HMS ''Undaunted'' was a wooden

screw frigate Steam frigates (including screw frigates) and the smaller steam corvettes, steam sloops, steam gunboats and steam schooners, were steam-powered warships that were not meant to stand in the line of battle. There were some exceptions like for exam ...

, the fifth ship of the name to serve in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

. She was the last of the ''Bristol''-class, (which included ''Bristol'', ''Glasgow''' and ''Newcastle'', as well as ''Undaunted''; other ships ordered to the same design were cancelled). She was built as a composite wooden-hulled vessel, built with a

telescopic A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects. Telescope(s) also may refer to: Music * The Telescopes, a British psychedelic band * ''Telescope'' (album), by Circle, 2007 * ''The Telescope'' (album), by Her Space H ...

funnel A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construc ...

and hoisting screws. She was ship rigged throughout, It is thought that the installation of a

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a wood-like "grain" ...

mast in HMS ''Undaunted'' may have been experimental. After launching, she went to

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 ...

Dockyards for completion, and was then put straight into Reserve She was commissioned under Captain Hugh Campbell, sailing for the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and aroun ...

as the

Flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...

Reginald Macdonald Admiral Sir Reginald John James George Macdonald (19 October 1820 – 15 December 1899) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station. Early life Macdonald was born in Westminster, the son of Reginald G ...

. ''Undaunted'' had some distinguished Captains, including Captain Harry Woodfall Brent, (1834–1911), who commanded ''Undaunted'' later in 1875. She was then commanded by Captain Nathaniel Bowden-Smith, East Indies, again as the flagship of Rear-Admiral Macdonald, then of Rear-Admiral John Corbett (until he transferred his flag to HMS ''Euryalus''). In 1879, ''Undaunted'', under Captain John D'Arcy, returned to Chatham, where she was decommissioned and then scrapped in 1880. She was finally sold in 1882.

Bell mast

The iron bell mast from this vessel still survives at the Chatham Royal Dockyard site. It is 100 ft tall and weighs 20 tonnes, it was then refurbished and erected in 1903, and the bell was rung to signal each change of shift for the dockyard employees until its closure in 1984. In 1992, the mast was taken down for repair and storage, due to the construction of the

Medway Tunnel The Medway Tunnel is a tunnel under the River Medway linking Strood with Chatham in Kent, England. It forms part of the A289 Medway Towns Northern Relief Road. The Medway Tunnel is the first immersed tube tunnel to be built in England and only ...

. In April 1999, The bell mast was listed as

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. It was restored and re-erected in 2001, it now stands at the new entrance to the Historic Dockyard (visitor attraction) off Leviathan Way.

Notes

References

* * *Lyon, David & Winfield, Rif: '' The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889'' Chatham Publishing, 2004. . Frigates of the Royal Navy Ships built in Chatham Victorian-era frigates of the United Kingdom 1861 ships {{UK-mil-ship-stub