HMS Weymouth (1804)
Encyclopedia
HMS Weymouth was a 44-gun fifth rate of the Royal Navy
. She was previously the East Indiaman Wellesley, built in Calcutta in 1797. She was purchased in May 1804, and fitted out between May and August that year at the yards of Perry & Co, at Rotherhithe
. Further fitting was carried out at Woolwich Dockyard
in November.
Weymouth was commissioned under the first commander, Captain Alexander Fraser, in August 1804. The following month Captain John Draper was in command, and sailed her to India in early 1805. She returned to Britain in 1806 and was then fitted as a storeship at Woolwich, recommissioning in September 1807 under Commander Martin White. White made two voyages to the Mediterranean, after which she was operating in the North Sea
by 1809. She passed under a succession of masters over the next few years, visiting Malta
in 1817, and the Cape Colony
in 1820. On the latter voyage, under Master Richard Turner, she transported eleven parties of British 1820 Settlers
from Portsmouth
to Algoa Bay
. She left Portsmouth on 7 January 1820, arrived in Table Bay
on 25 April 1820 and in Algoa Bay on 15 May 1820.
She was then laid up in ordinary
at Deptford
in November 1821. Between February and October 1828 she was fitted at as a convict ship
and sailed to Bermuda
. Weymouth was finally sold there for £300 on 2 July 1865 and was broken up.
, Cape Town
one of the sports fields is named after HMS Weymouth.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. She was previously the East Indiaman Wellesley, built in Calcutta in 1797. She was purchased in May 1804, and fitted out between May and August that year at the yards of Perry & Co, at Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...
. Further fitting was carried out at Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....
in November.
Weymouth was commissioned under the first commander, Captain Alexander Fraser, in August 1804. The following month Captain John Draper was in command, and sailed her to India in early 1805. She returned to Britain in 1806 and was then fitted as a storeship at Woolwich, recommissioning in September 1807 under Commander Martin White. White made two voyages to the Mediterranean, after which she was operating in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
by 1809. She passed under a succession of masters over the next few years, visiting Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in 1817, and the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
in 1820. On the latter voyage, under Master Richard Turner, she transported eleven parties of British 1820 Settlers
1820 Settlers
The 1820 Settlers were several groups or parties of white British colonists settled by the British government and the Cape authorities in the South African Eastern Cape in 1820....
from Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
to Algoa Bay
Algoa Bay
Algoa Bay is a wide inlet along the South African east coast, some 425 miles east of the Cape of Good Hope. It is bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone. The bay is up to 436 m deep...
. She left Portsmouth on 7 January 1820, arrived in Table Bay
Table Bay
Table Bay is a natural bay on the Atlantic Ocean overlooked by Cape Town and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope. It was named because it is dominated by the flat-topped Table Mountain.Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to explore this...
on 25 April 1820 and in Algoa Bay on 15 May 1820.
She was then laid up in ordinary
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
at Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
in November 1821. Between February and October 1828 she was fitted at as a convict ship
Convict ship
The term convict ship is a colloquial term used to describe any ship engaged on a voyage to carry convicted felons under sentence of penal transportation from their place of conviction to their place of exile.-Colonial practice:...
and sailed to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. Weymouth was finally sold there for £300 on 2 July 1865 and was broken up.
Legacy
At Fairbairn CollegeFairbairn College
Fairbairn College is a public, co-educational high school in the suburb of Goodwood in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.-History:The Goodwood/Vasco English-medium High School was founded on 1 October 1976 with the appointment of Mr CE de Wet as Headmaster...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
one of the sports fields is named after HMS Weymouth.