Bellona (1782)
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''Bellona'' was a three-decker merchantman launched in 1782, at
Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throu ...
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 The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
as an "extra ship", that is, on a charter contract. During the first of these voyages she transported
convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convicts ...
s from Britain to
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. French privateers captured her and the British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
recaptured her, the Royal Navy seized her once, and then finally a French privateer captured her in February 1810, and scuttled her.


Career


EIC voyage #1 (1792-94)

Captain Matthew Boyd sailed from
Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...
, England, on 8 August 1792, bound for New South Wales and China. The government chartered ''Bellona'' for the voyage, paying £4 4 s/ton (bm)/month. ''Bellona'' carried 17 female convicts, five free settlers and their families, and a cargo of stores. The free settlers were the first free settlers to come to Australia. ''Bellona'' reached
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
on 18 October, and arrived at
Port Jackson Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta ...
,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
on 16 January 1793. The stores were five pipes of
port wine Port wine (, ; ), or simply port, is a Portuguese wine, Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro, Douro Valley of Norte, Portugal, northern Portugal. It is typically a sweetness of wine, sweet red wine, often served with dessert wine, ...
, some rum, and 3000 lbs of tobacco. Unfortunately, bad weather on the journey had spoilt a large part of the most useful articles. After delivering convicts, settlers, and cargo, ''Bellona'' sailed for China on 19 February. On the way, in February–March, Matthew Boyd discovered a reef system near New Caledonia. The Bellona Reefs are named in honour of the ship. ''Bellona'' reached
Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...
on 16 Ma,y and
Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...
on 23 June, and arrived at Whampoa on 22 July. She was at the Second Bar on 20 December. On 1 January 1794, five East Indiamen set out together, in order: ''Bombay Castle'', ''Chesterfield'', ''Brunswick'', ''Minerva'', and ''Bellona''. ''Bellona'' reached
St Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
20 April 1794, and
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
on 20 July, and arrived at Long Reach on 30 August.British Library: ''Belona''.
/ref>


EIC voyage #2 (1795-96)

Captain William Ward Farrer left the Downs on 12 July 1795, bound for
Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
. ''Bellona'' arrived at
Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
on 7 December. While he was underway, he was issued a
letter of marque A letter of marque and reprisal () was a Sovereign state, government license in the Age of Sail that authorized a private person, known as a privateer or French corsairs, corsair, to attack and capture vessels of a foreign state at war with t ...
on 19 September 1796. This authorized him to take offensive action against the French or their allies, not just defensive. On the return leg of her voyage, ''Bellona'' passed
Saugor Sagar, formerly Saugor, is a city, municipal corporation and administrative headquarter in Sagar district of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. It's Madhya Pradesh's 6th largest city of by Population. The city is situated on a ...
on 3 February 1796, reached the Cape on 18 April and St Helena on 5 May, and arrived at Long Reach on 8 August.


EIC voyage #3 (1796-98)

Captain William Ward Farrer sailed from the Downs on 3 October 1796, bound for
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
and Amboina. ''Bellona'' reached Madras on 12 February 1797,
Trincomalee Trincomalee (; , ; , ), historically known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Located on the east coast o ...
on 11 March, and
Pondicherry Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...
on 21 March. She returned to Madras on 26 March, reached Malacca on 6 June, and arrived at Amboina on 19 August. She left Amboina on 1 January 1798, reached the Cape on 17 March, St Helena on 15 April, and
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
on 25 June. She arrived at Long Reach on 10 July.


Jamaica trader (1799-1800)

''Lloyd's Register'' for 1799, gives the name of ''Bellona''s owner as "Wddrbrn", her master as E. Lamb, and her trade as London-Jamaica. ''Lloyd's List'' reported on 13 June 1800 that "the Bellona, Lamb, has been taken by two French privateers, after an engagement of two hours; since retaken and arrived at Jamaica." The recapture was the work of , which captured the "English Ship Bellona, of Ten Guns, and Six Hundred Tons, from London, bound to Saint Lucie".


EIC voyage #4 (1801-02)

Next, her owners tendered ''Bellona'' to the EIC to bring back rice from Bengal. ''Bellona'', Edward Lamb, master, was one of 28 vessels that sailed on that mission between December 1800 and February 1801. Captain Edwin Lamb sailed from the Downs on 14 January 1801, bound for Madras and Calcutta. ''Bellona'' reached Madras on 17 June, and Calcutta on 24 June. Homeward bound, she passed Saugor on 8 September, reached St Helena on 1 January 1802, and arrived at Gravesend on 3 March. On 30 March 1802, the Court of Directors of the United Company of Merchants trading with the East Indies (the EIC), announced that on 22 April, they would offer for sale 37,000 bags of rice brought by , , , , and ''Bellona''.


Subsequent career

''Lloyd's Register'' of 1802, gave her master as "Lamb", her owner as "Boyd & Co.", and her trade as London to India. This information continued unchanged through 1804. However, there are accounts that Boyd & Co. sold ''Bellona'' to foreign buyers in 1802, but repurchased her in 1804. There may be a related explanation for a break in 1803. The ''Morning Post'', of London, England, reported on 5 November 1803, that: "The Batavia, Jansen, and the Bellona, Lamb, from Batavia to Amsterdam, are captured by the Governor of St. Helena." Coming from Batavia, the two vessels may not have realized that war with France and her allies, including the
Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic (; ) was the Succession of states, successor state to the Dutch Republic, Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 after the Batavian Revolution and ended on 5 June 1806, with the acce ...
, had recommenced in May. This would have provided grounds for the seizure of the two vessels as they arrived at St Helena. ''Lloyd's Register'' of 1805, gave the name of ''Bellona''s master as "Lamb", her owner as "Boyd & Co.", and her trade as London transport. ''Bellona'' was one of the transport vessels that were part of the expedition under General Sir David Baird and Admiral Sir
Home Riggs Popham Rear-Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham, KCB, KCH (12 October 1762 – 20 September 1820), was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is known for his scientific accomplishments, particula ...
that would in 1806 capture the
Dutch Cape Colony The Cape of Good Hope () was a Dutch United East India Company (VOC) supplystation in Southern Africa, centered on the Cape of Good Hope, from where it derived its name. The original supply station and the successive states that the area was ...
. On 28 February, she and six other transports sailed as
cartels A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collaborate with each other as well as agreeing not to compete with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. A cartel is an organization formed by producers ...
, repatriating Dutch prisoners to Holland. The ''Caledonian Mercury'' reported on 8 September 1806, that "The Bellona, transport, Lamb, has been on shore at Plymouth, and received damage."


Fate

On 28 February 1810, the French privateer captured ''Bellona'', Ross, master, at as ''Bellona'' was sailing from London to
Amelia Island Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlant ...
, Florida. The French set their
prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
on fire, scuttling her; ''Invincible Napoleon'' carried the crew into Bordeaux.''Lloyd's List'' №4460.
/ref> The entry in ''Lloyd's Register'' from 1805, continued unchanged until ''Bellona'' was last listed in 1813. ''Bellona'' is last listed in the ''Register of Shipping'' for 1811.''Register of Shipping'' (1811), Seq. №129.
/ref>


Citations


References

* * * * {{Cite book, last1=Russell , first1=B. , last2=Russell , first2=J. , year=1815 , title=The History of the War, Between the United States and Great-Britain, which Commenced in June, 1812, and Closed in Feb. 1815 ...: Comp. Chiefly from Public Documents. With an Appendix, Containing the Correspondence which Passed ... in Treating for Peace. To which is Added, the Treaty of Peace, and a List of Vessels Taken from G. Britain During the War 1782 ships Ships built on the River Thames Ships of the British East India Company Convict ships to New South Wales Age of Sail merchant ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Captured ships