HMS ''Hydra'' was the

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

of her class of wooden steam paddle

sloops A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular ...

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 in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th centur ...

. 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 purp ...

. 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. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

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 procuremen ...

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 ( ar, سوريا العثمانية) refers to divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of Syria, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Arabian Desert and so ...

. In Admiral Sir

Robert Stopford Robert Wright Stopford, (20 February 1901 – 13 August 1976) was a British Anglican bishop. Early life and education Stopford was born in Garston, Merseyside (then in Lancashire), and educated at Coatham School in Redcar and Liverpool Col ...

'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. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when th ...

. On 7 August 1843 she was recommissioned at

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 ...

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 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 Parliame ...

. 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 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 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 ...

. She then undertook a cruise to the

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

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 by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

to the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...

, and on 28–29 April 1852 while at

Simon's Town Simon's Town ( af, Simonstad), 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 False Bay, on the eastern ...

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 commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

William Everard Alphonso Gordon from was appointed

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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 or Comoros ( Shikomori ''Komori''; ar, جزر القمر , ''Juzur al-qamar''; french: Les Comores) form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northw ...

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 dema ...

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 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 Passage ...

, 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 ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) 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 ...

, with the resulting

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"West Coast of

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to the Island of Zante" being published in 1867.

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

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 north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

and 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 ...

, and a sounding from Aden to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the sec ...

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