This topsail schooner was typical of the type of craft used to carry dispatches for the Government and Royal Navy. Fast and light, they could outsail most other craft as they were able to sail closer to the wind than square rigged ships. Built especially for the island by the Honourable East India Company, it was intended that she ply between the island and the Cape of Good Hope carrying, cattle, grain and stores.
SG771 St Helena Philatelic
St Helena
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aukepalmhof
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Re: St Helena
Built as fast sailing packet by Wigrams & Green, Blackwall, U.K. for the East India Company.
01 August 1814 launched under the name ST HELENA.
Tonnage 136 ton (bm), dim. 22.86 x 6.27 x 3.96m.
Building cost £21 a ton, total £2.856.
Her rig was later reduced to a schooner rig.
29 August 1814 sailed from London for St Helena under command of Capt. John Augustus Atkinson.
12 January 1815 arrived at St Helena and placed at the disposal of the St Helena Government.
The next years she sailed without many accidents, 1819 she got damage on her rig when she was running in a severe gale outside Cape Town. She lost her topmast and some sails.
She grounded also that voyage at Cape Town but was refloated without any damage, thereafter she came in collision with the schooner UITENHAGE in which she got damage and lost her davit at the aftership.
She carried passenger’s cargo and animals to St Helena, from one voyage are known that she carried 128 sheep and 17 young bulls, and of an other that she carried 134 sheep and 4 horses.
20 May 1822 sailed from London for St Helena under command of Capt. James Fairfax after one voyage to London with dispatches
The most important event occurred when the HMS SYBILLE arrived off St Helena Island on 28 March 1830 under command of Commander Collier, on board this vessel raged Coast fever, and quarantine was refused.
Commodore Collier wishing to proceed to the South for benefit of his sick crew requested the ST HELENA to sail to Sierra Leone and deliver his despatches for the Coast Squadron.
31 March 1830 the ST HELENA sailed from St Helena with on board 23 persons under command of Capt. Harrison. Mr Charlett acting 2nd Mate.
On board was also assistant Surgeon Waddell, who from increasing disease in his eyes, was allowed to go home via Sierra Leone.
On 06 April at 10.00 a.m. in a position of 1 degree South and 9 degree West a large felucca was sighted, under French colours with a crew of 40 -50 men of different nationalities. She ordered the ST HELENA to hove too and after the vessel was dead in the water, a boat from the felucca with 6 men in it, ordered Capt Harrison to present his papers on board the felucca, Capt. Harrison left his vessel in the ships-boat with 4 rowers, while the 6 men of the felucca stayed on board the ST HELENA.
Captain Harrison was for some time detained on board the felucca.
After he returned back on board his vessel, she was ransacked by the 6 men, and they threaten to kill the Captain when he not handed over the money on board.
He refused and thereafter he and Waddell lashed together back to back were thrown overboard, when the crew still refused to hand over the money 11 men followed the same way.
The carpenter and steward escaped below deck by surrendering the money, which consisted £1.176 all in coins.
The pirates left then the ship but returned after one hour and cut away the two masts and attempted to scuttle the ST HELENA. They did not succeed, sailing with the felucca around the ST HELENA firing shots at her with her gun for some time.
06.00 p.m. The felucca left the scene, thinking the ST HELENA would sink, but she did not.
After some time the remainder of the crew of the ST HELENA who had concealed below, re-appeared on deck, after a jury rig was made, the ST HELENA sailed to Sierra Leone where she arrived on 2 May.
Some shots after arrival picked out from the side of the hull of the ST HELENA were 9 pounders.
The felucca was well known at Sierra Leone, and immediately HMS PIMROSE sailed out in search of the pirate vessel.
She was the DASPEGADO under command of Capt. Antonio Constanti, Spanish colours, owned at Barcelona.
The DASPEGADO was captured by the PIMROSE, and the crew taken prisoner.
1831 Sold to Captain W Tayt, London.
28 June 1832 sold to Smith & Co., Cape Town, for the South African coastal trade.
1844 Deleted from Lloyds Register, but she was still sailing.
Under command of Capt. J. Lewis she was wrecked on 13 September 1851 during a south-east gale in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa.
No lives lost.
Source: Sea Breezes. http://www.bweaver.nom.sh/janisch_1800-32.html
Ships of the East India Company by Rowan Hackman. Shipwrecks and Salvage in South Africa by Malcolm Turner.
01 August 1814 launched under the name ST HELENA.
Tonnage 136 ton (bm), dim. 22.86 x 6.27 x 3.96m.
Building cost £21 a ton, total £2.856.
Her rig was later reduced to a schooner rig.
29 August 1814 sailed from London for St Helena under command of Capt. John Augustus Atkinson.
12 January 1815 arrived at St Helena and placed at the disposal of the St Helena Government.
The next years she sailed without many accidents, 1819 she got damage on her rig when she was running in a severe gale outside Cape Town. She lost her topmast and some sails.
She grounded also that voyage at Cape Town but was refloated without any damage, thereafter she came in collision with the schooner UITENHAGE in which she got damage and lost her davit at the aftership.
She carried passenger’s cargo and animals to St Helena, from one voyage are known that she carried 128 sheep and 17 young bulls, and of an other that she carried 134 sheep and 4 horses.
20 May 1822 sailed from London for St Helena under command of Capt. James Fairfax after one voyage to London with dispatches
The most important event occurred when the HMS SYBILLE arrived off St Helena Island on 28 March 1830 under command of Commander Collier, on board this vessel raged Coast fever, and quarantine was refused.
Commodore Collier wishing to proceed to the South for benefit of his sick crew requested the ST HELENA to sail to Sierra Leone and deliver his despatches for the Coast Squadron.
31 March 1830 the ST HELENA sailed from St Helena with on board 23 persons under command of Capt. Harrison. Mr Charlett acting 2nd Mate.
On board was also assistant Surgeon Waddell, who from increasing disease in his eyes, was allowed to go home via Sierra Leone.
On 06 April at 10.00 a.m. in a position of 1 degree South and 9 degree West a large felucca was sighted, under French colours with a crew of 40 -50 men of different nationalities. She ordered the ST HELENA to hove too and after the vessel was dead in the water, a boat from the felucca with 6 men in it, ordered Capt Harrison to present his papers on board the felucca, Capt. Harrison left his vessel in the ships-boat with 4 rowers, while the 6 men of the felucca stayed on board the ST HELENA.
Captain Harrison was for some time detained on board the felucca.
After he returned back on board his vessel, she was ransacked by the 6 men, and they threaten to kill the Captain when he not handed over the money on board.
He refused and thereafter he and Waddell lashed together back to back were thrown overboard, when the crew still refused to hand over the money 11 men followed the same way.
The carpenter and steward escaped below deck by surrendering the money, which consisted £1.176 all in coins.
The pirates left then the ship but returned after one hour and cut away the two masts and attempted to scuttle the ST HELENA. They did not succeed, sailing with the felucca around the ST HELENA firing shots at her with her gun for some time.
06.00 p.m. The felucca left the scene, thinking the ST HELENA would sink, but she did not.
After some time the remainder of the crew of the ST HELENA who had concealed below, re-appeared on deck, after a jury rig was made, the ST HELENA sailed to Sierra Leone where she arrived on 2 May.
Some shots after arrival picked out from the side of the hull of the ST HELENA were 9 pounders.
The felucca was well known at Sierra Leone, and immediately HMS PIMROSE sailed out in search of the pirate vessel.
She was the DASPEGADO under command of Capt. Antonio Constanti, Spanish colours, owned at Barcelona.
The DASPEGADO was captured by the PIMROSE, and the crew taken prisoner.
1831 Sold to Captain W Tayt, London.
28 June 1832 sold to Smith & Co., Cape Town, for the South African coastal trade.
1844 Deleted from Lloyds Register, but she was still sailing.
Under command of Capt. J. Lewis she was wrecked on 13 September 1851 during a south-east gale in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa.
No lives lost.
Source: Sea Breezes. http://www.bweaver.nom.sh/janisch_1800-32.html
Ships of the East India Company by Rowan Hackman. Shipwrecks and Salvage in South Africa by Malcolm Turner.
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