Royal Charlotte (1774 ship)

On 11 October 1797, Royal Charlotte was anchored off Culpee, an anchorage towards Calcutta, and closer than Saugor. She was soon to sail for London when a storm came up. At about 2:24 a.m. a lightning bolt hit her foremast and travelled down to her magazine, where it ignited 500 barrels of gunpowder destined for the Cape of Good Hope. Britannia, which was anchored nearby and which had a like quantity of gunpowder and a similar storage arrangement, observed the disaster; the next day the crew landed their powder to enable the magazine to be more intelligently located.^[8]

Although Captain Smith and a few of his officers and crew were ashore, the explosion killed 20 European crewmen, 66 lascars, and some 50 women and children who were traveling as passengers.^[8][9] Lloyd's List reported on 24 April 1798 that "The Royal Charlotte, Extra Ship, from Bengal, is blown up with all the crew, at Calpee in Bengal River."^[10] The EIC valued her cargo at £3,695.^[11]

William Logie Smith was in the country service of the EIC when he died in Bengal in March 1803.

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