Warren Hastings was built in 1789 at Calcutta, India. Her registry was transferred to Great Britain in 1796. In 1805 she was sold and her new owners renamed her Speke. She made three voyages transportingconvicts from Britain to New South Wales. After her first convict voyage she engaged in whaling.
The cost of Warren Hasting's (Speke's) hull, coppered, and with masts and yard, was 55,000 Sicca rupees.[1]
Warren Hastings was among the country ships reported at Canton in 1789.[10]
On 7 September 1796 Warren Hastings was admitted to the Registry in Great Britain.[5] She entered Lloyd's Register in 1796 with master W. Fleming, and owner Fairlie & Co.[7]
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source
1799
Fleming
W. Fairlie & Co.
London-India
Lloyd's List
1800
Fleming
W. Lennox
London
Register of Shipping
1801
Fleming
W. Lennox
London
Register of Shipping
Lloyd's Register continues to list Warren Hastings from 1799 with unchanged information. However, in 1801, the Register of Shipping shows a change of ownership to W. Lennox in 1801, and no longer lists her in 1802.[lower-alpha 1]
The government engaged Warren Hastings as a transport to support General Sir David Baird's expedition to the Red Sea, which in turn had the objective of supporting General Sir Ralph Abercrombie at the battle of Alexandria.
The New Oriental Register... for 1802 lists Warren Hastings with Benjamin Blake as owner and master.[3]
In 1805 she was sold and her new owners renamed her Speke.[2]
Speke entered Lloyd's Register in 1809 (published in 1808) with Hingston, master, and Wilson & Co., owner. Her trade was London—Botany Bay.[9] Under the command of John Hingston, Speke sailed from Falmouth, England, on 18 May 1808 and arrived at Port Jackson on 16 November 1808.[12] She embarked 99 female convicts, two of whom died on the voyage.[13]
Speke sailed on 12 January 1809 from Port Jackson to undertake whaling or sealing.[14]
In March 1810, half-a-dozen whalers gathered in Bay of Islands and launched a retributionary attack on the Maori after the Boyd massacre. The whalers killed an estimated 16 to 60 Maori and burnt some structures. One sailor was accidentally killed. The vessels involved in the attack were Atalanta, Inspector, New Zealander, Perseverance, Speke, and Spring Grove.[16][17]
Speke was at the Bay of Islands in February 1810.[18] In March, upon hearing of the story of the Boyd massacre, a party of men from Speke, Inspector, Diana, Atalanta, and Perseveance joined in an attack on Te Pahi's pa on Te Puna island, killing approximately 60 Māori. Te Pahi was wounded and died a few weeks later.
Speke was at Rio in July as she returned from the South Seas. Speke returned to Britain on 23 October. She returned with more than 30 tons of sperm oil and 150 tons of black oil.[18]
The Register of Shipping for 1820 shows Speke with Quinton, master, J. Short, owner, and trade London−India.[6]Lloyd's Register for 1821 shows Speke with M'Pherson, master, T. Ward, owner, and trade London—Botany Bay.[8]
On her second voyage carrying convicts Speke was under the command of Peter McPherson. Speke sailed from England on 22 December 1820 and arrived at Port Jackson on 18 May 1821.[19] She embarked 156 male convicts, two of whom died on the voyage.[20] The convicts included the last prisoners from Scotland's Radical War. Speke's passengers included Hongi Hika and Waikato (two Māori chiefs), and the missionary Thomas Kendall, all three of whom were returning to New Zealand.[21]
Both Lloyd's Register and the Register of Shipping for 1827 show Speke's master as Harrison and her owner as T. Ward or J. Ward. However, Lloyd's Register shows her trade as London transport while the Register of Shipping shows it as London—New South Wales.
On her third voyage carrying convicts Speke was under the command of Captain Robert Harrison. She left Sheerness on 8 August 1826 and arrived at Port Jackson on 26 November.[22] She embarked 156 male convicts, none of whom died on the voyage.[23]
Fate
Phipps reported that her owners sold Speke to the Portuguese.[1] However, he did not specify a year. Hackman reported that Speke was broken up in 1830.[2] Neither Lloyd's Register nor the Register of Shipping listed Speke in 1831.
Notes
↑ One source lists Warren Hastings among vessels "Lost, burnt, or taken",[11] but gives no year. There is no other evidence to support the report. In 1805 the French captured a different Warren Hastings, raising the possibility of a confusion of names.
Friendship was a three-decker merchantman, launched in 1793. She made three voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). During her first voyage, in 1796, a French privateer captured her, but the Royal Navy recaptured her. On the second, in 1799, she transported convicts from Ireland to Australia. She made a second voyage transporting convicts in 1817-18. On her way back she was broken up in 1819 at Mauritius after having been found unseaworthy.
Perseus was a sailing ship built in 1799 at Stockton-on-Tees, England. She made one voyage transporting convicts to New South Wales, returning to England via Canton. In 1803-1804 she served as an "armed defense ship". Thereafter she served as a transport. She is last listed in 1844.
Boyd was a brigantine built in 1783 at Limehouse on the river Thames, England. She originally traded as a West Indiaman, sailing between London and Saint Kitts. Then between 1795 and 1797 she performed a voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). The French captured her as she was homeward bound, but her owners repurchased her in 1803. In 1804 the French captured her again, but the Royal Navy recaptured her and returned her to her owners. In 1809 she transported convicts to New South Wales for the British government. After delivering the convicts she sailed to New Zealand where Maori warriors attacked her, killing, and eating, almost her entire crew and passengers. They then burnt her.
Fortune, also known as La Fortune, was a sailing ship built in Spain. She was taken in prize in 1804. New owners renamed her and she entered British registers in 1805–6. She twice transported convicts from Britain to New South Wales. She was lost c. 1814 on her way to China from Australia.
Guildford was a two-decker merchant ship launched in 1810. She transported convicts to New South Wales. Of her eight voyages delivering convicts, for three she was under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). She underwent major repairs in 1819, her hull was sheathed in copper in 1822; in 1825 she received new wales, top sides and deck, the copper was repaired and other repairs. Guildford was lost without a trace in 1831.
Ocean was built in 1808 at Whitby, England, that once carried settlers to South Africa and twice transported convicts to Australia.
Neptune was a merchant ship built at Calcutta, British India in 1815. The British East India Company (EIC) chartered Neptune for one voyage. Later, she made two voyages transporting convicts from England to Australia. She was sold as a hulk in 1860.
City of Edinburgh was a merchant ship built at Bengal in 1813. She transferred to British registry and sailed between Britain and India. She made two voyages transporting convicts from Ireland to Australia. Later, she made a whaling voyage to New Zealand. She was wrecked in 1840.
Elizabeth was a merchant ship built at Chepstow, Wales in 1809. She made three voyages transporting convicts from England and Ireland to Australia. Elizabeth is no longer listed after 1832 and may have been lost in 1831.
Elizabeth was a merchant ship built at Calcutta, British India, in 1816. She made one voyage transporting convicts from Ireland to Australia. She also made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). This was the last voyage that any vessel made for the EIC. Elizabeth is no longer listed after 1834.
Eliza was a merchant ship built in British India, probably in 1804. Between 1819 and 1831 she made five voyages transporting convicts from England and Ireland to Australia. In between, she also made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). Her crew abandoned her at sea in 1836 as she was leaking uncontrollably.
Shipley was launched in 1805 at Whitby. A privateer captured Shipley in 1806 on what was probably her maiden voyage, but the British Royal Navy recaptured her. Between 1817 and 1823, she made four voyages transporting convicts to New South Wales. The ship was wrecked in 1826.
Tyne was launched in 1807 in Rotherhithe. She spent the first part of her career as a West Indiaman. However, in 1810–1811 she made a voyage to India for the British East India Company (EIC) as an "extra" ship, i.e., under charter. Then in 1818 she made a voyage to Port Jackson, New South Wales transporting convicts. Thereafter, with a change of owners, she traded with the Far East under a license issued by the EIC. A fire destroyed her in 1828.
Hindostan was launched at Whitby in 1819. She made one voyage, in 1821, transporting convicts to New South Wales. Later, she made two voyages transporting convicts to Van Diemen's Land, one with female convicts (1839), and one with male convicts (1840–1841). When not transporting convicts Hindostan was a general trader, sailing across the Atlantic, to India, and perhaps elsewhere as well. She was lost in 1841.
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.
Minerva was launched at Lancaster, Lancashire, in 1805. Following trading with Central and South America, she made two voyages under charter to the British East India Company (EIC) between 1811 and 1814. She also made four voyages transporting convicts to Australia between 1818 and 1824, one to Van Diemen's Land and three voyages to New South Wales. She was broken up in 1826.
Sovereign was launched at Shields in 1793 as a West Indiaman. She made one voyage between 1795 and 1797 for the British East India Company (EIC), to New South Wales and then Bengal. She then resumed trading with the West Indies and was last listed in 1822.
Competitor was launched at Whitby in 1813. She was initially a West Indiaman and then traded with India. She made two voyages transporting convicts to Australia, one to Van Diemen's Land and one to Port Jackson. She is last listed in 1833.
Mary was launched in 1811 at Ipswich. She immediately made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC), to New South Wales (NSW), and Bengal. She continued to trade with Australia and then made five voyages transporting convicts there: two to New South Wales, two to Van Diemen's Land, and one in which she carried convicts to both. She was last listed in 1841.
Aurora was built at Chittagong in 1816. She made one voyage transporting convicts to New South Wales in 1833, and a second transporting convicts to Tasmania in 1835. In 1839 she carried immigrants to New Zealand for the New Zealand Company. She was wrecked in 1840.
Clayton, Jane M (2014). Ships employed in the South Sea Whale Fishery from Britain: 1775–1815: An alphabetical list of ships. Berforts Group. ISBN9781908616524.
Dumont D'Urville, Jules-Sébastien-César; Richard, Achille; Lesson, Pierre-Adolphe; Quoy, Jean René Constant; Gaimard, Paul; Boisduva, Jean Alphonse (1831), Voyage de la corvette l'Astrolabe, exécuté par Ordre du Roi, pendant les annés 1826 – 1827 – 1828 – 1829, sous le commandement de M. J. Dumont D'Urville, capitaine de Vaisseau: Histoire du voyage T. 3 (in French), vol.1
Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN0-905617-96-7.
House of Commons, Parliament, Great Britain (1814). Minutes of the Evidence Taken Before the Select Committee on Petitions Relating to East-India-Built Shipping. H.M. Stationery Office.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Maeres, John (1791), Voyages Made in the Years 1788 and 1789, from China to the N. W. Coast of America: With an Introductory Narrative of a Voyage Performed in 1786, from Bengal, in the Ship Nootka. To which are Annexed, Observations on the Probable Existence of a North West Passage. And Some Account of the Trade Between the North West Coast of America and China; and the Latter Country and Great Britain, vol.2, J. Walter
McNab, Robert, ed. (1908). Historical Records of New Zealand. Vol.1.
Phipps, John (1840). A Collection of Papers Relative to Ship Building in India ...: Also a Register Comprehending All the Ships ... Built in India to the Present Time ... Scott.
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