View source for Ajax 1811 ship

{{other ships|Ajax (ship)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2019}}
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| Ship country=United Kingdom
| Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|civil}}
| Ship name = ''Ajax''
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| Ship builder = Wright & Harle, South Shields,<ref>[http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/ShipsA.html Tyne Built Ships – accessed 11 February 2019.]</ref> [[Newcastle-on-Tyne]]
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| Ship launched = 1811
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| Ship fate = Condemned c. March 1822
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| Ship tons burthen=472{{sfnp|Hackman|2001|p=248}} ([[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]])
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| Ship armament =*1812: 2 guns
*1815: 8 or 10 × 18-pounder [[carronades]]
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'''''Ajax''''' was launched in 1811 at South Shields. She was initially a London-based transport, but from 1816 became an [[East Indiaman]], sailing between Britain and India. She was condemned at [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] in 1822.

==Career==
''Ajax'' first appeared in ''[[Lloyd's Register]]'' (''LR'') in 1812 with Wright, owner.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015005667814?urlappend=%3Bseq=597 ''LR'' (1812), Supple. pages "A", Seq.№A18.]</ref>

''Lloyd's Register'' and the ''Register of Shipping'' (''RS'') were only as accurate as shipowners chose to chose to keep them. Also, the registers did not publish at exactly the same time, even when publishing for the same year. Consequently, there are frequently discrepancies between them.

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Master
! Owner
! Trade
! Source and notes
|-
| 1815
| C. Thompson
| Horle & Co. (or Horley & Co.)
| London transport
| ''LR''
|-
| 1815 
| Barnes
| Wright
| London transport
| ''RS''
|-
|}

In 1813 the British [[East India Company]] (EIC) lost its monopoly on the trade between Britain and India. A number of shipowners then entered the trade..{{sfnp|Hackman|2001|p=247}}

In 1816 Joseph Somes purchased ''Ajax'' and started sailing to India under a license from the EIC. On 3 November 1816 J. Somes sailed ''Ajax'' for [[Mumbai|Bombay]].<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015005686806?urlappend=%3Bseq=630 ''LR'' (1818), "Licensed and Country Ships".]</ref> She sailed from Gravesend on 9 December 1816.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735027?urlappend=%3Bseq=427 ''Lloyd's List'' №5133, Ship arrivals and departures (SAD) data.]</ref>

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Master
! Owner
! Trade
! Source and notes
|-
| 1816
| C. Thompson<br />Somes
| Horle & Co.<br />Somes
| London transport<br /> London–India
| ''LR''
|-
| 1820 
| W. Clark
| Somes & Co.
| London–India
| ''LR''
|-
| 1823
| W.Clark
| Somes & Co.
| London–[[Fort William, India]]
| ''LR''
|-
|}

==Fate==
''Ajax'', Clarke, master, arrived at Bengal on 2 November 1821 from London and [[Chennai|Madras]].<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735032?urlappend=%3Bseq=117 ''Lloyd's List'' (1822), №5687, SAD data.]</ref> On 26 January 1822 ''Ajax'', Scott, master, sailed for the Cape and Gibraltar.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735032?urlappend=%3Bseq=256 ''Lloyd's List'' (1822), №5718, SAD data.]</ref>

On 23 August 1822 ''[[Lloyd's List]]'' reported that ''Ajax'', Scott, master, bound for the Cape and Gibraltar had had to put back to Calcutta, leaky.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735032?urlappend=%3Bseq=294 ''Lloyd's List'' №5727.]</ref> She put back on 3 March and would have to be docked.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735032?urlappend=%3Bseq=318 ''Lloyd's List'' №5733.]</ref> ''Ajax'', Scott, master, originally bound from Calcutta to Malta, was condemned. Her cargo was transhipped on {{ship||Lady Nugent|1814 ship|2}}. At the time, ''Lady Nugent'' was expected to sail from Calcutta in May.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735032?urlappend=%3Bseq=346 ''Lloyd's List'' №5740.]</ref> She did, but had to put back to Calcutta after having sustained damage in a storm and having had to jettison a third of her cargo; water in the hold ruined another third of the cargo.

==Citations and references==
'''Citations'''
{{reflist|30em}}
'''References'''
*{{cite book |last=Hackman |first=Rowan |year=2001 |title=Ships of the East India Company |location=Gravesend, Kent |publisher=World Ship Society |isbn=0-905617-96-7 }}

{{1822 shipwrecks}}

{{italic title}}
[[Category:1811 ships]]
[[Category:Age of Sail merchant ships of England]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in March 1822]]