Suffolk (1803 ship)

Last updated

History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameSuffolk
Owner
BuilderHudson, Bacon, & Co. [4]
John Banister Hudson, [3] Calcutta
Launched6 August 1803 [5]
RenamedGeneral Wellesley
CapturedDecember 1814
FateWrecked January 1815
NotesHackman conflates this Suffolk with Suffolk (1795 ship) and Suffolk (1800 ship). [3]
General characteristics
Tons burthen411, [6] or 430, [4] or 43050⁄94 [7] or 431, [2] or 440, [8] [3] or 480 [1] [3] (bm)
PropulsionSail
Armament1810:2 × 9-pounder guns + 8 × 18-pounder carronades [6]
NotesTeak-built

Suffolk was launched in 1803 at Calcutta and at some point prior to 1810 was renamed General Wellesley. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) but an American privateer captured her in December 1814 on the outbound leg of her second EIC voyage. In January 1815 she stranded on the Charleston Bar and became a total loss.

Contents

Career

Suffolk was launched in 1803 and at some point between then and 1809 was renamed General Wellesley. [4] General Wellesley is among the country ships listed as having participated in the invasions of Île de France and Île Bourbon. [9] However, the invasion of Île Bonaparte/Bourbon took place in July 1810 and the invasion of Isle de France took place in December 1810. General Wellesley had by then sailed to England, though she may have returned in time to the Indian Ocean to participate in one or the other.

General Wellesley first appears in the Register of Shipping in 1810 with Chawoet, master, Ried, owner, and trade London—India. [6] She does not appear in Lloyd's Register .

General Wellesley was admitted to the Registry of Great Britain on 3 May 1810. [7] Fitting her out in Great Britain cost £705 18s 10d. [10]

General Wellesley was on the numerous transport vessels that the British government hired to support the campaigns to capture Île Bourbon and Île de France.

The British government chartered nine vessels as cartels, i.e., under a flag of truce, to carry back to France the French troops that they had captured in these campaigns. [11] In addition, at end-March 1811 General Wellesley sailed from Mauritius to repatriate to France 120 people who had refused to take the oath of allegiance to the King after the British capture of the island. General Wellesley was travelling as a cartel. [12] On 19 June HMS Curacoa arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, where she delivered an outbound convoy. [13] On her way home, she encountered General Wellington and detained her, sending her into Portsmouth. [14]

General Wellesley finally enters Lloyd's Register in 1812 with Brown, master, H. Reid, owner, and trade London—India. [8] The Register of Shipping has the same ownership and trade information, but carries her master as Chawnet.

On 19 November 1813 Captain J.L. Heathorn sailed from the Hughli River bound for England on a voyage for which General Wellesley was under charter to the EIC. She was at the Cape of Good Hope on 1 February 1814, reached Saint Helena on 25 February, and arrived at Blackwall on 21 May. [1]

The Register of Shipping for 1814 has General Wellesley's master changing from Brown to Heathorn, her owner from Reid to J. Short, and her trade from London—Cape of Good Hope to London—Île de France. [2]

On 23 September 1814 General Wellesley sailed for Batavia. [3]

Capture and loss

As General Wellesley was on the outbound leg of her voyage she encountered the American privateer Yankee. Yankee captured her quarry on 5 December, [15] at about 4°30′N25°00′W / 4.500°N 25.000°W / 4.500; -25.000 and in sight of the convoy of which she had been part, and its escort. The Americans put a prize master and crew on board, and sent her into Charleston, South Carolina. [16] The Americans also left her non-European crew on board.

On 12 January 1815 General Wellesley grounded on the South Breakers, apparently while being chased by a larger ship. During the night the prize master and some 12 men landed from the ship. They reported that some 60 men remained aboard, principally lascars and sepoys. Next morning when boats went out the rescuers found that the wreck was mostly under water. They were able to retrieve two white seamen and five lascars. Some 50 men, however had died, including the boatswain and another white man. [16] [17]

The prize master had brought out some three or four trunks, and Yankee had also taken out some valuables. General Wellesley had been carrying 18,000 bars of iron, plus some dry goods, brandy, porter, and the like. The prize master estimated that had it been possible to get a decked vessel alongside her before she sank it would have been possible to save her crew and also property worth some $20,000. [16]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 British Library: General Wellesley.
  2. 1 2 3 Register of Shipping (1814), Seq.№G91.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hackman (2001), pp. 243–4.
  4. 1 2 3 Phipps (1840), p. 100.
  5. ↑ Calcutta Monthly Journal, August 1807, p.279.
  6. 1 2 3 Register of Shipping (1810).
  7. 1 2 House of Commons (1814), p. 87.
  8. 1 2 Lloyd's Register (1812), Supple. Seq.№G14.
  9. ↑ House of Commons (1814), p. 65.
  10. ↑ House of Commons (1814), p. 615.
  11. ↑ Lloyd's List №4547.
  12. ↑ THE LITERARY PANORAMA, BEING A COMPENDIUM OF NATIONAL PAPERS AND PARLIAMENTARY REPORTS, ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE HISTORY, STATISTICS, AND COMMERCE OF THE EMPIRE; A UNIVERSAL EPITOME OF INTERESTING AND AMUSING INTELLIGENCE FROM ALL QUARTERS OF THE GLOBE; A REVIEW OF BOOKS, AND MAGAZINE OF VARIETIES FORMING AN ANNUAL REGISTERS. (1812), p.311.
  13. ↑ Lloyd's List №4592.
  14. ↑ Lloyd's List №4601.
  15. ↑ Lloyd's List №4948.
  16. 1 2 3 Grocott (1997), pp. 375–77.
  17. ↑ Good (2012), p. 105.

Related Research Articles

Coromandel was the French prize Modeste, captured in 1793 and refitted at Chittagong, British India. She made two voyages transporting convicts to Port Jackson, the first for the British East India Company (EIC). A French privateer captured her in 1805 but she had returned to British hands before 1809. An American privateer captured her in 1814 but this time the British Royal Navy recaptured her within days. She foundered in Indian waters on 6 February 1821.

Countess of Harcourt was a two-decker, teak merchant ship launched at Prince of Wales's Island in 1811, and sold in Great Britain in 1814. An American privateer captured her in 1814, but the British recaptured her in 1815. Later, she made five trips transporting convicts to Australia. Between the third and fourth of these, she undertook a voyage to China and Nova Scotia while under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). She was wrecked in late 1830.

Mornington was a British merchant vessel built of teak and launched in 1799 at Calcutta. She made three voyages under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). On the first of these her non-European crew suffered a high mortality rate on the voyage back to India. On the third French privateers twice captured her and Royal Navy vessels twice recaptured her.She was a transport for the British invasion of Java in 1811. A fire destroyed her in 1815.

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.

<i>Porcher</i> (1799 ship)

Porcher was launched in 1799 at Calcutta. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) from Bengal to England. A French privateer captured her in 1802, which gave rise to a case in French courts about the validity of the capture given the impending Treaty of Amiens. The French courts condemned her in prize and new owners in Bordeaux named her Ville de Bordeaux. The British recaptured her in 1804. Thereafter she traded between England and India as a licensed ship. In 1809 she sailed to England where in 1810 new owners renamed her Cambridge. As Cambridge she made three voyages for the EIC as an extra ship. In 1818 she was again sold with her new owners continuing to sail her to the Far East as a licensed ship. She then made two more voyages to India for the EIC. In 1840 she was sold to an American trading house at Canton, and then to the Qing Dynasty, which purchased her for the Imperial Chinese Navy. The British Royal Navy destroyed her on 27 February 1841 during the Battle of First Bar at the onset of the First Opium War.

Althea was launched at Calcutta in 1801. She made one voyage to Britain for the British East India Company. The French captured her in the Indian Ocean in 1804 and then kept her at Île de France where she served as a prison ship. When the British captured Île de France in 1810 they recovered Althea. She then resumed her mercantile career until she wrecked in 1812.

Peggy was built at Calcutta in 1793 and initially sailed in the Indian coastal and Far East trade. In 1801 she assumed British registry and her name was changed to Juliana. Her owners sold her to the Transport Board but in 1804 the government resold her and she was sailing as a West Indiaman between London and Antigua. She then made two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), and one voyage to Hobart, Van Dieman's Land, transporting convicts. On her return from this voyage she wrecked in 1821 on the English coast.

Highland Chief was launched at Calcutta in 1798. She made two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) before a French privateer captured her in 1802 south of the Bay of Bengal.

Regent was launched at Calcutta in 1812 and made four voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) as an "extra ship", that is under charter. She was lost in November 1822 while on the outward-bound leg of her fourth voyage.

Anna was launched at Calcutta in 1793. She was often called Bengal Anna to distinguish her from BombayAnna. Bengal Anna made three voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She was lost on the coast of Chittagong c.1811, after participating in a military expedition.

The Roxburgh Castle launched in Spain in 1803 under an unknown name. She was taken as a prize in 1809, and then sailed under the flag of the United Kingdom. She was wrecked in 1814.

Sir John Borlase Warren, was launched in 1800. She traded with the West Indies after having made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). A French privateer captured her in 1808 though she was immediately recaptured. Her crew abandoned her in 1812 but she was recovered. She foundered in 1815.

Snake was probably launched in Spain in 1802 and was a prize that came into British hands in 1808. Her first owner employed her a privateer, but in 1810 sold her. Thereafter she sailed between London or Plymouth and the Cape of Good Hope (CGH), or between 1809 an 1816 in the Post Office Packet Service from Falmouth. Afterwards she sailed between London and South America. She was last listed in 1824.

Sir William Burroughs was a merchant vessel launched in 1803 at Calcutta. A French privateer captured her in 1807 and the British recaptured her in 1810. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) in 1812. She is last listed in 1820.

City of London was launched in 1800 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1800 and 1814 when she was taken up as a troopship for one voyage. She made one more voyage to India under a license from the EIC and then was broken up circa 1817.

Cornwall was launched in 1794 as a West Indiaman. In a little more than three years later she had left on the first of three whaling voyages to the Southern Whale Fishery. On her first whaling voyage she captured a Spanish ship and fought off a French privateer. After her third whaling voyage Cornwall returned to the West Indies trade. Around 1817 new owners sent her to India where a Parsi merchant purchased her. She traded in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, and also participated as a transport in a naval expedition to the Persian Gulf. She was last listed in 1824.

Wolfe's Cove was built by Baldwin & Co and launched in 1812 at Ile d'Orleans near Quebec. She sailed to England and from there first traded with Canada and then from 1816 with Mauritius, India, and Java. An American privateer captured her in 1813, but the Royal Navy recaptured her within weeks. She was damaged and hulked at Mauritius in 1819.

Paragon was launched at Whitby in 1800. Between 1803 and 1805 she served as an armed defense ship protecting Britain's coasts and convoys. She then served as a transport on the 1805 naval expedition to capture the Cape of Good Hope. Next, she returned to mercantile service and in 1814 a French privateer captured her, but the British Royal Navy recaptured her the next day. She sailed to India in 1818 under a license from the British East India Company (EIC}, and was wrecked in March 1819 while inbound to Calcutta.

Hebe was launched at Hull in 1809. She initially sailed as a West Indiaman, but then sailed to the Mediterranean. In 1813 a privateer captured her but the Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. Between 1816 and 1819 she made two voyages to India, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). On her return new owners sailed her as a whaler. She was wrecked on 10 March 1821 on her second whaling voyage to the British northern whale fishery.

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.

References

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.