In 1795 Admiral Hugh Cloberry Christian mounted an expedition to the West Indies. [1] The expedition sailed on 6 October, 16 November, and 9 December, but weather forced the vessels to put back. The fleet finally successfully sailed on 20 March to invade St Lucia, with troops under Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby. St Lucia surrendered to the British on 25 May. [2] The British went on to capture Saint Vincent and to put down Fédon's rebellion in Grenada.
Among the transport vessels of the expedition were 16 chartered from the British East India Company (EIC). [3]
Ship | Master | Notes |
---|---|---|
Britannia | Barrow | |
Contractor | Whyte | Sailed from the Cape of Good Hope |
Duke of Montrose | Burt | |
Dutton | Sampson | Wrecked on 26 January 1796 at Plymouth |
Ganges | Pile | |
General Eliott | Langhorne | |
Houghton | Robert Hudson | |
King George | John Fam Timins | |
Middlesex | Ramsden | Returned via Barbados where she picked up a cargo; wrecked in August 1796 coming up the Thames |
Phoenix | Wemys (or Wemyss) Orrok | |
Ponsborne | James Clifford | Wrecked after landing her troops |
Raymond | Henry Smedley | |
Rose | Smyth | |
Sir Edward Hughes | Urmston | James Urmston was Commodore for the EIC contingent |
Sulivan (or Sullivan) | Sampson Hall | |
Valentine | Henry Hughes | Sold for breaking up on her return |
In addition to the vessels hired from the EIC, the expedition used a number of vessels belonging to the Transport Board on either long-term or short-term contracts.
Mentioned in The Times: [4]
Atlantic was launched in 1783. She made one voyage from England to Australia in 1791 carrying convicts. Later, she made one voyage for the East India Company (EIC). Subsequently she sailed to Smyrna, Surinam, and Gibraltar, before she disappeared from records in 1810.
Bellona was a three-decker merchantman launched in 1782 at Limehouse by Woolcombe for Boyd & Co. She then traded for a decade before, in 1792, commencing a series of four voyages for the British East India Company as an "extra ship", that is, on a charter contract. During the first of these voyages she transported convicts from Britain to New South Wales. French privateers captured her and the British Royal Navy recaptured her, the Royal Navy seized her once, and then finally a French privateer captured her in February 1810 and scuttled her.
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.
Houghton was launched in 1782 and made six voyages as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). In 1794 she was part of an EIC squadron that had some success against French privateers and naval vessels in the Sunda Strait, and then in 1796 she participated as a transport in the British capture of St Lucia. She was sold in 1799 and her owner took her out to India to work in the tea trade between India and China. She foundered in 1803.
Ceres was launched at Whitby in 1794. She made two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). Thereafter she remained a London-based transport. She was last listed in 1816.
King George was launched in 1784 and made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1785 and 1798. She also participated in the invasion of St Lucia. In 1798 her owners sold her and she became a West Indiaman. An accident in 1800 at Jamaica destroyed her.
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.
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.
Indian Trader was launched in 1791. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). She was on her second voyage when a French privateer captured her. The British recaptured her and she returned to merchant service, sailing to the Americas. She was lost c. 1830.
Raymond was launched in 1782 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made six voyages for the EIC and participated as a transport in Admiral Hugh Cloberry Christian's expedition in 1795–96 to the West Indies. The French captured her in 1798. American owners purchased her, renamed her Orion, and sailed her from Mauritius to Boston 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 she served as a transport. She set out for her twelfth EIC voyage but was lost in 1805 during the third naval campaign.
Middlesex was launched in 1783 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made five voyages for the EIC. Towards the end of the second of these some of her officers unsuccessfully mutinied. In 1795 she participated as a transport in the British military expedition to the West Indies. She stranded and became a total loss in 1796 as she returned from the expedition.
Loyalist was launched in 1793. Between 1796 and 1803 she made four voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She then sailed as a West Indiaman until she was condemned in 1809 as unseaworthy.
Contractor was launched in 1779 as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She made one voyage as a transport for a military expedition before her owners sold her in 1800 for use as a transport.
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.
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.
General Eliott was launched in 1782 as the East Indiaman Fletcher, but was renamed before completion to honour General Elliott's defence of Gibraltar. Under the ownership of Robert Preston, 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.
Ganges was launched in 1778 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), and one voyage as a transport for a naval expedition. She was last listed in 1796.
Harriot was launched at Rotherhithe in 1787 as a West Indiaman. She made two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), the first as Harriot and the second as Harriet. After the voyages for the EIC she returned to sailing to the West Indies until circa 1801. She then became a London-based transport until she was last listed in 1813.
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.