Belle Alliance (1817 ship)

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History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameBelle Alliance
Namesake La Belle Alliance
BuilderJames Macrae, Chittagong [1]
Laid down1 December 1815, [1]
Launched17 April 1817, [1] or 1817 [2]
Nickname(s)The Bell of Lions [a]
FateLast listed 1854
General characteristics
Tons burthen627, or 637, [2] or 650, [4] or 67692⁄94, [1] or 677, or 700 (bm)
Length126 ft 3 in (38.5 m) [5]
Beam34 ft 9 in (10.6 m) [1]

Belle Alliance was launched at Chittagong in 1817. She moved her registry to England. In 1820 she carried settlers to South Africa. She then traded with India initially under a license from the British East India Company, which trade continued after the company's demise. In 1847 she carried emigrants to Adelaide, South Australia. She was last listed in 1854.

Contents

Career

In 1819 Belle Alliance appeared on the registry at Calcutta with William Rolfe, master, and Alexander & Co., owners. [4]

On 12 February 1820 Captain Rolfe sailed from London with 307 settlers bound for South Africa under the auspices of the British government's 1820 Settlers scheme. Belle Alliance arrived at Table Bay on 2 May and shortly thereafter arrived at Algoa Bay, Elizabethtown. [6]

On 28 December 1821 a gale at Portsmouth drove Belle Alliance, Rolfe, master, out to sea. She had to cut away one anchor and broke the stock on the other. She was on her way to India. [7] By 23 January she was at Santiago, Cape Verde; she reached Madras prior to 11 May.

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource & notes
1825W. RolfeRolfe & Co.London–CalcuttaLR
1830H. HunterHunterLondon–CalcuttaLR
1830HunterCaptain & Co.London–IndiaRS
1835C. ArkcollLR

On 13 November 1840 Belle Alliance arrived at Saint Helena. Two days later her passengers and crew joined the procession that carried Napoleon's body from his grave to the wharf where it was to the frigate Belle Poule was to convey it to France to be reburied. The crew of Belle Alliance wore ribbons around their hats with in letters of gold "La Belle Alliance". [8]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource & notes
1840C. Arkoll
Price		Farncomb
J.Somes 		London–Madras
London Transport		LR; small repairs 1836 & 1837

On 26 February 1841 Belle Alliance left England with provisions and stores that she was carrying to China. She remained there until her discharge on 30 November. [9]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource & notes
1845WestJ. SomesLondon–GibraltarLR

On 28 February 1847 Belle Alliance, Abraham Van Der Vord, master, left London with settlers for South Australia. She stopped at Plymouth on 8 March. Near Madeira she encountered a gale that carried away her main top mast. She returned to Plymouth and after affecting repairs sailed again on 4 April. She arrived at Adelaide on 30 June with 291 emigrants. Port-to-port the voyage had taken 88 days, a remarkably fast transit. [5]

Then on 6 July she ran aground at Adelaide. [10]

Belle Alliance sailed on 16 August for Singapore, in ballast. [5]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource & notes
1850D. StephensJ.&F. SomesLondon–CalcuttaLR; small repairs 1848
1854G. BawdensSomes, brothersLR

Notes

  1. ↑ In recollections of a voyage c.1823. [3]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hackman (2001), p. 253.
  2. 1 2 Phipps (1840), pp. 178 & 189.
  3. ↑ Doveton (1845), pp. 321–329.
  4. 1 2 East-India register and directory (1819), p.132.
  5. 1 2 3 South Australian Maritime Museum – Passengers inhistory: "La Belle Alliance".
  6. ↑ 1820 British Settlers to South Africa: La Belle Alliance.
  7. ↑ Lloyd's List 1 January 1822, №5658.
  8. ↑ "Extract from a Narrative of the Disinterment of Napoleon Bonaparle at St. Helena on October 15, 1840". Notes and Queries. s3-X (235): 525–528 [528]. doi:10.1093/nq/s3-IX.235.525 (inactive 11 July 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
  9. ↑ "The Ships List": Transports From Great Britain, 1839-1846.
  10. ↑ "Shipping Intelligence". The South Australian. Adelaide. 6 July 1847. p. 3.

References

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