| Career (UK) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Bristol |
| Builder: | Woolwich Dockyard |
| Laid down: | 16 Sep 1859 |
| Launched: | 12 February 1861 |
| Completed: | October 1865 |
| Fate: | Sold for breaking up December 1883 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Immortalité-class frigate |
| Displacement: | 3,996 long tons (4,060 t) |
| Length: | 250 ft (76.2 m) |
| Beam: | 52 ft (15.8 m) |
| Draught: | 22 ft 5 in (6.8 m) |
| Installed power: | 2,088 ihp (1,557 kW) |
| Propulsion: | 1 shaft, 1 Steam engine |
| Speed: | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Complement: | 550-600 |
| Armament: |
Thirty 8-inch (203 mm) muzzle-loading smoothbore guns |
HMS Bristol was a wooden screw frigate of the Immortalite class, the fourth ship of the name to serve in the Royal Navy. Other ships in the class are HMS Immortalite, HMS Bristol, HMS Glasgow, HMS Newcastle, and HMS Undaundted. Ten other vessels of this type were cancelled in 1863-64 - Tweed, Dryad, Belvidera, Pomone, Raleigh, Briton, Barham, Boadicea, Bucephalus and Dextrous.[1]
The original design of these frigates was by Sir William Symonds who was the surveyor of the Royal Navy between 1832 to 1848. The Immortalite class was said to be the fastest wooden ship under sail in it's day.[2] It was thus possible not only to defeat an enemy by weight of fire (as the British Navy had long been able to do) but also to pursue them and force battle. Although these were steam powered vessels it remained a means of assistance to these vessels and they still carried a full rig of three main masts and sails.
This class of ship had their armament reduced during their life with Bristol having 28 guns.[3]
'An analysis of ship air and its effect'[4] was made and reported during a four months' voyage (July to November, 1871) from the Cape of Good Hope to England. This gives an insite to the conditions on board and concludes 'Seamen, as a body, are neither healthy nor long lived, but the reverse. This is proved, first, by their low average age, said to be 33'. A description of the ship layout is also given, the upper tier contained the Main deck, Upper, Half deck, Study, Mess room & Main deck cabins. Middle tier contained the Lower deck, Steerage, Ward room, Chest (cadets' sleeping)room and steerage cabins Do., & Pantry. The Lowest tier Stokehole, Engine room, Screw alley, Cockpit, Store room & Cells. It also states the ship had four boilers.
1860 In construction in Woolwich building, United Kingdom.
Circa 1866 employed as a training ship for cadets from Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), United Kingdom.
1866 November 2–4 Cdr M. S. L. Peile, of the Espoir, Senior officer, reports having proceeded up the Congo as far as Embomma, in the steam-launch of HMS Bristol. He states that he was astonished at the extensive trade carried on at Embomma in palm oil, palm kernels, and ground nuts. He was informed, and believes it to be the case, that legal trade has altogether superseded Slave Trade at that place. The traders at Ponta da Lenha and Embomma were pleased with his visit, and expressed their thanks, especially for the steam-launch having gone to Embomma, as they considered it would have a very great moral effect on the natives in that part of the river, who had recently been very troublesome, and had robbed several cargo-boats.
1866 November 6 returned down the River Congo (Zaire River) and anchored again off of Banana.
1867 March 16 at Sierra Leone. The Commodore of the West Africa Station on board, who has written to the Secretary of the Admiralty regarding the outrage at the Victoria factory on the River Nun and the theft by natives of stores from and much of the structure of the factory owned by Messrs Hatton and Cookson in the River Congo.
1867 April 9 following further investigation of the event by British Consuls in the region it transpires that the supposed outrage at the Victoria factory was not a serious as originally implied and was the fault of the agent for the owners by refusing to pay "comey," which formed a part of the company's agreement with the local King and the natives reacted with moderation and no further action is therefore proposed.
1867 April 10 off Appi.
1867 April 30 at Jellah Coffee.
1867 May 22 in the River Congo (Zaire River) Africa.
1867 May 25 off Banana, River Congo, the Commodore (Royal Navy) writes that following a thorough investigation and after consultation with Mr. Peter McCullough, the chief agent for Messrs Hatton and Cookson, it would appear that the cause of the factory being sacked was due to mistreatment of the natives by the Agent, the Spaniard Calderon, who had gone to the assistance of his friend, the Portuguese Caldeira, where he died when that factory was attacked. As in the case of the Victoria factory, mentioned above, problems of this nature were invariably caused by the agent and that any retribution would be pointless, especially following the action taken by the Antelope off Mangue Grande, so that when 3 English boats appear off the coast the natives have disappeared inland long before the men set foot on shore.
1867 Jun 7 departed Elephant Bay, and proceeded to Benguella and Nodo Redondo the Commodore having written his regular report to the Secretary of the Admiralty regarding the state of the slave trade, which is all quiet at the present time, although the Pioneer has been instructed to remain at Elephant Bay in case the rumours about an attempt to breach the blockade on the slave trade is made.
1867 Jul 11 in the South Atlantic Ocean at St. Helena.
1867 Jul 28 at St. Helena, the Commodore advises the Secretary of the Admiralty that the French Flag Officer in the Zénobie, has informed him that a few weeks ago one of his cruizers detained a large canoe to the north of Cape Lopez, bound to St. Thomas, with 34 slaves on board, with a coloured crew who spoke Portuguese.
1867 Sep 1 at Jellah Coffee.
1867 Sep 7 departed the Bights for Shark's Point in the River Congo. A report received yesterday that the Investigator was aground for 5 days off Mebhanna, in the River Niger, and that the natives had fired on the ship killing a krooman [6] and wounding 4 others. It was necessary to throw stores and provisions over-board to get off, which were replaced by the steamer Thomas Bazley : Mr. McLeod, H.M. Consul in the Niger was reported to be sick.
1867 Nov 25 in lat. 7° 26' S., long. 9° 24' W., the Commodore informs the Secretary of the Admiralty of Europeans shooting natives for no apparent good reason and suggesting a way of obtaining justice and avoiding the problems associated with such an action. In the present instance, per the C.O. of the Mullet who reported the murder of a native by a Portuguese person working for Messrs. Hatton and Cookson in the River Fernan Vas : the person concerned was detained by the French authorities in Gaboon, but was supposedly acquitted as witnesses to the murder were reluctant to leave their village.
1869 Jun 19 sailed to Madeira and Bahia, Brazil, and with the Flying Squadron (Royal Navy) 1869 Jul 2 Depart Madeira for Bahia
1869 2 Aug Arrived Bahia, returning to England 4 days after the departure of the Flying Squadron.
1870 26 Dec departed Lisbon, Portugal.
1871 13 Jan arrived Plymouth Sound, United Kingdom.
1871 Jan 14 departs for Portsmouth, United Kingdom(still being used as a naval cadets' training ship).
1871 Jan 16 arrived Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
1871 March 15 inspected at Portsmouth, United Kingdom and then went out to Spithead, United Kingdom to swing her compass and complete her stores and ammunition.
1871 March 26 sailed from Plymouth Sound for the South America Station.
1871 April 2, anchored at Funchal Bay, Madeira, United Kingdom census conducted on board.[7]
1879 Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
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