''Diligent'' (or ''Petit Diligent''), was the Bengal Pilot Service schooner ''Tannah'' (or ''Tanna''), that the Bombay Dockyard had launched in 1775 for the Bengal Pilot Service of 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). The French Navy captured her in 1781. She then became a 10-gun corvette of the French Navy, but sank in 1782.
Career
Although ''Tannah'' is described as a pilot schooner, that may reflect her role rather than her sailing rig. She was one of a number of pilot vessels that the Bengal Pilot Service operated to help
East Indiamen
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 ...
and other vessels approaching the mouth of the
Hooghly River
The Bhagirathi Hooghly River (Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', called the Ganga or the Kati-Ganga in mythological texts, is the eastern distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, Indi ...
.
On 24 January 1781, off Pulicat, captured ''Tannah'' (or ''Tanna''), as ''Tanna'' was coming into
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 ...
with two small prizes.
[National Archives of India (1985) ''Fort William-India House Correspondence and Other Contemporary Papers Relating Thereto'', Vol. 14, p.585.]
Within the year, the French brought ''Tannah'' to
Île de France (Mauritius), converted her to a corvette, and recommissioned her under the name ''Diligent''.
''Diligent'', Captain Macé, was present on 6 July 1782 at the
Battle of Negapatam. After the battle, Suffren sent her and to bring news of the outcome of the battle to Île de France.
Fate
In August 1782, ''Diligent'' sank off
Cuddalore
Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is the city and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important port during the British Raj.
While the early history of Cudda ...
.
Citations
References
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Wadia, R. A., (1957; 1986) ''The Bombay Dockyard and the Wadia Master Builders''. (Bombay)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diligent (1781)
1775 ships
Ships of the British East India Company
Captured ships
Corvettes of the French Navy