HMS ''Topaze'' was a 51-gun wooden screw

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

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 ...

. She was launched on 12 May 1858, at Devonport Dockyard,

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. Her crew assisted in the building of the

Race Rocks Lighthouse Race Rocks Light is one of the first two lighthouses that were built on the west coast of Canada, financed by the British Government and illuminated in 1860. It is the only lighthouse on that coast built of rock, (granite) purportedly quarried ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada, and laid a bronze tablet in 1868 at the

Juan Fernández Islands The Juan Fernández Islands () are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic islands: Robinson Crusoe Island, R ...

commemorating the stay of marooned sailor

Alexander Selkirk Alexander Selkirk (167613 December 1721) was a Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer who spent four years and four months as a castaway (1704–1709) after being marooned by his captain, initially at his request, on an uninhabited island ...

. On the same voyage, the band from HMS ''Topaze'' played for the dedication of

Congregation Emanu-El Emanu-El, Temple Emanu-El, Congregation Emanu-El, or variants may refer to: United States *Temple Emanu-El (Birmingham, Alabama) * Temple Emanu-El (Tucson), Arizona, formerly Temple Emanu-El * Temple Emanuel of Tempe, Arizona *Congregation Emanu- ...

, now the oldest surviving synagogue building in Canada. Selkirkgedenktafel jac

The voyage to

Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

in 1868 saw the crew remove the two

moai Moai or moʻai ( ; ; ) are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in eastern Polynesia between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but h ...

Hoa Hakananai'a Hoa Hakananai'a is a moai, a statue from Easter Island. It was stolen from Orongo, Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in 1868 by the crew of a British ship and is now in the British Museum in London. It has been described as a "masterpiece" and among ...

and Moai Hava and ship them to Britain. Hoa Hakananai'a was found in November 1868 by officers and crew from the ''Topaze''. When first seen, it was buried up to about half its height or even more. It was dug out, dragged down on a sledge, and rafted out to the ship. Commodore Richard Ashmore Powell, captain of the ''Topaze'', wrote to the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom that was responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Historically, its titular head was the Lord High Admiral of the ...

offering the statues as a gift. ''Topaze'' arrived in

, England, on 16 August 1869. The Admiralty offered the moai to

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 Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, who proposed that they should be given to the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

. The ship is notable for an incident when

Agnes Weston Dame Agnes Elizabeth Weston, GBE (26 March 1840 – 23 October 1918) was an English philanthropist noted for her work with the Royal Navy. For over twenty years, she lived and worked among the sailors of the Royal Navy. The result of her powerf ...

came on board to plead the cause of Temperance; as she recalled in her memoir:''My Life Among the Bluejackets'', Agnes Weston. ''Topaze'' was sold on 14 February 1884 and 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 ...

Notes

References

* * Paul Davis. ''William Loney RN - Victorian

naval surgeon A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy's medical personnel during the Age of Sail. Ancient uses Specialis ...

Mid-Victorian RN vessel HMS Topaze
' Includes a list of the vessel's commanders. Retrieved: 2008.01.21. * Robert Kraske. (2005). Marooned: The Strange But True Adventures of Alexander Selkirk. Clarion Books. . * * .

External links

Image of the Voyage of HMS Topaz to the Pacific 1865-69.
Liffey-class frigates Ships built in Plymouth, Devon 1858 ships {{UK-frigate-stub