HMS ''Actaeon'' was a 26-gun sixth-rate frigate of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

Career

''Actaeon'' was designed in 1827 by the School of Naval Architecture, and launched from

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is l ...

on 31 January 1831. She was first commissioned in November 1830 under Captain Frederick William Grey for service in the Mediterranean. On 5 November 1831 she rescued the crew of ''Ariel'', which was wrecked near Brindisi, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. ''Ariel'' was on a voyage from

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

to Greenock,

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Re ...

. After serving in the Mediterranean ''Actaeon'' served off

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

from November 1834 under Captain

Lord Edward Russell Admiral Lord Edward Russell, (24 April 1805 – 21 May 1887) was a British naval officer and Whig politician. Early life He was the son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, and his second wife Lady Georgina Gordon, and was the younger half ...

. She was assigned to the British Pacific Squadron, arriving in

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

in July 1836. She was involved in the charting of the Acteon Group: a group of islands that Russell named after this vessel. By 1838 she was back in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

under the command of Robert Russell, who sailed her back to South America in August that year. On 23 July 1840, she ran aground at

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Argentina whilst on a voyage from that port to Monte Video, Uruguay. She was refloated with assistance from ,

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

, and Royal Navy vessels.

West Africa Squadron

''Actaeon'' returned to Plymouth in 1844, before departing under Captain George Mansel in December 1844 to join the

West Africa Squadron The West Africa Squadron, also known as the Preventative Squadron, was a squadron of the British Royal Navy whose goal was to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by patrolling the coast of West Africa. Formed in 1808 after the British Parliam ...

. Whilst serving on this post, she captured the slavers ''Astrea'' and ''Theresa'' on 9 September 1847.

Survey vessel

''Actaeon'' was paid off at Portsmouth in 1848, but was recommissioned again in 1857 to serve as a

survey vessel A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the pur ...

off "the coast of China and Tartary", under the command of Captain William Thornton Bate. On 7 July, ''Actaeon'' ran aground on a reef in the Gaspar Strait () and was damaged. She was then present at the bombardment of Canton in 1857, during the Second Opium War, where Bate was shot and killed on 29 December. Robert Jenkins replaced Bate on 30 December, and then John Ward took command on 1 March 1858. Ward carried out surveys for further military operations in August 1859, before returning to Britain. ''Actaeon'' was at Shanghai on the night of Sunday, 7 April 1861 for the British census. Actaeon Sound in the

Queen Charlotte Strait , image = Canadian pilot, near Port Hardy BC.jpg , alt = , caption = A pilot boat plies Queen Charlotte Strait near Port Hardy , image_bathymetry = Locmap-QCS-Hecate-Dixon.png , alt_bathymetry = ...

region of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, was named for ''Actaeon'' in 1865, with many neighbouring features named in association with its crew and captain in the general area of

Drury Inlet Drury inlet is an inlet in the Queen Charlotte Strait region of the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada, extending west from Wells Passage to the northwest of North Broughton Island, northwest of the town of Port Hardy. Branching off to ...

.BC Names/GeoBC entry "Drury Inlet
/ref> ''Actaeon'' was then out of commission at Portsmouth in 1866, becoming a

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. I ...

. She was hulked in 1870 and lent to the Cork Harbour Board, before being sold at Portsmouth in February 1889 for breaking up.

Citations and references

Citations References * * Lyon, David and Winfield, Rif, ''The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815-1889'', pub Chatham, 2004,

External links

*
Actaeon at Ships of the Old NavyDetails of Actaeon's career
{{DEFAULTSORT:Actaeon Ships built in Portsmouth Hospital ships of the United Kingdom 1831 ships Ships of the West Africa Squadron Sixth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy Maritime incidents in July 1840 Maritime incidents in July 1857