The East Indiaman York in difficulties off Margate during the gale of 1 January 1779

The fourth ship in the Honourable East India Company's fleet to bear the name York was built at Bowater's Yard at Woolwich and was launched on 16 October 1773. Measured at 794½ tons and 111 feet in length, the first voyage on which she departed was to St. Helena and then Bencoolen, Sumatra, in December 1772 under Captain George Hayter, from which she returned home in October 1775. For her second voyage, direct to Bombay, she sailed from Portsmouth on 30 April 1777 under Captain John Atkins Blanchard who retained her command until he brought her home from her second China run in July 1784. Returning to home waters from the Bombay voyage, she arrived in the Downs on 30 November 1778 but was caught in a tremendous gale while anchored off Margate on New Year's Day 1779. Despite dragging her anchors and losing two of her masts she survived the battering and, once repaired, sailed for the Coromandel Coast of India and the Andaman Islands and China on 12 February that same year. She later undertook two further voyages, the second under Blanchard's successor Captain Huddart, until sold for employment as a troop transport in 1788.

We are grateful to Pieter van der Merwe of the National Maritime Museum for suggesting the attribution of this picture.