Travers (1800 ship) facts for kids
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Travers was a large sailing ship launched in 1800. She was known as an "East Indiaman," which means she was built to carry valuable goods for the British East India Company. This company was a powerful trading group that brought spices, tea, and other items from countries like India and China back to Britain. Travers completed four long trips for the company before she was sadly wrecked on her fifth journey.
Contents
- First Voyage (1800-1802)
- Second Voyage (1802-1803)
- Third Voyage (1804-1806)
- Fourth Voyage (1807-1808)
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain |
|
| Name | Travers |
| Owner | John Mangles |
| Builder | Perry, Wells & Green, Blackwall |
| Launched | 10 April 1800 |
| Fate | Wrecked 7 November 1808 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 576, or 577, or 61169⁄94, or 614 (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 32 ft 1+1⁄2 in (9.8 m) |
| Depth of hold | 13 ft 0 in (4.0 m) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Three decks |
Travers Voyages
Travers made four complete voyages for the East India Company. These were long and important journeys across the oceans.
First Voyage (1800-1802)
Captain Thomas Sanders was in charge of Travers for her first three voyages. He got a special permit called a "letter of marque" on April 19, 1800. This permit allowed his merchant ship to act like a warship and capture enemy ships if needed.
Travers left Portsmouth, England, on June 28, 1800. Her destination was Calcutta (in India) and then Bombay.
- She arrived in Calcutta on January 8, 1801.
- After leaving Bengal, she reached Anjengo on April 24.
- She then arrived in Bombay on May 7.
- On her way back, she left Bombay on August 19.
- She stopped at St Helena on November 8.
- Finally, she arrived back at The Downs in England on July 19, 1802.
Second Voyage (1802-1803)
Captain Sanders set sail again from The Downs on June 17, 1802. This time, Travers was heading to the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Bombay.
- She reached the Cape of Good Hope on August 31.
- She arrived in Colombo (Ceylon) on November 2.
- She reached Bombay on November 25.
- In January 1803, she visited Surat before returning to Bombay in February.
- On her way home, she stopped at Tellicherry on April 3, Calicut on April 7, and Quilon on April 11.
- She reached St Helena on July 22.
- She arrived back at The Downs on September 22.
Third Voyage (1804-1806)
During this time, a war with France had started again (the Napoleonic Wars). Captain Sanders got another letter of marque on June 29, 1803.
- Travers left Portsmouth on September 4, 1804. She was going to St Helena and Bengal.
- She reached St Helena on December 23.
- She sailed from St Helena on February 7, 1805.
- She arrived at Diamond Harbour (near Calcutta) on April 28.
- For her return journey, she left Bengal on July 16.
- She reached Bencoolen (Indonesia) on September 27.
- She left Bencoolen on November 18.
- She reached St Helena on January 25, 1806.
- She arrived back at The Downs on June 14.
Fourth Voyage (1807-1808)
For her fourth voyage, Captain John Collins took command. He also received a letter of marque on October 8, 1806.
- Travers sailed from Portsmouth on January 4, 1807, heading for Bombay.
- She arrived in Bombay on May 26.
- She left Bombay on August 3.
- She reached the Cape of Good Hope on October 1.
- She arrived back at The Downs on January 24, 1808.
The Final Journey and Wreck
Captain Collins began Travers' fifth voyage on June 10, 1808. She was sailing from Portsmouth to Madras (India) and Bengal. She reached Madeira on June 24.
Capturing a Ship
Near the equator, Travers captured a ship called Jenny, which belonged to Hamburg. Jenny was sailing from Buenos Aires to Tonnengen. Travers sent Jenny to the Cape of Good Hope. There, Jenny was declared a "prize," meaning it was legally captured during wartime. Its value was set at £1,000.
The Wreck
Sadly, Travers was wrecked on a rock in the Bay of Bengal on November 7, 1808.
- The location was north of the Andaman Islands and just south of what is now Myanmar (Burma).
- It was about three miles from Diamond Island and about one and a half miles from Sunken Rock.
Two other East Indiamen, Earl Spencer and Monarch, were nearby but too far away to help immediately.
Saving the Crew
The passengers and most of Travers' crew quickly got into the ship's smaller boats.
- 93 people got into the launch (a large boat).
- 18 people were in the cutter (another boat).
- 8 people were in the jolly boat (a small boat).
Even though the jolly boat was full, Captain Collins sent it back to the wreck. He wanted to try and rescue crew members who had stayed behind because they didn't want to leave their belongings. The boat managed to save three more people. However, six Europeans, seven Chinese, and three lascars (sailors from Asia) refused to leave and stayed on the sinking ship.
Captain Collins steered his boats in the direction the other two ships, Earl Spencer and Monarch, had sailed. After several hours, they caught up. Earl Spencer took all the survivors on board. The people left behind on Travers were thought to be safe for a while because the ship was close to Diamond Island. Other ships were sent to rescue them later, but it's believed they drowned.
Travers was carrying valuable cargo, including treasure and 500 large barrels of Madeira wine. The total value of the loss was estimated at £150,000. The East India Company itself lost cargo worth £6,568.
