Stafford (1769 EIC ship)

Last updated

History
Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg United Kingdom
Name:Stafford
Owner:
  • EIC voyage #1:Thomas Lyell
  • EIC voyage #2:Thomas Fitzhugh
  • EIC voyage #3:Thomas Lyell
Builder: Wells, Deptford
Launched: 15 November 1769
Fate: Wrecked August 1779
General characteristics
Tons burthen: 804, or 833, [1] or 833​72⁄94 [2] (bm)
Length:
  • Overall:141 ft 9 in (43.2 m) [1]
  • Keel:113 ft 8 3⁄4 in (34.7 m) [1]
Beam: 37 ft 3 1⁄2 in (11.4 m) [1]
Depth of hold: 14 ft 9 in (4.5 m) [1]
Sail plan: Full-rigged ship
Notes: Three decks

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.

Contents

EIC voyage #1 (1770–1772)

Captain Thomas Lyell sailed from The Downs on 6 February 1770, bound for Madras and China. On 11 March Stafford was at Brest, France. She reached Johanna on 29 July, and arrived at Madras on 31 August. She continued her voyage, reaching Malacca on 8 November and Trengganu on 17 May 1791 before arriving at Whampoa on 12 July. Homeward bound, she was at the 27 Dec Bocca Tigris on 27 December, reached St Helena on 6 April 1772, and arrived at The Downs on 27 June. [1]

EIC voyage #2 (1774–1777)

Captain Thomas Lyell sailed from Torbay on 27 Apr 1774, bound for Bombay and China. Stafford reached Johanna on 1 September, and arrived at Bombay on 4 January 1775. [1] She then sailed back and forth from Bombay, visiting numerous ports in India before setting out for China.

On 19 December Stafford was at Bassein, returning to Bombay on 4 January 1775. On 17 January she was at Surat, and she returned to Bombay on 31 January. She was at Surat again on 19 February and Bombay on 1 March. On 12 March Stafford was at Onore, on 18 March Tellicherry, on 25 March Anjengo, on 7 April Cochin, on 17 April Tellicherry again, on 5 May Mangalore, and on 9 May Onore again. She returned to Bombay on 27 May. [1]

Stafford then set out for China, returning to India several times first. On 4 October she was at Malacca. She returned to Malacca on 8 October and 26 October. She visited Cochin again on 3 January 1776 and Surat on 12 February. She was at Malacca again on 18 June, and finally arrived at Whampoa on 4 August. [1]

Homeward bound, Stafford crossed the Second Bar on 7 January 1777, reached St Helena on 29 May, and arrived at The Downs on 1 October. [1]

EIC voyage #3 (1778—Loss)

Captain George Hutchinson sailed from Portsmouth on 27 May 1778, bound for Madras and Bengal. She had to delay her departure to allow Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote to board with his wife and suite. Coote was sailing to take up the position of Commander in Chief of the EIC's forces in India.

Stafford reached Madeira on 9 June and left on 18 June. On 8 September she anchored at Table Bay. She left the Cape of Good Hope on 1 October, together with two other Indiamen and under escort by the 64-gun HMS Asia. On 20 November the convoy encountered a Dutch vessel from Batavia that informed them that hostilities had broken out on the Coromandel Coast and Bengal. Stafford parted from the convoy, which sailed on to Bombay. Stafford anchored in Madras Roads on 28 December. On 19 March 1799 Stafford and Coote sailed for Bengal. On 22 or 23 March she anchored at Kedgeree. [3]

Fate

Stafford was wrecked on a sandbank in the Hooghly River on 29 August 1779, and became a total loss. Fortunately all her crew were saved and were transferred to Britannia to bring Britannia back to England.

Citations and references

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 British Library: Stafford (2).
  2. ↑ Hackman (2001), pp.195–6.]
  3. ↑ The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, (March 1794), Vol. 64, Part 1, pp.202-4.

References

Related Research Articles

<i>Warley</i> (1796 ship)

Warley, launched in 1796, was one of the British East India Company's (EIC), larger and more famous East Indiamen. She made nine voyages to the East between 1796 and 1816, most direct to China. In 1804 she participated in the Battle of Pulo Aura. In 1816, the company sold her for breaking up.

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.

<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.

<i>Bridgewater</i> (1812 EIC ship)

Bridgewater was launched in 1812 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made eight voyages to India and China for the EIC. A hurricane dismasted her as she was homeward bound on her ninth voyage. She was surveyed at Calcutta in 1830, condemned, and sold for breaking up in 1831.

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.

Woodcot was launched in 1786 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made four voyages for the EIC. The French captured her in 1798 at Tellicherry as she was homeward bound from her fifth voyage. American owners purchased her, renamed her Berkshire, and sailed her to Bombay in 1799.

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.

Contractor was launched in 1779 as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), and one as transport for a military expedition before her owners sold her in 1800 for use as a transport.

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.

Duke of Montrose was launched in 1785 as an East Indiaman. She made eight voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She then briefly became a troop transport, sailing to the West Indies. She was sold in 1811 for breaking up.

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

Essex was launched in 1780 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). On her first voyage she was present at an inconclusive battle with the French, and later at a second inconclusive engagement with a French frigate. In 1798 she was sold to be hulked or broken up.

General Eliott was launched in 1782 as the East Indiaman Fletcher, but was renamed before completion to honour General Elliott's defence of Gibraltar. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) and one voyage as a transport for a naval expedition. She then became a West Indiaman until she was sold for breaking up in 1802.

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.

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.

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.

General Coote was launched in 1781 as an East Indiaman. Between 1782 and 1797 she made six voyages to India or China for the British East India Company (EIC). On the last voyage she participated as a transport in a campaign. She was sold in 1797.

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.