''Ganges'' was a 700-ton (bm) merchantman launched in India in 1792. She made one voyage under contract to the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sout ...

(EIC), and one in 1797 transporting

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 convict ...

s from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. She disappears from the registers after 1802.

Career

EIC voyage #1 (1796)

''Ganges'', under the command of Thomas Patrickson, left Bengal on 1 February 1796. She was carrying rice on behalf of the British government, which was importing grain to address high prices for wheat in Britain following a poor harvest. ''Ganges'' reached

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 7 April, and arrived at

Long Reach Long Reach or Longreach may refer to: Places *Long Reach, Columbia, Maryland, United States * Long Reach, Kent, UK *Long Reach, at Gravesend, Kent, UK *Long Reach, West Virginia, United States * Longreach, Queensland, Australia *Long Reach, Tasmani ...

on 10 June.British Library: ''Ganges'' (2).
/ref>The British Library entry combines this ''Ganges''s voyage and one by . On 17 September 1796 Thomas Patrickson received a letter of marque for ''Ganges''.

Convict transport (1797)

''Ganges'' appeared in ''

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...

'' (''LR'') of 1797 with Patrickson as master and owner, and trade London–

Botany Bay Botany Bay ( Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refe ...

.''LR'' (1797), Seq.№G13.
/ref> Patrickson sailed ''Ganges'' from

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

, England, in early 1797, and she arrived at

Port Jackson Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman ...

on 2 June 1797. She transported 203 male convicts, 13 of whom died on the voyage. This was despite Sir James Fitzpatrick, the Home Department's surgeon-general, having ordered the installation of ventilators and water purifiers, and the stocking of fumigants and medicines. Patrickson had asked for 300 convicts, but the request was refused. The guards were a detachment from the

New South Wales Corps The New South Wales Corps (sometimes called The Rum Corps) was formed in England in 1789 as a permanent regiment of the British Army to relieve the New South Wales Marine Corps, who had accompanied the First Fleet to Australia, in fortifying ...

. ''Ganges'' left Port Jackson in December 1797 bound for China. ''

'' for 1799 shows ''Ganges'', Patrickson, master, Captain and company as owners, and with trade London-Botany Bay. This entry continued unchanged through 1802, even though there were changes in reality.

Notes, citations, and references

Notes Citations References * * {{cite book , last=Hackman , first=Rowan , date=2001 , title=Ships of the East India Company , location=Gravesend, Kent , publisher=World Ship Society , isbn=0-905617-96-7 1792 ships British ships built in India Ships of the British East India Company Convict ships to New South Wales Age of Sail merchant ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom