Hindostan's working career demonstrates why the Navy valued a robust merchant-derived hull. After colliding with the captured Spanish frigate Santa Margarita, she suffered little enough damage to sail for Jamaica within a month. In 1798 the Navy converted her into a 28-gun armed store ship, using the lower gun deck for cargo while retaining an upper battery for guard duty. Hindostan and HMS Pearl later shared a £12,000 prize after capturing a ship with valuable cargo, more than the £11,062 the Navy had paid for Hindostan herself. Her deployments from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, South Atlantic, and Far East show how the conversion traded some armament for unusually flexible logistical service.
Chapter · 41:41-44:53
Hindostan combined resilience, stores capacity, and prize earning
Hindostan survived an early collision, became a 28-gun store ship, and helped capture a prize whose proceeds exceeded her naval purchase price.