Ceres (1787 EIC ship)

For other ships with the same name, see Ceres (East Indiaman), Ceres (ship), and HMS Grampus.

The East Indiaman Ceres off the Spithead Depicted in Four Different Views, by Thomas Luny, 1788; Sir Max Aitken Museum, Cowes, Isle of Wight
History
East India Company
NameCeres
OwnerThomas Newte, Esq.[1]
BuilderPerry & Co., Blackwall Yard
Launched28 November 1787
FateSold to the Royal Navy in 1795
Great Britain
NameHMS Grampus
Acquired1795 by purchase
FateGrounded and abandoned January 1799
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeFourth rate in Royal Navy service: Storeship from December 1797
Tons burthen118089⁄94[3] (bm)
Length
  • EIC
    • 161 ft 6 in (49.2 m) (overall)
  • HMS
    • 157 ft 1 in (47.9 m) (overall)
    • 130 ft 5+3⁄4 in (39.8 m) (keel)
Beam41 ft 3 in (12.6 m)
Depth of hold15 ft 6+1⁄2 in (4.7 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement
  • Indiaman:130[4]
  • Fourth rate:324
  • Storeship:155
Armament
  • Indiaman: 28 × 9- & 18-pounder guns[4]
  • Fourth Rate
    • Lower deck: 28 × 18-pounder guns
    • Upper deck: 26 × 32-pounder carronades
  • Storeship: Lower deck guns removed

Ceres was an East Indiaman launched in 1787. She made three trips to China for the British East India Company (EIC). After the outbreak of war with France in 1793, the Admiralty, desirous of quickly building up the Royal Navy, purchased a number of commercial vessels, including nine East Indiamen, to meet the need for small two-decker fourth rates to serve as convoy escorts.[2] The Admiralty purchased Ceres in 1795 and renamed her HMS Grampus. In 1797 the Admiralty converted her to a storeship. That year her crew participated in the Spithead and Nore mutinies. Grampus grounded in January 1799 and was destroyed.

  1. ^ Hardy (1811), p. 128.
  2. ^ a b Winfield (2008), p. 111.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference BL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Letter of Marque, p.55 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2017.