HMS Firebrand (1831)
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HMS ''Firebrand'' was a wooden paddle vessel launched in 1831. She was rebuilt in 1843, renamed HMS ''Black Eagle'' and employed as an
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 ...
steam yacht. She was broken up in 1876.


Construction and rebuild

Built at Merchant's Yard,
Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throug ...
as a wooden paddle vessel, ''Firebrand'' was launched on 11 July 1831. In 1832 her original Butterley side lever steam engine was removed and replaced in 1833 by a Maudsley, and Morgan's paddlewheels were fitted. She was rebuilt in 1843, gaining in length, and receiving an
oscillating engine An oscillating cylinder steam engine (also known as a wobbler in the US) is a simple steam-engine design (proposed by William Murdoch at the end of 18th century) that requires no valve gear. Instead the cylinder rocks, or oscillates, as the c ...
manufactured by
John Penn and Sons John Penn and Sons was an English engineering company based in London, and mainly known for its marine steam engines. History Establishment In 1799, engineer and millwright John Penn (born in Taunton, Somerset, 1770; died 6 June 1843) started ...
. Notably, Penn doubled the power output without increasing either the weight or space occupied. On 29 October 1853, she assisted in the refloating of , which had run aground in the
Dardanelles The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...
. ''Firebrand'' was renamed ''Black Eagle'' on 5 February 1842. In 1856, the ''Black Eagle'' and the paddle-wheel troopship ''Dee'' were used in a trial of J Wethered's apparatus for
superheated steam Superheated steam is steam at a temperature higher than its vaporization point at the absolute pressure where the temperature is measured. Superheated steam can therefore cool (lose internal energy) by some amount, resulting in a lowering of its ...
. This produced an economy of fuel of 18% in the ''Black Eagle'', and 31% in the ''Dee''.


Royal Yacht

She was based at
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 south-east London and was part of the Royal Squadron alongside the
Royal Yacht A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often c ...
. The ''Black Eagle'' was eventually broken up at
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
in March 1876. A model of the vessel is in the collection of the
National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United ...
.Paddle Yacht ‘Black Eagle’ 1831 (SLR0736)


References


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Black Eagle, Hms Ships of the Royal Navy 1831 ships Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom