Ranger

Ranger was launched in 1776 in France, possibly as an East Indiaman for the French East India Company, and almost certainly under another name. From 1780 to 1786 she was a British vessel that was a transport and traded generally. In 1786–1787 she made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). From 1788 she traded between London and Ostend, and was last listed in 1793 with unchanged data. In 1788 she had sailed to the East Indies, perhaps with new owners from Ostend, and may have remained in the East Indies. Origin A key source states that Ranger was built in France in 1776 for the French East India Company. It goes on to say that vessel was taken in prize in 1777, and that the Admiralty purchased her for use as an armed ship that it named Ranger. The source goes on to say that in 1785 Anthony Calvert, of London, purchased Ranger. Some parts of this account have supporting data, and other parts do not. Lloyd's Register (LR) described Ranger as having been built in France in 1776, though neither earlier nor later volumes refer to her as a prize. As Britain and France were not at war with each other in 1777, the idea that Ranger was taken in prize in that year is improbable. The National Maritime Museum's database shows a hired armed ship Ranger with a 1777-year, but the actual dates of commissioning and commanders are in the period 1780 to 1783. From 1780 to 1782, and then until 1788 Calvert & Co. owned Ranger. In 1782 Lloyd's List had mentions of a Ranger armed ship and a Ranger armed storeship, and a Ranger, Elliotson, master, which had arrived at Plymouth from Gibraltar. Whether these mentions represent one, two, or three vessels is currently unclear.