania (1852). She made several voyages carrying immigrants to South Australia, New South Wales, and British Guiana. She foundered in November 1865.
Layton was launched in 1814 at Lancaster, possibly as a West Indiaman. She twice sailed to India under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC), once as a troopship. The EIC later chartered Layton three times for single voyages to India and Java. She made four voyages transporting convicts to Australia. She also made two voyages carrying emigrants from the United Kingdom to New South Wales. She was lost in 1847.