HMS ''Atlas'' was a 91-gun

second rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer guns ...

ship which was never completed and spent her entire service in reserve or as a

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. ...

. She was launched in 1860, and lent to the

Metropolitan Asylums Board The Metropolitan Asylums Board (MAB) was established under Poor Law legislation to deal with London's sick and poor. It was established by the Metropolitan Poor Act 1867 and dissolved in 1930, when its functions were transferred to the London Count ...

for use as a hospital ship in 1881, and sold to them in 1885. ''Atlas'' served until 1904, when she was sold for breaking.

Description

''Atlas'' was long. She was to have been driven by a screw propeller. Had she been completed, her complement would have been 860 men.

History

The early years

A sister ship to , ''Atlas'' was to have been a 91-gun second rate ship of the line. She was built at

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. Laid down in 1858, ''Atlas'' was one of the ships under construction at Chatham that were inspected by the Lords Commissioners of the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

on 23 August 1859. Built on No. 6 Slip, ''Atlas'' was launched on 21 July 1860. The christening was performed by Mrs Schomberg, wife of Captain Schomberg. On 24 July, ''Atlas'' was taken 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 town ...

to be fitted with her

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

s. By April 1861, ''Atlas'' was undergoing trials under steam. ''Atlas'' was initially earmarked for the

Channel Fleet The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915. History Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history the ...

. ''Atlas'' was placed in reserve, in 1861 at

. She was reduced to 54 guns in 1870. In 1874, ''Atlas'' was transferred to Chatham Dockyard. She was totally disarmed in 1879.

Hospital ship

In June 1881, the Lords of the

agreed to lend ''Atlas'' and to the

along with a steam

pinnace Pinnace may refer to: * Pinnace (ship's boat), a small vessel used as a tender to larger vessels among other things * Full-rigged pinnace The full-rigged pinnace was the larger of two types of vessel called a pinnace in use from the sixteenth ...

, due to an outbreak of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

. ''Atlas'' was to be converted into a hospital ship for 250 patients. A third hospital ship was the ''Castaliâ''. The Metropolitan Asylums Board was to insure ''Atlas'' and ''Endymion'' for £11,000 and £8,000 respectively. There was opposition to the proposed use of ''Atlas'' from the

Thames Conservancy The Thames Conservancy (formally the Conservators of the River Thames) was a body responsible for the management of the that river in England. It was founded in 1857 to replace the jurisdiction of the City of London up to Staines. Nine years la ...

and other public and private bodies. Agreement had been made to lease a berth at

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dock ...

, Kent but when the managers of a company with premises nearby learned of the proposed use of ''Atlas'' as an isolation hospital, they put pressure on the owners of the berth with the result that the owners then decided not to allow ''Atlas'' to be berthed there. She was initially stationed at

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

, Kent, in a berth which had been previously used for another hospital ship. This drew an objection from the shipbuilders Messrs Rennie because some of their employees refused to work near the riverside where ''Atlas'' was moored. It was also necessary to move ''Atlas'' and ''Endymion'' every time Rennie's launched a ship. ''Atlas'' was acquired by the board on 4 June, and ''Endymion'' on 5 July. ''Atlas'' housed 120 patients. In 1882, the Thames Conservancy wrote to the Metropolitan Asylums Board urging them to move ''Atlas'' and ''Endymion'' from Greenwich. The Thames Conservancy also called upon the board to pay a large claim for expenses incurred by Messrs Rennie's. At a meeting of the board, it was suggested that if moved, ''Atlas'' should be used for convalescent patients. The board decided to await the report from a Royal Commission into infectious diseases hospitals before deciding whether or not to move the ships. Atlas ward

In August 1882, ''Atlas'' was moved to nearby

Deptford Creek Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dock ...

, and in 1883 downstream to Long Reach, near

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...

. In February 1885, a meeting of the Metropolitan Asylums Board was informed that the Admiralty had stated that if the board wished to continue using ''Atlas'' and ''Endymion'', they would have to purchase them at a cost of £8,400 and £6,500 respectively. The board replied that they would purchase the ships, but asked for the cost to be reduced. In June, it was reported that the board were authorised to purchase both ships. Following a fire on the training ship in 1875, engines and a generator were installed on board ''Atlas'' in 1886 to provide the ship with electric light, given that oil lamps had been deemed a fire hazard. ''Atlas'' served as a hospital ship until 1904, when the new

Joyce Green Hospital Joyce Green Hospital was a hospital near Dartford, Kent, England. It opened in 1903 as an isolation hospital. In later years it was a training hospital. The hospital was closed in 2000 and the buildings were demolished. The greenspace where the h ...

opened at

, Kent. ''Atlas'' was sold by

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

in December, along with ''Endymion'' and ''Castaliâ'' for a total of £8,045. ''Atlas'' realised £3,725.

References

External links