Medway

Posted by Albert Parker on Sunday 20th of June 2021 02:01

Medway left England for the East Indies on April 30/May 11, 1744. She could only have been refitted as a 60 instead of 58 in 1745 the East Indies. She began the year at Batavia, *Dutch* East Indies, an unlikely place to find British ordnance. She had been leaky from the start of the campaign, not a good condition for the addition of even just two 12-pounders. From Batavia, the squadron stood across the Bay of Bengal to Ceylon, cruising off the island to meet incoming British Indiamen. With her squadron, she cruiesd on the Coromandel Coast during July and August, and remained there through April 1746, growing ever leakier. Although there were several British East India stations on the Coromandel Coast, notably Madras and Cuddalore, both had only open roadsteads where any kind of refitting was difficult. Either might have had some 12-pounders on hand, and a good carpenter could have made naval gun carriages for them, but it doesn't seem very likely.