HMS Hindostan (later variously Hindustan) was a 56-gun fourth-rate

Fourth-rate

In the British Royal Navy, a fourth rate was, during the first half of the 18th century, a ship of the line mounting from 46 up to 60 guns. While the number of guns stayed subsequently in the same range up until 1817, after 1756 the ships of 50 guns and below were considered too weak to stand in...

 ship of the line

Ship of the line

A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

. She was originally the East Indiaman Hindostan, and was bought by the Admiralty in 1795. She is known for two events, her voyage to China between 1792 and 1794 when she carried Lord George Macartney

George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney

George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney, KB was an Irish-born British statesman, colonial administrator and diplomat. He is often remembered for his observation following Britain's success in the Seven Years War and subsequent territorial expansion at the Treaty of Paris that Britain now controlled...

 on a special embassy to China, and her loss in a fire at sea in 1804.

East India Company

She was launched by William Barnard of Deptford on 3 November 1789 as Hindostan for her managing owner, Robert Williams, M.P. From 17 January 1790 to 29 June 1791, under Captain William Mackintosh, she made one round trip for the East India Company

East India Company

The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...

 to China. The British Government then chartered her to take Lord Macartney to China in an unsuccessful attempt to open diplomatic and commercial relations with the Chinese empire. The voyage lasted from 1 October 1792 to 30 September 1794. The Hindostan traveled in the company of the 64-gun HMS Lion

HMS Lion (1777)

HMS Lion was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, of the Worcester class, launched on 3 September 1777 at Portsmouth Dockyard....

 under Captain Sir Erasmus Gower

Erasmus Gower

Sir Erasmus Gower naval officer and colonial governor born Cilgerran, Wales and died Hambledon, Hampshire, England....

, and the brig Jackall.

Part of the remuneration of the captain of an Indiaman was the right to carry up to some 50 tons of cargo for his own account. Mackintosh managed to conduct private trade in Guangzhou

Guangzhou

Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

 from the voyage amounting to £7,480. The total private trade on Hindostan amounted to £9,633.

Naval Service

The Admiralty bought Hindostan on 9 March 1795. Barnard fitted her for service with the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 at a cost of ₤11,062. In April, Captain Robert Moorsom commissioned her for service in the North Sea. Captain Thomas Bertie took command in November and sailed for Jamaica on 24 February 1796.

In the West Indies she participated in the operations against San Domingo. Captain Francis Collingswood took command in October 1796. She returned to England and was paid off in August 1797. She served for a year until June 1798 as a guardship at Plymouth.

In December Captain Joshua Mulock commissioned her as a 28-gun storeship for Cork. At this time she gave up her lower deck guns.

Hindostan sailed for the Mediterranean on 18 January 1800. On 20 May, she and Pearl captured the Ragusan

Republic of Ragusa

The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...

 ship Veloce and her cargo of luxury goods while she was sailing from Marseilles to the Barbary coast. His Serene Highness Mustapha Bashaw, Dey of Algiers and named Algerian owners of the ship claimed the vessel and cargo. After the Vice-Admiralty court in Minorca had ruled the vessel and its cargo a prize the case went to appeal in England. In September 1802 the crews of Hindostan and Pearl shared ₤12,000, representing an advance payment of prize money.

Hindostan refitted at Deptford between November 1800 and January 1801 (for ₤10,292) before sailing for the Cape of Good Hope. By 6 May 1801 she was a storeship again, and under Captain Samuel Mottley. In December Lieutenant William Fothergill took command. Still, Hindostan shared with , and in the capture of the Union on 27 May 1803.

Then in 1804 Captain John Le Gros replaced Fothergill. On 12 February 1804 Le Gros sailed Hindostan for the Mediterranean to carry supplies to Horatio Nelson

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...

, who was at the time Commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean fleet.

Loss

Arriving at Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

 in March, Hindostan sailed from there to join Nelson off Toulon

Toulon

Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....

 in company with the frigate , but became separated from Phoebe during a gale in the Gulf of Lyons.

On the morning of 2 April, while about 30 miles to the south-east of Cape St. Sebastian, thick smoke was seen coming from the fore and main hatchways. Attempts were made to find the source of the fire but no flames could be discovered. Orders were given to throw the ship's gunpowder overboard and an unsuccessful attempt was made to flood the magazine

Magazine (artillery)

Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...

.

Captain Le Gros had the boats prepared and hoisted out in case it became necessary to abandon ship. He also had the marines parade with loaded muskets to prevent anyone from fleeing in panic. The crew either threw overboard or dampened whatever gunpowder they could reach.

After struggling to fight the fire for about 7 hours, but when they were still 15 miles (24.1 km) from shore, flames suddenly erupted from the hatchways. The crew was able to run Hindostan aground in Rosas Bay

Roses Gulf

The Gulf of Roses is the most north eastern bay on the Catalan coast.The Bay is 16 km wide and is formed by the valley of the Fluvià river but also contains the esturies of the Manol and la Muga rivers. These rivers drain the southern flanks of the eastern end of the Pyrenees and Alberes...

, about a mile from the Fort of Ampurius and the Church of Saint Peter. By the time she beached, about 1 miles (1.6 km) from the shore, she was completely aflame. Local vessels were initially afraid to approach too closely, but using the ship's own boats and an improvised raft, the ship's passengers and crew were saved shortly before the ship blew up.

Spanish launches ferried survivors from the ship's boats to the shore. The order of rescue was women and children, ships crew, officers, and the captain. The evacuation was orderly and no more than three men were lost of her 259 people on board, including passengers.

Aftermath

On 19 April a court martial on board Royal Sovereign

HMS Royal Sovereign (1786)

HMS Royal Sovereign was a 100-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, which served as the flagship of Admiral Collingwood at the Battle of Trafalgar. She was the third of seven Royal Navy ships to bear the name. Designed by Sir Edward Hunt, she was launched at Plymouth Dockyard on 11...

 honourably acquitted Captain Le Gros, his officers, and the ship's company. The board praised Le Gros for his actions in saving so many of Hindostans crew and passengers. Nelson himself remarked that the preservation of the crew seemed little short of a miracle. The board recommended Hindostan's acting lieutenant, Thomas Banks, to Nelson for promotion for his conduct during the wreck; his promotion to lieutenant was confirmed on 23 June 1804.

The cause of the fire was much debated. It was suggested that the fire may have been due to spontaneous combustion

Spontaneous combustion

Spontaneous combustion is the self-ignition of a mass, for example, a pile of oily rags. Allegedly, humans can also ignite and burn without an obvious cause; this phenomenon is known as spontaneous human combustion....

 of hemp

Hemp

Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...

 cordage or sails being stored when not completely dry. Nelson later wrote of the incident, "the fire must have originated from medicine chests breaking down or from wet getting down which causes things to heat. I have never read such a journal of exertions in my whole life."