William Pitt (1803 ship)

William Pitt was a three-decker sailing ship, built in Liverpool in 1803. She made three complete voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), and on the first of these she transported convicts to New South Wales. In December 1814 she was lost in a gale to the east of Algoa Bay while homeward bound from her fourth voyage.

For other ships with the same name, see William Pitt (ship).

History
United Kingdom
Name: William Pitt
Owner: James Loughan[1]
Builder: Liverpool
Launched: 1803
Fate: Lost 17 December 1814
General characteristics
Tons burthen: 572,[1] 572​1⁄94[2] or 604[3][4] (bm)
Length:
  • 124 ft 2 in (37.8 m) (overall)
  • 99 ft 0 in (30.2 m) (keel)
Beam: 32 ft 11 1⁄2 in (10.0 m)
Depth of hold: 13 ft 3 in (4.0 m)
Propulsion: Sail
Complement:
Armament:

Origins

She began her career as a West Indiaman. In 1805 Captain J. Jackson sailed her to London, where P. Maester fitted her out for the London to India trade.[3][1]

EIC Voyage #1 (1805-07)

Under the command of John Boyce, she sailed from Falmouth on 10 August 1805, bound for New South Wales and China.[1] Before she left she had loaded one male and 120 female convicts, but one woman was discharged prior to departure.[5] William Pitt arrived at Cork, Ireland, on 14 August, and sailed on 31 August, carrying Gregory Blaxland and family.[6] She left on the same day as Tellicherry.[5]

On 29 September William Pitt reached Madeira. From there she reached San Salvador on 11 November, where she stayed for three weeks.[5]

William Pitt sailed with the expedition under General Sir David Baird and Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham that would in 1806 capture the Dutch Cape Colony.

See also: Transport vessels for the British invasion of the Dutch Cape Colony (1805-1806)

She then arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on 4 or 6 January 1806.[1] Shortly after she arrived the cannon fire from the battle of Blaauwberg (8 January) could be heard. William Pitt stayed at the Cape for five weeks.[5]

Wiliam Pitt arrived at Port Jackson on 11 April 1806. Two female convicts had died on the voyage, as had three children, one of smallpox.[5] William Pitt arrived some two months after Tellicherry, Tellicherry not having delayed at the Cape.[5]

After some repairs William Pitt sailed on 25 June from Port Jackson for China arriving on 3 October.[7]

She arrived at Whampoa on 21 September. For her return voyage, William Pitt crossed the Second Bar on 5 January 1807 and on 23 January reached Penang. She was at the Cape on 10 April, and 18 days later at St Helena. She arrived at the Downs on 2 July.[1]

EIC Voyage #2 (1809-1810)

Captain William Crowder left Portsmouth on 7 July 1809, bound for Bengal and Madras. He sailed with a letter of marque issued on 5 June 1809.[4]

William Pitt arrived at Calcutta on 17 December. Homeward bound, she left on 22 February 1810, passed Saugor on 11 March, Madras on 28 March, and St Helena on 2 August. She arrived at the Downs on 1 October.[1]

EIC Voyage #3 (1811-12)

Captain Charles William Butler left Portsmouth on 21 June 1811, bound for Bengal. He sailed with a letter of marque issued 14 June 1811.[4]

William Pitt reached Madeira on 2 July and left there three days later in company with Minerva, Harleston, Lord Forbes, and Lady Lushington, and under convoy of HMS Emerald.[8] William Pitt arrived at Calcutta on 6 November. She left Calcutta on 18 February 1812, passed Saugor on 17 March, reached St Helena on 15 June, and arrived at the Downs on 14 September.[1]

EIC Voyage #4 (1813 and loss)

Butler sailed William Pitt from Torbay on 25 March 1813, bound for Batavia. She was homeward bound when she was lost in a gale while east of Algoa Bay at about midnight on 16 December 1814; there were no survivors.[9] The EIC valued its loss on her cargo at £4502.[10]

Citations and references

Citations

  1. British Library: William Pitt (3).
  2. Hackman (2001), p. 214.
  3. Lloyd's Register (1805).
  4. "Letter of Marque, p.93 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  5. Convict or Felon?: Convict Ship William Pitt 1806 - accessed 26 July 2015.
  6. Conway, Jill (1966). Blaxland, Gregory (1778–1853) in Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  7. "Arrival of Vessels at Port Jackson, and their Departure". Australian Town and Country Journal, Saturday 3 January 1891, p.17. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  8. Lloyd's List, n° 4593. – accessed 12 July 2016.
  9. The Gentleman's Magazine, (1823), Vol. 93, Part 2; Vol. 134, p. 183.
  10. Report 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, (1830), Vol. 2, p.980.

References

  • Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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