Jane, Duchess of Gordon (1805 EIC ship)

Last updated

History
Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
NameJane, Duchess of Gordon
Namesake Jane Gordon, Duchess of Gordon
OwnerCharles Christie
BuilderDudman, Deptford [1]
Launched14 April 1805 [1]
FateFoundered 1809
General characteristics
TypeShip
Tons burthen820, or 822, [2] or 8225894, [1] or 868 [3] (bm)
Length
  • Overall:143 ft 10 in (43.8 m)
  • Keel:116 ft 1 in (35.4 m) (keel) [2]
Beam36 ft 6 in (11.1 m) [2]
Depth of hold14 ft 10 in (4.5 m) [2]
PropulsionSail
Complement110 [3]
Armament2 × 18-pounder guns + 28 × 18-pounder carronades [3]
NotesThree decks

Jane, Duchess of Gordon was launched in 1805 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made one complete voyage for the EIC and then foundered while homeward bound on the second.

History

EIC voyage #1 (1805-1807): Captain John Cameron acquired a letter of marque on 18 March 1805. [3] He sailed from Portsmouth on 10 August 1805, bound for Madras and Bengal. Jane, Duchess of Gordon was at Cork on 14 August, Madeira on 29 September, and St. Salvadore on 10 November. [2]

Jane Duchess of Gordon was one of the EIC vessels that were part of the expedition under General Sir David Baird and Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham that would in 1806 capture the Dutch Cape Colony. They would carry supplies and troops to the Cape, and then continue on their voyages.

Jane Duchess of Gordon arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on 4 January 1806. [2]

After Dutch Governor Jansens signed a capitulation on 18 January 1806, and the British established control of the Cape Colony, Belliqueux escorted William Pitt, Jane Duchess of Gordon, Sir William Pulteney, and Comet to Madras. The convoy included Northampton, Streatham, Europe, Union, Glory, and Sarah Christiana. [4]

Jane, Duchess of Gordon reached Madras on 17 April. [2]

At Madras, the captains of the eight East Indiamen in the convoy joined together to present Captain George Byng, of Belliqueux, a piece of silver plate worth £100 as a token of appreciation for his conduct while they were under his orders. Byng wrote his thank you letter to them on 24 April. [5]

Jane, Duchess of Gordon arrived at Diamond Harbour on 21 June. Homeward bound, she was at Saugor on 4 September, Madras on 9 October, and the Cape on 30 December. She reached St Helena on 23 January 1807 and arrived at The Downs on 12 April. [2]

EIC voyage #2 (1808-loss): Captain Cameron sailed from Portsmouth on 8 May 1808, bound for Ceylon and Bengal. [2] Leopard provided the escort for the convoy of East Indiamen. [6] Leopard left the convoy on 28 July at 35°S7°E / 35°S 7°E / -35; 7 . [7]

On 14 March 1809 Jane, Duchess of Gordon, Calcutta, Bengal, and Lady Jane Dundas, parted company with the main convoy of East Indiamen off Mauritius in a gale. They were never heard of again. The hull of one of them was sighted overturned off Mauritius the following October, but sank before it could be identified. [8]

The EIC valued the cargo it lost on Jane, Duchess of Gordon, at £86,089. [9]

Citations and references

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Hackman 2001, p. 133-4.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 British Library: Jane, Duchess of Gordon.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Letter of Marque, p.70 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  4. Lloyd's List, №4059..
  5. Naval Chronicle, Vol. 17, pp.470-1.
  6. Lloyd's List №4290.
  7. Lloyd's List №4310.
  8. Hackman 2001, p. 66-7.
  9. Reports... (1830), Vol 2, p.977.

References

Related Research Articles

Northampton, was a three-decker merchant ship launched in 1801 upon the River Thames, England. She made eight voyages to India as an extra (chartered) ship for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1801 and 1819. During the same period she made one separate trip transporting convicts from Britain to New South Wales, followed by a voyage for the EIC from China back to England. In 1820 she carried settlers to South Africa. She is last listed in Lloyd's Register in 1822.

Comet was launched in 1800 on the Thames. In 1801 she made a voyage under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). On her second voyage, in 1803, the French captured her. Still, in 1804 her previous owners were able to reacquire her. She then made another voyage for the EIC. On her return she first served as a troopship and then in the West Indies trade. She apparently was lost in 1815 or 1816.

Northumberland was launched in 1805. She made six voyages as an extra ship of the British East India Company (EIC), between 1805 and 1818. In 1810 and 1811 she served as a transport in the British invasions of Mauritius and Java. She was sold for breaking up in 1819.

<i>Earl St Vincent</i> (1799 EIC ship) British East India Company ship

Earl St Vincent was launched on the Thames in 1799. Between 1800 and 1813 she made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), primarily to India, though on one voyage she reached Canton. In 1813 she was sold for breaking up.

Streatham was launched in 1805 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made seven voyages for the EIC. On her second voyage the French captured her, but the British Royal Navy recaptured her some months later. She was broken up in 1821.

Europe was launched in 1803 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made six voyages for the EIC. On her third voyage the French captured her, but the British Royal Navy recaptured her some months later. In 1817 her owners sold her for a hulk but new owners continued to sail her between London and India. She is last listed in 1824.

Bengal was launched in 1799 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made four complete voyages but foundered in 1809 with no trace while homeward bound from the fifth.

Huddart was launched in 1803 as an East Indiaman. She made eight voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), between 1803 and 1818. In 1810-1811 she participated as a transport in two British military campaigns. In 1818 new owners deployed her in sailing to Canada. She was wrecked there in 1821.

Hugh Inglis was launched in 1799 as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), between 1800 and 1817. In 1810 and 1811 she participated as a transport in two British military campaigns. She was sold for breaking up in 1817.

William Pitt was launched in 1805 as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), between 1805 and 1819. In 1810 and 1811 she participated as a transport in two British military campaigns. She was sold for breaking up in 1820.

Union was launched at Calcutta in 1801. She sailed to England and then made five voyages as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC), between 1805 and 1814. She was wrecked in late 1815 or early 1816.

Varuna was launched at Calcutta in 1796. She made four voyages as an "extra ship" for the British East India Company (EIC), and then spent two years as a troopship. She returned to India in 1806. She was lost in 1811, probably in a typhoon.

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.

Euphrates was launched in 1803 as an East Indiaman. Between 1803 and 1812 she made four voyages to India for the British East India Company (EIC). During these voyages she participated as a transport in two military campaigns, the capture of the Cape of Good Hope and of Mauritius. She was wrecked in 1813 towards the end of the outward leg of a fifth voyage to India.

Glory was an East Indiaman launched in 1802. She made two complete voyages as an "extra ship" for the British East India Company (EIC) before she disappeared in November 1808 while homeward bound from her third voyage. On her second voyage she participated in the British expedition to capture the Cape of Good Hope.

Sir William Pulteney was launched in 1803 at Calcutta as a country ship She sailed to England on a voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) and her owner sold her there. The EIC then engaged her as an "extra ship" for six voyages as an East Indiaman to India and back. She was sold in 1817.

Sarah Christiana was launched in 1798. She made one voyage as an "extra ship" for the British East India Company (EIC). She then made a voyage to Jamaica. On her return, the EIC engaged her for four more voyages as an East Indiaman. In 1810 she was sold and became a West Indiaman. She was broken up in 1828.

Calcutta was launched in 1798 as an East Indiaman. She made four voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), and disappeared while homeward bound from Bengal on her fifth voyage.

Lady Jane Dundas was launched in 1800 as an East Indiaman. She made four voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) and was lost in 1809 on the homeward-bound leg of her fifth voyage. She and three other Indiamen parted from the homeward-bound convoy during a gale on 18 March 1809 and were never seen again.

Harriet was a two-decker East Indiaman launched in 1802. She made five complete voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), as an "extra ship" i.e., under charter, and accidentally burnt as she was preparing to return to England from her sixth voyage.