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''Swallow'' was a teak-built packet ship that the British East India Company (EIC) launched at Bombay in 1779. She made nine trips between India and Britain for the EIC between 1782 and 1803. Her most notable exploit occurred on her seventh voyage, when she helped capture seven Dutch East Indiamen on 15 June 1795. The Royal Navy purchased her in 1804 and named her ''Lilly''. She served in the navy until she was sold in 1811. During this time she participated in the capture of La Désirade island, and participated in a quixotic and unsuccessful attempt of General Francisco de Miranda to liberate the Province of Venezuela from Spain in 1806. Her whereabouts between 1811 and 1815 are obscure, but in 1815 J. Lyney, of London, purchased her and she sailed to the West Indies and to India as an EIC-licensed vessel until she wrecked on her way to Calcutta in 1823.


East India Company packet


Un-numbered voyages (1779–81)

''Swallow'' came under the command of Captain Sober Hall. In March 1780 she was dispatched to Britain. On 24 January 1781, ''Swallow'', under the command of Captain Sober Hall, sailed from Limerick for
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, with the Right Hon. Lord Macartney, the new governor of Madras, Mr. Staunton and Mr. Lacelles, his Lordship's secretaries, Col. Cowper, Mr. Kerin of the county Clare, and Mr. Exshaw of Dublin, with several other passengers. Lord Macartney arrived at Madras on 22 June 1781.


Voyage #1 (1782–85)

The first voyage to the UK for which National Archive records exist was in 1782. In that year Captain Sober Hall sailed from India, reaching Limerick, which she left on 4 October 1782, and arriving at The Downs on 10 April 1783. ''Swallow'' left the Downs on 16 September 1783 under the command of Captain Richard Bendy. Bendy was carrying to India the preliminary articles of a treaty between George III and the States General of the United Provinces, and the definitive peace treaty between the crowns of Great Britain, France, and Spain (Treaties of Versailles).


Voyage #2 (1785–86)

''Swallow'' left Bengal on 16 August 1785 under the command of Capt Richard Bendy, though Captain Robert Anderson may have replaced him at some point on the voyage. She reached the Cape on 17 October, and
St Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
on 11 November. She arrived at the Downs on 8 January 1786.


Voyage #3 (1786–87)

Captain Robert Anderson left Portsmouth on 7 May 1786, bound for
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and Bengal. ''Swallow'' reached Johanna on 29 July, and Madras on 21 August, arriving at Calcutta on 12 September. Outward bound, she passed
Kedgeree Kedgeree (or occasionally ) is a dish consisting of cooked, flaked fish (traditionally smoked haddock), boiled rice, parsley, hard-boiled eggs, curry powder, butter or cream, and occasionally sultanas. The dish can be eaten hot or cold. Other ...
on 19 November and again reached Madras on 1 December. She then stopped at St Helena on 31 January 1787 before reaching the Downs on 30 March.


Voyage #4 (1788-1790)

Captain Robert Anderson and ''Swallow'' left the Downs on 26 June 1788 and Falmouth on 26 August, reaching the Cape on 5 November and arriving at Calcutta on 25 January 1789. Outward bound, she passed Kedgeree on 22 February, reached Madras on 9 March, Negapatam on 29 April, Madras again on 4 May, and Calcutta again on 12 June. She left
Diamond Harbour Diamond Harbour () is a town and a municipality of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. It is the headquarters of the Diamond Harbour subdivision. Histor ...
on 19 August, reached St Helena on 28 October, and arrived at the Downs on 10 January 1790. She was at her moorings on 17 January.


Voyage #5 (1790–92)

Captain George Curtis left Portsmouth on 12 June 1790, bound for Madras and Bengal. She was carrying the Governor and his suite. On 17 July she spoke the slave ship at as ''Betsey'' was on her way to West Africa to acquire slaves. ''Swallow'' reached the Cape on 24 August, Madras on 5 October, and Calcutta on 7 November. On 8 December ''Swallow'' passed Culpee (an anchorage near Calcutta), reached Madras on 14 December, Negaptam on 21 December, Madras again on 5 January 1791, Cuddalore on 2 February, Madras yet again on 4 February,
Port Cornwallis Port Cornwallis is a port situated on Ross Island, off the NE coast of North Andaman. This should not be confused with Ross Island, which is opposite Port Blair, South Andaman. There is a lighthouse, commissioned in 1973, near Port Cornwalli ...
on 25 February,
Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
on 8 March, Madras on 26 March,
Nagore Nagore is a town in the Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located approximately 12 km North of Karaikal and 5 km South of Nagapattinam. Nearby towns are Karaikal, Tiruvarur, and Velankanni. It has a population of appr ...
on 27 April, Madras on 2 May, Masulipatam on 10 July, Madras on 17 July, Negapatam on 19 August, and Madras for the last time on this voyage on 25 August. ''Swallow'' reached St Helena on 29 November and arrived at Bristol on 25 January 1792.


Voyage #6 (1792–94)

Captain George Curtis left the Downs on 18 October 1792 for Bengal, Madras, and Bombay. She arrived at Calcutta on 10 March, Madras on 27 April, Madras, and Bombay on 16 June. She left Bombay on 7 August and reached Anjengo on 15 August, and Madras 24 August. She left Madras on 10 October, reached st Helena on 15 December, and arrived at Torbay on 4 February 1794, and the Downs on 16 February.


Voyage #7 and the capture of the Dutch Indiamen (1795–97)

Captain William Clifton left Falmouth on 2 January 1795. On 2 June ''Swallow'' arrived at St Helena from the Cape of Good Hope with the news than a convoy of Dutch East Indiamen had left the Cape, sailing for the Netherlands. The eight unescorted Dutch East Indiaman that had sailed on 22 May had the misfortune to encounter , the
East Indiaman East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...
''General Goddard'', and ''Swallow'' near
Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
. On 3 June, ''Sceptre'', ''General Goddard'', ''Manship'' (also an EIC ship), and ''Swallow'' set out. Five other HEIC ships set out later, of which only ''Busbridge'' met up with the squadron. On 7 June, the squadron captured the "richly laden" ''Julie''. Three days later, the British captured the Dutch Indiaman ''Hougly'', which ''Swallow'' escorted into St Helena, before returning to the squadron with additional seamen. In the afternoon of 14 June, the British squadron sighted seven sail. At 1 a.m. the next morning ''General Goddard'' sailed through the Dutch fleet, which fired on her. She did not fire back. Later that morning, after some exchange of shots between the British and Dutch vessels, the Dutch surrendered. The EIC ships ''Busbridge'', Captain Samuel Maitland, and ''Asia'', Captain John Davy Foulkes, arrived on the scene and helped board the Dutch vessels. There were no casualties on either side. The British then brought their prizes into St Helena on 17 June. On 1 July, ''Sceptre'', ''General Goddard'' and the prizes sailed from St Helena to gather in other returning British East Indiamen. They then returned to St Helena, where
George Vancouver Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...
and , which had arrived there in the meantime, joined them. The entire convoy, now some 20 vessels or so strong, sailed from there on 22 August for Shannon. Because the captures occurred before Britain had declared war on the
Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic ( nl, Bataafse Republiek; french: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bona ...
, the vessels became Droits to the Crown. Still, prize money, in the amount of two-thirds of the value of the Dutch ships amounted to £76,664 14 s. Of this, £61,331 15s 2 d was distributed among the officers and crew of ''Sceptre'', ''General Goddard'', ''Busbridge'', ''Asia'', and ''Swallow''. The remainder went to the garrison at St Helena, and various vessels in the St Helena roads. Thirty-three years later, in July 1828, there was a small final payment. ''Swallow'' sailed from Bengal in September 1796, reaching
Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
on 10 October and leaving on 12 November, reaching Penang on 24 November, Madras on 19 December, Trincomalee on 22 December, Madras on 4 January 1797, and St Helena on 15 March, arriving on 2 May at Torbay.


Voyage #8 (1799-1803)

Captain John Luard left Falmouth on 6 September 1799 bound for China, and then Mokha and Madras. Luard sailed with a letter of marque issued 25 July 1799. Luard and ''Swallow'' apparently sighted Yap around February 1800. (At some point Arthur Muter replaced Luard as captain.) She left Calcutta on 19 November 1801, reached Mokha on 13 January 1802, and Madras on 28 March. She left Madras on 13 October, reaching Calcutta on 7 November. She passed Saugor on 1 March 1803, reached St Helena on 12 May, and Falmouth on 14 July. She arrived at the Downs on 29 July.


HMS Lilly

The Admiralty purchased ''Swallow'' in May 1804 and named her ''Lilly'' (or equally ''Lily''), presumably while she was fitting out, which was after the loss of a ''Lilly'' in July. Retaining her name was apparently not an option as a had just been laid down. ''Lilly'' underwent fitting out, including receiving a heavier armament than the EIC provided, between 21 August and 11 December. Commander John Morrison commissioned her in October, for the
Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...
. In March 1806 Lieutenant Donald Campbell replaced Morrison. During this period, two privateers captured a tender that was serving ''Lilly'' and the crew aboard her were prisoners at
Cumaná Cumaná () is the capital city of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first cities founded by Spain in the mainland Americas and is the oldest continuously-inhabited Hispanic-established city in South ...
(now part of Venezuela), for several months. After they returned to ''Lilly'' she encountered the ship ''Leander'', of 22 guns and 200 men. This vessel, outfitted in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, was carrying General Francisco de Miranda and his revolutionaries after a botched landing attempt in Ocumare de la Costa whose objective was to free the province of Venezuela from Spain rule. The botched landing only resulted in two Spanish ''garda costa''s, ''Argos'' and ''Celoso'', capturing two of Miranda's vessels, ''Bacchus'' and ''Bee''. The Spanish government put 60 of the men they had captured on trial in
Puerto Cabello Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the coun ...
, and sentenced ten to being hanged and quartered. ''Lilly'' escorted ''Leander'' and Miranda to
Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
and then to Barbados, where Miranda met with Admiral Alexander Cochrane. As Spain was then at war with Britain, the governor of Trinidad Thomas Hyslop agree to provide some support for a second attempt. ''Lilly'' left
Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...
on 24 July, together with , , , and ''Leander'', carrying General Miranda and some 220 officers and men. General Miranda decided to land in La Vela de Coro and the squadron anchored there on 1 August. The next day the frigate joined them; she stayed some three days. On 3 August sixty Trinidadian volunteers, under the Count de Rouveray, sixty men under Col. Dowie, and thirty seamen and marines from ''Lily'', under Lieutenant Beddingfelt landed. This force cleared the beach of Spanish forces and captured a battery of four 9 and 12-pounder guns; the attackers had four men severely wounded, all from ''Lilly''. Shortly thereafter boats from ''Bacchante'' landed American volunteers and seamen and marines. The Spanish retreated, which enabled this force to capture two forts mounting 14 guns. General Miranda then marched on
Coro Coro or CORO may refer to: Entertainment * ''Coro'' (Berio), a composition by Luciano Berio * Coro (music), Italian for choir * Coro TV, Venezuelan community television channel * Omweso (Coro), mancala game played in the Lango region of Uganda * ...
, which he captured. However, on 8 August a Spanish force of almost 2000 men arrived. They captured a master of transport and 14 seamen who were getting water, unbeknownst to Campbell. ''Lily'' landed 20 men on the morning of 10 August; this landing party killed a dozen Spaniards, but was able to rescue only one of the captive seamen. Col. Downie and 50 men were sent, but the colonel judged the enemy force too strong and withdrew. When another 400 men came from
Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...
, General Miranda realized that his force was too small to achieve anything further. ''Lilly'' and her squadron then carried him and his men safely to
Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...
. Although Campbell was next in line for a promotion, the letter notifying the Admiralty of his acting command of ''Lilly'' did not arrive in time. Instead, Commander William Henry Shirreff was appointed to ''Lilly'' on 3 March 1806, but did not take command until towards the end of the year. Campbell took command of , and his promotion to commander was confirmed on 4 May 1807. ''Lilly'' was part of the squadron under Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane that captured the Danish islands of St Thomas on 22 December and Santa Cruz on 25 December 1807. The Danes did not resist and the invasion was bloodless. On 29 March 1808, , in company with ''Lilly'', ''Pelican'', , and ''Mosambique'', sailed from Marie-Galante to attack the island of La Désirade. They arrived on 30 March and landed seamen and marines under the command of Captain Sherriff. As the squadron approached they exchanged fire with a battery of 9-pounders covering the entrance to the harbour. The ships' guns silenced the battery and the French surrendered. The inhabitants of La Désirade took an oath of neutrality, so Admiral Alexander Cochrane did not place a garrison on the island, though the British did destroy the island's shore batteries. Cochrane also left ''Lilly'', ''Express'', and ''Mosambique'' there both to deny the island to French privateers and to forestall any French attempt to recapture it. On 21 April ''Mosambique'' chased and captured the French letter of marque brig ''Jean Jacques''. She and her prize, the British brig ''Brothers'' of Liverpool, were seeking to take shelter at La Désirade, not knowing that the island was in British hands. ''Jean Jacques'' was pierced for 18 guns but carried only six long 9-pounders. She was 36 days out of Bordeaux and sailing for
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
. Sherriff, the commander of the squadron to which ''Mosambique'' belonged, reported that he was particularly pleased at the capture as ''Jean Jacques'' had been sent out for "the express Purpose of cruising in these Seas, and, from her superior Sailing, would have proved a great Annoyance to the Trade." While ''Mosambique'' was capturing ''Jean Jacques'', the squadron saw a brig on fire. The squadron's boats went to the brig's assistance, extinguished the flames, and discovered that it was ''Brothers''. In the entire affair, the British had no casualties and the French suffered only one man wounded. Sherriff received promotion to post captain on 15 November 1809.Marshall (1828), Supplement, Part 2, pp52-54.


Return to civilian service

The Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy offered the "Lily Sloop, 352 Tons", lying at Portsmouth, for sale on 17 November 1811. She sold that month. ''Lilly''s whereabouts in 1812 and 1813 are currently obscure. In 1814 J. Lyney, London, purchased ''Lilly'' and returned her to her original name of ''Swallow''. She then traded to South America and India under a license from the EIC.


''Lloyd's Register''

''Lloyd's Register'' for 1819 had a second entry for ''Swallow''. It showed her as being of 361 tons (bm), with master W. Oliver, and owner J. Lyney, sailing on 15 February 1818 to Bombay for the EIC.


Fate

''Swallow'' was wrecked on 16 June 1823 on the James and Mary Shoal, near Fultah, on the River Hooghly, while sailing from London for Calcutta. She was totally lost, and three of crew died; the remainder, and her passengers, apparently were able to get ashore, though they lost all their possessions.''Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India, China, and Australia'' ( January 1824), p.96. (Parbury, Allen, & Co.). ''Swallow'' was the EIC's most successful fast-sailing packet.


Notes


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Swallow (1779) 1779 ships British ships built in India Ships of the British East India Company Sloops of the Royal Navy Maritime incidents in June 1823