HMS ''Hydra'' was the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...

of her class of wooden steam paddle sloops of the British

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, launched in 1838 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 ...

. After taking part in operations during the Syrian War in 1840, she then served on anti-slavery operations and also 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 pu ...

. She was scrapped in 1870.

Ship history

''Hydra'' was commissioned on 19 January 1839 under

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

Anthony William Milward to operate in the

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. After Milward's death in early 1840 Commander

Robert Spencer Robinson Admiral Sir Robert Spencer Robinson, (6 January 1809 – 27 July 1889) was a British naval officer, who served as two five-year terms as Controller of the Navy from February 1861 to February 1871, and was therefore responsible for the procureme ...

was appointed to her. ''Hydra'' then saw action during the Syrian War, as part of a squadron under the command of Commodore Charles Napier (the ships , , , , , frigate , and steamer ) operating off the coast of

Ottoman Syria Ottoman Syria () is a historiographical term used to describe the group of divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of the Levant, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Ara ...

. In Admiral Sir Robert Stopford's report on the Anglo-Austrian-Turkish landings in September 1840 he noted that the steam vessels had been "eminently useful in constantly moving along a great extent of coast with troops and arms, and taking part in the attacks upon the different forts". From 26 December 1840 until 21 August 1842 she was commanded by Commander Alexander Murray on the

North America and West Indies Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956, with main bases at the Imperial fortresses of Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ...

. On 7 August 1843 she was recommissioned at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, 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 mainta ...

by Commander Horatio Beauman Young to take part in the anti-slavery operations of the

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

. During this time she captured the following slavers: * ''Cyrus'', on 6 June 1844. * ''Africano'' (Brazilian), on 30 July 1845. * ''Amelia'' (Brazilian), on 13 September 1846. * ''Isabel'' (Brazilian), on 30 September 1846. Commander

Arthur Fleming Morrell Captain Arthur Fleming Morrell (10 November 1788 – 13 September 1880) was a British officer of the Royal Navy, an explorer, and Commandant of Ascension Island, who saw service spanning the end of the Napoleonic era and well into the Vi ...

was appointed to command her in November 1846, and further anti-slavery operations followed on the African coast, until she was paid off at Woolwich on 20 April 1847. From 2 December 1847, under Commander Grey Skipwith she operated off south-east coast of America where she captured the ships: * ''Uniao'', on 2 March 1849. * ''Fidalga'', on 14 July 1849. * Slave vessel, name unknown (possibly ''Imogene''), on 15 October 1849. By 1850 she was at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port 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 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

. She then undertook a cruise to the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

as a survey vessel. Commander Thomas Belgrave was appointed to her on 17 January 1852. From February to April 1852 she surveyed from

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

to the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

, and on 28–29 April 1852 while at

Simon's Town Simon's Town (), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of Simon's Bay in False Bay, on the eastern s ...

made a survey from Simon's Bay to Danger Point. On 10 August 1852 Commander Belgrave left the ship owing to ill health, and

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

William Everard Alphonso Gordon from was appointed

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

commander, serving until 21 January 1853, when Commander Henry Gage Morris was appointed to her. In July–August 1853 ''Hydra'' was surveying between the

Comoros Islands The Comoro Islands are a group of volcanic islands in the Mozambique Channel, an arm of the Indian Ocean lying between Madagascar and the African mainland. Three of the islands form the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign nation, while Mayotte be ...

and the Cape of Good Hope. She undertook another survey cruise from

False Bay False Bay (Afrikaans: ''Valsbaai'') is a body of water in the Atlantic Ocean between the mountainous Cape Peninsula and the Hottentots Holland Mountains in the extreme south-west of South Africa. The mouth of the bay faces south and is demarc ...

at the Cape, to the

and back from 5 January to 3 April 1854. ''Hydra'' was paid off on 10 May 1856. ''Hydra'' was recommissioned on 9 June 1858, under Commander

Richard Vesey Hamilton Admiral Sir Richard Vesey Hamilton (28 May 1829 – 17 September 1912) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he twice volunteered to take part in missions to search for Sir John Franklin's ill-fated expedition to find the Northwest ...

, and served on the

until 1862. On 10 June 1861, she ran aground in the West Indies. Repairs cost £2,018. Commander Arthur Lukis Mansell was appointed to command her in January 1865 and she was once again employed as a surveying ship, first in the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

, with the resulting

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"West Coast of

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to the Island of

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" being published in 1867.

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Peter Frederick Shortland took command in 1866 for her most notable task — a deep-sea cruise in 1867–1868 in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and in the

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, and a sounding from

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Fate

''Hydra'' was paid off in 1868, and was laid up at Sheerness, until sold in 1870.

References

External links

Extracts from the ship's log from 1852-1856
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hydra (1838) 1838 ships Sloops of the Royal Navy Survey vessels of the Royal Navy Maritime incidents in June 1861