Phoenix was an East Indiaman, launched in 1785. She made six voyages for the Honourable East India Company (HEIC). On her sixth voyage, while under the command of Captain William Moffat, she captured the French 14-gun privateer Malartic. In 1803 her owners sent her out to India to sail in the coastal trade; her subsequent fate is unknown.
Captain James Rattray commanded Phoenix on her first voyage, which was to Madras and Bengal. She left the Downs on 16 January 1786.[1] She was reported to have been well on 6 May at 17°25′S75°40′E / 17.417°S 75.667°E / -17.417; 75.667, and within three weeks sail of Madras.[4] She reached Madras on 20 May and left ten days later. She then arrived at Diamond Harbour, south of Calcutta, on 13 November. On her homeward voyage, she passed Saugor on 19 December. By 3 March 1787 she was at St Helena, and she arrived at the Downs on 18 May.[1] On her return voyage she brought with her a beautiful gray Arabian stallion whose price, including transport costs, was £1510.[5]
Second voyage (1788-89)
For her second voyage, this one also to Bengal and Madras, Phoenix was under the command of Captain Alexander Gray, who would be her captain for her third voyage too. She left the Downs on 17 February 1788, and on 16 March was at Madeira. She reached Diamond Harbour on 19 July. She passed Saugor on 5 January 1789 and by 20 February was in Madras. From there she sailed to the Cape, which she reached on 5 May. On 10 June she was at St Helena, and on 6 August she arrived at the Downs.[1]
On 22 September 1790, the Court of Directors of the HEIC held a secret meeting to investigate allegations that one of the directors, a John Woodhouse, had nominated Gray as captain for the voyage in return for "pecuniary consideration". The investigation came to an end when Woodhouse resigned from the Directory on 1 February 1791. However, there was no doubt that the infraction of the company's rules had occurred.[6]
Third voyage (1791-92)
Captain Gray again sailed Phoenix to Madras and Bengal. Before leaving, Gray engaged a Scotsman, Alexander Macdonald, to ship aboard Phoenix as his servant and occasional piper.[7]
Phoenix left the Downs on 4 Apr 1791 and reached São Tiago on 1 May.[1] There a storm drove her out to sea and she almost wrecked on some rocks. She left on 8 May and reached Madras on 4 August.[1] There she landed all her cargo, those of her passengers destined for that city. She also landed three officers and 220 recruits for the 72nd Regiment and 76th Regiment of Foot. On 7 August she left Madras, reaching Diamond Harbour on 13 August, where she discharged her remaining passengers.[7] On 23 August she was at Kedgeree.[1]
In mid-October, she took on board "450 sepoys with their officers, and a cargo of rice, paddy, gram, doll, and gee for the army on the Malabar coast." Phoenix delivered the troops and cargo at Madras towards the end of the month.[7]
In the beginning of November she left Madras roads, but encountered a sudden squall that almost put her on her beam ends. Contrary winds prevented her from immediately reaching Diamond Harbour.[7] She arrived there on 16 November.[1]
On 15 December, she was at Saugor. Phoenix started to take cargo on in the middle of December and on the 25th she reached Cox's Island where she took on the last of her cargo. On 8 January 1792 she sailed for Madras, which she reached eight days later. There she took on 150 passengers and invalid soldiers. On 20 January she sailed for Britain.[7]
Adverse winds made it difficult to pass the Cape of Good Hope, but Phoenix arrived at St Helena on 5 April. She stayed there for 12 days to take in water and fresh provisions, leaving on 16 April. On 2 June she arrived at the Downs, where she landed some her passengers, and on 7 June moored in Long Reach.[7]
Fourth voyage (1794-95)
For her fourth voyage, this to Madras, Phoenix was under the command of Captain Wemys Orrok (or Wemyss Orrok).[8] This voyage took place after the commencement of the French Revolutionary Wars, so the Company arranged for Phoenix to sail under a letter of marque. This was dated 14 November 1793, and still gave her captain's name as Alexander Gray.[3]
The British government held Phoenix 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 £1,500 9d for having delayed her departure by 72 days.
Phoenix sailed from Portsmouth on 2 May and reached Madras on 3 September. She was back at St Helena on 7 January 1795 and the Downs on 23 July.[1]
West Indies Expedition (1795-96)
The Admiralty chartered Phoenix as a troopship for Admiral Hugh Cloberry Christian's expedition to the West Indies. She sailed for the West Indies on 9 December, but bad weather delayed the start of the expedition and the vessels had to put back to England.[9] After numerous false starts aborted by weather issues, the fleet sailed on 26 April to invade St Lucia, with troops under Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby. St Lucia surrendered to the British on 25 May.[10] The British went on to capture Saint Vincent and Grenada.
Orrok was again captain of Phoenix, sailing her to Bengal, Penang and Madras. She left Portsmouth on 11 August 1796, arriving at the Cape on 18 November. By 4 March 1797 she was at Kedgeree, and one month later at Diamond Harbour. On 9 August she reached Saugor, from which she sailed to Penang, which she reached on 24 August. On 12 October she returned to Penang, and on 11 December she was at Madras. She reached Kedgeree on 25 January 1798.[1]
The reason for the to-and-fro was that the British government mounted an expedition against Manila in 1797-8. (One of the Royal Navy vessels involved appears to have been HMS Sybille.) The EIC held several vessels in India to support the expedition. There were eight regular ships: Lord Camden, Busbridge, Minerva, Lord Macartney, Lord Hawkesbury, Sir Stephen Lushington, Phoenix, and General Goddard. There were also three "dismantled ships": Pitt, Lascalles, and Royal Admiral.[11] The owners claimed demurrage; for Phoenix, the amount they claimed was £6,083 6s 8d for 292 days.[12]
The captains of all the vessels sued the EIC for reimbursement for expenses consequent on the delay to their homeward bound journeys, and for the eight regular ships, the additional risks involved in the detours to Penang. In 1800 the court awarded six of the captains of the regular ships, Orrock among them, £750 each. The court further ordered that the officers of the vessels involved receive some payment. Phoenix's officers received £250 in all. The chief mate received £64 2s 1d, the purser £25 12s 10d, and the other officers intermediate amounts.[11]
For the return leg to Britain, Phoenix passed Saugor on 5 April. She was at the Cape on 14 September and St Helena on 3 November. She arrived at The Downs on 3 February 1799.[1]
Sixth voyage (1800-02)
For her last voyage Phoenix was under the command of Captain William Moffat, who sailed her for Bengal, Bombay and Mokha[lower-alpha 1]Phoenix left Torbay on 27 May 1800 and reached the Cape on 6 September.[1] On 10 November Phoenix captured the French privateer Malartic (or General Malartic, or General Malrtique),[13] which was under the command of Jean-Marie Dutertre, and which had attempted to take her, in the Bay of Bengal. The capture took place at 20°15′N91°18′E / 20.250°N 91.300°E / 20.250; 91.300, which is about 200km SSW of Cox's Bazar. General Malartic was armed with 14 guns, two of them 42-pounder carronades, and had a crew of 120 men. She was five months out of Mauritius. Moffat took General Malartic with him to Bengal.[14]
Capturing General Malartic earned Moffat the public award of an honour sword. The privateer had captured several East Indiamen, including Raymond, Woodcot, and Princess Royal, all of the same size as Phoenix.[15][lower-alpha 2]
Fifteen days after capturing MalarticPhoenix reached Kedgeree, and on 7 December she arrived at Diamond Harbour. She was at Saugor on 9 January 1801.[1] Outward bound, she left off her pilot at the mouth of the Hooghly River on 14 January. On board she carried Major-General Sir David Baird, who was going to Trincomalee to take a faster ship to Bombay.[18] There he would take command of the Indian army that was going to Egypt to help General Ralph Abercromby expel the French there.
Phoenix reached Trincomalee on 25 February and Colombo on 5 March. From there she sailed to Bombay, which she reached on 2 April,[1] arriving two days after Baird. She was apparently carrying troops for Baird's expedition to the Red Sea.[18]
By 3 August, Phoenix was at Aden, and three weeks later at Mokha.[1] Moffat took the opportunity to chart the mouth of the Red Sea; a copy of his chart is now in the United States Library of Congress.[19]
Baird landed at Kosseir, on the Egyptian side of the Red Sea. He then led his troops army across the desert to Kena on the Nile, and then to Cairo. He arrived before Alexandria in time for the final operations.[20]
Phoenix returned to Bombay by 17 October.[1] She left Bombay on 15 November bound for Anjengo and Mahé. She was in company with several other Indiamen: Fort William, Worcester, Airly Castle, Lord Hawkesbury, and Rockingham.[21]Phoenix reached Tellicherry on 23 November. By 4 January 1802 Phoenix was at Anjengo. She reached St Helena by 5 April and Gravesend by 11 June.[1]
Fate
In 1803 her owners sent her out to India for the local coastal trade.[2] There is currently no easily accessible record of her subsequent fate. (In 1803 there was a Phoenix, L.B.Mawell, master, registered at Madras.[22]) It is possible that the French privateer Henriette (Captain Henri), captured Phoenix on 13 November 1805.
In 1805 a new Phoenix made her first voyage for the EIC.
Notes
↑ Captain William Moffat may have been the nephew of William Moffat (MP), who may have been the owner. During the voyage, Captain William Moffat commissioned a memorial to his father, James, who had died in Calcutta in 1788. William Moffat MP's father was John (1676-1742).
↑ Hardy gave the date of capture of Raymond and Woodcot as 20 April 1798, and the captor as the French frigate Preneuse.[16] He agreed that Malartic captured Princess Royal, and give the date of the capture as 29 September 1793.[17]
↑ East-India register and directory (1803), p.213.
Related Research Articles
Earl Cornwallis was a three-decker East Indiaman launched in 1783 on the River Thames. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She then made one voyage transporting convicts from England to New South Wales. By 1809, she was no longer listed.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Busbridge was launched in 1782 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made seven voyages for the EIC before she was broken up. In June 1795, during her sixth voyage, she participated in the capture of eight vessels of the Dutch East India Company. She was laid up for several years on her return from her seventh voyage and sold for breaking up in 1805.
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.
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.
Rose was launched in 1786 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages between 1787 and 1800 for the British East India Company (EIC). She also participated as a transport for a military expedition to the West Indies. She then made one more voyage for the EIC, bringing rice back to England from Bengal. Next she sailed as a general trader, but also made one voyage seal hunting. She was last listed in 1820.
Manship was launched in 1785 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages as a "regular ship" for the British East India Company (EIC). In June 1795 Manship shared with several other Indiamen and the Royal Navy in the capture of eight Dutch East Indiamen off St Helena. Her owners sold her in 1801 and she then made one voyage for the EIC as an "extra ship" on a voyage charter. Her owners sold her to the British government in 1803 for use as a powder hulk.
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.
William Pitt was launched on the River Thames in 1785 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). During her fourth she served as an ad hoc warship in a naval campaign during which she saw action. Thereafter she served as a transport, including one voyage in 1801-1802 transporting rice from Bengal to Britain. She was sold for breaking up in 1809.
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.
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.
References
Baird, Sir David (1832) The Life of General the Right Honourable Sir David Baird, Bart. (Bentley).
Chatterton, E. Keble (2008; reprint) A World for the Taking: The Ships of the Honourable East India Company. (Fireship Press). ISBN978-1934757437
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.
Great Britain
