View source for Lord Melville (1803 EIC ship)

{{other ships|Lord Melville (ship)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2017}}
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{{Infobox ship career
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| Ship country=United Kingdom
| Ship flag=[[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|60px|East India Company Ensign]] 
| Ship name = ''Lord Melville''
| Ship namesake = 
| Ship owner = [[Henry Bonham (politician)|Henry Bonham]]{{sfnp|Hackman|2001|p=148}}
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| Ship builder = Dudman, Deptford{{sfnp|Hackman|2001|p=148}}
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| Ship launched = 9 March 1803{{sfnp|Hackman|2001|p=148}}
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| Ship fate = Sold for a hulk in 1817
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| Ship tons burthen = 818,<ref name=BL>[http://searcharchives.bl.uk/IAMS_VU2:IAMS045-001115326 British Library: ''Lord Melville'' (1).]</ref> 871,<ref name=LoM>[http://www.1812privateers.org/Great%20Britain/marque1793-1815.pdf Letter of Marque, pp.74 - accessed 25 July 2017.]</ref> {{frac|871|33|94}}{{sfnp|Hackman|2001|p=148}} ([[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]])
| Ship length =*Overall:{{cvt|146|ft|2|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
*Keel:{{cvt|118|ft|8+1/2|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{cvt|36|ft|0|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
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| Ship hold depth = {{cvt|14|ft|10|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
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| Ship complement =*1803:99<ref name=LoM/>
*1808:195<ref name=LoM/>
*1811:105<ref name=LoM/>
| Ship armament = *1803: 26 ×18-pounder guns<ref name=LoM/>
*1808: 30 ×18-pounder guns<ref name=LoM/>
*1811: 30 ×18-pounder guns<ref name=LoM/>
| Ship notes = Three decks
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'''''Lord Melville''''' was launched in 1803 as an [[East Indiaman]] for the British [[East India Company]] (EIC). She made six voyages for the company before she was sold for a hulk in 1817.

==Career==
On 28 August 1801, i.e., before ''Lord Melville'' was built, the EIC agreed with Robert Charnock to engage her for six voyages. The peacetime rate was [[£sd|£]]17 9[[shilling|s]] per ton with [[kentledge]], and £19 per ton without kentledge. On her first voyage she would also receive an allowance for building of £6 6s per ton.{{sfnp|Hardy|1811|p=26}}

'''EIC voyage #1 (1803–1805):''' Captain Charles Lennox acquired a [[letter of marque]] on 27 May 1803.<ref name=LoM/> He sailed from Portsmouth on 30 June, bound for Bengal. ''Lord Melville'' was at Rio de Janeiro on 16 September.<ref name=BL/>

''Lord Melville'', {{ship||Earl Spencer|1795 EIC ship|2}}, ''Princess Mary'', {{ship||Northampton|1801 ship|2}}, ''Anna'', ''Ann'', ''Glory'', and ''Essex'' left Rio on 13 October. They were in company with the [[Seventy-four (ship)|74-gun]] [[third rate]] [[ships of the line]] {{HMS|Albion|1802|6}}, {{HMS|Sceptre|1802|6}}, and {{HMS|Russell|1764|6}}, and the [[fourth rate]] {{HMS|Grampus|1802|6}}. Three days later ''Albion'' and ''Sceptre'' separated from the rest of the ships.<ref>''[[Lloyd's List]]'', №4463.[http://www.1812privateers.org/LLOYDS/1804/06-19-1804.jpg] Accessed 13 August 2016.</ref>

''Lord Melville'' arrived at [[Diamond Harbour]] on 12 February 1804. She was at [[Sagar Island|Saugor]] on 24 April. Homeward bound, she was at [[Chennai|Madras]] on 16 August and reached [[Saint Helena|St Helena]] on 31 December. She arrived at [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|the Downs]] on 20 March 1805.<ref name=BL/>

'''EIC voyage #2 (1806–1808):''' Captain Lennox sailed from Portsmouth on 30 March 1806, bound for Madras and Bengal in a convoy that included {{ship||Asia|1798 EIC ship|2}}, {{ship||Lady Burges|1799 EIC ship|2}}, {{ship||Lord Nelson|East Indiaman|2}}, {{ship||Sovereign|1800 ship|2}}, and {{ship||Walthamstow|1799 EIC ship|2}}, and that was under the escort of {{HMS|Leopard|1790|6}}.

During the night of 20 April ''Lady Burges'' wrecked on a reef off [[Boa Vista, Cape Verde]]. Boats from the convoy were able to rescue 150 of the 184 people on board; 34 drowned.

''Lord Melville'' reached Madras on 26 August, and arrived at Diamond Harbour on 30 October and [[Kidderpore]] on 14 November. She then sailed to Penang and back. She was at Saugor on 26 February 1807 and reached Penang on 8 April. She was back at Diamond Harbour on 25 June. She was at Saugor on 21 August, Madras on 9 October, and the [[Cape of Good Hope]] on 30 December. She reached St Helena on 1 January 1808, and arrived at the Downs on 4 April.<ref name=BL/>

'''EIC voyage #3 (1809–1810):''' Captain John Nelson Whyte acquired a letter of marque on 5 December 1808.<ref name=LoM/> He sailed from Portsmouth on 22 February 1809, bound for Madras and Bengal. ''Lord Melville'' was at Madras on 3 July, and arrived at Diamond Harbour on 19 July. Homeward bound, she was at Saugor on 25 October, Madras on 5 February 1810, [[Galle|Point de Galle]] on 18 February, and St Helena on 3 May. She arrived back at The Downs on 6 July.<ref name=BL/>
 
'''EIC voyage #4 (1811–1812):''' Captain James George Crabb acquired a letter of marque on 15 March 1811. He sailed from Torbay on 12 May, bound for Madras and Bengal. ''Lord Melville'' reached Madras on 10 September, and arrived at Diamond Harbour on 12 October. Homeward bound, she was at Saugor on 26 November. On 18 January 1812 she was at [[Machilipatnam|Masulipatam]] and Madras on 25 January. She reached St Helena on 11 May and arrived at the Downs on 21 July.<ref name=BL/>

'''EIC voyage #5 (1813–1814):''' Captain Crabb sailed from Torbay on 25 Mar 1813, bound for Madras and Bengal. ''Lord Melville'' was at Teneriffe on 11 April, and [[Anjouan|Johanna]] on 14 July. She reached Madras on 9 August and Masulipatam on 27 August. She arrived at Diamond Harbour on 9 September, and Calcutta on 11 November. Homeward bound she was at Saugor on 7 December, Madras on 25 January 1814, Colombo on 14 February, and the Cape on 25 April. She reached st Helena on 19 May and arrived at The Downs on 6 August.<ref name=BL/>
 
'''EIC voyage #6 (1815–1816):''' Captain Crabb sailed from The Downs on 3 Apr 1815 bound for Madras and Bengal. ''Lord Melville'' was at Madras on 21 July, Masulipatam on 14 August, and Diamond Harbour on 22 August. Homeward bound, she was at Saugor on 9 November, Madras on 6 February 1816, and the Cape on 18 April. She reached St Helena on 9 May, and [[Ascension Island]] on 20 May. She arrived at The Downs on 2 July.<ref name=BL/>

==Fate==
''Lord Melville'' was sold in 1817 as a [[Hulk (ship type)|hulk]].

==Citations==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite book |last=Hackman |first=Rowan |year=2001 |title=Ships of the East India Company |location=Gravesend, Kent |publisher=World Ship Society |ISBN=0-905617-96-7 }}
* {{cite book|last=Hardy |first=Horatio Charles |title=A register of ships, employed in the service of the Honorable the United East India Company, from the year 1760 to 1810: with an appendix, containing a variety of particulars, and useful information interesting to those concerned with East India commerce |year=1811 |publisher=Black, Parry, and Kingsbury |url=http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hxh3ft;view=1up;seq=9}}

[[Category:1803 ships]]
[[Category:Age of Sail merchant ships of England]]
[[Category:Ships of the British East India Company]]