Rolla (1800 ship)

History
Great Britain
Name	Rolla
Owner	Brown & Co.[1]
Builder	Temple shipbuilders, South Shields[1]
Launched	18 July 1800[1]
Fate	No longer listed in 1858[1]
General characteristics
Tons burthen	43851⁄94,[1] or 440,[2] or 451[3] (bm)
Propulsion	Sail
Armament	1801:6 × 9-pounder guns ("short guns on the new construction")[4] 1805:8 × 8=pounder carronades[2]

Rolla was a sailing ship built in 1800 at South Shields, England. She made one voyage transporting convicts to New South Wales. She then made a voyage for the British East India Company from China back to Britain. She leaves Lloyd's Register in 1858.

Lloyd's Register (LR) for 1801 gives the name of Rolla's master as R. Brown, her owner as Brown & Co., and her trade as London-Surinam. During the year J. New replaced R. Brown.^[4] During 1802, R. Cumming replaced J. New as master. In the 1802 issue of Lloyd's Register there is no longer any listing for armament.

Under the command of Robert Cumming, Rolla sailed from Cork, Ireland on 4 November 1802.^[5] The Victualling Commissioners had also put on board supplies for the Colony: 22,203 pounds of sugar, 74,412 pounds of pork, and 230,496 pounds of flour; the Bill of Lading was dated 30 January 1802, i.e., in arrears.^[6]

Rolla arrived at Rio de Janeiro on 12 January 1803. She sailed from Rio on 6 February and arrived at Port Jackson on 12 May.^[5] She had left with 127 male and 37 female convicts. Eight male convicts died on the voyage.^[7]

Rolla left Port Jackson on 20 September bound for China.^[8]

While on the voyage to China, Rolla picked up survivors and cargo from Cato and HMS Porpoise, which had been wrecked on Wreck Reefs. Rolla travelled to the reefs in company with Francis and HMS Cumberland. Francis returned to Sydney with some of the men. Cumberland, with Matthew Flinders, went to the Torres Straits and on to Île de France. Lieutenants Fowler, Flinders (Matthew Flinders' brother), and John Franklin sailed with Rolla to China.^[9]

Next, Rolla sighted several of islands in the Ratak and Ralik Chains of the Marshall Islands. On 30 October she sighted islands at 5°41′N 169°27′E / 5.683°N 169.450°E / 5.683; 169.450, which was possibly Mili Atoll. Cummings sent in a cutter, but the heavy surf prevented it from landing. On 6 November she sighted islands at 7°12′N 166°40′E / 7.200°N 166.667°E / 7.200; 166.667, which was possibly Ailinglaplap Atoll. The next day six canoes of friendly natives came off.^[10] Next, Rolla sighted Jaluit Atoll.^[11]

Rolla arrived at Whampoa anchorage on 14 December. Homeward bound, she crossed the Second Bar on 31 January 1804. She was supposed to be part of the homeward bound fleet of East Indiamen under Nathaniel Dance, but inexplicably missed the fleet's departure.^[12] As a result, she missed the battle of Pulo Aura.

After leaving Canton, Rolla visited Malacca on 14 March, before reaching St Helena on 13 July, and arriving at the Downs on 9 October.^[13]

Rolla had travelled from St Helena in convoy with the East Indiamen City of London, Ceylon, Calcutta, and Wyndham, and two vessels from the South Seas, Lively and Vulture.^[a] Their escort was HMS Courageaux.^[16] On the way the convoy ran into severe weather with the result that Prince of Wales, which had also left St Helena with the rest, foundered with the loss of all on board; this had been her maiden voyage.^[16][17]

Rolla was no longer listed in Lloyd's Register after 1858.^[1]

• Bateson, Charles (1972). Australian Shipwrecks - vol 1 1622–1850. Sydney: AH and AW Reed. p. 61. ISBN 0589071122.
• Bateson, Charles (1959). The Convict Ships. Brown, Son & Ferguson. OCLC 3778075.
• Clayton, Jane M (2014). Ships employed in the South Sea Whale Fishery from Britain: 1775–1815: An alphabetical list of ships. Berforts Group. ISBN 9781908616524.
• Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.
• Hezel, Francis X (1994). The First Taint of Civilization: A History of the Caroline and Marshall Islands in Pre-Colonial Days, 1521-1885. Pacific Islands Monograph Series. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1643-8.