View source for Rockingham (1818 ship)

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2018}}
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| Ship country=United Kingdom
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| Ship name = ''Rockingham''
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| Ship owner =*1819: Henry Blanshard
*1824: John Barkworth, Hull
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| Ship builder =Philip Laing, Sunderland
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| Ship launched =8 April 1818{{sfnp|Hackman|2001|p=184}}  
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| Ship fate = Wrecked May 1830
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| Ship tons burthen=427,<ref name=BL>[http://searcharchives.bl.uk/IAMS_VU2:IAMS045-001115647 British Library: ''Rockingham'' (2).]</ref> or 427{{small|{{frac|10|94}}}}{{sfnp|Hackman|2001|p=184}} ([[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]])
| Ship length ={{cvt|109|ft|11|in|m|1|abbr=on}}{{sfnp|Hackman|2001|p=184}}
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| Ship complement =25 (1831){{sfnp|Henderson|1980|pp=163-165}}
| Ship armament = 4 guns{{sfnp|Henderson|1980|pp=163-165}}
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'''''Rockingham''''' was launched at Sunderland in 1818 and immediately became an [[East Indiaman]], sailing under a license from the British [[East India Company]] (EIC). She made one voyage for the EIC. She was wrecked in 1830 while delivering immigrants to Western Australia.

==Career==
''Rockingham'' first appeared in the 1819 volume of the ''Register of Shipping'' with G. Waugh, master, J. Laing, owner, and trade Southampton–India.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015024214242?urlappend=%3Bseq=501 ''Register of Shipping'' (1819), Seq.№R365.]</ref>

Captain G. Vaughn sailed for [[Fort St. George, India|Fort Saint George]] on 9 September 1819 under a license from the .<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015005690477?urlappend=%3Bseq=1097 ''Lloyd's Register'' (1821), "Licensed India Ships".]</ref> ''Rockingham'', Vaughn, master, sailed for [[Mumbai|Bombay]] on 26 August 1821.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015005667822?urlappend=%3Bseq=609 ''Lloyd's Register'' (1822), "Licensed India Ships".]</ref> In the beginning of July 1822 ''Rockingham'' was east of the [[Cape of Good Hope]], bound from Bengal for Britain, when she saw in the far distance two vessels, one dismasted and the other keeping her company. ''Rockingham'' could not ascertain their identities, but believed that the accompanying vessel was a regular ship of the EIC.<ref>''[[Lloyd's List]]'' [https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735032?urlappend=%3Bseq=345 №5740.]</ref>

===EIC voyage (1823–1824)===
Captain Charles Beach sailed from [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|the Downs]] on 17 June 1823, bound for Bengal and [[Chennai|Madras]]. ''Rockingham'' arrived at [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] on 27 October. Homeward bound, she was at [[Diamond Harbour]] on 4 January 1824. Working her way down the coast, she was at [[Visakhapatnam|Vizagapatam]] on 13 January and Madras on 22 January. She reached [[Galle|Point de Galle]] on 11 February and the [[Cape of Good Hope]] on 8 April. From there she reached [[Saint Helena]] on 14 May and arrived back at the Downs on 4 July.<ref name=BL/>

''Rockingham'' sailed for [[Chennai|Madras]] on 5 January 1825. Her master was C. Beech, and her owner was Waugh.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015065537832?urlappend=%3Bseq=674 ''Lloyd's Register'' (1826), "Ships Trading to India".]</ref>

''Lloyd's Register''{{'}}s volume for 1826 reported that ''Rockingham'' had undergone small repairs in 1826, that her master had changed from C. Beech to Fotheringham, and that her owner was Vaughn. Her trade was still London–Calcutta.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015065537832?urlappend=%3Bseq=533 ''Lloyd's Register'' (1826), Seq.№R376.]</ref>

The ''Register of Shipping'' for 1829 showed ''Rockingham''{{'}}s master changing from Hornblower, to Morris, to Halliburton. It gave her owner as Barksworth and her trade as London–Madras. It also described her repairs in 1826 as "Large".<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015024214515?urlappend=%3Bseq=541 ''Register of shipping'' (1829), Seq.№R403.]</ref>

===Emigrant voyage to Australia===
''Rockingham'' was one of three ships that [[Thomas Peel]] had chartered to deliver 400 settlers to the [[Swan River Colony]]. The other two vessels were 
{{ship||Gilmore|1824 ship|2}} and {{ship||Hooghly|1819 ship|2}}.

''Gilmore'', the first to leave, had arrived on 15 December 1829 in the Swan River Colony with Thomas Peel and 182 settlers in all. ''Hooghly'' had arrived at [[Clarence (failed settlement), Western Australia|Clarence]], off [[Garden Island (Western Australia)|Garden Island, Western Australia]] on 13 February 1830, bringing 173 settlers to the [[Swan River Colony]].<ref name=Mandurah/>

''Rockingham'' (180 passengers), Halliburton, master, left London in January 1830. Her late departure was due to bad weather and to concerns about the colony as rumours about problems there were starting to circulate.<ref name=Mandurah/>

==Fate==
[[File:Rockingham Cairn, commemorative plaque for the arrival of the ship "Rockingham", March 2020.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Commemorative plaque for the arrival of the ship "Rockingham" in 1830, unveiled in 1971]]
''Rockingham'' arrived at Clarence on 14 May 1830. Peel wanted to land her cargo and her settlers so he had a naval officer guide her through the reefs into [[Cockburn Sound]]. The settlers were able to land safely through the surf. ''Rockingham'' was near the shore when a gale developed on 20 May that lasted for two days and drove her onto the shore.<ref name=Mandurah>[https://www.mandurah.wa.gov.au/-/media/Files/CoM/Facilities/Museum/Thomas-Peels-Ships.pdf?la=en&hash=75F950B993051E209975382CC2270EAAAD810DB8 Mandurah Community Museum - accessed 11 October 2108.]</ref>{{efn| Four other vessels, the ship {{ship||Thames|1818 ship|2}}, the brigs ''Emily Taylor'' and ''James'', and the ketch ''Emily and Ellen'' were also driven on to the beach.<ref name=Sunderland>[http://www.searlecanada.org/sunderland/sunderland061.html The sunderland site - accessed 11 October 2018.]</ref>{{sfnp|Henderson|1980|pp=163-165}}}}

''Rockingham'' was refloated and repaired, but on 21 October a survey condemned her as unseaworthy. She was sold for £900. However, the next day she sailed from Fremantle for Batavia. On the 30th she returned to Fremantle as she had started to leak badly. She was again condemned and sold for breaking up. In April 1831 she sank at her anchors at [[Garden Island (Western Australia)|Garden Island]].{{sfnp|Hackman|2001|p=184}}

A later [[Rockingham, Western Australia|settlement]] on the nearby mainland was named for the ship.

''Lloyd's Register'' (1831) showed ''Rockingham'' with Fotheringham, master and owner, and trade London–Swan River.<ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015065537865?urlappend=%3Bseq=556 ''Lloyd's Register'' (1831), Seq. №R403.]</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==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 }}
* {{cite book|last=Henderson|first=Graeme|year=1980|title=Unfinished Voyages: Western Australian Shipwrecks 1622–1850|publisher=University of Western Australia|isbn=0855641762}}

{{1830 shipwrecks}}
{{1831 shipwrecks}}

[[Category:1818 ships]]
[[Category:Age of Sail merchant ships of England]]
[[Category:Ships of the British East India Company]]
[[Category:Migrant ships to Australia]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1830]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1831]]