HMS Minden (1810)

Last updated

HMS Minden at the Bombardment of Algiers 1816 by Chambers (cropped).jpg
The Bombardment of Algiers, 27 August 1816, by George Chambers (1836), portrays HMS Minden
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NameHMS Minden
Ordered9 July 1801
Builder Wadia Group
Launched19 June 1810
Honours and
awards
FateSold for breaking up, 1861
NotesHulked, 1842
General characteristics [1]
Class and type Ganges-class ship of the line
Tons burthen1721 bm
Length169 ft 6 in (51.66 m) (gundeck)
Beam47 ft 8+1⁄2 in (14.5 m)
Depth of hold20 ft 3 in (6.17 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail plan Full-rigged ship
Armament
  • 74 guns
  • Gundeck: 28 × 32 pdrs
  • Upper gundeck: 28 × 18 pdrs
  • Quarterdeck: 14 × 9 pdrs
  • Forecastle: 4 × 9 pdrs

HMS Minden was a Royal Navy 74-gun Ganges-class third-rate ship of the line, launched on 19 June 1810 [1] from Bombay, India. She was named after the German town Minden and the Battle of Minden of 1759, a decisive victory of British and Prussian forces over France in the Seven Years' War. The town is about 75 km away from Hanover, from where the House of Hanover comes—the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 until 1901.

Contents

Construction

Jamsetjee Bomanjee Wadia, the Parsi master shipbuilder. The Minden can be seen under construction outside the window. Jamsetjee holds a plan of the ship, and wears a shawl as traditionally given to builders by the East India Company on completion of a new ship Jamsetjee Bomanjee Wadia, Parsi master shipbuilder RAS 01.007.jpg
Jamsetjee Bomanjee Wadia, the Parsi master shipbuilder. The Minden can be seen under construction outside the window. Jamsetjee holds a plan of the ship, and wears a shawl as traditionally given to builders by the East India Company on completion of a new ship

Jamsetjee Bomanjee Wadia of the Wadia Group built Minden. She was launched from the Duncan Docks [2] in Bombay, India, [3] and was built of teak. [4]

The Bombay Courier, 23 June 1810 wrote:

“On Tuesday last His Majesty’s Ship, the Minden built in the new docks (Bombay) by Jamsetji Bomanji Wadia was floated into the stream at high water, after the usual ceremony of breaking the bottle had been performed by the Honorable Governor Jonathan Duncan. Also In having produced the Minden, Bombay is entitled to the distinguished praise of providing the first and only British ship of the line built out of the limits of the Mother Country; and in the opinion of very competent judges, the Minden, for beauty of construction and strength of frame, may stand in competition with any man-o-war that has come out of the most celebrated Dockyards of Great Britain. For the skill of its architects, for the superiority of its timber, and for the excellence of its docks, Bombay may now claim a distinguished place among naval arsenals”.

Service history

Minden sailed from Bombay on 8 February 1811 on her first cruise, [4] under the command of Edward Wallis Hoare, [5] and manned by the crew of the Russell. In March she sailed from Madras to take part in the invasion of Java. On 29 July two of her boats, under the command of Lieutenant Edmund Lyons, with only 35 officers and men aboard, attacked and captured the fort covering the harbour of Marrack, to the westward of Batavia. [5] The Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "30 July Boat Service 1811" was issued to survivors of this action in 1848. The Dutch and French forces in Java surrendered in September. Minden then sailed for the UK and escorted convoys to the East Indies, the Cape of Good Hope, South America, and the coast of Africa. [4]

Minden sailed from Portsmouth under Captain Alexander Skene on 6 August 1812 arriving at Madras, India on 29 January 1813 where she then served as the flagship of Vice Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, Commander in Chief of the East Indies Station. While there, she was first commanded by Captain William Webley, then by Captain Joseph Prior, and thereafter (20 April 1814) by Captain George Henderson (until 14 January 1815). [6] [7] [8] "In the summer of 1814 [Admiral Hood] made a voyage, in his majesty’s ship Minden, to the eastern parts of his station.” [9] He eventually arrived at Semarang, Java on 29 June 1814. Hood then "sailed on the Minden from Batavia on 1 August 1814 for Madras, where he [later] died on 24 December of that year.”. [10] [11] The Minden remained in the East Indies until September 1815 when she returned to England, arriving at Portsmouth on 4 February 1816. [12]

(A few blogs and articles on the internet claim that Minden saw service during the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake Bay and that Francis Scott Key was aboard her when he wrote the poem "Defense of Fort M'Henry", which became the lyrics for "The Star-Spangled Banner". [13] [14] [ disputed (for: Role in 1812 war) – discuss ] A counter to those claims is given in the preceding paragraph, and in these sources): [15] [16] [17]

In late July 1816 Minden sailed from Plymouth Sound, as part of an Anglo-Dutch fleet that made an attack on Algiers on 27 August. [4] The Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Algiers" was issued to survivors of this battle in 1848.

Minden then sailed for the East Indies, and was reported to be at Trincomalee in 1819. In July 1830 Minden was at Plymouth. She was commissioned there on 19 March 1836 and sailed for the Tagus joining the British squadron. In 1839 she was at Malta, returning to Plymouth in early 1840. [4]

The fire on the morning of 27 September 1840, which threatened to destroy Devonport dockyard and the Minden This view of the Fire in Her Majesty's Dock Yard Devonport on the Morning of the 27th Sept 1840, by H. Hainsselin.jpg
The fire on the morning of 27 September 1840, which threatened to destroy Devonport dockyard and the Minden

She was at Devonport dockyard when it suffered severe damage in a large scale fire on 25 September 1840, it started in the North Dock on HMS Talavera which was completely gutted, spread to the Minden whose fire was successfully put out, and spread to nearby buildings and equipment. [18]

A typhoon destroyed the shore-based Royal Naval Hospital at Hong Kong on 22 July 1841, [19] and Minden was commissioned at Plymouth in December 1841 to serve as a hospital ship there. [4] She was stationed at Hong Kong as a hospital ship from 1842 [4] until she was replaced by HMS Alligator in 1846. [19] Minden then served there as stores ship until sold for scrapping in August 1861. [4]

In memory of the ship, two streets were named after her, Minden Row and Minden Avenue, located behind Signal Hill of Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 185.
  2. ↑ "How Mumbai is linked to America's most famous song". rediff.com. 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  3. ↑ Jungalwala, Khorshed. "The Wadias of India: Then and Now". Vohuman Web Journal. Prominent Zarathushtis. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Benyon, P. (2011). "HMS Minden". pbenyon.plus.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018.
  5. 1 2 Phillips, Michael (2011). "HMS "MINDEN" (74) [1810]". ageofnelson.org. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  6. ↑ https://morethannelson.com/officer/sir-samuel-hood/ Hiscocks, Richard. "The Royal Navy 1776-1815 A Biographical History and Chronicle"
  7. ↑ Winfield, Rif. "British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793-1817 Design, Construction, Careers and Fates" Chatham Publishing, London 2005 (page 77 "Minden").
  8. ↑ O’Byrne, William R. "A Naval Biographical Dictionary: Comprising the Life and Services of Every Living Officer in Her Majesty’s Navy, Vol. 1" 1849 - Publ. J. Murray [pages 493-494 - for 'Henderson', scroll down to 510 and 511 in the google page numbers.] https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Naval_Biographical_Dictionary/Qm5KAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
  9. ↑ Hall, Basil (Captain, RN) "Fragments of Voyages and Travels, Third Series, Vol. 2" - Whittaker, Treacher, & Co. London 1833 (Page 270 - Chapter 9 Visit to the Sultan of Pontiana in Borneo--Sir Samuel Hood) https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b556492&view=1up&seq=286&skin=2021
  10. ↑ Carey,Peter (Editor). "The British in Java, 1811-1816 : a Javanese account : a text full edition, English synopsis, and commentary on British Library Additional Manuscript 12330 (Babad bedhah ing Ngayogyakarta)" Oxford University Press. 1992. (Page 510, note 535)
  11. ↑ Arrivals and Departures (to and from Batavia) 1814-1815 (source: the Java Half-Yearly Almanac and Directory for 1815) [Arranged alphabetically by ships names] https://sites.google.com/site/sumatraswestkust/java-almanac
  12. ↑ London Morning Post 6 February 1816 (page 4, column 2).
  13. ↑ "Letter from William C. Noyes to Abraham Lincoln". The Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress . 3 January 1863. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  14. ↑ "Remarks by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson". YouTube . 18 October 2017.
  15. ↑ Eshelman, Ralph E. and Sheads, Scott S. “Chesapeaske Legends and Lore from The War of 1812”. 2013 The History Press. - 'HMS Minden: A Case of Mistaken Identity' (pages 72-74) https://books.google.com/books?id=mtV2CQAAQBAJ&dq=hms+minden:+a+case+of+mistaken+identity&pg=PT7
  16. ↑ Skinner, Col. John Stuart. “Incidents of The War of 1812”. Published in the Baltimore Patriot 23 May 1849, Reprinted in the “Maryland Historical Magazine", Maryland Historical Society, 1937 (Vol.32, pages 340-347) [First-hand account by the man who accompanied F.S. Key.] https://archive.org/details/marylandhistoric3219mary/page/340/mode/2up
  17. ↑ Hinkey, Donald R. (editor). The War of 1812: Writings from America’s Second War of Independence” “The Life and Legend of Francis Scott Key: Maryland, September 1814” 2013 Published by Library of America (pages 547-554) - Roger B.Taney to Charles Howard” 1856. First published in Baltimore by Samuel Tyler in “Memoir of Roger Taney” 1872 https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.loa.org/images/pdf/Key_Taney.pdf
  18. ↑ "Dreadful Fire at Devonport". London: The Morning Chronicle. 25 September 1840. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  19. 1 2 Davis, Peter (2008). "The Royal Naval Hospital, Hong Kong". pdavis.nl. Retrieved 18 April 2011.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Samuel Hood, 1st Baronet</span> Royal Navy admiral (1762–1814)

Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, 1st Baronet, of 37 Lower Wimpole Street, London, was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served as a Member of Parliament for Westminster in 1806.

HMS <i>Cornwallis</i> (1805) Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Cornwallis was a Royal Navy 54-gun fourth rate. Jemsatjee Bomanjee built the Marquis Cornwallis of teak for the Honourable East India Company (EIC) between 1800 and 1801. In March 1805 Admiral Sir Edward Pellew purchased her from the Company shortly after she returned from a voyage to Britain. She served in the Far East, sailing to Australia and the Pacific Coast of South America before returning to India. In February 1811 the Admiralty renamed her HMS Akbar. She captured forts and vessels in the Celebes and Amboyna, and participated in the invasion of Isle de France, and the 1811 invasion of Java. She also served in the West Indies before being laid up at Portsmouth in December 1816. She then stayed in Britain in a number of stationary medical and training capacities until the Admiralty sold her in the 1860s.

HMS Hesper was a British Royal Navy 18-gun ship-sloop of the Cormorant class, launched in 1809 at Dartmouth. Her original builder, Benjamin Tanner, became bankrupt during her construction, so John Cock completed her. In 1810 she was reclassed as a 20-gun sixth-rate ship ; in 1817 she was again re-rated, this time as 26 guns. She served primarily in the Indian Ocean. In 1810 she participated in the Invasion of Isle de France. The next year Hesper participated in the capture of Java, which she followed in 1812 by capturing Timor. She was sold in 1817.

The Dutch corvette Scipio was launched in 1784. She convoyed Dutch East Indiamen between the Cape of Good Hope and Europe until HMS Psyche captured her at Samarang in 1807. The British Royal Navy initially referred to her as HMS Scipio, but then renamed her to HMS Samarang in 1808. She was not commissioned in the Royal Navy. She was instrumental in the capture of Amboyna and especially Pulo Ay, and participated in the invasion of Java (1811). She was sold at Bombay in 1814. She then entered mercantile service, sailing between Liverpool and India until 1827. She became an opium trader sailing between India and Canton, and was broken up near Hong Kong in August 1833.

A number of vessels have been named Alexander:

Batavia was built at Topsham, England in 1802. At first she traded independently with the East Indies, but then she made three voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). Lastly, she made one voyage in 1818 transporting convicts to Australia. She was broken up in 1819.

Northumberland was launched in 1805. She made six voyages as an extra ship of the British East India Company (EIC), between 1805 and 1818. In 1810 and 1811 she served as a transport in the British invasions of Mauritius and Java. She was sold for breaking up in 1819.

Caesar was launched in 1810 on the Thames River. She sailed first as a West Indiaman, and then after 1814 to the East Indies under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). In 1817 she repatriated from Batavia to London Lord William Amherst and the offices and crew of HMS Alceste. Caesar was last listed in 1825.

Huddart was launched in 1803 as an East Indiaman. She made eight voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), between 1803 and 1818. In 1810-1811 she participated as a transport in two British military campaigns. In 1818 new owners deployed her in sailing to Canada. She was wrecked there in 1821.

Phoenix was launched in 1804 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), between 1805 and 1819. In 1810 and 1811 she participated as a transport in two British military campaigns. She was broken up by 1821.

Preston was launched in 1798 as an East Indiaman. She made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), between 1805 and 1819. In 1810 and 1811 she participated as a transport in two British military campaigns. She was sold for breaking up in 1812 but instead became a transport and a West Indiaman. She disappeared after a gale in August 1815.

Fairlie was launched at Calcutta in 1810 and sailed to England. There she became a regular ship for the British East India Company (EIC). Including her voyage to England, she made four voyages for the EIC. From around 1821 on she became a Free Trader, continuing to trade with India under a license from the EIC. She also made two voyages transporting convicts to New South Wales (1834), and Tasmania (1852). She made several voyages carrying immigrants to South Australia, New South Wales, and British Guiana. She foundered in November 1865.

Earl of Lonsdale was launched at Whitehaven in 1810. She sailed as West Indiaman. She next made one voyage to the East Indies in 1814, and then returned to the West Indies trade. A gale at Jamaica in October 1815 destroyed her.

<i>Surat Castle</i> (1788 ship)

Surat Castle was launched at Surat in 1788 as a country ship, that is, a vessel that traded around and from India, staying east of the Cape of Good Hope. She originally was intended for the cotton trade with China. From 1796 to 1817 she made nine voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She then made one more voyage under a license from the EIC. She made one more voyage to India, this time under a licence from the EIC and then disappeared from easily accessible online sources after her sale in 1819.

<i>Thomas Grenville</i> (1808 EIC ship) India-built UK merchant ship 1808–1843

Thomas Grenville was an East Indiaman launched at the Bombay Dockyard for the British East India Company (EIC), and one of only a handful of East Indiamen that it actually owned. She made 14 voyages for the EIC. It sold her in 1834 when it gave up its maritime activities. She was sold for a free trader and burnt in Bombay in June 1843 in a suspicious fire.

David Scott was launched at Bombay in 1801. She was a "country ship", i.e., she generally traded east of the Cape of Good Hope. Between 1802 and 1816 she made five voyages between India and the United Kingdom as an "extra ship" for the British East India Company (EIC). Thereafter she traded between Britain and India under a license from the EIC. A fire destroyed her at Mauritius on 12 June 1841.

HMS Favorite was an 18-gun Cormorant-class ship-sloop, launched in 1806 and broken up in 1821. In her career she sailed as far North America, the Caribbean, Africa, South America, and the Far East. She captured or recaptured several merchant ships and a handful of privateers.

<i>Asia</i> (1797 ship)

Asia was built at Bombay Dockyard in 1797. She made at least two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) before the British Royal Navy purchased her in 1805 in the East Indies. The Royal Navy renamed her HMS Sir Francis Drake and used her as a frigate. She served in the Java campaign of 1811. When she returned to England in 1813 she was refitted as a storeship. Later, she became the flagship, at Newfoundland, for the governors of Newfoundland. The Admiralty sold her in 1825. New owners renamed her Asia and she sailed between Britain and London until 1831 when Portuguese interests purchased her. She then became the frigate Dona Maria II for the Liberal forces that were attempting to install the rightful queen, Dona Maria II, to the throne of Portugal, and overthrow Dom Miguel, who had usurped the throne. In early 1849 conflict developed between the Portuguese government in Macau and the Chinese government over who could collect taxes and tariffs at Macao. Dona Maria II sailed to Macao as part of a small squadron. An internal explosion destroyed her in the harbour on 29 October.

James Sibbald was launched at Bombay in 1803. She was a "country ship", a British vessel that traded only east of the Cape of Good Hope. A French privateer captured her in late 1804, but she quickly returned to British ownership in Bombay in a process that is currently obscure. She made several for the British East India Company (EIC).

William was launched at the Bombay Dockyard in 1800 as a country ship, i.e., a vessel trading east of the Cape of Good Hope. In 1801 she served as a transport in a naval campaign. In 1809 she made a voyage to London for the British East India Company (EIC). She survived several maritime incidents while sailing as a West Indiaman. She was last listed in 1826.

References

Coordinates: 22°17′48″N114°10′29″E / 22.29667°N 114.17472°E / 22.29667; 114.17472

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.