HMS Calcutta (1795) facts for kids
Régulus stuck on the sandbanks of Les Palles, 12 April 1809; Calcutta is on the right, also stuck.
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Quick facts for kids History |
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.svg){kind=small} East India CompanyGreat Britain |
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| Name | Warley |
| Builder | Perry & Co., Blackwall |
| Launched | 16 October 1788 |
| Fate | Sold to the Royal Navy in 1795 |
.svg){kind=small} Great Britain |
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| Name | HMS Calcutta |
| Acquired | 9 March 1795 |
| Fate | Captured by the French Navy, 26 September 1805 |
 France |
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| Name | Calcutta |
| Captured | 26 September 1805 |
| Fate | Destroyed by fire on 12 April 1809 at the Battle of the Basque Roads |
| General characteristics | |
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| Tons burthen | 1,175, or 1,17573⁄94 (bm) |
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| Beam | 41 ft 3+1⁄2 in (12.6 m) |
| Draught | 17 ft 2 in (5.2 m) |
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| Armament |
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HMS Calcutta was a famous ship with an exciting history! She started as a merchant ship named Warley. She carried goods for the East India Company, traveling all the way to China. Later, the British Royal Navy bought her and turned her into a powerful warship with 56 guns.
Calcutta also served as a transport ship. She even carried people to new settlements in Australia, sailing around the world! In 1805, a French warship captured her. Four years later, during a big battle, she ran aground and was burned by British sailors to stop the French from using her.
Contents
From Merchant Ship to Warship
The ship Warley was built in 1788 in England. She was an East Indiaman, a large ship used by the East India Company for trading. These ships often carried valuable goods like tea, spices, and silk from Asia.
Warley made two long trading trips to the Far East. Her captain was Henry Wilson. He had a special document called a "letter of marque." This allowed him to attack enemy ships and capture them, even though he was a merchant captain.
First Trip to Asia (1789–1790)
Captain Wilson began Warleys first journey on March 8, 1789. She sailed to Madras (in India) and then to China. She reached Madras in June and arrived in China in September.
After loading her cargo, she started her journey home in February 1790. She stopped at St Helena and finally arrived back in England in June.
Second Trip to Asia (1793–1794)
Warley set sail again on January 19, 1793, heading for Madras and China. She reached the Cape of Good Hope in April and Madras in May.
While near Madras, Warley joined British warships. They helped to block the port of Pondicherry, which was captured by the British.
Later, on her way to China, Warley and two other East Indiamen had an adventure. They found a French warship that had captured several British merchant ships. The French ship was getting water on shore.
The three British ships chased the French warship. The French ship escaped, but Warley and her companions managed to catch some of the captured British ships. After a few cannon shots, they took them back! They returned the ships to their original crews and took the French sailors as prisoners.
Warley arrived in China in December. Many other East Indiamen were there, including some that the Royal Navy would later buy, just like Warley.
She left China in March 1794 and arrived back in England in September.
In 1795, the Royal Navy bought Warley. They changed her into a 56-gun warship and renamed her HMS Calcutta. This cost a lot of money, about £10,300! She was one of nine large merchant ships bought by the Navy that year. They needed more ships to protect convoys (groups of merchant ships traveling together).
First Commander: Captain Bligh
Her first commander was Captain William Bligh. You might know him from the famous story of the mutiny on the Bounty. He oversaw her transformation into a warship.
In October 1795, the crew of another ship, HMS Defiance, rebelled. Captain Bligh, on Calcutta, was ordered to take 200 soldiers to the Defiance. The soldiers were ready to board and take back control. Just the threat of the soldiers was enough to end the rebellion for a while.
After this, Calcutta was used by the Transport Board. This meant she would carry troops and supplies instead of fighting. Her lower deck guns were removed, and her crew size was reduced.
Transporting People and Supplies
Calcutta served as a transport ship for several years. She carried soldiers to different places. For example, in 1798, she was part of the fleet that captured Menorca from the Spanish. In 1800, she carried soldiers to Gibraltar.
Voyage to Australia
From 1802 to 1803, Calcutta was prepared to carry people to new settlements in Australia. These were called "penal colonies" because they were places where people who had broken the law were sent. She was given new guns: sixteen 24-pounder carronades and two smaller guns.
Captain Daniel Woodriff took command. On April 28, 1803, Calcutta sailed from England with another ship, Ocean. They were going to start a new settlement at Port Phillip (in modern-day Australia). Calcutta carried 150 crew members and 307 men who were being sent to the colony. She also had officers, marines, and about 30 wives and children.
The journey was long. Five people died on the first part of the trip, showing that many were already sick. They stopped in Brazil and then at the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope (in South Africa).
While at the Cape, news arrived that Britain was at war with the Dutch. The Dutch commander demanded that Calcutta surrender. Captain Woodriff quickly prepared his ship for battle. He showed the Dutch representative his sailors and marines ready at their guns. He told the Dutchman that if they wanted the ship, they would have to fight for it!
To help, the ship's officer asked the people being transported if they would help fight. All of them volunteered! The Dutch commander then gave Captain Woodriff 24 hours to leave. He said he didn't want to capture "such a large number of thieves."
On October 12, Calcutta reached Port Phillip. Three more people had died on this part of the journey. The leader of the expedition, David Collins, decided that Port Phillip was not a good place for a colony. He wanted to move to Hobart in Tasmania. Captain Woodriff refused to use Calcutta for this move, saying he had orders to pick up naval supplies for England.
In December, Woodriff sailed to Sydney. On March 4, 1804, he landed 150 of his crew and marines. They helped the local soldiers stop a rebellion by some people who had been sent to the colony.
Calcutta left Australia on March 17, 1804. She sailed around Cape Horn (the southern tip of South America) and reached Brazil in May. By doing this, she had sailed all the way around the world in just over ten months! She arrived back in England on July 23.
Captured by the French
In September 1804, Calcutta was again prepared for battle. She was armed as a 56-gun warship.
The Battle and Capture
On August 3, 1805, Calcutta, still commanded by Captain Woodriff, left St Helena (an island in the Atlantic Ocean). She was protecting a group of merchant ships heading to England.
On September 25, 1805, the convoy was near the Isles of Scilly (off the coast of England). Lookouts spotted unknown ships in the distance. Calcutta moved to protect the convoy.
The next morning, it became clear the ships were French warships. Calcutta signaled the convoy to sail away without her. She sailed towards the closest French ship, a 40-gun frigate named Armide. Calcutta fought the Armide and managed to draw the French ships away from the convoy. Because of this, only one slow-sailing ship from the convoy was captured by the French.
However, more French warships arrived, including a powerful 74-gun ship named Magnanime. Captain Woodriff bravely brought Calcutta alongside Magnanime. After about 45 minutes of fighting, Calcutta was forced to surrender. The French had aimed high, damaging Calcuttas sails and ropes, making her unable to move.
Even though she was captured, Calcutta had only six dead and six wounded out of 350 crew members. The French took Calcutta into their navy and kept her name.
Captain Woodriff was taken prisoner. He was later released and returned to England. A special Navy court cleared him and his officers of any blame. They praised him for his bravery and skill in saving the convoy. The owners of the merchant ships Calcutta had saved even raised money to thank Captain Woodriff and his crew.
In French Service
On April 12, 1809, Calcutta was part of a French fleet. During the Battle of the Basque Roads, Calcutta ran aground (got stuck on sandbanks), like most of the other French ships.
A British ship, HMS Imperieuse, commanded by Lord Cochrane, fired on Calcutta. Calcuttas crew panicked and abandoned the ship without orders. A small group of British sailors from Imperieuse boarded Calcutta. To prevent the French from getting her back, they set her on fire, and she exploded.
The French captain of Calcutta, Jean Baptiste Lafon, was later found responsible for losing his ship. He was sentenced to death and executed.
More About Calcutta
The National Library of Australia has three oil paintings by Thomas Whitcombe. These paintings show the battle where Calcutta was captured by the French ships Magnanime and Armide.
See also
- List of ships captured in the 19th century
Images for kids
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Régulus stuck on the sandbanks of Les Palles, 12 April 1809; Calcutta is on the right, also stuck.
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Calcutta and Ocean anchored in Port Phillip, Australia.
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The battle in September 1805 where the French captured HMS Calcutta, painted by Thomas Whitcombe.
