HMS Constance (1846) explained
HMS Constance was a 50-gun
fourth-rate frigate of the
Royal Navy launched on 12 May 1846. She had a tonnage of 2,132 and was designed with a V-shaped hull by
Sir William Symonds.
[1] [2] She was also one of the last class of frigates designed by him.
[3] On her shakedown voyage from England to
Valparaiso she rounded
Cape Horn in good trim, her captain for this voyage being
Sir Baldwin Wake Walker, who commented "I think her a good sea boat, and a fine man of war". On the voyage she encountered a
hurricane at 62° south. Walker wrote that "nothing could have exceeded the way she went over it, not even straining a rope yarn".
[4] In August 1848, her captain George William Courtenay, for whom the town of
Courtenay was named,
[5] led 250 sailors and marines from
Fort Victoria to try to intimidate the Indians.
[6] In 1848, she became the first Royal Naval vessel to use
Esquimalt as her base.
[7] In 1859, she was involved in the bombardment of Dwarka in the state of Gujarat in north western India.
In 1862, she was converted to screw propulsion using a compound steam engine[8] designed by Randolph & Elder.[9] She was the first Royal Naval ship to be fitted with this class of engine, and won a race against two frigates from Plymouth to Madeira in 1865.[10]
Her crew and officers were quarantined aboard whilst berthed at Port Royal on 26 October 1867 during an outbreak of Yellow Fever[11]
Bibliography
- Brock, P. W. & Greenhill, Basil Steam and sail: in Britain and North America: 80 photographs mainly from the National Maritime Museum depicting British and North American naval, merchant, and special purpose vessels of the period of transition from sail to steam Pyne Press, 1973
- Sharp, James A. Memoirs of the life and services of Rear-Admiral Sir William Symonds Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts 1858
- Rankine, William John Macquorn Miscellaneous Scientific Papers: From the Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal and Other Scientific and Philosophical Societies Adamant. 4 June 2001.
- Gardiner, Robert Steam, steel & shellfire: the steam warship, 1815-1905 Conway Maritime Press. 20 June 2001.
- Akrigg, G. P. V. Akrigg, Helen B. British Columbia place names University of British Columbia Press; 3rd edition. 31 December 1997.
- Gough, Barry M. Gunboat Frontier: British Maritime Authority and Northwest Coast Indians, 1846-1890 University of British Columbia Press. 1st edition. 1 January 1984.
- Mariner's mirror The Mariner's mirror, Volume 73 Society for Nautical Research., 1987
- The medical times and gazette John Churchill & Sons. 1867
- The Race The annual of the Royal School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Henry Sotheran & Co. 1871.
- Book: Jones, Colin . Warship 1996. McLean. David. Preston. Antony. Conway Maritime Press. London. 1996 . 0-85177-685-X. amp. Antony Preston. Entente Cordiale, 1865.
Notes and References
- Mariner's pp 64–68
- Reports from Committees: Eighteen volumes. -(15. part II.)- Navy, Army and Ordnance Estimates: Part II . 859 . 1848 . House of Commons . London .
- Brock p26
- Sharp p698
- Akrigg p54
- Gough p46
- Akrigg p52
- Rankine p445
- Gardiner p174
- The Race p90
- times and gazette p467