Ocean (1788 ship)
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} United Kingdom
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| Name: | Ocean |
| Owner: | William Fraser (principal managing owner) |
| Builder: | Wells, Deptford |
| Launched: | 30 October 1788 |
| Fate: | Wrecked February 1797 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 1189, or 1,189 51⁄94 (bm) |
| Length: | 136 ft 4 in (41.6 m) (overall), 132 ft 2 3⁄4 in (40.3 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 41 ft 1 1⁄2 in (12.5 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 17 ft 0 in (5.2 m) |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Complement: | 125 men |
| Armament: | 26 x 6-pounder guns |
Ocean was an East Indiaman launched in 1788 that made four trips for the British Honourable East India Company between February 1789 and February 1797, when she was wrecked on the island of Kalatea (7°9′S 121°00′E / 7.150°S 121.000°E) in the East Indies.
East Indiamen traveled in convoys as much as they could. Vessels of the British Royal Navy often 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.
For her first voyage, Ocean sailed to Madras and China under the command of Captain James Tod (or Todd). She left Torbay on 26 February 1789, and 10 March she reached Madeira. She then left Madras on 24 June, reaching Whampoa on 26 September. She crossed the Second Bar on 10 January 1790, and reached Saint Helena on 15 April. She arrived back at he Downs on 6 June.
For her second voyage, Ocean was under the command of Captain Andrew Patton, who would remain her captain for the next three voyages. This was his fifth voyage to the east for the company, and his second on Ocean, as he had been her first lieutenant on her previous trip under Tod. On this voyage, Patton sailed her for St Helena, Madras and China. She left the Downs on 17 December 1791 and reached St Helena on 27 February 1792. From there she went on to Madras, which she reached on 10 May. By 23 June, she was at Penang, and one month later, on 25 July, she was at Malacca. She reached Whampoa on 16 August, and on her return trip she crossed the Second Bar on 3 November. She reached St Helena by 12 February 1793, and the Downs by 17 April.
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