Earl of Mornington (or ''Earl Mornington'') was a

packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...

launched in 1799 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 performed one voyage for the Company, sailing from England to India and returning. The Admiralty purchased her in 1804 and she then served the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

until she was broken up in 1808.

East India Company

It is not clear for which

Earl of Mornington Earl of Mornington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1760 for the Anglo-Irish politician and composer Garret Wellesley, 2nd Baron Mornington. On the death of the fifth earl in 1863, it passed to the Duke of Wellington; si ...

she was named, but it was probably Richard Wellesley. One contemporary source states that ''Earl of Mornington'' made only one voyage for the EIC. Her captain was George Simpson, who received a letter of marque on 7 October 1799. At the time her armament was recorded as eight 12-pounder guns.Letter of Marque, p.60, - accessed 14 May 2011. ''

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...

'' for 1800 records ''Earl Mornington'', 253 tons (bm), Simpson, master, East India Company, owner, and trade London-India.''Lloyd's Register'' (1800), №E33.
/ref> This description continues unchanged through 1804. She left Britain on 20 November 1799 and arrived at Calcutta on 22 April 1800. She left Kedgeree on 5 November. By 12 May 1801 she had reached

Simon's Bay Simon's Town ( af, Simonstad), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern si ...

, but then on 8 August she was back at Calcutta. On 11 March 1802 she left Culpee, an anchorage towards Calcutta and closer than

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 ...

. From there she reached St Helena on 28 June and arrived at the Downs on 19 August. Apparently ''Earl Mornington'' sailed again in 1802. She was reported to be at St Helena on 10 June 1803, returning from the South Seas.

Naval service

In 1804 the Admiralty purchased her for the Royal Navy and named her HMS ''Drake''. She was commissioned in October 1804 under Commander William H. Drury. ''Drake'' formed part of Commodore Hood's squadron at the capture of Surinam River in 1804. The squadron consisted of Hood's flagship , ''Pandour'', , , , , and transports carrying 2000 troops under

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Sir Charles Green. British and Dutch casualties were light. ''Drake'' sailed to Jamaica on 12 April 1805. On 1 November 1805 William Furlong Wise was promoted to Commander into ''Drake''. He was the nephew of James Richard Dacres, the admiral commanding the station. In April Wise transferred to . In 1806 ''Drake'' came under the command of Commander F. Mere. However, she was under the command of Robert Nicholas when on 26 October she assisted in cornering the French privateer ''Superbe'', which the schooner , under the command of Lieutenant

Michael Fitton Michael Fitton (1766–1852) was an English lieutenant in the Royal Navy. During his career he made some 30 to 40 captures of enemy, chiefly French, vessels. Despite his notable victory over the French privateer ''Superbe'' in 1806, for which he re ...

was engaging. ''Superbe''s captain then drove her ashore at Ocoa Bay, enabling he and his surviving crew members to escape. Nicholas's replacement in November 1806 was Commander John Parish. In October 1807 Commander George Bell replaced Parish; by 1808 she was under the command of Lieutenant John Fleming (acting)

Fate

She was broken up at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

in 1808.

Notes, citations, and references

Notes Citations References * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Earl Of Mornington (1799 ship) Ships of the British East India Company Sloops of the Royal Navy 1799 ships Ships built by the Blackwall Yard Age of Sail merchant ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom