Boddington (1781 ship)

Boddington, sometimes referred to as Boddingtons, was a merchant ship launched in 1781 on the River Thames. For the first decade of her career she sailed as a West Indiaman. She made one voyage in 1792 transporting convicts from Ireland to Australia. For her return trip she also made one voyage for the East India Company from Asia to Britain. She wrecked in 1805 on the Thames River.

For other ships with the same name, see Boddingtons (ship).

History
Great Britain
NameBoddington
OwnerBoddington (1781-1805)
OperatorEast India Company (1793-1795)
BuilderThames[1]
Launched1781
FateWrecked near Blackwall in September 1805.
General characteristics
Tons burthen331[1] or 350[2] (bm)
Armament6 × 4-pounder guns[3]

Career

Boddington was launched on the Thames for Boddington, who employed her sailing between London and Nevis. She first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1781.[4]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1781 J.Clarke Boddington London–Nevis LR
1793 J.Clarke
R.Chalmers		 Boddington London–Nevis
Cork–Botany Bay		 LR; good repair 1793

Under the command of Captain Robert Chalmers, Boddington sailed from Cork, Ireland, on 15 February 1792, with 125 male and 20 female convicts.[5] During the voyage Chalmers suppressed a mutiny by the convicts.[6] She arrived at Port Jackson, New South Wales on 7 August 1793. One male convict died on the voyage.[5] She left Port Jackson in October 1793 for Bengal, in company with Sugar Cane.

Between 1793 and 1795 Boddington made one trip for the East India Company from Penang to Britain.[7] She apparently was in Bengal prior to arriving at Penang. Lloyd's List reported that "The Boddingtons, Chalmers, from Bengal to London, met with bad weather which obliged her to put into Prince of Wales Island, where she has been refitted, and was to proceed under Convoy of the Bombay frigate."[8][lower-alpha 1] Boddington left Penang on 11 November 1794 and reached St Helena on 27 February 1795. The East India fleet left Boddington and Barbara, from the South Seas, at "the Line".[9][lower-alpha 2] She then arrived at Long Reach on 5 August.[7]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1795 Chalmers
W.Kitgour		 Seale & Co. London–Botany Bay
London–West Indies		 LR; good repair 1792 & 1795
1804 Cadonhead
Wright		 Higgins & Co. London–Jamaica LR; good repair 1792, thorough repair 1798, & good repair 1802
1805 P.Wright Higgins & Co. London–Jamaica LR; good repair 1792, thorough repair 1798, good repair 1802, & damages repaired 1804

Fate

The Register of Shipping for 1805 gave the name of Boddington's master as Wright, and her trade as London—Jamaica.[3]

During the night of 11 September 1805, Boddington was one of a number of ships that came adrift from the mooring chain whilst waiting to enter the West India Dock. She stranded in the Thames off Blackwall on a sandbank, sank, and was wrecked.[11] On 13 September 1805, Lloyd's List reported that "The Bodingtons, Wright, from Jamaica, is on Shore near Blackwall, and full of Water."[12]

Notes
  1. At the time, the frigate Bombay belonged to the East India Company; the Royal Navy purchased her in 1805. The EIC used Bombay to patrol the waters in the Bay of Bengal and beyond.
  2. Barbara, of 241 tons (bm), had been launched in 1771 at Philadelphia. Between 1788 and c.1802, when she was captured, she had completed some eight whaling voyages.[10]

Citations
  1. Hackman (2001), p. 225.
  2. Lloyd's Register (1793), seq. no. B283.
  3. Register of Shipping (1805), Seq.№381.
  4. LR (1781), Seq.No.B409.
  5. Bateson (1959), p. 129–130.
  6. "Early Australian Days". Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW), Wednesday 12 April 1911, p.7. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  7. British Library: Boddington.
  8. Lloyd's List, №2717.
  9. Lloyd's List, №2736.
  10. British Southern Whale Fishery - Voyages: Barbara.
  11. "Untitled". The Times. 13 September 1805. p. 2. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  12. Lloyd's List, no.4253.

References
  • Bateson, Charles (1959). The Convict Ships. Brown, Son & Ferguson. OCLC 3778075.
  • Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0905617967.
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