''Osterley'' was a three-decker
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 ...
, launched in 1780, that made seven trips 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 ...
between 1781 and 1800. She was present at two battles, and an engagement in which four Indiamen and a country ship engaged a French frigate. On her last trip a French frigate captured her in a
single-ship action
A single-ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements; called so because there is a single ship on each side. The following is a list of notable single-ship actions.
Single-shi ...
, but sent her on her way. ''Osterley'' eventually returned to Britain in 1800. Her subsequent fate is unknown.
Voyages
Voyage #1 (1781–83) — Battles with the French
''Osterley'', under the command of Captain Samuel Rogers, left Portsmouth on 13 March 1781, bound for
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
and China.
[ ''Osterley'' was part of a convoy of Indiamen accompanying a British squadron under ]Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, a ...
George Johnstone.
''Osterley'' reached São Tiago
São Tiago is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. As of 2020 its population is estimated to be 10,960.
Geography
The municipality belongs to the Immediate Geographic Region of São João del-Rei, in the Intermediate Geograp ...
on 10 April.[ Six days later, ''Osterley'' was present at the ]Battle of Porto Praya
The Battle of Porto Praya was a naval battle that took place during the American Revolutionary War on 16 April 1781 between a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone and a French squadron under the Bailli de Suffren.
Both squadrons w ...
, when a French squadron under the Bailli de Suffren attacked Johnstone. Both squadrons were en route to 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 ...
, the British to take it from the Dutch, the French aiming to help defend it and French possessions in the Indian Ocean. The British convoy and its escorting squadron had anchored at Porto Praya (now Praia
Praia (, Portuguese language, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde. ) in the Cape Verde Islands
, national_anthem = ()
, official_languages = Portuguese
, national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole
, capital = Praia
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, demonym ...
to take on water, when the French squadron arrived and attacked them at anchor. Due to the unexpected nature of the encounter, neither fleet was prepared to do battle, and the result was an inconclusive battle in which the French warships sustained more damage than did the British. The French did capture the Indiamen (recaptured the next day), and ''Fortitude'', and the victualer ''Edward'', and gained a strategic victory, because Suffren beat Johnstone to the Cape and reinforced the Dutch garrison before continuing on his journey to the Ile de France (now Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
). Still, Johnstone went on to capture five Dutch East Indiamen and destroy a sixth at the battle of Saldanha Bay on 21 July.
''Osterley'', in convoy, too reached the Cape
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
on 21 July. She then sailed to Johanna
Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek /h/ cou ...
, which she reached on 2 September.[ the convoy left Johanna on 21 or 22 September, but ran into an adverse monsoon that drove the vessels to the coast of Arabia, and especially the four Indiamen ''Asia'', ''Latham'', '' Locko'', and ''Osterley'' were driven further, to Kissen Bay, near the ]Bab-el-Mandeb
The Bab-el-Mandeb (Arabic: , , ) is a strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Name
The strait derives its name from the dangers attendin ...
. The Indiamen were carrying the 2nd Battalion of the 42nd (Highland) Regiment of Foot. They remained there for some six weeks as the indigenes were friendly and the vessels could procure fresh food. The Highlanders entertained the indigenes with bagpipe music, and danced the Highland Fling
The Highland Fling is a solo Highland dance that gained popularity in the early 19th century. The word 'Fling' means literally a movement in dancing. In John Jamieson's 1808 ''Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language'', the Highland Flin ...
; the indigenes reciprocated with a war dance involving shields and spears. The Indiamen arrived at Mocha on 4 December. They then sailed out of the Red Sea and reached Bombay on 6 March. A voyage that would take a coppered vessel not facing adverse winds about two-and-a-half weeks had taken the Indiamen five-and-a-half months.
''Osterley'' left Bombay on 8 August in company with the Indiamen ''Asia'', , and ''Locko'', and the country ship ''Shah Byram Gore''. As the squadron was sailing through the Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
, on 9 September the ships encountered the 38-gun French frigate '' Pourvoyeuse'', which was under the command of Captain de Lannuguy-Tromelin. After an engagement the next day that lasted some two-and-a-half hours in which ''Osterley'' had two men killed, ''Pourvoyeuse'' withdrew.
''Osterley'' arrived at Whampoa on 5 October. Homeward bound, she reached the Bocca Tigris
The Humen, also Bocca Tigris or Bogue, is a narrow strait in the Pearl River Delta that separates Shiziyang in the north and Lingdingyang in the south near Humen Town in China's Guangdong Province. It is the site of the Pearl River's discharge ...
on 4 January 1783 and 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 18 June, and arrived at the Downs on 22 September.[
]
Voyage #2 (1784–86)
''Osterley'' was again under the command of Capt Samuel Rogers when she left the Downs on 22 December 1784, 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 China. She reached Madeira
)
, anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira")
, song_type = Regional anthem
, image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg
, map_alt=Location of Madeira
, map_caption=Location of Madeira
, subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
on 7 January 1785, Johanna on 30 April, Madras on 6 June, and Malacca
Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...
on 31 July, and arrived at Whampoa on 1 September. Homeward bound, she crossed the Second Bar on 1 January 1786, reached St Helena on 4 May, and arrived at the Downs on 8 July.[
]
Voyage #3 (1787–88)
Captain Joseph Clarkson sailed ''Osterley'' from the Downs on 22 January 1787, bound for Madras and China. She reached Johanna on 21 May and Madras on 22 June, and arrived at Whampoa on 10 October.[ In September, as she was on her way to China, ''Osterley'' encountered a frigate named ''Calypso'', that ran out her guns; Clarkson manned his 10 guns and ''Osterley''s crew stood ready when the French vessel announced that she was a naval vessel and sailed off. On her return trip ''Osterley'' crossed the Second Bar on 18 February 1788, reached St Helena on 13 July, and arrived at the Downs on 23 September.][
]
Voyage #4 (1790–91)
Captain Joseph Clarkson left Torbay on 7 February 1790, bound for Bombay and China. ''Osterley'' reached Bombay on 3 June and arrived at Whampoa on 29 August. Returning home, she crossed the Second Bar on 8 December, reached the Cape on 9 April 1791 and St Helena on 28 April, and arrived at the Downs on 27 June.[
]
Voyage #5 (1793–94)
Captain James Foy left Portsmouth on 22 May 1793, bound for China. War with France had broken out, so Foy sailed under a letter of marque (LoM) issued to him on 28 March 1793.[ The letter authorized him to take offensive action against the French should the occasion arise, not just defensive action.
''Osterley'' was part of a convoy that also included the East Indiamen ''Prince William'', ''Lord Thurlow'', ''William Pitt'', ''Barwell'', ''Earl of Oxford'', '' Pigot'', ''Fort William'', ''London'', ''Glatton'', ''Houghton'', ''Marquis of Landsdown'', , , and ''Earl of Abergavenny'', amongst numerous other vessels, merchant and military, most of the non-Indiamen travelling to the Mediterranean.
''Osterley'' reached Manila on 10 November and arrived at Whampoa on 20 December. Early in 1794 she crossed the Second Bar, reached St Helena on 18 June, and arrived at the Downs on 16 September.][
]
Voyage #6 (1795–97)
Captain James Foy left Portsmouth on 24 May 1795, bound for China, and still covered by the same letter of marque. She sailed with a convoy of Indiamen that were bringing General Alured Clarke
Sir Alured Clarke (24 November 1744 – 16 September 1832) was a British Army officer. He took charge of all British troops in Georgia in May 1780 and was then deployed to Philadelphia to supervise the evacuation of British prisoners of ...
and his troops for the invasion of the Cape Colony
The Invasion of the Cape Colony, also known as the Battle of Muizenberg, was a British military expedition launched in 1795 against the Dutch Cape Colony at the Cape of Good Hope. The Dutch colony at the Cape, established and controlled by th ...
. ''Osterley'' reached San Salvadore on 6 July.
She sailed on 13 July, together with the other Indiamen such as , and under the escort of . However, ''Sphinx'' ran into and both vessels returned to port, accompanied by .
The fleet reached the Cape on 3 September. ''Osterley'' delivered her troops and then sailed for Whampoa, where she arrived on 7 March 1796. Homeward bound, she crossed the Second Bar on 21 June, reached St Helena on 20 November, and arrived at the Downs on 9 February 1797.[
]
Voyage #7 (1798–1800) — Capture and recapture
Captain John Wintersgill Piercy left Portsmouth on 8 June 1798 bound for Madras and Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
. The change in captain necessitated the issuance of a new letter of marque, which was issued on 5 April 1798.[ She reached Madras on 1 October and ]Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...
on 27 October, before returning to Madras, which she reached on 23 December. On 6 February she sailed from Madras carrying 104 officers and men of the 28th Light Dragoons
The 28th Light Dragoons or the 28th (Duke of York's Own) Regiment of Light Dragoons was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was raised in March 1795 March, by Sir Robert Laurie. However, from September 1799 the colonel
Colonel (abbrevia ...
.[''The Asiatic annual register, or: View of the history of Hindustan ...'', Vol. 1, pp.89–90.] On 13 February 1799 she reached Tranquebar
Tharangambadi (), formerly Tranquebar ( da, Trankebar, ), is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast. It lies north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary named Uppanar of the Kave ...
,[ from which she sailed the next day.][ Unfortunately, on 24 February she encountered the French frigate ''Forte'', of 54 guns and some 460 men, under the command of Commander Beaulieu-Leloup.
A sharp action of about 45 minutes ensued in which ''Osterley'' sustained casualties of four men killed and 13 wounded before she ]struck Struck is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Adolf Struck (1877–1911), German author
*Hermann Struck (1876–1944), German artist
*Karin Struck (1947–2006), German author
*Paul Struck (1776-1820), German composer
*Peter Struc ...
. She had also sustained substantial damage. After removing the stores he needed, Beaulieu-Leloup on 27 February permitted Piercy to proceed as a cartel
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mos ...
for an exchange of prisoners.[ In a notable ]single-ship action
A single-ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements; called so because there is a single ship on each side. The following is a list of notable single-ship actions.
Single-shi ...
on 28 February, HMS ''Sybille'' captured ''Forte''. The action cost the lives of both Beaulieu-Leloup and Captain Edward Cooke of ''Sybille''.
''Osterley'' almost immediately encountered , Captain Grey, who examined the papers of M. La Forée, the French officer accompanying ''Osterley''. ''Nonsuch'' escorted her to Saugor Roads, where ''Osterley'' anchored on 1 March.[ Because she was so quickly recaptured, the EIC sustained no loss on her cargo.][''Reports 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.976.]
''Osterley'' reached 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 2 March, but ''Sybille'' claimed her as a prize there, before allowing her to proceed. ''Osterley'' reached Calcutta on 3 April.[
''Osterley'' passed Saugor on 25 August, reached St Helena on 26 January 1800, and arrived at the Downs on 30 May.][
]
Fate
Later in 1800 ''Osterley'' was sent out to India for the local coastal trade.
Notes
Citations
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osterley (1780 EIC ship)
1780 ships
Ships of the British East India Company
Captured ships
Age of Sail merchant ships
Merchant ships of the United Kingdom