HMS ''Glasgow'' was a fourth-rate conventional frigate of 50 guns, built by Wigram & Green of Blackwell and launched on 21 February 1814.

Career

Bombardment of Algiers, 1816

HMS ''Glasgow'' was present alongside HMS ''Queen Charlotte'' at the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816; an attempt by the British to end the piracy and slavery along the North African coastline by

Barbary corsairs The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

. HMS ''Glasgow'' contributed over 3,000 of the 50,000 rounds fired by the allied forces at the corsairs.Though the bombardment was only considered a partial success, it did eventually secure the release of over 1,000 enslaved Christians.

Battle of Navarino, 1827

HMS ''Glasgow'' participated in the

Battle of Navarino The Battle of Navarino was a naval battle fought on 20 October (O.S. 8 October) 1827, during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829), in Navarino Bay (modern Pylos), on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. Allied ...

in October 1827, the last major engagement involving only wooden walled sailing ships.

Broken Up

HMS ''Glasgow'' was broken up at

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

in 1829.

Figurehead

The

figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a practice of who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet '' de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that ...

of HMS ''Glasgow'' was carved from

pitch pine ''Pinus rigida'', the pitch pine, is a small-to-medium-sized pine. It is native to eastern North America, primarily from central Maine south to Georgia and as far west as Kentucky. It is found in environments which other species would find unsuit ...

, known for its durability, strength and resistance to decay, though the carver remains unknown. The figure itself depicts a military figure in

highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

dress as a full bust. It was unusual for a frigate to have a full-length figurehead. It was perhaps approved with the intention of showing a kilted soldier to represent the Scottish city of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and stand out as distinctly Scottish. It formed part of the Chatham Dockyard collection of figureheads when it was removed from the vessel after being broken up in 1829 and was recorded as being located there in the 1911 and 1938 collection catalogues. From 1949 to 1976, the figurehead was at

HMS Ganges Two ships and a shore establishment of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Ganges'' after the river Ganges in India. * was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line launched in 1782 and broken up in 1816. * was an 84-gun second rate launched in 18 ...

, a boys’ training establishment at Shotley,

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. It was later located outside the

Royal Naval Hospital A Royal Naval Hospital (RNH) was a hospital operated by the British Royal Navy for the care and treatment of sick and injured naval personnel. A network of these establishments were situated across the globe to suit British interests. They were p ...

Haslar Haslar is on the south coast of England, at the southern tip of Alverstoke, on the Gosport peninsula, Hampshire. It takes its name from the Old English , meaning "hazel-landing place". It may have been named after a bank of hazel strewn on mar ...

, before being finally accessioned into the Royal Naval Museum's collection in 1983. The figurehead can be seen as part of the collection at the

National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth The National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth, formerly known as the Royal Naval Museum, is a museum of the history of the Royal Navy, history of the Royal Navy located in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard section of HMNB Portsmouth, Portsmo ...

. It can also be viewed alongside other figureheads within the collection on the Bloomberg Connect
website
and app.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glasgow (1814) 1814 ships Frigates of the Royal Navy