HMS Dryad (1866)
HMS Dryad at anchor, with sails airing
| |
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Dryad |
Builder | Devonport Dockyard |
Laid down | April 1865[1] |
Launched | 25 September 1866 |
Decommissioned | September 1885 |
Honours and awards | Abyssinia (1868) |
Fate | Broken up in April 1886 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Screw Sloop |
Displacement | 1,574 tons |
Length | 187 ft (57 m) |
Beam | 36 ft (11 m) |
Draught | 17 ft (5.2 m)[2] |
Installed power |
|
Propulsion |
|
Sail plan | Barque-rigged |
Speed | 11.9 knots (22.0 km/h) |
Complement | 150 (170 after armament converted) |
Armament |
|
HMS Dryad was a 4-gun
Design
Designed by
Propulsion
Propulsion was provided by a two-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine by Ravenhill, Salkeld & Company driving a single 15 ft (4.6 m) screw.[1]
Sail plan
All the ships of the class were built with a barque rig.[1]
Armament
The class was designed with two 7-inch (180 mm), 6½-ton muzzle-loading rifled guns mounted on slides on centre-line pivots, and two 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns on broadside trucks. Dryad, Nymphe and Vestal were rearmed in the early 1870s with an armament of nine 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns, four each side and a centre-line pivot mount at the bow.[1]
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2021) |
1866–1868
Dryad's keel was laid in April 1865,
Abyssinian War (1868)
In 1868, the ship's company of Dryad took part in the
On 13 April, they took part in the assault and capture of Magdala, throwing rockets into the town. The Brigade sustained no casualties at Magdala, and behaved admirably, earning the warm praise of the Commander-in-Chief.[8] By 10 June, the campaign was over and the British forces had re-embarked at Zula.
Commander
Anti-Slavery on the East Indies Station (1868–1872)
Dryad continued to serve on the East Indies Station until 1872. Under Colomb she worked in and around the Persian Gulf, Oman and Zanzibar, engaged in the suppression of slavery. Colomb's experiences are captured in his book Slave-catching in the Indian Ocean: A record of naval experiences, published by Longmans of London in 1873. He captured seven slave ships[9] during his two years in the Indian Ocean, and returned to Britain a lionised figure, courted by the press.
Commander George Parsons relieved Colomb on 11 April 1870 and commanded Dryad until 26 April 1872.
Out of commission (1872–1874)
Dryad's first commission ended on 26 April 1872,[6] when Commander Parsons left her in Devonport. Normal practice of the time was for the ship's company to leave the ship upon decommissioning, with the exception of a few specialists, including the shipwright and gunner, who would have been accommodated in another vessel. The dockyard would have taken her in hand for a refit, and she would have recommissioned, with a new captain and crew, on completion.
North American and West Indies Station (1874–1879)
Commander
Out of commission (1877–1879)
From 1877 to 1879 she was out of commission at Devonport. Her Chief Engineer and Carpenter were carried on the books of HMS Indus. During this period her armament was changed from a mixture of 7-inch and 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns to nine 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns.[1]
East Indies Station (1879–1882)
Commander John Hext joined Dryad on 18 December 1879, and commanded her in the East Indies Station until 30 June 1882. He was succeeded as Captain by Commander Charles Johnstone.
Tamatave (1883)
On 15 February 1883,
The French Admiral, after delivering an ultimatum, which was rejected, bombarded and occupied Tamatave, and destroyed other Hova establishments on the East coast. Mr Shaw, an English medical missionary, was established at Tamatave, and beyond rendering medical assistance to the wounded natives, took no part in the struggle. Nevertheless, his dispensary was broken into, he was arrested, accused of poisoning French soldiers [footnote: Who had made themselves ill by appropriating and drinking his claret – that was all.], and was closely confined as a prisoner on the French flagship.[13]
Admiral Pierre took possession of Tamatave on 11 June, and a standoff ensued between the two navies. On 16 July, the New York Times was able to report that
The Captain of the English war vessel Dryad has offended the French by landing a guard of marines at the British consulate, and placing his boats at the disposal of fugitives.[14]
In Britain, the press railed against 'French atrocities' and in France the equally virulent media insisted that the British were too inclined to exceed their rights as neutrals. Coming at the same time as a French expedition to Indochina, and seeking to maintain cordial relations, the issues were downplayed by both governments. On 14 August, Admiral Galiber sailed from Toulon to relieve Pierre, arriving in Madagascar in October.[15] The French intervention in Madagascar had moved the region towards French domination, but it was not until 1895 that the entire island came under their control. Much of the reason for this ten-year delay is the delaying tactics of Commander Johnstone; as well as being hailed for his tact and heroism by the British press, he was promoted to Captain on 21 November.[16] He left Dryad in January 1884.
Egyptian War (1884)
Commander Edward Grey Hulton took command in January 1884,[17] and under his command some of her ship's company formed part of the Naval Brigade which accompanied the army under General Sir Gerald Graham. The Naval contingent consisted of 150 seamen and 400 Royal Marines. They came from a number of ships lying off Suakin which joined others at Trinkitat to offload the Expeditionary Force.
After marching inland, the Brigade took part in the battle of
On 12 March, the expeditionary force took part in the Battle of Tamai. The Naval Brigade charged the Arabs, was surrounded, and lost their guns. Order was at length restored, and the Naval Brigade, advancing again, had the satisfaction of regaining all their guns; the Arab forces retired after suffering a loss of 2,000 killed. The total British loss was 109 killed and 104 wounded, of which the Naval Brigade lost 3 officers and 7 men killed, and 1 officer and 6 seamen wounded. Among the killed was Lieutenant Houston Stewart of Dryad, who died while defending the guns
Decommissioning and fate
Dryad was decommissioned for the last time at Sheerness[6] in November 1884. She was sold in September 1885 and broken up in April 1886.[1]
Commanding officers
From | To | Captain |
---|---|---|
3 May 1867 | 6 July 1868 | Commander Thomas Hounsom Butler Fellowes[18]
|
6 July 1868 | 11 April 1870 | Commander Philip Howard Colomb[18] |
11 April 1870 | 26 April 1872 | Commander George Parsons[18] |
26 April 1872 | 13 August 1874 | Out of commission (Plymouth) |
13 August 1874 | 1877 | Commander Compton Edward Domvile[18]
|
1877 | 14 December 1877 | Commander John Edward Stokes[18] |
14 December 1877 | 18 December 1879 | Out of commission (Plymouth) |
18 December 1879 | 30 June 1882 | Commander John Hext[18]
|
30 June 1882 | January 1884 | Commander Charles Johnstone[18] |
January 1884 | 10 November 1884 | Commander Edward Grey Hulton[18] |
Citations
- ^ OCLC 52620555.
- ^ a b "Cruisers at Battleships-Cruisers website". Retrieved 17 September 2008.
- ^ "HMS Dryad at the Naval Database website". Retrieved 17 September 2008.
- ^ "Naval and Military". Daily News. No. 6485. London. 15 February 1867.
- ^ a b c "William Loney RN website – Thomas Hounsom Butler Fellowes Biography". Retrieved 8 March 2008.
- ^ a b c "William Loney RN website – HMS Dryad Biography". Retrieved 8 March 2008.
- ISBN 0-9723172-1-X
- ^ a b "The history of the name Dryad at Battleships-Cruisers website". Retrieved 8 March 2008.
- ^ Lewis-Jones, Huw. "The Royal Navy and the Battle to End Slavery". BBC. Retrieved 9 March 2008.
- ^ "The Mails". The Times. No. 28436. London. 2 October 1875. col F, p. 5.
- ^ "A Series of Naval Disasters". Leeds Mercury. No. 12062. Leeds. 6 December 1876.
- ISBN 0-521-83935-1
- ISBN 0-543-95979-1
- ^ New York Times, 16 July 1883
- ^ New York Times, 29 July 1883
- ^ "William Loney RN Website – biography of Charles Johnstone". Retrieved 25 March 2008.
- ^ "William Loney RN Website – biography of Edward Hulton". Retrieved 13 May 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "HMS Dryad at William Loney website". Retrieved 17 September 2008.
References
- ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.