HMS Wellesley (1815)
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HMS ''Wellesley'' was a 74-gun
third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Rating When the rating system was f ...
, named after the
Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...
, and launched in 1815. She captured
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
for the British, and participated in the
First Opium War The First Opium War ( zh, t=第一次鴉片戰爭, p=Dìyīcì yāpiàn zhànzhēng), also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, was a series of military engagements fought between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1 ...
, which resulted in Britain gaining control of Hong Kong. Thereafter she served primarily as a training ship before gaining the distinction of being the last British
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 ...
to be sunk by enemy action and the only one to have been sunk by an air-raid.


Construction and class

Although ''Wellesley'' was ordered as a , plans meant for her construction were lost in December 1812 when USS ''Constitution'' captured . She was therefore built to the lines of , a which had just been launched at Bombay. 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 ...
built her of teak, at a cost of £55,147, for the
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 ...
and launched her on 24 February 1815 at
Bombay Dockyard Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, abbreviated as ND (Mbi) and previously known as the Bombay Dockyard, is an Indian shipbuilding yard in Mumbai. The superintendent of the dockyard is a naval officer of the rank Rear Admiral, known as the Admiral Superint ...
.


Active duty

In 1823 ''Wellesley'' carried Sir Charles Stuart de Rothesay on a mission to Portugal and Brazil to negotiate a commercial treaty with
Pedro I of Brazil ''Don (honorific), Dom'' Pedro I (12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), known in Brazil and in Portugal as "the Liberator" () or "the Soldier King" () in Portugal, was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire of ...
. The artist Charles Landseer, brother of the famed artist Edwin Henry Landseer, accompanied the mission. On 23 November 1824, ''Wellesley'' was driven ashore at
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
during a
gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface wind moving at a speed between .
. Between 25 November 1824 and 30 January 1825, her tender, ''Wolf'', took several prizes, for which prize money was payable. ''Wellesley'' was the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
of Rear Admiral Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland in the Mediterranean between 1827 and 1830.


Karachi

On 19 June 1837 Captain Thomas Maitland took command of ''Wellesley'', which became the flagship of Rear-Admiral Frederick Lewis Maitland. On 2 and 3 February 1839 ''Wellesley'', and troops captured Kurrachee (modern
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
). ''Wellesley'' sailed into the harbour and proceeded to fire at the mud fort on Manora Island, quickly pulverising it. The purpose of the unprovoked attack was to induce the local rulers to sign a new treaty with 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 ...
.


Anglo-Persian Treaty

In March 1839 relations between
Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
and Britain came to a confrontation over a number of British demands, including that the Shah permit the British a permanent base on Kharg Island, which they had occupied. Attacks on the British Residency in
Bushire Bushehr (; ) is a port city in the Central District of Bushehr County, Bushehr province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Etymology The roots of the name "Bushehr" are uncertain. It is unlikely that it ...
led to the dispatch of ''Wellesley'' and ''Algerine'' to Bushire. The outcome was the Anglo-Persian Treaty, signed 28 October 1841, which recognised a mutual freedom to trade in the territory of the other and for the British to establish consulates in
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
and
Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
. Admiral Maitland died on 30 November whilst at sea on board ''Wellesley'', off Bombay; Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer replaced him.


First Opium War

''Wellesley'' saw active service in the Far East during the
First Opium War The First Opium War ( zh, t=第一次鴉片戰爭, p=Dìyīcì yāpiàn zhànzhēng), also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, was a series of military engagements fought between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1 ...
. Led by Commodore Gordon Bremer in ''Wellesley'', a British expedition captured Chusan in July 1840 after an exchange of gunfire with shore batteries that caused only minor casualties to the British. When she returned from this service, some 27 cannonballs were found embedded in her sides. On 7 January 1841 she participated in the Second Battle of Chuenpi and the bombardment of fortifications at Tycocktow; both Chuenpi and Tycocktow guarded the seaward approaches to Canton on the
Bocca Tigris The Humen, also known as the Bocca Tigris or the Bogue, is a narrow strait in the Pearl River Delta The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the S ...
(Bogue). This campaign resulted in the British taking possession of
Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...
on 26 February 1841. That same day ''Wellesley'' participated in the Battle of the Bogue, which involved bombardments, landings, capture and destruction of nearly all the Chinese forts and fortifications on both sides of the Bocca Tigris up to Canton. Next day, seamen and
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
of the naval squadron attacked and captured the fort, camp and guns at a Chinese position during the
Battle of First Bar The Battle of First Bar was fought between British and Chinese forces at First Bar Island and its surrounding area in the Pearl River, Guangdong province, China, on 27 February 1841 during the First Opium War. Background On 21 February 1841 ...
. The squadron also destroyed the Chinese Admiral's vessel ''Cambridge'', formerly a 34-gun
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 ...
. Between 23 and 30 May, she participated in joint operations that led to the capture of Canton, and subsequent payment by the Chinese of a six million dollar reparations payment imposed on them. Rear-Admiral Sir William Parker replaced Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer as commander-in-chief of the squadron in China on 10 August. On 26 August ''Wellesley'' participated in the destruction of batteries and defences surrounding
Amoy Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...
. At one point Captain Maitland placed the ''Wellesley'' within 400 yards of the principal battery. This action included the temporary occupation of that town and island, along with its key defensive positions on the island of
Gulangyu Gulangyu, Gulang or Kulangsu is a pedestrian-only island off the coast of Xiamen, Fujian Province in southeastern China. A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, the island is about in area, and is reached by an 8 ...
, which were garrisoned. Lastly, on 1 October the British, who had withdrawn in February, reoccupied Zhoushan and the city of Dinghai. The British proceeded to capture Amoy,
Ningbo Ningbo is a sub-provincial city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises six urban districts, two satellite county-level cities, and two rural counties, including several islands in Hangzhou Bay and the Eas ...
,
Wusong Wusong, Postal romanization, formerly romanized as Woosung, is a subdistrict of Baoshan District, Shanghai, Baoshan in northern Shanghai. Prior to the city's expansion, it was a separate port town located down the Huangpu River from Shanghai' ...
and Shanghai, ending with the seizure of Zhenjiang and closing the entrance to the Grand Canal on 21 July 1842. For his services during the war, Captain Maitland was nominated a
Companion of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...
. He was knighted in 1843. Some 609 officers, men and marines of ''Wellesley'' qualified for the China Medal. In all, 18 crew and 17 marines died, though not all did so in combat.


Harbour service and training

In 1854 ''Wellesley'' was a
guard ship A guard ship is a warship assigned as a stationary guard in a port or harbour, as opposed to a coastal patrol boat, which serves its protective role at sea. Royal Navy In the Royal Navy of the eighteenth century, peacetime guard ships were usual ...
at Chatham. That same year she became a harbour flagship and receiving ship at Chatham. In 1868 the Admiralty loaned her to the London School Ship Society, which refitted her as a Reformatory School. She was renamed ''Cornwall'' and was moored off
Purfleet Purfleet-on-Thames is a town in the Thurrock unitary authority, Essex, England. It is bordered by the A13 road to the north and the River Thames to the south and is within the easternmost part of the M25 motorway but just outside the Greater ...
in April. Later, ''Cornwall'', renamed ''Wellesey'', was moved to the Tyne and served as The Tyne Industrial Training Ship of Wellesley Nautical School. The actress and theatrical manager Lena Ashwell was born aboard her in 1872. On 10 August 1887, she was run into by the steamship ''Aviemore'' and was severely damaged at the stern. In 1928, due to industrial development at that location, she was moved to Denton, below
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 ...
.


Loss

On 24 September 1940 a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
air-raid severely damaged ''Wellesley'' and she subsequently sank. She was raised in 1948 and beached at
Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a Tilbury Fort, 16th century fort ...
, where she was broken up. Some of her timbers found a home in the rebuilding of the
Royal Courts of Justice The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is a court building in Westminster which houses the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The High Court also sits on circuit and in other major cities. Designed by Ge ...
in London, while her figurehead now resides just inside the main gates of
Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...
.


Notes


Citations


References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wellesley (1815) 1815 ships Black Prince-class ships of the line First Opium War ships of the United Kingdom History of Thurrock Maritime incidents in November 1824 Maritime incidents in August 1887 Maritime incidents in September 1940 Ships of the line of the Royal Navy Ships sunk by German aircraft World War II shipwrecks in the North Sea Ships in art Maritime paintings Military history of Karachi