HMS Calcutta (1795)
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HMS ''Calcutta'' was the
East Indiaman East Indiamen were merchant ships that operated under charter or licence for European trading companies which traded with the East Indies between the 17th and 19th centuries. The term was commonly used to refer to vessels belonging to the Bri ...
''Warley'', converted to a
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 ...
56-gun fourth rate. This
ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...
served for a time as an armed transport. She also transported convicts to Australia in a voyage that became a circumnavigation of the world. The French 74-gun captured ''Calcutta'' in 1805. In 1809, after she ran aground during the
Battle of the Basque Roads The Battle of the Basque Roads, also known as the Battle of Aix Roads ( French: ''Bataille de l'île d'Aix'', also ''Affaire des brûlots'', rarely ''Bataille de la rade des Basques''), was a major naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought in ...
and her crew had abandoned her, a British boarding party burned her.


East Indiaman

The East Indiaman ''Warley'' was built at John Perry's
Blackwall Yard Blackwall Yard is a small body of water that used to be a shipyard on the River Thames in Blackwall, engaged in ship building and later ship repairs for over 350 years. The yard closed in 1987. History East India Company Blackwall was a sh ...
in 1788, the first vessel of the name that Perry built for the
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 ...
. She made two trading voyages to the Far East for the East India Company. ''Warley''s captain for her two voyages was Henry Wilson.British Library: ''Warley'' (1).
/ref> He received 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 7 September 1793.Letter of Marqu

– accessed 15 May 2011.


First EIC voyage (1789–90)

Captain Henry Wilson sailed from Falmouth on 8 March 1789, bound for Chennai, Madras and China. ''Warley'' reached Madras on 22 June, left on 9 August, and arrived at Whampoa on 28 September. Homeward bound, she crossed the Second Bar on 11 February 1790, 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 ...
on 28 April, and arrived at the Downs on 23 June.


Second EIC voyage (1793–94)

Captain Henry Wilson sailed from the Downs on 19 January 1793, again bound for Madras and China. ''Warley'' reached the Cape of Good Hope on 3 April, and arrived at Madras on 30 May. By 6 July 1793, ''Warley'' was off Pondicherry with Admiral Cornwallis's squadron. ''Warley'', , and , together with , participated in the capture of
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 ...
by maintaining a blockade of the port. By 28 August 1793, ''Warley'' was back at Madras. The Indiamen then sailed for China in early September. By 4 October 1793, the East Indiamen were at Penang, and two weeks later at Malacca. On their way to China, the East Indiamen participated in an action in the
Straits of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...
. They came upon a French
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
, with some six or seven of her
prizes 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.
, replenishing her water casks ashore. The three British vessels immediately gave chase. The frigate fled towards the
Sunda Strait The Sunda Strait () is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java island, Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea with the Indian Ocean. Etymology The strait takes its name from the Sunda Kingdom, which ruled the western portion of Ja ...
. The Indiamen were able to catch up with a number of the prizes, and after a few cannon shots, were able to retake them. The British restored the prizes to their crews and took the French prize crews as prisoners of war. Had they not carried letters of marque, such behaviour might well have qualified as piracy. ''Warley'' arrived at Whampoa on 13 December. When ''Warley'' was at ''Whampoa'' that December she joined other East Indiamen there, among which were several that on their return to Britain the Admiralty would purchase: ''Royal Charlotte'', , ''
Earl of Abergavenny Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...
'', and . The British Government had chartered ''Hindostan'' to take Lord Macartney to China in an unsuccessful attempt to open diplomatic and commercial relations with the Chinese empire. Homeward bound, ''Warley'' crossed the Second Bar on 13 March 1794. She reached St Helena on 18 June, and arrived at the Downs on 7 September.


Cruiser and armed transport

In early 1795, the Royal Navy purchased ''Warley'' and had her original builders, Perry & Co., refit her as a 56-gun
fourth rate In 1603 all English warships with a complement of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers, a six-tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided ...
, under the name ''Calcutta'', at a cost of £10,300. She was one of nine large merchantmen that the Navy Board purchased that year for conversion to
convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
escorts. Captain
William Bligh William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was a Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), Royal Navy vice-admiral and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from 1806 to 1808. He is best known for his role in the Muti ...
was her first commander, assigned to her to supervise her conversion. He took command on 16 April 1795 and commissioned her in May. In October 1795, the crew of the 74-gun (then commanded by Captain Sir George Horne) mutinied. Bligh, in ''Calcutta'', was ordered to embark 200 troops and take them alongside ''Defiance'' so that they might board her and regain control. The threat of the soldiers ended the mutiny for the time being, though the crew of the ''Defiance'' mutinied again in 1797 and 1798. Bligh continued to command ''Calcutta'' until she was paid off in February 1796 and transferred to the Transport Board. In order for her to fulfill her new role, the Transport Board had the guns on her lower deck removed. As a result she no longer needed as large a crew and her complement fell to 160 officers and men. ''Calcutta'' served in the transport role under Lieutenants Robert Arnold (June 1796 – August 1797), Edward Jekyll Canes (August 1797 – January 1798), Richard Pouldon (or Poulden, or Polden; January 1798 – December 1799). and John Anderson (December 1799 – May 1802). Under Poulden ''Calcutta'' was at the capture of
Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the isl ...
in December 1798. On 11 November she was part of a squadron that unsuccessfully chased four Spanish frigates, though two days later recaptured the sloop , which the Spaniards had captured on the 11th. Lieutenant John Anderson (December 1799 – May 1802) replaced Pouldon. On 6 June 1800 he sailed ''Calcutta'' to Gibraltar, carrying the
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.


Convict transport

Between May 1802 and February 1803, the Navy had ''Calcutta'' fitted out as a transport for convicts being sent to Britain's penal colonies in Australia. She received new armament in the form of sixteen 24-pounder
carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the last quarter of the 18th century to the mid-19th cen ...
s on her
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and two six-pounder guns on the forecastle. Captain Daniel Woodriff recommissioned her in November 1802 and sailed her from Spithead on 28 April 1803, accompanied by , to establish a settlement at
Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...
. ''Calcutta'' carried a crew of 150 and 307 male convicts, along with civil officers, marines, and some 30 wives and children of the convicts. The Reverend
Robert Knopwood Robert Knopwood (2 June 1763 – 18 September 1838) was an early clergyman and diarist in Australia. Knopwood was the third child and only surviving son of Robert Knopwood (from a wealthy Norfolk family) and his wife Elizabeth, ''née'' Bart ...
kept a journal on the voyage. ''Calcutta'' arrived at Teneriffe on 13 May; five convicts had died on that leg, suggesting that many had probably been embarked already in bad health. She 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 19 July, and the Dutch colony at the
Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...
on 16 August. While ''Calcutta'' was at the Cape, a vessel arrived with news that Britain was now at war with 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 ...
. The colony's Dutch commodore sent a representative aboard ''Calcutta'' to demand her surrender and that of her contents. While the representative waited, Woodriff spent two hours preparing her for battle. He then showed the representative her sailors and marines at their guns, and told the Dutchman to inform the commodore that ''"if he wants this ship he must come and take her if he can"''. To speed up the preparations, William Gammon, the master's mate, had asked the convicts if any would volunteer to fight and work the ship. All volunteered. The commodore gave Woodriff 24 hours to leave, saying that he ''"did not wish to capture such a large number of thieves"''. On 12 October, she reached her destination; by this time another three convicts had died. Of the eight convicts that died, one had drowned in an escape attempt at the Cape. At Port Phillip
David Collins David Collins may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * David Collins (''Dark Shadows''), character in the television series ''Dark Shadows'' * David Collins (''EastEnders''), character in the television series ''EastEnders'' P ...
, the commander of the expedition, found that the poor soil and shortage of fresh water made the area unsuitable for a colony. Collins wanted to move the colony to the Derwent River on the south coast of
Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
(then
Van Diemens Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal-inhabited island was first visited by the Dutch ship captained by Abel Tasm ...
) to the site of current-day
Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
. Woodriff refused the use of ''Calcutta'', arguing that ''Ocean'' was large enough to transport the colony, and that he was under orders to pick up naval supplies for transport to England. In December Woodriff sailed to Sydney where he took on a cargo of lumber. At midnight on 4 March, Woodriff landed 150 of his crew and
marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...
to assist the
New South Wales Corps The New South Wales Corps, later known as the 102d Regiment of Foot, and lastly as the 100th Regiment of Foot, was a formation of the British Army organised in 1789 in England to relieve the New South Wales Marine Corps, which had accompanied ...
and the
Loyal Association Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
, a local militia, in suppressing a convict uprising in support of the
Castle Hill convict rebellion The Castle Hill convict rebellion was a Convicts in Australia, convict rebellion in Castle Hill, New South Wales, Castle Hill, Sydney, then part of the British colony of New South Wales. Led by veterans of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the poorly ...
, a revolt by some 260 Irish convicts against Governor
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. Afterward, the commander of the marine detachment on ''Calcutta'', Charles Menzies, offered his services to the governor as superintendent of a new settlement at
Coal Harbour Coal Harbour is a section of Burrard Inlet lying between Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula and the Brockton Point of Stanley Park. It has also now become the name of the neighbourhood adjacent to its southern shoreline. Neighbourhood Coal Harbou ...
, an offer Governor King accepted. Another ''Calcutta'' officer, Lieut. John Houston, accepted an appointment as acting Lieutenant Governor of
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...
while Major
Joseph Foveaux Joseph Foveaux (1767 – 20 March 1846) was a soldier and convict settlement administrator in colonial New South Wales, Australia. He was also a sheep grazier and breeder, being the largest landholder in New South Wales by 1800. Early life Fovea ...
was on leave. ''Calcutta'' left on 17 March 1804, doubled
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and reached Rio on 22 May. In reaching Rio, she had thus circumnavigated the world in ten months three days. She arrived at
Spithead Spithead is an eastern area of the Solent and a roadstead for vessels off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast, with the Isle of Wight lying to the south-west. Spithead and the ch ...
on 23 July.


Ship of the line

In September 1804, the Admiralty again fitted out ''Calcutta'' for duty as a cruiser, re-arming her as a 56-gun fourth rate.


Capture

On 3 August 1805, ''Calcutta'', still under the command of Captain Woodriff, left
Saint 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 ...
as escort of a motley convoy to England. The convoy consisted of the East India company's "extra-ship" , from Madras, the southern whaler ''African'' from Desolation, the whaler ''Fox'' from the Mozambique channel, the whaler from the Peruvian coast and bound to Milford, the Prussian ship ''Wilhelmina'' (or ''Anna Wilhelmina''), which ''Calcutta'' had detained on her way out to Saint Helena, and the large Swedish ship ''Carolina'', which was sailing from China and asked to join.''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 19, pp.170–172. On 14 September 1805, the brig ''Brothers'', of London, from Tobago, joined the convoy. She had gotten separated from her convoy in a gale. Unfortunately, she was leaky and a very slow sailer. On 25 September 1805, the convoy was in the Channel south of the
Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly ( ; ) are a small archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, St Agnes, is over farther south than the most southerly point of the Great Britain, British mainla ...
when lookouts spotted a number of unknown vessels in the distance. ''Calcutta'' moved to position herself between the convoy and the unknown flotilla. Next morning, it became clear that the unknown vessels were probably French so ''Calcutta'' signalled the convoy to make sail without her and moved to intercept the French vessels. She sailed towards the nearest vessel, which turned out to be the 40-gun frigate . The engagement was desultory but ''Calcutta'' succeeded in luring the French southward and away from the convoy. As a result, the French detached the brig ''Sylph'' which captured only the slow-sailing ''Brothers''. However, eventually the rest of the French squadron started to arrive. It turned out to be Allemand's squadron, which included the 74-gun . Woodriff brought ''Calcutta'' alongside ''Magnanime'', but after a battle of some three-quarters of an hour was forced to strike. The French had shot high, bringing down ''Calcutta''s rigging, disabling her. Because the French fired high, ''Calcutta'' suffered only six dead and six wounded out of a crew of 350. The French brought ''Calcutta'' into French service the next day and retained her name. Woodriff was imprisoned at
Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...
and appealed to the French foreign minister, Talleyrand, for release. Eventually, in early 1807, he was sent to
Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...
, where the French government provided him a vessel under
cartel 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 ...
to take him to England. The British government immediately reciprocated by releasing a French officer of equal rank. The court-martial on , on 1 January 1808, acquitted Woodriff and his officers, praising the captain for his gallantry and skillful maneuvering, which had allowed the convoy to escape. The owners and underwriters on the ship and cargo of the ''Indus'', one of the East Indiamen that ''Calcutta'' had saved, proposed a subscription of 21 per cent on the amount insured. The resulting money was to be presented to Woodriffe, his officers and the crew, as a small token of gratitude.


French service

On 12 April 1809, ''Calcutta'' was part of the squadron of
La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...
under captain Jean Baptiste Lafon. During the
Battle of the Basque Roads The Battle of the Basque Roads, also known as the Battle of Aix Roads ( French: ''Bataille de l'île d'Aix'', also ''Affaire des brûlots'', rarely ''Bataille de la rade des Basques''), was a major naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought in ...
, ''Calcutta'' ran aground on the shoals of Les Palles, as did most of the other French ships. Under fire from '' Imperieuse'' under Captain Lord Cochrane, ''Calcutta''s crew panicked and abandoned ship without orders. A midshipman with a small party from ''Imperieuse'' took over ''Calcutta'', but then set her afire to prevent her re-capture, causing her to explode.James & Chamier, pp.98-129. A court-martial held Lafon responsible for the loss of his ship, and deemed his behaviour to have been cowardly. In a five to four vote, the court sentenced him to death; a firing squad executed him on the deck of on 9 September.


Other information

The
National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
has three oil paintings by
Thomas Whitcombe Thomas Whitcombe ( – ) was an English painter who specialised in marine art. Among his work are over 150 actions the Royal Navy participated in during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and he exhibited his works at the Royal Academ ...
of the battle between ''Calcutta'' and ''Magnanime'' and ''Armide''.Woodriff, Daniel (1756–1842)
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Online Edition


See also

*
List of ships captured in the 19th century Throughout naval history during times of war, battles, blockades, and other patrol missions would often result in the capture of enemy ships or those of a neutral country. If a ship proved to be a valuable prize, efforts would sometimes be made ...


Notes


Citations


References

* * * Colledge, J.J. (1987) ''Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy From the Fifteenth Century to the Present.'' (Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.) . * * * * James, William & Frederick Chamier (1837) ''The naval history of Great Britain : from the declaration of war by France in 1793 to the accession of George IV''. (London : R. Bentley) * Kilpatrick, Jane & Jane Crawley (2007) ''Gifts from the gardens of China: the introduction of traditional Chinese garden plants to Britain 1698–1862''. (London: Frances Lincoln) * Pateshall, Nicholas (1980) ''A short account of a voyage round the globe in H.M.S. Calcutta, 1803–1804''. (Carlton, Vic.: Queensbury Hill Press). * * Tipping, Marjorie. (1988) ''Convicts Unbound'': The story of the ''Calcutta'' Convicts and their Settlement in Australia. (Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin Books). * als
Australian Etext Collections
* Winfield, Rif (1997) ''The 50-gun ship''. (London : Chatham). * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Calcutta (1795) 1788 ships Ships of the line of the French Navy Ships of the line of the Royal Navy Ships of the British East India Company Military history of New South Wales 1804 in Australia Rebellions in Australia Ships built by the Blackwall Yard Convict ships to Victoria (Australia) Captured ships Napoleonic-era ships Maritime incidents in 1805 Maritime incidents in 1809 Shipwrecks in the Bay of Biscay Age of Sail merchant ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Ship fires Naval magazine explosions Scuttled vessels