HMS ''Vulture'' was one of three 6-gun, steam-powered second-class

paddle A paddle is a handheld tool with an elongated handle and a flat, widened distal end (i.e. the ''blade''), used as a lever to apply force onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a human-powered w ...

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed an ...

s built for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

in the 1840s. She was initially deployed to the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...

where she participated in actions against China and then played a minor role in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

of 1854–1855. The ship was sold for scrap in 1863.

Design and construction

''Vulture'' had a length at the

gun deck The term gun deck used to refer to a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon to be fired in broadsides. The term is generally applied to decks enclosed under a roof; smaller and unrated vessels carried their guns ...

of and at the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

. She had a beam of , and a depth of

hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Ferma ...

of . The ship's

tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on ''tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically r ...

was 1,190 tons

burthen Burden or burthen may refer to: People * Burden (surname), people with the surname Burden Places * Burden, Kansas, United States * Burden, Luxembourg Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Burden'' (2018 film), an American drama film * '' ...

and she displaced . Her crew numbered 175–195 officers and ratings.Winfield, p. 1216 The ship was fitted with a pair of

steam engines 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 tra ...

rated at 476

nominal horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

, that had two vertical cylinders of diameter with stroke, that used steam provided by four boilers. The paddle wheels were diameter to the extremity of the floats, which were wide. ''Vulture'' carried six guns – two 8-inch guns of 95 cwt"Cwt" is the abbreviation for

hundredweight The hundredweight (abbreviation: cwt), formerly also known as the centum weight or quintal, is a British imperial and US customary unit of weight or mass. Its value differs between the US and British imperial systems. The two values are distingu ...

, 56 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. mounted on pivots at bow and stern, and four 8-inch guns of 65 cwt on broadside trucks.Lyon & Winfield, p. 151 She was launched on 21 September 1843 and was then fitted with Fairbairn engines in the

East India Docks The East India Docks were a group of docks in Blackwall, east London, north-east of the Isle of Dogs. Today only the entrance basin and listed perimeter wall remain visible. History Early history Following the successful creation of the We ...

until 23 January 1844. She had cost £24,323 to build and £22,395 to fit out (including £21,429 for the 476

nhp Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

engines). ''Vulture'' was first commissioned in February 1845 for the East Indies, and completed fitting for sea (for a further £9,173) at

Sheerness Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard also known as the Sheerness Station was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. Location In the Age of Sail, the R ...

until 7 June 1845.

Career

She was involved in the

Expedition to Canton The Expedition to Canton was a British punitive expedition that captured the forts along the Pearl River, Guangdong province, China, on 2–3 April 1847. Beginning at the Humen Strait (Bogue), the British captured the forts leading up to the city ...

of 1847. She

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in ...

on return from the East Indies that same year, and then underwent a small repair at Sheerness and

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

in 1848–1849 (for £17,334). She was recommissioned in November 1852 and was used in the

Baltic theatre of the Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

in 1854. She was in action with the Russians on 7 June 1854, in the action at Gamla Carleby,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

.Lambert, Andrew (2004)
"Looking for gunboats: British Naval operations in the Gulf of Bothnia, 1854–55"
''Journal for Maritime Research'' 6:1, 69, DOI: 10.1080/21533369.2004.9668337 On 27 August 1855, she ran aground off Hanko Head,

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecessor ...

whilst towing a vessel from Nargen to Farosund. She was severely damaged and was sent back to England for repairs. In February 1859, she ran aground on the Barbary Coast. ''Vulture'' was refloated and escorted by to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, where she arrived on 21 February in a leaky condition. She was recommissioned again in December 1859 for service in the Mediterranean. The ship was paid off on 5 April 1860, and laid up at Portsmouth. She was sold to Castle & Son, Charlton for scrap in October 1863. Vulture at First Pass of Canton River

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* David Lyon and Rif Winfield, ''The Sail and Steam Navy List 1815–1889''. Chatham Publishing, 2004. . *

External links

William Odgers VC and the ''Vulture'' 1854–1855
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vulture (1843) Ships built in Pembroke Dock Crimean War naval ships of the United Kingdom Frigates of the Royal Navy Victorian-era frigates of the United Kingdom 1843 ships Maritime incidents in August 1855 Maritime incidents in February 1859