Career
EIC voyage #1 (1800-1802): Captain Thomas Sanders acquired a letter of marque on 19 April 1800. He sailed from Portsmouth on 28 June 1800, bound for Bengal and Bombay. Travers reached Calcutta on 8 January 1801. She left Bengal on 20 March and reached Anjengo on 24 April and arrived at Bombay on 7 May. She left Bombay on 19 August, reached St Helena on 8 November and arrived at The Downs on 19 July 1802. [2]
The "United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies" offered 28,966 bags of rice for sale on 25 March. The rice had come in on Travers, Melville Castle, Skelton Castle , and Mornington. [4]
EIC voyage #2 (1802-1803): Captain Sanders sailed from The Downs on 17 June 1802, bound for the Cape of Good Hope, Ceylon, and Bombay. Travers was at the Cape on 31 August, reached Colombo on 2 November, and arrived at Bombay on 25 November. On 30 January 1803 she was at Surat, before returning to Bombay on 8 February. Homeward bound, she was at Tellicherry on 3 April, Calicut on 7 April, and Quilon on 11 April. She reached St Helena on 22 July and arrived at The Downs on 22 September. [2]
EIC voyage #3 (1804-1806): War with France had resumed while Travers was returning from her previous voyage. Captain Sanders acquired a letter of marque on 29 June 1803. He sailed from Portsmouth on 4 September 1804, bound for St Helena and Bengal. Travers reached St Helena on 23 December and sailed from it on 7 February 1805. She arrived at Diamond Harbour on 28 April. Homeward bound, she left Bengal on 16 July and reached Bencoolen on 27 September. She left Bencoolen on 18 November, reached St Helena on 25 January 1806, and arrived at The Downs on 14 June. [2]
EIC voyage #4 (1807-1808): Captain John Collins acquired a letter of marque on 8 October 1806. He sailed from Portsmouth on 4 January 1807, bound for Bombay. Travers arrived at Bombay on 26 May. She left on 3 August, reached the Cape on 1 October, and arrived at The Downs on 24 January 1808. [2]
Fate
Captain Collins sailed from Portsmouth on 10 June 1808, bound for Madras and Bengal. Travers reached Madeira on 24 June. [2]
Near the equator Travers captured Jenny, of Hamburg. Jenny was sailing from Buenos Aires to Tonnengen, and Travers sent her into the Cape. There she was condemned in prize and valued at £1000.
Travers wrecked on a rock in the Bay of Bengal on 7 November. The location ( 15°38′N94°20′E / 15.633°N 94.333°E / 15.633; 94.333 ), was north of the Andaman Islands and just south of what is now Burma. It was about three miles from Diamond Island, and about a mile and a half from Sunken Rock. [6]
The Indiamen Earl Spencer and Monarch were in company but some way off and sailed on. The passengers and most of the crew took to Travers's boats. There were 93 people in the launch, 18 in the cutter, and eight in the jolly boat. Though the jolly boat was crowded, Collins sent her back to the wreck to attempt to retrieve those crewmen who had remained behind, unwilling to leave their possessions. The boat was able to retrieve three; however, six Europeans, seven Chinese, and three lascars refused to leave and stayed on the wreck. Earl Spencer and Monarch were out of sight, but Collins steered his boats in the direction they had sailed and after some hours was able to catch them up. Earl Spencer took all the survivors on board. [6] The situation of those left behind on Travers was not considered desperate as she was close to Diamond Island and later vessels were sent to their relief. [7] Still, they were presumed to have drowned. [8] )
Travers was carrying some treasure, 500 pipes of Madeira, and other cargo; the value of the loss was estimated at £150,000. [6] The EIC put the value of the cargo it lost at £6,568. [9]
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.
Admiral Gardner was launched in 1797 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made five voyages for the EIC, during the fourth of which she participated in an inconclusive single-ship action with a French privateer. Admiral Gardner was wrecked in January 1809. The wreck is a Protected Wreck managed by Historic England. She was named after Admiral Alan Gardner.
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.
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.
Ceres was launched in 1797 as an East Indiaman. She made nine voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), before she was hulked in 1816.
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 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.
Melville Castle was launched in 1786 as an East Indiaman. She made seven voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She was sold in 1802 to Dutch owners and wrecked with great loss of life later that year on her first voyage for them.
Earl of Wycombe was launched in 1786 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). In 1800 she became a general trader, trading across the Atlantic to the West Indies and Canada. She was lost without a trace c.1803.
Europa was launched in 1781 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She was probably broken up in 1798.
Skelton Castle was an East Indiaman launched in 1800. She made three complete voyages to India for the British East India Company (EIC). She disappeared without a trace in December 1806 while on the outward-bound leg of her fourth voyage.
Castle Eden was launched in 1800 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) before she became a transport in 1812 and disappears from online records.
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.
Walpole was launched in 1798 as an East Indiaman. She made four complete voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) and was wrecked in 1808 as she was returning to London from her fifth voyage.
Sovereign was launched at Rotherhithe in 1800 as a West Indiaman. The British East India Company (EIC) then took her up as an "extra" ship on several contracts; in all she made seven voyages as an East Indiaman for the EIC. After she left the EIC's service in 1817 she continued to trade with India, but under a license from the EIC. She was broken up in 1822.
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.
Walmar Castle was launched in 1796 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made nine voyages for the EIC before she was sold in 1815 to sail as a troopship and supply ship for the British Army. She was broken up in 1821.
Thames was launched on the Thames in 1796 as an East Indiaman. She made eight voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She was sold for breaking up in 1816.
Glatton was launched in Rotherhithe in 1796. Between 1796 and 1815 she made eight voyages to South-East Asia, China, and India as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). In 1815 her owners sold her for use as a hulk.
Carmarthen was launched in 1802 as an East Indiaman. She made eight round voyages as an "extra" ship for the British East India Company (EIC). She then one more voyage to India, sailing under a licence from the EIC. she was last listed in 1820.
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