Indus (1813 ship)

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History
United Kingdom
NameIndus
BuilderHenry & William Wright, North Shore, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Launched1813
FateAbandoned on the Dogger Bank 8 January 1839
General characteristics
Tons burthen397 (bm)
Length104 ft 9 in (31.9 m)
Beam29 ft 3 in (8.9 m)
Armament4 guns (1814)

Indus was launched in 1813 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She initially traded as a West Indiaman. In 1820–1821 she probably made one voyage carrying cargo from Batavia, Dutch East Indies, to Hamburg and Antwerp. After the probable voyage to Batavia Indus traded between Liverpool and Canada. The cargo that Indus carried from Canada back to Liverpool consisted mainly of lumber, including staves. Her surviving crew members abandoned Indus on 8 January 1839 after she became waterlogged.

Career[edit]

Henry Wright, South Shields and William Wright, Newcastle, built Indus for their own account.[1]

Indus first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1814.[2]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1814 Callender Clark & Co. London–Jamaica LR
1815 Callender Clark & Co. London–New York LR
1816 Callender Wright & Co. London–Jamaica LR
1820 Callender Wright & Co. London–Quebec LR

The Registers were only as accurate as owners choose to keep them. Between 1820 and 1822 two vessels named Indus, one with Jackson, master, and one with Wright, master, sailed to Batavia from Newcastle. Neither combination appears in Lloyd's Register or the Register of Shipping. However, the ship arrival and departure data also does not show any data for Indus, Callender, master. Indus, Wright, master, sailed via Saint Helena on both her out bound and return voyages. She stopped at Portsmouth on 20 July 1821 on her way back from Batavia, and was put into quarantine. Her crew was sickly and she had lost nine men to fever and other contagious diseases.[3] On 25 July she went on to Antwerp. By discharging her cargo in Antwerp she was not in violation of the British East India Company's monopoly on trade between Great Britain and ports east of the Cape of Good Hope.

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1824 Callender
Malabara
Wright & Co. London–Quebec LR
1827 Malabara Wright & Co. Liverpool–Cronstadt LR
1829 Malabara
Rodgers
Wright & Co. Liverpool–"Mrmic" LR
1830 W.Rodgers Wright & Co. Liverpool–Quebec LR
1831 W.Rodgers Wright & Co. London LR
1832 W.Rodgers
J.Carey
Hunter
Wright & Co. Liverpool–Quebec LR; small repairs 1832
1833 T.Hunter Wright & Co. Liverpool–"Mrmc" LR; small repairs 1832
1835 T.Hunter
T.Wright
H.Wright Liverpool–Quebec LR
1838 T.Wright H.Wright Liverpool–Quebec LR

Fate[edit]

Her crew abandoned Indus on 8 January 1839 on the Dogger Bank in the North Sea off the coast of Jutland. She was waterlogged and Felicity rescued four surviving crew, the remainder being dead. Indus was on a voyage from Quebec City, to Newcastle upon Tyne. Two days later her crew and the survivors abandoned Felicity, of Rochester, which now too was in a sinking state. Lydia, of Aberdeen rescued the survivors and brought them into Hartlepool on 17 January.[4]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Tyne Built Ships: Indus.
  2. ^ LR (1814), Supple. pages "IJ", Seq.No.I21.
  3. ^ "THE NAVY". 26 July 1821, Freeman's Journal (Dublin, Ireland).
  4. ^ "Ship News". The Times (16947). London. 24 January 1839. col E, p. 7.