''Bengal'' was launched in 1811 as an

East Indiaman East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

for the British

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

(EIC). She made one voyage for the EIC, but was burnt on the inbound leg of her second voyage. EIC voyage #1 (1812-1813): Captain

George Nicholls George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

acquired a letter of marque on 25 January 1812. He sailed from Portsmouth on 10 March 1812, bound for

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

and Bengal. ''Bengal'' reached Madras on 9 July, and arrived at

Diamond Harbour Diamond Harbour () is a town and a municipality of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. It is the headquarters of the Diamond Harbour subdivision. Histor ...

on 25 July. Homeward bound, she was at

Saugor Sagar is a city, municipal corporation and administrative headquarter in Sagar district of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Situated on a spur of the Vindhya Range, above sea-level. The city is around northeast of state capital ...

on 16 October, reached

St Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

on 14 February 1813, and arrived at Long Reach on 16 May. EIC voyage #2 (1814-Loss): Captain Nicholls sailed from Portsmouth on 10 May 1814, bound for

and Bengal. ''Bengal'' was among the Indiamen planning to leave Bengal on 3 January 1815, touching at Pointe de Galle, Ceylon, and the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

on their way to England.''

Lloyd's List ''Lloyd's List'' is one of the world's oldest continuously running journals, having provided weekly shipping news in London as early as 1734. It was published daily until 2013 (when the final print issue, number 60,850, was published), and is ...

'
№4969.
/ref> She was at Pointe de Galle when a mistake by the gunner on 18 January 1815 led to a fire breaking out. The fire raced through ''Bengal'' killing 20 people, but all the women and children survived. The fleet was preparing to leave the next day under the escort of and several of dead were officers and men from vessels that sent boats to help. Among the casualties were a lieutenant from ''Malacca'', and her master. The EIC valued the cargo it lost on ''Bengal'' at £87,738.

Citations

References

* * * {{1815 shipwrecks 1811 ships Ships of the British East India Company Age of Sail merchant ships of England Maritime incidents in 1815