HMS ''Sutlej'' was a 50-gun

fourth-rate In 1603 all English warships with a compliment of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers a six tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided i ...

frigate of 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 ...

History

The class was designed by Sir William Symonds in 1843, and were the largest sailing frigates built for the Navy. ''Sutlej'' was ordered from

Pembroke Dockyard Pembroke Dockyard, originally called Pater Yard, is a former Royal Navy Dockyard in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales. History It was founded in 1814, although not formally authorized until the Prince Regent signed the necessary Order in Counc ...

on 26 March 1845, laid down in August 1847 and launched on 17 April 1855. She was then laid up

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household, it indicates that a position is a permanent one. In naval matters, vessels "in ordinary" (from the 17th century) are those out of service for repair o ...

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 ...

, before being converted to a screw frigate between 1859 and 1860. She was undocked on 26 March 1860. She had a brief career as an active navy ship. HMS Sutlej gun deck LAC 3399340

The name ''Sutlej'' was chosen to commemorate the victory of

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

forces over the

Sikh Khalsa Army The Sikh Khalsa Army (), also known as Khalsaji or simply Sikh Army, was the military force of the Sikh Empire. With its roots in the Khalsa founded by Guru Gobind Singh, the army was later modernised on Franco-British principles by Maharaja Ran ...

, in the

Battle of Sobraon The Battle of Sobraon was fought on 10 February 1846, between the forces of the East India Company and the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab. The Sikhs were completely defeated, making this the decisive battle of th ...

on the banks of the Sutlej. She was commanded from her commissioning by Captain Matthew Connolly, spending time with the

Pacific Station The Pacific Station was created in 1837 as one of the geographical military formations into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. The South America Station was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast of ...

, based at

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the west by Esquim ...

, in 1864 as the flagship of Rear-Admiral

John Kingcome Admiral Sir John Kingcome, KCB (14 February 1793 – 7 August 1871) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station. Naval career Kingcome joined the Royal Navy in 1808 and was present at the destruction of the F ...

. She was commanded by Captain Trevenen Penrose Coode from 1867, and was the flagship of Rear-Admiral

Joseph Denman Vice Admiral Joseph Denman (23 June 1810 – 26 November 1874) was a British naval officer, most noted for his actions against the slave trade as a commander of HMS ''Wanderer'' of the West Africa Squadron. Early life Denman was born on 23 Ju ...

. She then returned to Britain for paying off. ''Sutlej'' was broken up at

in 1869.

Notable incidents

On 1 October 1863, ''Sutlej'' provoked a minor incident when she entered San Francisco on a windless day, with her ensign indiscernible due to the lack of a breeze. When ''Sutlej'' failed to halt in response to a cannon signal, the commander of the federal fort at

Alcatraz Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...

ordered a shot to be placed across her bow. The incident ended when ''Sutlej'' halted and fired a

21-gun salute A 21-gun salute is the most commonly recognized of the customary gun salutes that are performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honor. As naval customs evolved, 21 guns came to be fired for heads of state, or in exceptiona ...

. In October 1864, the ''Sutlej'' participated in a raid of nine

Ahousaht Ahousaht, also spelled Ahousat ( or )), is the principal settlement on Flores Island, in British Columbia, Canada. Accessible only by water or air, Ahousaht is a small community predominantly composed of First Nations people from the Nuu-chah-nul ...

villages. The ''Ahousaht'' nation suffered 15 casualties and 11 prisoners taken, including the wife and child of ''Chief Cap-chah''. In 1865, when ''Sutlej'' again docked at San Francisco, one-third of her crew took the opportunity to desert.

References

Bibliography

* * Lyon, David and Winfield, Rif, ''The Sail and Steam Navy List, All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815-1889'', pub Chatham, 2004,

External links

Sutlej's career
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutlej 1855 ships Frigates of the Royal Navy

History

Notable incidents

See also

References

Bibliography

External links