Essex was launched in 1780 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). On her first voyage she was present at an inconclusive battle with the French, and later at a second inconclusive engagement with a French frigate. In 1798 she was sold to be hulked or broken up.
EIC voyage #1 (1781–1783): Captain Arthur Morris sailed from Portsmouth on 13 March 1781, bound for Madras and China as part of a convoy of Indiamen accompanying a British squadron under CommodoreGeorge Johnstone.[4] At about the same time as the British sailed, a French squadron under the command of Bailli de Suffren left France. Both squadrons were en route to the Cape of Good Hope, the British to take it from the Dutch, the French aiming to help defend it and French possessions in the Indian Ocean, including Rodriguez Island, Ile Bourbon (Réunion), Île de France (Mauritius), and Pondicherry.
The British stopped at São Tiago to take on water, with Essex arriving on 9 April.[3] The French squadron attacked the British on 16 April in the battle of Porto Praya. Due to the unexpected nature of the encounter, neither fleet was prepared for the engagement and the result was an inconclusive battle in which the French warships sustained more damage than did the British. Though the battle was inconclusive, it did enable the French to forestall the British attack on the Cape. The British sailed on to the Cape. At the Cape, Johnstone captured five Dutch East Indiamen at the battle of Saldanha Bay. The British Indiamen then sailed on, directly, or indirectly, to India.
Essex arrived at Madras on 24 August. She was at 19 Oct Tranquebar on 19 October, trincomalee on 4 January 1782, and Tellicherry on 13 February.[3]
On 20 April a gale struck near Bombay. Several vessels were lost, and Essex lost masts.[5][6] She arrived at Bombay on 24 April.[3]
Essex left Bombay on 8 August in company with the Indiamen Asia, Locko, and Osterley, and the country ship Shah Byram Gore. As the squadron was sailing through the Strait of Malacca, on 9 September the ships encountered the 38-gun French frigate Pourvoyeuse, which was under the command of Captain de Lannuguy-Tromelin.[7] After an engagement the next day that lasted some two-and-a-half hours and in which Osterley had two men killed, and Locko and Essex had several men injured from exploding cartridges, Pouvoyeuse withdrew.
Essex arrived at Whampoa anchorage on 5 October,[3] as did Asia and Osterley. Locko had arrived the day before.
Homeward bound, Essex crossed the Second Bar on 19 December, reached St Helena on 18 June 1783, and arrived at the Downs on 5 October.[3]
EIC voyage #2 (1785–1786): Captain John Strover sailed from The Downs on 7 January 1785, bound for Madras and China. Essex reached St Augustine's Bay on 22 May, and arrived at Madras on 3 July. She arrived at Whampoa on 10 August. Homeward bound, Essex crossed the Second Bar on 3 February 1786, reached St Helena on 8 June, and arrived at the Downs on 14 August.[3]
EIC voyage #3 (1788–1789): Captain Strover sailed from The Downs on 20 January 1788, bound for St Helena and China. Essex reached St Helena on 12 May and Batavia on 27 August. She arrived at Whampoa on 2 November. Homeward bound, Essex crossed the Second Bar on 8 February 1789, reached St Helena on 4 May, and arrived at the Downs on 8 July.[3]
EIC voyage #4 (1791–1792): Captain Strover sailed from Portsmouth on 17 May 1791, bound for Bombay. Essex reached Johanna on 28 September, and arrived at Bombay on 17 November. On 12 January 1792 she was at Surat, and she returned to Bombay on 22 January. Homeward bound, she was at Tellicherry on 27 February, and Anjengo on 8 March. She reached St Helena on 26 June and arrived at The Downs on 1 September.[3]
The British government held Essex at Portsmouth, together with a number of other Indiamen in anticipation of using them as transports for an attack on Île de France (Mauritius). It gave up the plan and released the vessels in May 1794. It paid £1,500 for having delayed her departure by 72 days.
Captain Strover was at Portsmouth on 24 April,[3] and sailed on 2 May, bound for Madras and Bengal.[3]Essex reached Madras on 10 September and arrived at Diamond Harbour on 24 October. Homeward bound, she was at Saugor on 30 December. She reached St Helena on 24 May 1795 St Helena.[3]
While Essex was at St Helena, the 64-gun third rateHMSSceptre and the Indiaman General Goddard, together with the assistance of some other Indiaman, captured eight Dutch East Indiamen.
The convoy of British and captured Dutch East Indiamen arrived at Shannon on 13 September. Essex arrived back at The Downs on 15 October.[3] Although Essex had not actively engaged the Dutch, she did share in the prize money.[8]
EIC voyage #6 (1796–1798): Captain Strover sailed from Portsmouth on 29 March 1796, bound for Madras and Bengal. Essex reached Simon's Bay on 22 July.[3]
While she was at the Cape Captain Strover became Commodore of the East Indiamen in False Bay. Some had come with Vice-AdmiralSir George Elphinstone's expedition to the Dutch Cape Colony. Elphinstone took his naval vessels to intercept a Dutch naval squadron in an action that resulted in the Capitulation of Saldanha Bay. He placed the merchantmen under Strover's overall command and charged him with organizing a defence should the Dutch evade the Royal Navy and attack Simon's Bay. After the capture of the Dutch squadron the Indiamen were free to proceed on their voyages.[Note 1]
Essex arrived at Madras on 17 November. On 2 December she was at Trincomalee, and she returned to Madras on 5 January 1797. She arrived at Kedgeree on 1 February. She sailed for Bombay and was at Saugor on 12 May, Anjengo on 12 April, and Tellicherry on 2 May. She arrived at Bombay on 8 June. She returned to Bombay on 12 August. Homeward bound, she reached the Cape on 22 October and St Helena on 3 December. She arrived at The Downs on 30 January 1798.[3]
Fate
Essex was sold in 1798 to be hulked or broken up.[1]
Notes
↑ The EIC later awarded Strover with a large silver two-handled urn-shaped cup inscribed "Presented by the EAST INDIA COMPANY, to CAPTAIN STROVER, OF THE ESSEX EAST INDIA-MAN for his gallant conduct at the Capture of the CAPE OF GOOD HOPE".[9]
Osterley was a three-decker East Indiaman, launched in 1780, that made seven trips for the British East India Company between 1781 and 1800. She was present at two battles, and an engagement in which four Indiamen and a country ship engaged a French frigate. On her last trip a French frigate captured her in a single-ship action, but sent her on her way. Osterley eventually returned to Britain in 1800. Her subsequent fate is unknown.
Locko was originally the French East Indiaman Modeste, built in France. The Royal Navy captured Modeste in 1778, while she was on the return leg of her maiden voyage, whereupon individuals associated with the British East India Company (EIC) purchased her. She entered the EIC's service in 1780, then performed three voyages for the EIC. On the first voyage she was present at the Battle of Porto Praya, and led an inconclusive attack by five merchant vessels on a French frigate. The second and third voyages were much less eventful. Locko's owners disposed of her on her return in 1788 from her third voyage.
Asia was launched in 1780 and made six voyages as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She participated in three actions, two against the French and one against the Dutch. She left the EIC's service in 1799 and traded between London and Lisbon until 1802 when new owners from Embden renamed her Reine Louise de Prusse and returned her to trading with the East Indies. Asia is last listed in Lloyd's Register for 1808 on the London-Batavia trade.
Airly Castle, was built by William Barnard at Deptford and launched in 1787. She made eight voyages as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1788 and 1808. In 1795 she participated in the capture of seven Dutch East Indiamen near St Helena. After her eight voyages she may have served briefly as a general transport before she was sold for breaking up in 1810. She was not broken up but instead served as a transport for several years.
Taunton Castle was launched on the River Thames in 1790 as an East Indiaman. She made nine voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) before she was broken up in 1813. In 1797, on her third trip, she was one of a fleet of six East Indiamen that bluffed a squadron of six French frigates into fleeing.
Rockingham was launched as an East Indiaman in 1785. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1786 and 1802 before she was sold for breaking up.
Ponsborne was launched in 1779 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made six voyages for the EIC before she was wrecked in 1796 at Grenada after having landed troops there.
Britannia was launched by the Bombay Dockyard in 1772, and was rebuilt in 1778. The British East India Company (EIC) apparently acquired her in 1775. Between 1779 she made eleven complete voyages as an East Indiaman for the EIC. She also participated in three naval campaigns, during the first of which she was deployed as a cruiser off Sumatra. There she engaged and captured a French ship. In the other two she served as a transport. She set out for her twelfth EIC voyage but was lost in 1805 during the third naval campaign.
Ceres was launched in 1797 as an East Indiaman. She made nine voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), before she was hulked in 1816.
Sir Stephen Lushington was launched in 1796 as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). During this period she took part as a transport in two military campaigns, the cancelled attack on Manila in 1797, and the capture of Mauritius in 1810. In 1812 she became a West Indiaman, thought around 1816 she made another voyage to India. Thereafter her ownership and trade becomes ambiguous: she either traded with Spain until 1822, or with South America until 1825.
Lord Camden was launched in 1783 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company. She made five voyages for the EIC before her owner sold her.
Lord Hawkesbury was launched in 1787 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made eight voyages for the EIC before she was sold in 1808 for breaking up.
Lord Macartney was launched in 1782 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC0 before she was sold in 1798. She then traded across the Atlantic to North America and was last listed in 1811.
Melville Castle was launched in 1786 as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She was sold in 1802 to Dutch owners and wrecked with great loss of life later that year on her first voyage for them.
Earl of Wycombe was launched in 1786 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). In 1800 she became a general trader, trading across the Atlantic to the West Indies and Canada. She was lost without a trace c.1803.
Manship was launched in 1785 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages as a "regular ship" for the British East India Company (EIC). In June 1795 Manship shared with several other Indiamen and the Royal Navy in the capture of eight Dutch East Indiamen off St Helena. Her owners sold her in 1801 and she then made one voyage for the EIC as an "extra ship" on a voyage charter. Her owners sold her to the British government in 1803 for use as a powder hulk.
Worcester was launched in 1785 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made eight voyages to India and China for the EIC and participated as a transport in two naval expeditions before she was sold in 1809 for breaking up.
Essex was launched on 7 February 1803 by Perry, Blackwell as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) until on 20 August 1821 her register was cancelled as she had been demolished.
London was launched in 1779 as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), between 1780 and 1798. She was sold for breaking up in 1799.
Carmarthen was launched in 1802 as an East Indiaman. She made eight round voyages as an "extra" ship for the British East India Company (EIC). On her first voyage she participated in an experiment in bringing variolation to India and other British possessions to combat smallpox. After leaving the EIC's employment, she took one more voyage to India, sailing under a licence from the EIC. She was last listed in 1820.
References
du Preez, H.M. (2006). "Captain Strover's Reward". Quarterly Bulletin of the National Library of South Africa. 60 (4): 128–136.
d'Unienville, Raymond (2004). Hier Suffren.
Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN0-905617-96-7.
Low, Charles Rathbone (1877). History of the Indian Navy: (1613-1863). R. Bentley and son.
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