HMS ''Tartar'' was a wooden screw corvette of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. Originally built for the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, she was seized by British forces on 5 April 1854, shortly before her launch.

History

HMS ''Tartar'' was built by W. & H. Pitcher at

Northfleet Northfleet is a town in the borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. It is located immediately west of Gravesend, and on the border with the Borough of Dartford. Northfleet has its own railway station on the North Kent Line, just east of Ebbsf ...

on the river

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

, alongside her sister ship, , for the Russians. They were confiscated by the British prior to their completion, and ''Tartar'' was launched on 17 May 1854. She was fitted for British service from 14 December of that same year. From 1854 to 1859, ''Tartar'' was in active service throughout the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, and served 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 ...

. During that period, Captain Hugh Dunlop was the captain of HMS ''Tartar''. For her service in the Baltic she was awarded the battle honour Baltic 1855. In 1860 she sailed from

Sheerness Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. Location In the Age of Sail, the Royal Navy would often establish shore ...

under Captain John Montagu Hayes for service in the Pacific, primarily in Japan. She underwent repairs in South Africa during her voyage to Japan. HMS ''Tartar'' was then involved in the Shimonoseki campaign of 1863-1864 and was involved in the bombardment of Shimonoseki itself. After the Shimonoseki conflict, the ship remained at Sheerness before being sold to Castle shipbreakers and being broken up at

Charlton Charlton may refer to: People * Charlton (surname) * Charlton (given name) Places Australia * Charlton, Queensland * Charlton, Victoria * Division of Charlton, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in New South Wales ...

. She was in commission for a total of five years in Japan and China, and five during the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tartar (1854) 1854 ships Corvettes of the Royal Navy Ships built in Northfleet Crimean War naval ships of the United Kingdom