Admiral Aplin (1802 EIC ship)
| History | |
|---|---|
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| Name: | Admiral Aplin |
| Namesake: | Admiral Peter Aplin (1753-1817) |
| Owner: | Moses Agar |
| Builder: | Temple, South Shields[1] |
| Launched: | 1802[1] |
| Fate: | Captured 1804 |
| Notes: | There are several incorrect attributions of her captor, such as Marengo,[1] or the privateer Robert Surcouf. |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Tons burthen: | 558,[2][1] or 590[3] (bm) |
| Length: | 122 ft 2 in (37.2 m) (overall), 98 ft 4 in (30.0 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 32 ft 0 in (9.8 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 14 ft 11 in (4.5 m) |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Complement: | 55[3] |
| Armament: | 16 × 12-pounder guns[3] |
Admiral Aplin was an East Indiaman of two decks, sailing under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). She made one complete voyage for the EIC before a French privateer captured her on her second voyage.
Career
For her first voyage Captain John Rogers left The Downs on 20 May 1802, bound for Madras. She arrived at Madras on 25 September. On 3 January 1803 she was at St Helena, and on 31 March she arrived at Deptford.[2]
For her second voyage Captain Rodgers left Portsmouth on 28 August 1803, bound for Ceylon, Madras, and Bengal. Because he was sailing in wartime, the Napoleonic Wars having commenced while Admiral Aplin was on her way home from her first journey, Rodgers took out a letter of marque, which she received on 20 August.[3]
At 6:30a.m. on 3 January 1804, Admiral Aplin sighted a strange sail. A six-day chase ensued before the French pursuer was able to catch up with her quarry. Unable to escape, Rodgers decided to fire on his pursuer in the hopes of damaging her rigging. Rodgers was forced to strike at 00°50′S 91°00′E / 0.833°S 91.000°E,[1] after an engagement of one hour. Admiral Aplin was carrying a number of passengers. One army captain was killed and another dangerously wounded. Two crewmen were also wounded. The French vessel, which turned out to be the privateer frigate Psyché, had two men dangerously wounded.[4]
Psyché was 35 days out of Mauritius but had made no captures prior to encountering Admiral Aplin.[4]
The EIC put the value of the cargo lost when the French captured her at £15,240.[5]
Post-script
When the French captured Admiral Aplin they also captured some 73 letters, which the government published in a special edition of the official newspaper, Le Moniteur Universel.[6]
Citations and references
Citations
- 1 2 3 4 5 Hackman (2001), p.55.
- 1 2 3 British Library: Admiral Aplin.
- 1 2 3 4 "Register of Letters of Marque against France 1793-1815"."Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2015-10-07. - accessed 11 June 2011.
- 1 2 The Asiatic Annual Register, Or, A View of the History of Hindustan, and of the Politics, Commerce and Literature of Asia for the Year 1805, Vol. 7, pp.1-2.
- ↑ 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.980.
- ↑ (1804). Intercepted letters: letters intercepted on board the Admiral Aplin, captured by the French. London: Printed by A. Wilson ... for R.H. Westley [etc..]
References
- Hackman, Rowan (2001) Ships of the East India Company. (Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society). ISBN 0-905617-96-7