Earl Camden (1802 EIC ship)
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | Earl Camden |
Owner | John Pascall Larkins |
Operator | British East India Company |
Builder | Pitcher, Northfleet |
Launched | 27 October 1802[1] |
Fate | Destroyed by fire 23 July 1810 |
General characteristics [2] | |
Type | East Indiaman |
Tons burthen | 1200 (nominal rating), or 1271, or 127137⁄94[1] or 1295,[3] (bm) |
Length | 166 ft 0 in (50.6 m) (overall); 134 ft 2 in (40.9 m) (keel) |
Beam | 42 ft 2+1⁄2 in (12.9 m) |
Depth of hold | 17 ft 0 in (5.2 m) |
Complement | |
Armament | |
Notes | Three decks |
Earl Camden (or Earl of Camden) Was launched in 1802 as an East Indiaman for the British East India Company (EIC). She made three voyages for the EIC until a fire destroyed her at Bombay in 1810 on her fourth voyage. On her first voyage she was under the command of Nathaniel Dance, who was the commodore of the EIC's homeward-bound China Fleet at the battle of Pulo Aura. In the South China Sea he led the whole convoy into an attack that bluffed a squadron of five French warships into withdrawing.
Career
1803–1804: First voyage
Captain Nathaniel Dance acquired a
The British Royal Navy was unable to provide an escort and the captains of the EIC's China Fleet debated about setting out for home. Eventually the captains took the decision to take the risk. Dance, as the most senior EIC captain among them, became the Commodore. Earl Camden crossed the Second Bar on 4 December.[2]
On 14 February 1804 at Pulo Aura, the China Fleet intimidated, drove off, and chased a powerful French naval squadron of five warships. Dance had Earl Camden and Royal George fly the pennants of Rear-Admirals, deceiving the French into thinking that they were facing a superior force of British warships escorting the convoy.
Dance's aggressive tactics persuaded Contre-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois to retire after only a brief exchange of fire. (Earl Camden herself engaged for 25 minutes, albeit at long range.)
Dance then chased the French warships until his convoy was out of danger, whereupon the fleet resumed its passage. Earl Camden reached Malacca on 18 February.[2] On 28 February the British ships of the line HMS Sceptre and Albion joined the Fleet in the Strait and conducted them safely to st Helena in the South Atlantic.[4] Earl Camden arrived there on 9 June. HMS Plantagenet escorted the convoy from St Helena to England. Earl Camden arrived at the Downs on 8 August.[2]
Dance and his fellow captains returned to England to great acclaim. The EIC donated a £50,000 prize fund to be divided among the various commanders and their crews. National and mercantile institutions made a series of awards of ceremonial swords, silver plate, and monetary gifts to individual officers.
1805–1806: Second voyage
Captain Henry Morse Samson acquired a letter of marque on 26 January 1805.[3] Morse sailed from Portsmouth on 25 April, bound for Bombay. Earl Camden reached Bombay on 11 August. At Bombay the EIC fitted out Earl Camden and Wexford to cruise in the Indian Ocean for the "protection of trade".[5] Earl Camden was at Penang on 24 September and Colombo on 19 December. She returned to Bombay on 17 January 1806. Homeward bound, Earl Camden was at Tellicherry on 19 February and Anjengo on 8 March. She reached St Helena on 14 May, and arrived at the Downs on 18 July.[2]
1807–1808: Third voyage
Earl Camden was driven ashore at Northfleet on 17 February 1807. She was later refloated.[6]
Samson sailed from Portsmouth on 18 April, bound for China. Earl Camden reached Penang on 14 September and arrived at Whampoa on 30 December. Homeward bound, she crossed the Second Bar on 11 February 1808, reached Penang on 5 April and St Helena on 10 July, and arrived at the Downs on 11 September.[2]
1808–1810: Final voyage
Samson sailed from Portsmouth on 21 January 1810, bound for Bombay and China.[2]
Fate
A fire on 23 July 1810 destroyed Earl Camden in Bombay harbour. Earl Camden had that day just loaded the last 50 bales of 6000 bales of cotton. Although arson by the
The EIC put the value of the cargo it had lost at £34,002.[9]
Citations
- ^ a b Hackman (2001), p. 98.
- ^ a b c d e f g h British Library: Earl Camden.
- ^ a b c d e f "Letter of Marque, p. 60 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ Lloyd's List, №4478.
- ^ List of Records... (1896), p. xx.
- ^ "Lloyd's Marine List – Feb. 24". Caledonian Mercury. No. 13285. 28 February 1807.
- ^ a b The Asiatic Annual Register, Or, A View of the History of ..., Vol. 12, pp. 24–25.
- ^ Sutton (2010), p. 233.
- ^ House of Commons (1830), p. 977.
References
- Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0905617967.
- House of Commons, Parliament, Great Britain (1830). Reports from the Select Committee of the House of Commons appointed to enquire into the present state of the affairs of the East India Company, together with the minutes of evidence, an appendix of documents, and a general index. Vol. 2. Printed by order of the honourable court of directors, by J.L. Cox.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Sutton, Jean (2010). The East India Company's Maritime Service, 1746-1834: Masters of the Eastern Seas. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 978-1843835837.