Henry Wellesley was a barque built in 1804 by Bacon, Harvey & Company at Calcutta, British India. In 1808 a French privateer captured her, but she returned to British ownership. Between 1820 and 1824 she was a whaler that made three voyages to the British southern whale fishery. Later, she twice transported women convicts from England to Port Jackson, New South Wales. She was wrecked near Calais in 1841.
In September 1808 the French privateer Hirondelle captured Henry Wellesley, Wilkinson, master, near Ganjam.[4] She returned to British ownership by means that are currently obscure.
In March 1812 Lloyd's List reported that Henry Wellesley had been on her way to Île de France when she had grounded between Gravesend, Kent and the Downs. She had lost her false keel and was expected to have to go into dock at Portsmouth and unload.[5] By 3 June she was at Madeira, on her way to the CGH, the Cape, and Mauritius. On 21 August Henry Wellesley, Groube, master, had reached the Cape.
Henry Wellesley sailed from Bengal on 24 September 1813. She arrived at the Cape on 7 December and sailed from there on 13 December. On 4 January 1814 Henry Wellesley, Teeple, master, sailed from St Helena. On 14 March she was off Folkestone.
Henry Wellesley changed her registration to Great Britain on 20 May 1814.[6]
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source
1814
S.Goube A.Spain
Dumont G.Faith
London–CGH London–Martinique
LR
Henry Wellesley, Spain, master, sailed from Gravesend on 27 July, bound for Martinique.
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source
1818
A.Spain C.Cole
G.Faith
London–Jamaica
LR
1820
C.W.Cole
G.Faith
London–India
LR
Cole sailed from Cork for Jamaica on 22 November 1819. On 31 May 1820 Henry Wellesley was at Deal, returning from Jamaica.
Cole did not sail to India. Instead, next Henry Wellesley became a whaler.
1st whaling voyage (1820–1821): Captain Brydon (or Bryon) sailed from London on 18 October 1820, bound for the south seas. Henry Wellesley hunted whales at the New South Shetland Islands (where she had arrived on 1 February 1821), and Delagoa Bay (where she had arrived on 1 June). She returned to England on 5 November 1821 with ten casks of whale oil, ten casks of blubber, and "fins".[7]
2nd whaling voyage (1822–1823): Captain Luke, and the outward bound fleet, sailed from Deal on 24 February 1822. Henry Wellesley was at Falmouth on 14 March, and had to put back on 16 March. By 28 March she was at 41°11′N12°30′W / 41.183°N 12.500°W / 41.183; -12.500. Henry Wellesley again hunted whales at the South Shetland Islands and Delagoa Bay. On 29 August she was at St Helena, having come from the south seas. On 15 September she sailed again for the south seas. On 9 October she was at 33°41′S2°00′E / 33.683°S 2.000°E / -33.683; 2.000. She returned to England early in 1823 with 100 casks of whale oil, and "fins".[7]
3rd whaling voyage (1823–1824): Captain Luke sailed from England for the South Seas on 14 March 1823. On 1 April 1823 Henry Wellesley was at the Cape, having come from Saldanha Bay and London. On 23 June she was off the Cape. Henry Wellesley was reported to have been at the Cape of Good Hope and St Helena in 1823. She returned to England on 9 February 1824.[7]
1st convict voyage (1835–1836): Under the command of Benjamin Freeman and surgeon Robert Wylie, Henry Wellesley departed Portsmouth, England on 7 October 1835, and arrived in Sydney on 7 February 1836.[8] She had embarked 118 female convicts and had five convict deaths en route.[9]Henry Wellesley departed Port Jackson on 20 March bound for Batavia in ballast.[10]
2nd convict voyage (1837):Henry Wellesley sailed from Woolwich on 20 July 1837, under the command of Edward Williams and surgeon William Leyson; she arrived in Sydney on 22 December.[11] She had initially embarked 140 female convicts, relanded one, and she arrived with 139; she had no convict deaths en route.[12]Henry Wellesley departed Port Jackson on 10 February 1838 bound for Batavia via King George's Sound, with cargo.[13]
Henry Wellesley sailed from Batavia on 2 January 1839 to Port Adelaide arriving on 5 March, then to Sydney arriving on 18 March. She then sailed for Batavia, before returning to Sydney in September and a voyage to Hobart Town, before again sailing for Batavia.
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source & notes
1840
Williams
J.Somes G.Castle
London London–Sydney
LR; large repair 1828 and damages repaired 1835
1841
Williams
G.Castle
London London–Sydney
LR; large repair 1828 and damages repaired 1835
Fate
While she was traveling from London to Hobart Town, Henry Wellesley went aground near Calais on 25 May 1841 and was wrecked.[14]
The volume for 1841 of Lloyd's Register carried the annotation "Wrecked" by Henry Wellesley's name.[15]
Archduke Charles was built in Newcastle, England in 1809. She was sheathed in copper in 1810 and partially resheathed with copper in 1812. She made one voyage transporting convicts from Ireland to New South Wales, and on her return voyage to Britain she carried a cargo from China for the British East India Company (EIC). She was wrecked in 1816 while carrying troops from Quebec to Nova Scotia.
Indispensable was a sailing ship built in France and launched in 1791. She was captured in 1793 at the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars and thus came into British hands, keeping her name. She performed two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1793 and 1797. During this period and later she made two voyages transporting convicts to New South Wales. Amongst her notable events were the discovery of Indispensable Strait (1794), the capture of a Spanish vessel (1798), and the rescue of some castaways (1814). She later went on serve as a whaler in the South Seas until autumn 1827. She ceased trading after this last voyage and was broken up by April 1830.
Asia was a merchant ship built by A. Hall & Company at Aberdeen in 1818. She made eight voyages between 1820 and 1836 transporting convicts from Britain to Australia. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1826 and 1827. At the same time she served in private trade to India as a licensed ship. She also carried assisted emigrants to Australia. She was last listed in 1845.
Henry was a sailing ship built in 1819 at Quebec, Canada. She initially sailed between London and Quebec, but then she made two voyages transporting convicts from England to Australia. She was wrecked in the Torres Strait in 1825.
Rambler was launched in America in 1812. The British captured her in 1813 as she was returning to America from Manila. She then briefly became a West Indiaman. In 1815 she became a whaler in the Southern Fishery. She made four complete whaling voyages and was wrecked on her fifth.
Barrosa was launched in 1811 at Cossipore. She sailed to England and then made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC); during this period she also made one voyage carrying immigrants to South Africa. After the EIC gave up its maritime activities in 1833-1834, Barossa became a transport. She made three voyages transporting convicts to Australia. She was lost in 1847, without loss of life, while transporting contract labourers from Madras to Jamaica.
Sir Andrew Hammond was launched at Bermuda in 1800. She spent almost a dozen years as a West Indiaman. From 1812 on she was a whaler. On her first whaling voyage she sailed to the Pacific where the United States Navy captured her. She then served briefly in the United States Navy before the British Royal Navy recaptured her. She returned to whaling and made a further eight whaling voyages. She was lost in 1841 on her tenth whaling voyage.
Policy was launched at Dartmouth in 1801. She was a whaler that made seven whaling voyages between 1803 and 1823. On her second whaling voyage, in 1804, she was able to capture two Dutch vessels. On her fourth voyage the United States Navy captured her, but the British Royal Navy recaptured her. She was lost at Tahiti in 1824 on her eighth whaling voyage.
Lady Harewood, was launched in 1791 at Rotherhithe. She was initially a West Indiaman and in 1800 a French privateer captured her, but a Royal Navy frigate recaptured her two days later. She made three voyages transporting convicts to Australia, one in 1829 to Van Diemen's Land, and two, in 1831 and 1832, to New South Wales. In 1833 she became leaky on her way to Singapore from Australia and was condemned and sold at Singapore.
Venus was launched at Deptford in 1788 and made 15 voyages as a whaler in the British southern whale fishery. Of 812 whalers in the British southern whale fishery database for which there was data, she had the fifth highest number of whaling voyages. She was last listed in 1823.
Regalia was launched at Sunderland in 1811. In 1819 she made a voyage to Calcutta, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She also sailed to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. From Sydney she engaged in several sealing hunting voyages to the waters around Macquarie Island. In 1826 she transported convicts from Dublin to New South Wales. From 1831 until 1852, when she was wrecked at Davis Strait, Regalia was a whaler in the northern whale fishery.
Sir Charles Price was launched in America in 1812 under another name. The British captured her c.1814 and Daniel Bennett purchased her and added her to his fleet of whalers. She made six complete whaling voyages and was lost in 1833 on her seventh whaling voyage.
Harriet was launched at Calcutta, between 1793 and 1795. Between 1795 and 1801 she made three voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), and was chartered for use as a transport for a naval campaign that was cancelled. She became a transport and then in 1817 made another voyage to India, this time under a license from the EIC. She then became a whaler in the British Southern Whale Fishery, making seven complete whaling voyages and being lost c.1841 on her eighth.
Cornwall was launched at Calcutta in 1810. She participated as a transport in two military campaigns more than 40 years apart. In between, she made four voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), carried assisted immigrants from England to Sydney, and transported convicts to Tasmania. She was wrecked at Mauritius in July 1858.
Lord Lyndoch was launched in 1814 at Calcutta. After she sailed to England she made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). Between 1831 and 1841 she made five voyages transporting convicts to Australia, three to Hobart and two to Sydney. She became a transport and suffered a maritime incident in 1844. She was last listed in 1847.
Woodman was launched at Gainsborough in 1808. She traded with northern Spain and then became a West Indiaman, and later a government transport. From 1816 on she made several voyages to India and South East Asia, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). She also made two voyages transporting convicts, one to New South Wales (NSW) in 1823 and one to Van Diemen's Land in 1825. She was lost in 1836.
Marquis/Marquess of Lansdown/Lansdowne was launched at Calcutta in 1824. She was initially a "country ship", trading east of the Cape of Good Hope. She then sailed to Port Jackson, but plans to establish a packet service between Australia and Calcutta, including taking tea from India to Australia under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC), did not work out. She then sailed to England and became a whaler, making four voyages to the British southern whale fishery between 1829 and 1845. She was last listed in 1847.
Zephyr was a vessel built in the United States that the Royal Navy captured in late 1813. Between 1814 and 1840, when she was lost, she made eight voyages as a whaler in the southern whale fishery.
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.
Grand Sachem was launched at Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1801. She was registered at Bideford in 1803, but until 1815 sailed from Milford Haven. Between approximately 1803 and 1822, she made eight voyages as a whaler in the British southern whale fishery. She was last listed in 1822 and was broken up in 1826.
House of Commons, Parliament, Great Britain (1814). Minutes of the Evidence Taken Before the Select Committee on Petitions Relating to East-India-Built Shipping. H.M. Stationery Office.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Phipps, John (1840). A Collection of Papers Relative to Ship Building in India ...: Also a Register Comprehending All the Ships ... Built in India to the Present Time ... Scott.
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