Busbridge East Indiaman

‘Passengers saw the deep blue of the sea and snow-white crests on waves. With enormous sweeps, the Busbridge rose and sank like a plaything in the hands of giants. Multitudinous sea-birds skimmed around the ship. It appeared as a tiny bauble.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024).

More about The Busbridge 

The Busbridge was an East Indiaman, a type of sailing ship used by the British East India Company for trade between England and the East Indies. It was constructed in the late 18th century, in a shipyard in England. East Indiamen were typically large, three-masted ships with a high capacity for cargo and crew. 

The Busbridge was built by John Perry’s Blackwall Yard and launched in 1781. She had 3 decks, a 4 inch thick bottom, a length of 143 feet and 10 inches, a keel of 116 feet and 9 inches, a breadth of 35 feet and 3 inches , a hold of 14 feet and 9 inches, a wing transom of 23 feet and 8 inches. It displaced 771 tons when fully loaded with cargo, passengers and crew. The ship was owned by Samuel Dobree and captained by John Dobree . Its voyages included the trip on which Claudius Buchanan sailed to India. It left Portsmouth on 11 Aug 1796, reached the Cape of Good Hope on 18 November and Kedgeree, outside Calcutta on 28 Feb 1797. 

The industrial revolution influenced 18th-century shipbuilding and made the East India trade possible. Understandably, Buchanan took pride in his nations achievements. Less obviously, he also wanted to confer these benefits on what were called 'undeveloped countries' in the twentieth century.