A |  B |  C |  D |  E |  F |  G |  H |  I |  J |  K |  L |  M |  N |  O |  P |  Q |  R |  S |  T |  U |  V |  W |  X |  Y |  Z

Use quotes like in "Aboukir Bay" to search phrases.
Use * as a wildcard like in "Trafalg*".



CALCUTTA (50) East Indiaman purchased in 1795.
Taken in 1805.

    Used at first as an armed transport.
  • Capt. BLIGH, 06/1795.
  • Lieut. ARNOLD, 06/1796.
  • Lieut. E. J. CANES, 08/1797.
  • Lieut. POULDEN, 01/1798.
  • Lieut. ANDERSON, 12/1799.
    CALCUTTA arrived at Martinique on 12 January 1801 with news of the imminent arrival of a convoy.
    this enabled Ad. DUCKWORTH to send a squadron to the windward of Barbados for its protection.
  • At the end of 1802 she was fitted out for the transport of convicts to New South Wales. Capt. Daniel WOODRIFF was appointed to her and she sailed from Spithead on 28 April 1803 and reached Rio De Janeiro on 19 July and the Cape of Good Hope on 16 August.
    On 12 October Capt. WOODRIFF reached his destination in the Bass Straits but found that the poor soil and shortage of fresh water made the area unsuitable for a colony so he sailed to the River Derwent on the south coast of Tasmania (then Van Diemen's Land) where he established a settlement named Hobart.
    CALCUTTA then sailed north to Port Jackson to take on board 800 tons of timber.
    At midnight on 4 March 150 men from CALCUTTA were landed to assist the New South Wales Corps and the Loyalist Association in putting don a revolt by convicts protesting against the brutality of Governor King, She left on 17 March 1804, doubled Cape Horn and reached Rio on 22 May; thus circumnavigating the world in ten months three days. She arrived at Spithead on 23 July.
    After her return she was re-fitted as a 50-gun warship and sent out to St. Helena to escort home any merchantmen waiting there.
    During her passage out she detained the Prussian ship WILHELMINA. She waited at St. Helena until 3 August then sailed with a convoy consisting of the INDUS from Madras; two whalers, AFRICAN and FOX; the GRAND SACHEM from Peru; the Swedish CAROLINA from China and the WILHELMINA On 14 September CALCUTTA fell in with the ship BROTHERS of London from Tobago which had become separated from her escort, ILLUSTRIOUS, in a gale.
    On the morning of the 25th. when the convoy was at 12 deg. W. in the latitude of the Scillies, GRAND SACHEM parted company for Milford and at noon several ships were sighted to the westward, apparently in chase, so CALCUTTA kept between them and the convoy during the night. The following day CALCUTTA was slowed by the poor sailing of the BROTHERS and the following vessels, now increased to thirteen, had got closer. At noon Capt. WOODRIFF made them out to be a three-decker and four ships of the line with frigates and other vessels, so he made the private signal to the convoy to make their escape while he made sail to intercept a frigate, LíARMIDE.
    He succeeded in driving her off and ran to the southward to draw the enemy away from the convoy.
    Here he engaged the line of battle ship, MAGNANIME, for 50 minutes before surrendering to avoid sacrificing the lives of his people, since the convoy, except for BROTHERS, had escaped.
    On 1 February 1808 a court martial acquitted Capt. WOODRIFF, Lieuts.J. TUCKEY and Richard DONOVAN, and act. Lieut. John COLLAS, of any blame.


back  |  intro  |  home  |  contact

© 1995, 2007 Michael Phillips