HMS Greenwich (1777)

Last updated

History
Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg British East India Company
Name:Greenwich
Namesake: Greenwich
Owner:
  • EIC voyage #1:John Henniker [1]
  • EIC voyage #2:Thomas Debuke [1]
  • EIC voyages #3&4:F Atherton Hindley [1]
Builder: John & William Wells, Deptford
Launched: 1766
Fate: Sold to the Royal Navy 1777
Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svgGreat Britain
Name: HMS Greenwich
Completed: 12 December 1777 at Deptford Dockyard
Acquired: September 1777
Commissioned: September 1777
Decommissioned: March 1783
In service:
  • 1777–1779
  • 1779–1783
Fate: Sold at Deptford Dockyard, 10 April 1783
General characteristics [2]
Class and type: 26-gun sixth-rate frigate
Tons burthen: 676, [1] or 753​48⁄94, or 754 [3] bm
Length:
  • Overall:140 ft 9 in (42.9 m), or 145 ft 6 in (44.3 m) [3]
  • Keel:116 ft 9 in (35.6 m)
Beam: 34 ft 10 in (10.6 m), 35 ft 0 in (10.7 m) [3]
Depth of hold: 13 ft 10 in (4.2 m)
Sail plan: Full-rigged ship
Complement:
  • 200 from 1777–1779
  • 160 from 1780–1783
Armament:
  • Upper deck: 20 × 9-pounder guns
  • Forecastle: 2 × 6-pounder guns (from 1779)

HMS Greenwich was the East Indiaman Greenwich, launched in 1766 that made four voyages to India for the British East India Company. The Royal Navy purchased her in 1777 for use as a frigate during the American Revolutionary War, but then converted her to a storeship and receiving ship . She saw service in North American waters and off the English port of Sheerness between 1777 and 1783, but was ultimately declared surplus to requirements and sold into private hands at Deptford Dockyard.

Contents

EIC voyages

EIC voyage #1 (1767–1768)

Captain Benjamin Hooke sailed from the Downs on 24 April 1767, bound for Bombay. On 19 May Greenwich was at São Tiago, on 30 August Madagascar, on 30 November Cochin, on 9 December Tellicherry, and on 24 December she arrived at Bombay. Homeward bound, she was at Tellicherry on 6 May 1768, and Cochin on 18 May. She reached St Helena on 22 August, and arrived at the Downs on 19 November. [1]

EIC voyage #2 (1770–1771)

Captain Robert Carr sailed from the Downs on 21 February 1770. On 12 June Greenwich reached Madagascar, and on 20 July she arrived at Bombay. Homeward bound, she was at Tellicherry on 6 December, Cochin on 11 December, and Anjengo on 15 December. She reached St Helena on 10 March 1771, and arrived at the Downs on 28 May. [1]

EIC voyage #3 (1771–1773)

Captain Carr sailed from Portsmouth on 31 December 1771, bound for Madras and Bengal. Greenwich was at Madeira on 15 January 1772, the Cape on 5 May, Johanna on 18 June, and Madras on 16 July. She arrived at Culpee on 22 August. Homeward bound, she was at Ingeli on 21 November and the Cape on 28 February 1773. She reached St Helena on 8 April and Ascension on 24 April, and arrived at the Downs 21 June. [1]

EIC voyage #4 (1776–1777)

Captain Carr sailed from Falmouth on 7 January 1776, bound for Madras and Bengal. Greenwich reached the Cape on 1 April and Madras on 2 June. She arrived at Culpee on 2 July. Homeward bound, she was at Ingeli on 25 August, Madras on 20 September, Mauritius on 3 December, 8 Dec Réunion on 8 December, and the Cape on 17 January 1777. She reached St Helena on 11 March and arrived at the Downs on 23 July. [1]

The Royal Navy purchased Greenwich in September 1777 and commissioned her under Commander Christopher Rigby for North American service. Her first assignment was as a storeship, carrying supplies to British troops in Boston and New York; she set sail for North America on 16 March 1778 and remained there until the following year. [2]

In March 1779 she returned to Woolwich Dockyard for repair. In April she sailed to Sheerness Dockyard where she was refitted as a 22-gun receiving ship, to collect and hold sailors gathered by press gangs operating ashore. Commander William Daniel recommission her on 16 March 1779. Fitting-out lasted until August. She then served as a depot at Sea Reach. [2]

Fate

Greenwich was paid off in March 1783 and sailed to Deptford Dockyard for disposal. She was sold back into private ownership on 10 April 1783 for the sum of £400. [2]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 British Library: Greenwich (2).
  2. 1 2 3 4 Winfield (2007), p. 359.
  3. 1 2 3 Hackman (2001), p. 119.

Related Research Articles

Queen was launched in 1785 and served the British East India Company as an East Indiaman. She had made four voyages to India and China for the Company and was on the initial leg of her fifth voyage when a fire on 9 July 1800 destroyed her at St. Salvador.

Scarborough was an East Indiaman launched in December 1734 that performed two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). The Admiralty purchased her in 1739 and commissioned her as HMS Scarborough. The original intent was to use her as a storeship, but instead she was fitted up as a hospital ship. The Admiralty sold her in 1744.

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.

York was launched in 1773 as an East Indiaman' She then made five voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1773 and 1787. She then became a general merchantman and was last listed in 1794.

Henry Dundas was an East Indiaman launched in 1786 that made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She was broken up in 1804.

<i>Northumberland</i> (1780 EIC ship)

Northumberland was launched in 1780 to serve as a regular ship of the British East India Company (EIC). She made six voyages for the EIC between 1780 and 1797. She was sold in 1797 for breaking up.

Airly Castle, was 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.

<i>Rockingham</i> (1785 EIC ship)

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 served as a transport. She set out for her twelfth EIC voyage but was lost in 1805 during the third naval campaign.

Stafford was an East Indiaman launched in 1769 that made two complete voyages to India and China for the British East India Company. During her third voyage she was wrecked in 1779 at Calcutta.

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.

Ganges was launched in 1778 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), and one voyage as a transport for a naval expedition.

Deptford was launched in 1781 as an East Indiaman. She made six apparently uneventful voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) before she was sold in 1807 for breaking up.

Defence was launched in 1735 at Deptford. She made three voyages to India, the Red Sea, and China for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1736 and 1743 before she was sold out of the EIC's service

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.

Earl of Chesterfield was launched in 1781 as an East Indiaman. She made four voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) before she was sold in 1794 for breaking up.

Sovereign was launched at Rotherhithe in 1800 as a West Indiaman. The British East India Company (EIC) then took her up as an "extra" ship on several contracts; in all she made seven voyages as an East Indiaman for the EIC. After she left the EIC's service in 1817 she continued to trade with India, but under a license from the EIC. She was broken up in 1822.

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.

Kent was launched in Deptford in 1781. She made six voyages to India, China, and South East Asia for the British East India Company (EIC), and participated as a transport in one military campaign. She was sold for breaking up in 1797.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.