A Compendium of Incidents Incurred by the Major Ships used by the English

(later British) East India Company  c.1600 to c.1834

Researched, compiled and edited by Ed Cumming.
Honorary Fellow of the Nautical Archaeology Society.
© MIBEC Publications - 2016

Email: [email protected]

The object of this publication is to identify and, if possible, to give extra detail to total loss incidents incurred by the major ships of the English (later British) East India Company, 1600 to 1834. To ease the complexity of the task this period has been, for simplicity, only divided into two.

The period of the ‘first’ company was 1600 to c.1708, at the time known as ‘The Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies’. The ‘second’, 1708 to 1834, was the amalgamated company, which was called the ‘United Company of Merchants of Great Britain trading to the East Indies’, usually referred to as the United East India Company [UEIC] or sometimes, as the Honourable East India Company [HEIC].

The list of vessels, and subsequent detail presented, is certainly not definitive. This is due to many complexities which will become clear. The term ‘total loss’ will include descriptions which state; wrecked, destroyed by fire, foundered, lost at sea, not since heard of and captured in the various wars. Trying to make an accurate list of all the ships involved, with all the incarnations of the East India Company, is not a simple matter in itself. It follows therefore, that attempting to detail all the significant incidents which occurred to some of these vessels, is similarly problematic.

Download the full searchable Compendium of Incidents here.