The British 2nd rate Ganges visited 3 May 1825 by the Dutch army officer Bernhard, duke of Saxe-Weimar Eisenach and naval officer Julius Constantijn Rijk

P. 15: “I visited, in company with Captain Ryk (1), the Ganges (2), a ship of the line of eighty-four guns, built a few years since by Indian workmen, entirely of Teak-wood”. This hard and heavy timber is not only very lasting, but has also the great excellence of not cracking in a warm climate. We were received on board the ship with great attention, in the absence of Captain Campbell, by Lieutenant Wright, who did the honours in a very friendly manner. I cannot sufficiently admire the neatness observed in this ship. They have an excellent mode of taking care of the rings, bolts, weapons, and other iron, brass and copper utensils, on

p. 16: board of English ships of war. The forepart of the gun-deck is an extraordinary apartment, the iron implements are varnished, and the others polished and arranged along the whitewashed sides, so as to form figures and inscriptions. When strangers visit the ship a sort of chandelier is lighted, which produces a very beautiful effect. When we left the ship, Lieutenant Wright had the politeness to take us in his barge to the inner harbour. where the ships are laid up in ordinary. As we left the Ganges, she saluted us with nineteen guns” . “The Nelson, Ganges, and all the recently built ships of the line have round sterns.”

Sources

David Lyon and Rif Winfield. The Sail&Steam Navy List. All the ships of the Royal Navy 1815-1889. London, 2004.

Bernhard, duke of Saxe-Weimar Eisenach. Travels trough North America during the years 1825 and 1826. 2 Vols. Philadelphia, 1828.  Digitized by Google.

Ruttonjee Ardeshir Wadia. The Bombay dockyard at the Wadia master builders, 2004.

Notes

1. This was Captain Lieutenant Julius Constantijn Rijk, born 14 January 1787 in Wetzlar, Hessen, Germany and died 2 May 1854. He commanded for instance the ship of the line De Zeeuw, with which ship he visited Russia. He commanded the Royal Navy Institute at Medemblik, Governor General in the Dutch West Indies and finally became minister van Marine. In his house broke 8 January 1844 the fire out, which proved so disastrous for the Dutch naval history when a larger part of the archives were lost. Rijk was important for the Royal Dutch Navy in a period she transformed from a sail to a steam navy. The duke was a general-major in the Royal Dutch navy.

2. Armed with 84 guns. Dimensions 160’2 5/8”-193’10”x 51’5¼ “x 22’6” (according to Lyon, according to Wadia 199’6½” x 51’6½”), 2,254 64/94 tons builders measurement (Wadia 2285 tons). Of the Ganges or Formidable-class based on the French 1798-prize Le Franklin. Sister ships were the Formidable, Powerful, Vengeance, Monarch, Thunderer, Asia, Bombay and Clarence (former Goliath). Her crew numbered 700 men. Her building costs were £ 74,498 with another £ 30,323 needed to fit her out. Teak-built. Ordered 4 June 1815, keel laid down at the Bombay dockyard May 1819 (according to Wadia 13 March 1819), launched 10 November 1821 and commissioned at Portsmouth 7 January 1823. When she left India for England she took with her a duplicate frame which became the Indus. So she was a brand new ship, when visited by the Dutch. She was finally sold 31 August 1829 to be broken up.