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1859: HMS TORTOISE. She was built in 1805 of teak as a stores' ship for
the East India Company and named Sir Edward Hughes. In 1806 she was
presented by the company to the Admiralty and given her new name.
The HMS Tortoise made one trip as a convict transport. She was a naval ship of 1000 tons. Her master was Captain J HOOD, R.N. and her surgeon was Thomas BROWNRIGG. She had
a gross tonnage of 962, her keel was 118 feet, and her bean 39 feet. She
served in the Mediterranean in 1812, Gibraltar in 1813 and St Helena in 1817.
From 1820 to 1838 she was back in English waters, first at Plymouth and then
at Milford where she became a coal hulk.
HMS Tortoise departed Plymouth on 26 October 1841, taking 116 days, without stopping, to reach Hobart on 19 February 1842. She embarked 400 male prisoners of which three were relanded and three died on the voyage. Thus 394 male convicts were disembarked at Hobart.

HMS Tortoise was in New Zealand to gather spars, or masts for the Royal Navy. They made a camp near Tairua on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula nearby, which they cut down squared and hauling out to the coast. In June of 1842, the vessel was moved to Nagles Cove at Great Barrier Island to ensure its safety. Smaller vessels then serviced the 'cutting station', as they called it, from the Tortoise. In December, 1842, some of the crew were called on to assist in quelling trouble between Maori tribes in the Tauranga/Maketu area. In early January, 1843, the vessel was moved to 'Wakahow' near Tairua and the cutting station to enable the squared masts to be loaded aboard. Once done, the vessel departed to the Bay of Islands and then Waiheke, where it waited for Mrs Hobson, Governor Hobson's widow and children to come on board.
It then departed to England.
From 1845 she served as a stores'ship at Ascension until the order came on 18th October 1859 to break her up.
The vessel now lies in shallow water on the coast of Ascension Island where she was finally scuttled in 1859.

http://www.rafs-aa.org.uk/Ascension%20I ... Wrecks.pdf
http://sites.google.com/a/aotea.org/don ... lf-of-1842

Ascension Is SG274

Built as an East Indiaman for the East India Company at the Bombay Dockyard, India.
22 March 1784 launched under the name SIR EDWARD HUGHES.
Tonnage 957 68/94 tons bm., dim. 116.11 x 39.3 x 14.0ft.
Teak hull, ship rigged.

From 1784 until 1788 she was trading locally in India, under command of Capt. Joseph Smith.
22 July 1788, sailed on her first voyage from England for a roundtrip to Bombay and China.
Altogether she made 8 round voyages from England to British East India and China.
26 October 1803 until 27 Sept. 1807 used in coastal trade in India for the EIC under command of Capt. Thomas Barrow.
1807 Sold to the British Admiralty and refitted in a 38-gun frigate, named HMS SIR EDWARD HUGHES.

1809 In use as a storeship and renamed HMS TORTOISE.
1812 Used in the Mediterranean, 1813 at Gibraltar, at that time under command of Capt. T.Cook.
During the exile of Napoleon in 1817 at St Helena, she was in service there under command of Capt. William Finlaison. He was also the commander of Ascension Island, with fleet Lieutenant Simon Fraser of the Royal Marines as Acting Adjutant.
From 1820 until 1838 in service in the English waters, first stationed at Plymouth then at Milford.
December 1824 used as a coal hulk.
August 1841 a store hulk.
Sailed as a convict ship armed with two guns in September 1841 from Spithead, and 26 October from Plymouth, under command of Capt. J.Hood R.N. with on board 651 persons under which 400 male convicts, during the voyage 3 convicts died. Arrived at Hobart Town, van Diemens Land on 19 February 1842 after a passage of 116 days.
In his report of 5 March 1842 the surgeon Thomas Brownrigg (Browing other source) gives that all the crew, convicts, guards and women and children were 27 weeks on boards and the mortality was very low this voyage.
16 March she sailed from Hobart Town bound for the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Arrived at Kororareka (now named Russel) 21 March, were she received orders to load kauri logs on the Coromandel Peninsula.
In total she loaded 103 logs, which were used for masts making in England.
19 June 1842 she sailed from New Zealand, homeward bound.

From 1845 the HMS TORTOISE was used as a storeship at Ascension under command of Captain Morrel. He acted also as Governor of the Island, and during her stay between 1855 and 1859 marriages which took place on the island were performed on the ship.
1847 She was under command of Capt. Frederick Hutton, 1855 Capt. G.A.Seymour and 1857 Capt. J Elliott.
IN 1850 it was said that Edward Hodges Cree was on HMS FURY whilst it was in the waters off Ascension Island. He is supposed to have made the panoramic painting of the Island and the TORTOISE anchored offshore. The stamp is designed after this painting; in the background of the stamp you can see an other vessel, which till so far not is identified.

18 October 1859 the order was received to break up the vessel, and wreckage can be found close to the remains of the SOUDAN off North Point, Ascension Island in a position of 07 53 25S, 14 22 44W.

Source: Ships of the East India Company by Rowan Hackman. The convict ships 1788 – 1868 by Charles Batteson. http://www.geocities.com/bleyshand41/le ... toise.html