Red Dragon (1595) facts for kids
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The Scourge of Malice was a powerful 38-gun ship built in England in 1595. It was ordered by George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, a nobleman who loved sea adventures. The Earl used the ship as his main vessel during attacks on Spanish territories. Later, the ship was renamed Red Dragon. The East India Company used it for at least five long trips to the East Indies. Interestingly, the famous play Hamlet was performed on Red Dragon in 1607. This happened while the ship was anchored off the coast of Sierra Leone.
Contents
- Raiding Spanish Lands (1598)
- First Voyage for the East India Company (1601–1603)
- Second Voyage for the East India Company (1604–1605)
- Third Voyage for the East India Company (1607–10)
- Tenth Voyage for the East India Company (1612–14)
- Voyage for the East India Company (1615–17)
- Sinking (1619)
| History | |
|---|---|
  England |
|
| Name |
|
| Owner | Earl of Cumberland (1595–1600) |
| Operator | East India Company (1601–1619) |
| Builder | Deptford Dockyard |
| Launched | 1595 |
| Honours and awards |
|
| Fate | Sunk by Dutch fleet, 1619 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Armed ship |
| Tons burthen | 600–900, or 960 (bm) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Armament |
|
Building a Mighty Ship
In the 1590s, the Earl of Cumberland was very excited about sea adventures. He needed a strong ship to support his hired fleet. Instead of borrowing a ship from the Queen, which would give her too much control, he decided to build his own. He wanted it to be "the best and largest ship that had been built by any English subject." The ship was about 600 to 900 tons in size. Queen Elizabeth I herself named it Scourge of Malice.
Adventures at Sea
Raiding Spanish Lands (1598)
After building Scourge of Malice, the Earl set off with his new ship and three smaller ones. Their goal was to raid the Spanish Main. However, the Queen called him back to London when they were only near Plymouth. He left his fleet to continue without him.
When he rejoined them, a strong storm badly damaged Scourge of Malice. Its main mast was broken, forcing the Earl to return for repairs. Once fixed, the Earl sailed again on March 6, 1598. Scourge of Malice was now the lead ship of a fleet of twenty vessels.
The Earl's mission was to capture Brazil from the Spanish. Before his arrival, the Spanish fort at San Juan was guarded by many soldiers. However, many of these soldiers were sick and hungry. The English attacked twice but failed. The Earl himself almost drowned. Knowing the Spanish were low on supplies, the English decided to surround the castle of El Morro. On June 29, they allowed the Spanish commander and his troops to leave.
During the attack, the English lost 200 men. But over the next two months, 400 more died from a disease called dysentery. After occupying the island for only 65 days, the Earl left the fort. Before leaving, his men took valuable items from the town. This included church bells, about 2,000 people who were forced into labor, and a marble windowsill.
The fleet continued to raid Spanish towns in the West Indies. These raids helped England more than the Earl's own finances. He made only a small amount of money compared to what he had spent. Also, the fleet lost two ships and over a thousand men.
First Voyage for the East India Company (1601–1603)
The East India Company (EIC) was formed on December 31, 1600. Their first voyage began on February 13, 1601. The EIC bought Malice Scourge from the Earl of Cumberland for £3700. They renamed the ship Red Dragon and gave command to James Lancaster. The fleet also included Hector, Ascension, Susan, and a small supply ship called Guest.
The fleet faced delays due to bad winds and a month-long stay in the Doldrums. Many sailors got scurvy, a serious illness. Captain Lancaster protected his crew by giving them lemon juice. When they reached Table Bay on September 9, he had to send his healthy crew to help the other ships. They stayed for seven weeks, then sailed along Madagascar. More sailors got scurvy, forcing them to stop at Antongil Bay from Christmas Day until March 6, 1602. After two more months, they reached the Nicobar Islands to get water and fix their ships.
On June 5, the fleet arrived at Achin, in northern Sumatra. The King, Ala-uddin Shah, was happy to trade with the English. He allowed them to trade without paying taxes. Since the goods at Achin were not enough, Lancaster decided to capture Portuguese ships in the Strait of Malacca. They successfully captured a large Portuguese ship called São Thomé. They transferred its goods, like calicoes, to the English ships.
The fleet returned to Achin on October 24, 1602. Two days later, Ascension was sent back to England, full of cargo. Red Dragon and Hector sailed to Priaman. Lancaster then took his two remaining ships to Java, arriving at Bantam on December 16. They presented a letter from Queen Elizabeth I and were allowed to trade freely. They traded all their English goods for almost 300 bags of pepper. They also set up a trading post in the Moluccas before leaving.
With a reply letter from the King of Bantam, the two ships began their journey back to England on February 20, 1603. The trip was smooth until they rounded the Cape of Good Hope. A sudden, strong storm hit, and Red Dragon's rudder broke off. The ship was left helpless in the ocean. The ship's carpenter tried to build a new rudder, but it didn't work in the rough seas.
Despite his crew's pleas to move to Hector, Lancaster insisted they stay on Red Dragon. He even ordered Hector to leave them and return to England. But when morning came, the storm cleared, and Hector was still nearby. Its captain had not wanted to leave Red Dragon in trouble. A new rudder was made from the mizzenmast. The best swimmers and divers from both ships attached it securely. After more repairs at St Helena, Red Dragon and Hector arrived back in England on September 11, 1603. Lancaster was knighted by the new king, King James I, for his service.
Second Voyage for the East India Company (1604–1605)
The East India Company's Second Voyage used the same four ships. Red Dragon was now led by Sir Henry Middleton. The fleet left Gravesend on March 25, 1604. They had some delays, first being short of men, then having too many. Middleton was annoyed but eventually sailed on. They reached the Canary Islands by April 15.
The fleet crossed the equator on May 16. They saw the Cape of Good Hope on July 13. By this time, at least eighty of Red Dragon's crew had scurvy. Middleton wanted to keep sailing, but his crew asked to go ashore to recover. The weather made it hard, but they landed at Table Bay six days later. They traded successfully with the local people for sheep and cattle.
On August 3, Middleton took Red Dragon's small boat, a pinnace, to hunt whales. One whale dragged Susan's pinnace around until they had to cut the rope. Another whale hit Middleton's pinnace, breaking it. Middleton had to move to another boat. After three days of repairs, the pinnace was fixed. The larger whale eventually left its companion, which died and was dragged ashore for its oil.
After some trouble with the local people, the fleet returned to their ships on August 14. They sailed five days later. On December 21, the fleet anchored near the islands of Sumatra. Many men were sick with scurvy. Middleton was too ill to meet the King of Bantam until December 31. It was decided that Red Dragon and Ascension would go to the Maluku Islands. Hector and Susan would return to England.
The ships left on January 16. On February 10, they anchored off Ambon Island. They had lost more men to flux (a type of dysentery). They got permission from the Portuguese to trade. However, a Dutch fleet soon arrived and took the fort by force. The locals then refused to trade with the English without Dutch permission.
Middleton was worried because the Dutch were blocking his trade. They had also reached the Banda Islands before the English. Middleton decided the two ships must split up. Red Dragon would try to reach the Maluku Islands, and Ascension would go to the Banda Islands. The crews were not happy because they were weak from illness. Also, sailing to the Maluku Islands meant going against the wind and current. Despite these problems, the plan went ahead. Red Dragon sailed for a month before seeing the Maluku Islands.
The company bought fresh supplies from the people of Maquian. But the locals wouldn't sell any cloves without permission from the King of Ternate. So, Red Dragon sailed towards Tidore and Ternate. On March 22, they got involved in a small fight between Tidore and Ternate. Two Ternate galleys were being chased by seven Tidore galleys. Middleton slowed his ship and found that one galley carried the King of Ternate and three Dutch merchants. The Dutch asked Middleton to save the second vessel, which had more of their people. Red Dragon fired at the Tidore galleys, but they kept going. They boarded the Ternate galley, killing almost everyone.
After the attack, the King of Ternate tried to convince Middleton not to trade with their enemies on Tidore. He suggested setting up a trading post on Ternate instead. Middleton decided to go to Tidore to trade with the Portuguese. He said if they didn't trade peacefully, he would join the Dutch in war against them. They arrived at Tidore on March 27. Red Dragon traded successfully and stayed for three weeks. They bought almost all the cloves on the island.
On April 19, Red Dragon prepared to leave for Maquian. This island was mostly loyal to Ternate, except for the town of Taffasoa, which was loyal to Tidore. Middleton had letters from both kings asking the governor to trade. A Dutch fleet was closing in on Tidore to take it from the Portuguese. Red Dragon left two days later. They had to blow their trumpets at midnight when passing the Dutch fleet so they wouldn't be mistaken for a Portuguese ship. They arrived at Maquian the next evening.
Middleton sent his brother to present the king's letters to the governor. The governor said the cloves weren't ripe yet but would be ready the next day. The next day, they were told there were no ripe cloves. Middleton suspected trickery and sailed to Taffasoa. The people there were more helpful, and the English got some cloves before the Ternatans attacked the town. With no more cloves to be had, and news that the Dutch had burned two Portuguese ships, Red Dragon returned to Tidore on May 3.
The King of Ternate and his ships were also there, helping the Dutch attack their enemies. The Dutch gave Red Dragon a cold welcome. They claimed an Indian merchant had said the English helped the Portuguese in the last battle. The English strongly denied this. The Dutch then described their plans to attack the fort the next day. Captain de Torres from the Portuguese came aboard. He told Middleton they were sure to win and would trade any remaining cloves with the English.
On May 7, the Dutch and Ternate attacked, firing all their cannons at the fort. They landed men on the island and dug in for the night. The attack continued the next morning. On May 9, the attack began before sunrise. The Dutch and Ternate caught the Portuguese off guard, scaled the walls, and raised their flags in the fort. During the battle, the Portuguese and Tidorean forces fought back and drove their enemies from the fort. Just when it seemed they had won, the fort exploded. The Dutch and Ternatan forces rallied. The Portuguese retreated, burning the town and the clove trading post as they left.
Third Voyage for the East India Company (1607–10)
On March 12, 1607, Red Dragon, along with Consent and Hector, were ordered to travel to Java. Their mission was to keep up trade and start new relationships with India and Aden. William Keeling was in charge of the fleet and made Red Dragon his main ship. William Hawkins commanded Hector, and David Middleton commanded Consent.
Soon after leaving Tilbury, storms separated the ships. Consent quickly reached the Maluku Islands. The other two ships had a much slower journey. Records show that they performed the plays Hamlet twice and Richard II once during their trip. They did not reach Aden.
Tenth Voyage for the East India Company (1612–14)
Red Dragon took part in the tenth voyage of the East India Company. It was commanded by Thomas Best. In September 1612, the ship helped secure trading rights for the company at Surat. Two months later, it fought a Portuguese fleet and drove them away from the Gulf of Cambay at the Battle of Swally. Hosiander helped Red Dragon defeat the Portuguese fleet, which had about 30 ships.
By January of the next year, Best had set up a trading post at Surat. He also expanded trade to Ahmedabad, Burhanpur, and Agra.
Voyage for the East India Company (1615–17)
Red Dragon was again commanded by William Keeling for a voyage in February 1615. This trip also included Lyon, Peppercorn, and Expedition. Keeling was asked by the East India Company to reorganize their Asian trade connections. Keeling tried to bring his pregnant wife aboard Red Dragon secretly, but he was not allowed. He put her ashore after being told he would be fired. The fleet left on February 23. During the voyage, Keeling set up a trading post in Sumatra. He worked very hard. However, he got sick and convinced his bosses to let him return home to his wife in May 1617.
Sinking (1619)
In October 1619, a Dutch fleet attacked Red Dragon. The ship was commanded by Robert Bonner. The Dutch either captured or sank the ship. Captain Bonner was badly wounded and died on October 9.
Confusing Records
Records of the East India Company's voyages often call Red Dragon simply Dragon. This can make it hard to track the ship's history. Although some records say the ship sank in 1619, a later mention refers to a ship named Dragon in 1637–38. In a book about East India Company ships, four ships named Dragon are listed, but none named Red Dragon. The first Dragon, listed as 600 tons and serving from 1601–18, is almost certainly Red Dragon. The next East India Company ship named Dragon wasn't until 1658. This leaves the ship commanded by John Weddell in 1637–1638 still a mystery.
