| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Marquis Wellesley |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Randall, Rotherhithe |
| Launched | 29 November 1799 |
| Fate | Wrecked 16 April 1813 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 818, [1] or 81837⁄94, [2] or 868 [3] (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 36 ft 0 in (11.0 m) |
| Depth of hold | 14 ft 9 in (4.5 m) |
| Complement | |
| Armament | |
Marquis Wellesley (or Marquis of Wellesley) was launched at Rotherhithe in 1799. She made five complete voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) before she was lost in 1813 on her sixth.
Captain Bruce Mitchell acquired a letter of marque on 15 February 1800. [3] He sailed from Portsmouth on 17 March, bound for Madras and China. Marquis Wellesley reached Madras on 12 July, Penang on 27 August, and Malacca on 24 September. She arrived at Whampoa Anchorage on 30 October. Homeward bound, she crossed the Second Bar, reached St Helena on 15 April, and arrived back at the Downs on 12 June. [1]
Captain Mitchell sailed from Portsmouth on 5 March 1802 bound for Madras and Bengal. Marquis Wellesley reached Madras on 24 June and arrived at Diamond Harbour on 4 July. She was at Kedgeree on 8 September and was back at Madras on 7 October. She stopped at Penang on 2 November and again returned to Madras on 16 January 1803. Homeward bound, she reached St Helena on 13 May and arrived in the Downs on 1 August. [1]
Captain Charles Le Blanc sailed from Portsmouth on 20 March 1804, bound for Madras, and Bengal. Marquis Wellesley reached Madras on 18 July and arrived at Diamond Harbour on 12 August. She was at Saugor on 16 September and Madras again on 12 October. She stopped at Acheh on 19 November and Penang on 9 December before returning to Madras on 27 December. She stopped at Vizagaptam on 29 January 1805 and Masulipatam on 21 February before returning to Madras on 3 March. Homeward bound, she reached St Helena on 20 June and arrived at the Downs on 4 September. [1]
Captain Le Blanc sailed from Portsmouth on 14 May 1806, bound for Madras and Bengal. Marquis Wellesley reached Simons Bay on 6 August and Penang on 13 October. She arrived at Kedgeree on 11 December. She was at Madras on 13 January 1807 and returned to Saugor on 11 February. She was at Madras on 13 April. [1]
The EIC decided a cartel to transfer French prisoners to Isle de France (Mauritius). The decision of which vessel to employ came down a choice between Marquis Wellesley and Marchioness of Exeter; Captain Le Blanc and Captain Alexander Nash chose lots with the result that Marquis of Wellesley became the cartel. [lower-alpha 1] Preparation included stripping her of most of her guns. She finally sailed on 11 June with 205 French officers and men. [5] She reached Pondicherry on 17 June, and arrived at Mauritius on 18 July. [1] She was warped into port and brought alongside the French frigate Piémontaise. [lower-alpha 2] At Mauritius Governor-General Decaen declined to parole any English prisoners in exchange for the French prisoners he had received. One prisoner in particular that he did not release was Matthew Flinders. Decaen also delayed Marquis Wellesley's departure for some months. [6] [lower-alpha 3] Marquis Wellesley finally sailed on 12 October. [7]
Marquis Wellesley was back at Calcutta on 3 December. Homeward bound, she was at Saugor on 20 January 1808. She reached Point de Galle on 7 March and St Helena on 11 June; she arrived at the Downs on 14 August. [1]
Captain Le Blanc acquired a letter of marque on 14 March 1809. [3] He sailed from Portsmouth on 28 April, bound for Ceylon and Bengal. Marquis Wellesley reached Trincomalee on 13 September and arrived at Diamond Harbour on 26 September. Homeward bound, she was at Saugor on 9 December. She stopped at Vizagapatam on 31 December, Madras, on 13 January 1810, and Colombo on 3 February She reached St Helena on 3 May and arrived at the Downs on 6 July. [1]
Captain L Blanc sailed from Torbay on 30 May 1811, bound for Madeira, Ceylon, and Bengal. Marquis Welesley was at Madeira on 20 June, Colombo on 20 October, and Kedgeree on 13 December. She arrived at Calcutta on 21 February 1812. She was at Saugor on 7 May on her way to Bencoolen, which she arrived at on 9 July. She was back at Diamond Harbour on 12 September. Homeward bound, she was at Saugor 15 December and Madras on 27 January 1813. [1] Either on her way to Madras or after, Marquis Wellesley sustained damages that led Captain Le Blanc to sail to Bombay to effect repairs. She arrived at Bombay on 22 March. [1]
On 16 April 1813 Marquis Wellesley, Le Blanc, master, struck a rock in Bombay Harbour and became a total loss. [1] As she was coming out of dock at Bombay after having received repairs she struck a rock near the pier head and foundered. By 24 April she was a complete wreck. [8] The EIC put a value of £5,210 on its cargo on her. [9]
Notes
Citations
References
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Earl Spencer was an East Indiaman, launched in 1795 for the British East India Company (EIC). She made seven voyages for the EIC until in 1811-12 the government took her up to transport convicts to Australia in 1813. On her return voyage from Australia she sailed via China, where she carried a cargo back to England for the EIC.
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.
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.
Lord Castlereagh was launched on the Thames in 1802 as an East Indiaman She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) before she was sold in 1820. She then may have sailed one or twice to Bombay under license from the EIC. Her subsequent disposition is currently obscure.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Walthamstow was launched in December 1799 in Rotherhithe. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She was sold in 1814 for breaking up.
Surrey was launched in 1804 at Deptford as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She was sold for breaking up in 1816.
Thomas Grenville was an East Indiaman launched at the Bombay Dockyard for the British East India Company (EIC), and one of only a handful of East Indiamen that it actually owned. She made 14 voyages for the EIC. It sold her in 1834 when it gave up its maritime activities. She was sold for a free trader and burnt in Bombay in June 1843 in a suspicious fire.
Devaynes was launched in 1802 and made six voyages as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She then made one more round-trip to India, sailing under a license from the EIC. She was condemned at Bengal in 1817 on a second licensed voyage to Bengal.
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.
Lord Duncan was launched on the River Thames in 1798 as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) before she was sold in 1813 for breaking up.
Marchioness of Exeter was launched in 1801 as an East Indiaman of the British East India Company (EIC). She made seven complete voyages for the EIC. She then made one more voyage to Java, sailing under a license from the EIC. Her last voyage ended in 1819.