History | |
---|---|
Great Britain | |
Name | General Eliott |
Namesake | General Eliott |
Owner | Robert Preston [1] |
Operator | British East India Company |
Builder | Perry, Randall, Rotherhithe [2] |
Launched | 8 November 1782 |
Fate | Sold for breaking up in 1802 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Tons burthen | 755, [2] 800, [1] [3] (bm) |
Length |
|
Beam | 35 ft 11+1⁄2 in (11.0 m) |
Depth of hold | 14 ft 11 in (4.5 m) |
Propulsion | Sail |
Complement | |
Armament |
|
Notes | Three decks |
General Eliott (or General Elliott) was launched in 1782 as the East Indiaman Fletcher, but was renamed before completion to honour General Elliott's defence of Gibraltar. Under the ownership of Robert Preston (later 6th Baronet), she made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) and one voyage as a transport for a naval expedition. She then became a West Indiaman until she was sold for breaking up in 1802.
Captain Robert Drummond sailed from Portsmouth on 17 March 1783, bound for Bombay. General Eliott reached Johanna on 28 June and arrived at Bombay on 19 July. She visited Tellicherry on 24 September, Anjengo on 4 October, and Tellicherry again on 26 October, and returned to Bombay on 10 November. She then visited Goa on 29 November, and returned to Bombay on 16 December. Homeward bound, she was at Goa on 21 January 1784, Tellicherry on 6 February, and St Helena on 5 May, and she arrived back at The Downs on 18 July. [1]
Captain Drummond sailed from Portsmouth on 28 March 1785. General Eliott arrived at Whampoa anchorage on 29 August. Homeward bound, she crossed the Second Bar on 27 December, reached St Helena on 25 March 1786, and arrived at The Downs on 27 May. [1]
Captain Robert Preston sailed from The Downs on 1 April 1787, bound for Bombay. General Eliott reached Madeira on 19 April and arrived at Bombay on 28 July. Homeward bound, she was at St Helena on 2 March 1788, and arrived at The Downs on 10 May. [1]
Captain Robert Drummond sailed from The Downs on 19 December 1788, bound for Bombay and China. General Eliott was at Simon's Bay on 13 March 1789, reached Bombay on 16 May, and arrived at Whampoa on 27 September. Homeward bound, she crossed the Second Bar on 8 January 1790, reached St Helena on 13 April, and arrived at The Downs on 19 June. [1]
Captain Drummond sailed from The Downs on 6 April 1792, bound for Bombay. General Eliott arrived at Bombay on 28 July. She visited Surat on 14 November, returned to Bombay on 30 November, returned to Surat on 5 February 1793, and returned to Bombay on 15 February. Homeward bound, she was at Tellicherry on 9 March and Calicut on 27 March. She reached St Helena on 14 June, and arrived at The Downs on 21 August.
War with France had commenced on 1 February 1793 and Captain Robert Drummond acquired a letter of marque on 17 August 1793. However, Captain Adam Drummond acquired one on 23 December 1793. [3]
The British government held General Elliot 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 £1,346 12s 8d for having delayed her departure by 71 days.
General Eliott sailed from Portsmouth on 2 May 1794, bound for Bengal. [1] She arrived at Diamond Harbour on 11 September. Homeward bound, she was at Saugor on 28 November, reached St Helena on 18 May 1795, and arrived at The Downs on 22 July. [1]
General Eliott had no sooner returned to England when she joined Admiral Hugh Cloberry Christian's expedition to the West Indies. [4] The Government chartered General Eliott and a number of other EIC vessels, as transports. Captain Joshua Langhorne acquired a letter of marque on 30 October 1795. [3]
The expedition sailed on 6 October, 16 November, and 9 December, but weather forced the vessels to put back. At some point General Eliott and Sulivan sustained so much damage in gales that they had to come into harbour to refit. [5]
The fleet finally successfully sailed on 20 March to invade St Lucia, with troops under Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby. St Lucia surrendered to the British on 25 May. [6] The British went on to capture Saint Vincent and Grenada.
General Eliott was sold into the West Indies trade in 1796. [2] On 25 February 1798 her officers and crew (some 70 persons in all), abandoned her on the Goodwin Sands as she was returning from Jamaica. A Danish vessel took them aboard. Although she was taking on water, and had lost her rudder, cables, and anchors, she continued to float. Boats came from shore and salvaged her. Estimates were that the salvors would earn £10,000 for their efforts. [7] The Royal Navy frigate HMS Astraea and ship of the line HMS Veteran towed General Elliot in to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. [8]
General Eliott was sold in 1802 for breaking up. [2]
Royal Admiral was an East Indiaman, launched in 1777 on the River Thames. She made eight trips for the East India Company (EIC) before she was sold. She then continued to trade. She made two trips carrying convicts from England to Australia, one as an East Indiaman in 1791, and a second in 1800. On this second voyage as a convict transport she was present at a notable naval action.
Albion was an East Indiaman of the British East India Company (EIC). She made eight voyages for the EIC before she was sold to the British government in 1810 for service as a troopship. She was lost at sea in 1816.
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.
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.
Woodcot was launched in 1786 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made four voyages for the EIC. The French captured her in 1798 at Tellicherry as she was homeward bound from her fifth voyage. American owners purchased her, renamed her Berkshire, and sailed her to Bombay in 1799.
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.
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.
Contractor was launched in 1779 as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She made one voyage as a transport for a military expedition before her owners sold her in 1800 for use as a transport.
Dublin was launched in 1784 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), to India and China. On her last voyage for the EIC she recaptured a country ship. Her owners sold Dublin in 1800 and she became a West Indiaman, but apparently was lost on her first voyage.
Duke of Montrose was launched in 1785 as an East Indiaman. She made eight voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She then briefly became a troop transport, sailing to the West Indies. She was sold in 1811 for breaking up.
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.
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.
True Briton was launched in 1790 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She was lost without a trace in 1809 during her eighth voyage.
Sulivan, was launched 1782 as an East Indiaman. She made five voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), and twice participated as a transport for military expeditions. Her owners sold her to an American and she became the British-registered vessel Washington. She was involved in a single-ship action with a French privateer shortly after her sale. She traded with America until 1805 when she was sold for breaking up.
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.
Belvedere was launched in 1787 at Itchenor. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She then briefly sailed as a West Indiaman. She was broken up by 1805.
Thetis was launched on the river Thames in 1786 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company between 1787 and 1800, She then was sold and spent a handful of years as a West Indiaman. She was broken up in 1806.
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.
Warren Hastings was launched in 1781 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made six voyages for the EIC before being sold in 1797 for breaking up.