Earl of Abergavenny (1796 EIC ship)
The Earl of Abergavenny East Indiaman, off Southsea, 1801, by Thomas Luny
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| Name: | Earl of Abergavenny |
| Namesake: | Henry Nevill, 2nd Earl of Abergavenny |
| Owner: | William Dent |
| Builder: | Pitcher, Northfleet |
| Launched: | 15 December 1796 |
| Fate: | Wrecked Weymouth Bay, February 1805 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 1,460 17⁄94, or 1,498 (bm) |
| Length: | 176 ft 11 in (53.92 m) (overall), 143 ft 11 1⁄2 in (43.879 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 43 ft 8 in (13.31 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m) |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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United Kingdom
The Earl of Abergavenny was an East Indiaman launched in 1796 that was wrecked in Weymouth Bay, England in 1805. She was one of the largest ever built. The English poet William Wordsworth's brother John was her captain during her last two successful voyages to China. He was also her captain on her fifth voyage and lost his life when she wrecked. Earl of Abergavenny was built in Northfleet, Kent to carry cargo for the British East India Company (EIC). In 1804 she was one of the vessels at the Battle of Pulo Aura, though she did not participate in the action. She sank, with great loss of life, within days of leaving Portsmouth on the outward leg of her fifth voyage.
East Indiamen traveled in convoys as much as they could. Frequently vessels of the British Royal Navy escorted these convoys, though generally not past India, or before on the return leg. Even so, the Indiamen were heavily armed so that they could dissuade pirates and even large privateers.
Like many other East Indiamen during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Earl of Abergavenny sailed under letters of marque. These authorized her to take prizes should the opportunity arise.
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Wikipedia