HMS ''Dwarf'' was launched in 1840 as the mercantile ''Mermaid''. The

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

purchased her in 1843 as the Navy's first screw-propelled vessel. She was broken up in 1853.

''Mermaid''

''Mermaid'' was an iron vessel built at Blackwall for mercantile use. She was fitted with Bennet Woodcroft's patent varying pitch screw

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

. She was of 164 tons, and her mean draught on her trial trip was only .

HMS ''Dwarf''

The British Admiralty purchased ''Mermaid'' from J. and G. Rennie, Holland Street, Blackfriars, on 22 June 1843, according to

Sir George Cockburn Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, (22 April 1772 – 19 August 1853) was a British Royal Navy officer. As a captain he was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars an ...

's advice, and on the condition that she should steam (7 March 1842). The Navy renamed her HMS ''Dwarf''. ''Dwarf'' underwent trials on 15 May 1843. Over six runs she achieved a mean speed of 12.142 miles. The results of her extensive propeller trials were published in December 1844. ''Dwarf'' went on to serve as a

tender Tender may refer to: Entertainment Film * ''Illegal Tender'' (2007), a film directed by Franc. Reyes * ''Tender'' (2012), a short film by Liz Tomkins * ''Tender'' (2019), a short film by Darryl Jones and Anthony Lucido * ''Tender'' (2019), a sh ...

to , she was under the command of Lieutenant Commander Edward Halhead Beauchamp-ProctorFor more on Edward Halhead Beauchamp-Proctor see: until March 1843, when the vessel was

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thro ...

. Prince Albert while on board HMY ''Victoria and Albert'' at

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes ...

in October 1844 professed interest in ''the little screw'' and came on board with

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

for a closer look. In December 1845, ''Dwarf'' was sent to

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby tow ...

to take on the duties of that port's admirals' tender. Lieutenant Osborne, when in command of ''Dwarf'' on the coast of Ireland in 1848, fitting out in the Portsmouth Basin, heard the cry of "a boy overboard," he immediately plunged in with his full uniform on, including his sword, and saved the boy. A first-class certificate was awarded, and he was strongly recommended to the Parent Society in London. ''Dwarf'', while moored in Kingstown Harbour, Ireland, sent an armed boat's crew to ''Ann Kenney'' and captured an unrecognised emerald silk flag. On 26 September 1849, she was run down by and collided with in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

southeast of the

Old Head of Kinsale The Old Head of Kinsale () is a headland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. A castle has been on the headland since at least the 3rd century, with the current iteration built in 1223. An early lighthouse was established here in the 17th centu ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns ar ...

. ''Dwarf'' was severely damaged. Her crew were taken off by ''Trident'', which towed her into

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 ...

, County Cork for repairs.

Fate

''Dwarf'' was

scrapped Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered me ...

in 1853. The second screw vessel in the Royal Navy was a paddle vessel, built of wood and launched in 1842 as a tender to the Royal Academy, Portsmouth. ''Bee'' had additional screw propulsion fitted in 1844. She was broken up in 1874. Both vessels were purely experimental and never intended for active service.

Citations

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwarf (1843), HMS 1840 ships Ships built by the Blackwall Yard Experimental ships Steamships of the United Kingdom Victorian-era naval ships of the United Kingdom