Experimental Squadron (Royal Navy)

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The steam frigate 'Firebrand' part of the Experimental Squadron

The Experimental Squadrons also known as Evolutionary Squadrons

School of Naval Architecture
(closed in 1832), and the "traditional" school led by master shipwrights from the royal dockyards.

1831–1832

Admiral Edward Codrington formed a "Squadron of Evolution" for conducting trials on new hull forms. The squadron was formed in 1831 as part of a strategy to sit off the Belgian coast and to encourage a French withdrawal. The French were there to support the Belgians against the Dutch. Later on the ships had to reinforce a British squadron operating in the Tagus, off Lisbon as constitutionalists and absolutist factions waged a civil war ashore.[2]

1832

The Experimental Squadron under command of Sir Pulteney Malcolm[1]: 265  held trials in July 1832 off the Irish coast, and again on 14 August off the Scilly Islands.[3]

The trial of 13 July was between HM cutter Emerald (tender to the Victory) and the Paddy from Cork. The Paddy recently lengthened to 99 tons,[4] winning by twelve minutes or nearly one mile.[5]

1844

Determined to prove William Symonds' designs to be failures, the new Tory Board of Admiralty sent out successive "Experimental Squadrons" in the mid-1840s. In 1844, a brig squadron (including Symonds' Pantaloon and Flying Fish, the old Cruiser, and ships by other designers) left Portsmouth on 22 October, followed three days later by a ship of the line squadron under Rear-admiral William Bowles (with the old three-deckers Caledonia and St Vincent and Symonds' three-decker Queen). The ships of the line were joined at Lisbon on 3 November by Symonds' two-decker Albion, and all four arrived back in Portsmouth on 27 November, 9 days before the brig squadron.

1845

On 15 July the following year, the elderly Rear-Admiral

Hyde Parker led the pre-Symonds Trafalgar, St Vincent, Rodney and Canopus, along with Symonds' Queen, Albion, Vanguard and Superb, out of Portsmouth Harbour. The squadron arrived at Cork on 7 September, left on the 18th, and arrived in Plymouth on the 20th. (In this and all the other 1845 squadrons Queen performed well, having performed badly in the 1844 squadron.) In Plymouth, the same squadron was transferred to Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Pym and sailed on 21 October, returning to the same port on 3 December. The third and final 1845 cruise lasted 43 days and consisted solely of the two deckers from the previous two (Albion, Vanguard, Superb, Rodney and Canopus), accompanied by a brig from the 1844 squadron, Daring. It sailed from Plymouth on 21 October, led, not by an admiral (those then available were all very old and infirm, and the Admiralty placed little confidence in them), but by successive captains in the squadron acting as commodore
(Moresby in Canopus, and then Willes in Vanguard).

1846

A final set of cruises occurred in April to July 1846 starting at

screw propeller ship.[6]

Results

Outside factors in the 1840s tests, such as individual captains' political bias or stowage's influence on how well a ship sailed, were underappreciated and so in October 1847 - in the face of the Board's institution of a "Committee of Reference" the previous year to oversee him and modify his designs according to the Board's wishes - Symonds resigned his role.

Commanders

Rank Name Date
Vice-Admiral
 Sir Edward Codrington 1831
Vice-Admiral
 Sir Pulteney Malcolm 1832
Captain Armar Lowry Corry 1844
Rear-Admiral Hyde Parker 1845
Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Pym 1845
Commodore Fairfax Moresby 1845
Commodore George Willes 1845
Commodore Francis Collier 1846

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 9781108053846. Retrieved 16 September 2018. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help
    )
  2. ISBN 0333721268
    . Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  3. ^ "The White Witch". Sporting Magazine. 9 (2nd series) / Vol. 84 (1st series). 1834. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  4. ^ "The White Witch". Sporting Magazine. 5 (2nd series) / Vol. 80 (1st series): 382, 383. 1832. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  5. ISBN 9781108053846
    . Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  6. ^ "St Vincent, 1815". pbenyon.com. Royal Naval vessels 1793-1900, "S". Retrieved 18 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

Sources

External links

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