Earl of Mornington was an East India Company packet ship

Packet ship

A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...

 built in 1799 by Perry, Wells & Green of Blackwall

Blackwall

-Places:*Blackwall, London - An area of east London, UK**Blackwall Tunnel - The main crossing of the River Thames in east London**The former shipyard Blackwall Yard**The former shipyard at Leamouth, London of Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company and others....

. She performed one voyage for the East India Company, sailing from England to India and returning. The Admiralty purchased her in 1804 and she served the Royal Navy until she was broken up in 1808.

East India Company

It is not clear for which Earl of Mornington

Earl of Mornington

Earl of Mornington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, since 1863 a subsidiary title of the dukedom of Wellington. It was created in 1760 for the Anglo-Irish politician and composer Garret Wellesley, 2nd Baron Mornington. He was made Viscount Wellesley, of Dangan Castle in the County of Meath, at...

 she was named, but it was probably Richard Wellesley

Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley

Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....

.

The East India Company records show Earl of Mornington as having made one voyage, and that to the coast of India and the Bay of Bengal. She left Britain on 20 November 1799, and returned on 22 August 1802. Her captain is given as George Simpson. She received a letter of marque

Letter of marque

In the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...

 on 7 October 1799, and her armament then was recorded as eight 12-pounder guns.

Naval service

In 1804 the Admiralty purchased her for the Royal Navy and named her "HMS Drake".

She was commissioned in October 1804 under Commander William H. Drury. She sailed to Jamaica on 12 April 1805. On 1 November 1805 William Furlong Wise was promoted to Commander into Drake. He was the nephew of James Richard Dacres

James Richard Dacres (1749–1810)

James Richard Dacres was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...

, the admiral commanding the station. In April Wise transferred to .Elk had been under the command of Wise's cousin, Commander James Dacres. In 1806 she was under the command of Robert Nicholas when on 26 October she assisted in the recovery of the French privateer Superbe, which had driven ashore.

Nicholas's replacement in November 1806 was captain John Parish. In October 1807 Commander George Bell replaced Parish; by 1808 she was under the command of Lieutenant John Fleming (acting).