HMS Beagle (1854)
.jpg) HMS Beagle and Wrangler by Sir Oswald Brierly, 1855 | |
| Career (United Kingdom) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Beagle |
| Ordered: | 10 April 1854 |
| Builder: | C J Mare & Company, Leamouth, London |
| Cost: |
£23,091 (Hull: £8,302 Machinery: £9,725)[1] |
| Laid down: | 15 April 1854 |
| Launched: | 20 July 1854 |
| Commissioned: | 3 September 1854[1] |
| Fate: | Sold to the Japanese Army in 1863 |
| Career (Japan) |  |
| Name: | Kenko (乾行) |
| Acquired: | 1863 |
| Fate: | Broken up in 1889 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | Arrow-class gunvessel |
| Displacement: | 586 tons |
| Tons burthen: | 476 68/94 bm |
| Length: | 160 ft (48.8 m) |
| Beam: | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Draught: | 11 ft 8 in (3.6 m) (aft) |
| Depth of hold: | 13 ft (3.962 m) |
| Installed power: | 160 nhp |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Sail plan: | Barque-rigged |
| Complement: | 65 |
| Armament: |
|
HMS Beagle was a wooden-hulled Arrow-class gunvessel second-class screw gunvessel launched in 1854 and sold in 1863. She was the third vessel of the Royal Navy to use the name.
Design
The Crimean War sparked a sudden need for shallow-draught, manoeuvrable vessels for inshore work in the Baltic and the Black Sea. The Arrow class of six wooden-hulled screw steamers were built during 1854 to a design by the Surveyor’s Department. Construction was undertaken at two commercial yards on the Thames, R & H Green and C J Mare & Company, both of Leamouth, London.[1] Two further designs of Crimean War gunvessel were ordered during 1855, the Intrepid class and the Vigilant class. The class was built as despatch vessels, but in 1856 were re-designated as second-class gunvessels.
Propulsion
A two-cylinder horizontal single expansion steam engine supplied by Humphrys, Tennant & Dykes provided 160 horsepower (119 kW) through a single screw.[1]
Sail plan
All Arrow-class gunvessels were barque-rigged.[1]
Armament
The Arrow class were provided with two 68-pounder Lancaster muzzle-loading rifled guns weighing 95 long cwt (4,800 kg) on pivot mounts, and four 32-pounder 25 long cwt (1,300 kg) guns.
Construction
Beagle was laid down at the Leamouth yard of C J Mare & Company on 15 April 1854 and launched on 20 July the same year. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy two months later on 3 September.[1]
Career
Beagle took part in the Crimean War from 1854 to 1856. During the Crimean War, two of her ship's company were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions: Joseph Trewavas was awarded the VC for his actions in the Sea of Azov, and an acting-mate in Beagle, Wiliam Hewett, was awarded the VC for his actions in defending a shore battery.[2]
Disposal
Beagle was sold to the Satsuma Domain (薩摩藩) of Japan at Hong Kong in 1863 to be used as a training vessel, and was renamed Kenko (乾行) in 1865. She was broken up in 1889.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Winfield (2004), p.219
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 21971. p. 652. 1857-02-24. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ↑ "How the ship, HMS Beagle, got her name.". AboutDarwin. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- Winfield, Rif & Lyon, David (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6. OCLC 52620555.
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