''Diana'' was a steam paddle steamer built in 1823 as a merchant vessel in 1824 the Bengal Government purchased. During the
First Anglo-Burmese War she became the first steam-powered warship of the
Honourable East India Company to see action.
[ She was transferred to the Burmese Government in 1826 and back to the company for use by Singapore in 1837.
]
Construction
She was built by Kyds of Kidderpore, Calcutta[Winfield & Lyon (2004), p.172] as a 133-ton merchant vessel with two side-lever engines manufactured by Henry Maudslay of Lambeth. She was launched on 12 July 1823 and purchased by the Bengal Government at the suggestion of Commander Frederick Marryat.[ She was armed with Congreve rockets.
]
First Anglo–Burmese War
The Honourable East India Company used her for riverine service in the First Anglo–Burmese War
The First Anglo-Burmese War ( my, ပထမ အင်္ဂလိပ်-မြန်မာ စစ်; ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as the First Burma War, was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese ...
.[Sweetman (1997), p.240.] In May 1824 she accompanied the 18-gun , the 20-gun and the 50-gun , from Port Cornwallis
Port Cornwallis is a port situated on Ross Island, off the NE coast of North Andaman. This should not be confused with Ross Island, which is opposite Port Blair, South Andaman
South Andaman Island is the southernmost island of the Great Andam ...
in the Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...
to Rangoon
Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
, where she participated in an attack. Thereafter, she participated in operations against Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
on 19 September 1824.
In 1825 and 1826 she was under the command of Lieutenant George Winsor, who sailed her with the flotilla operating against the Burmese. While she was operating in the Irrawaddy River
The Irrawaddy River ( Ayeyarwady River; , , from Indic ''revatī'', meaning "abounding in riches") is a river that flows from north to south through Myanmar (Burma). It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Origi ...
, Winsor made a map.
Burma and Singapore
The war ended on 8 March 1826 and in that year she was transferred to the Burmese Government.[ Although one reference says she was broken up in 1836,][ most assert that she was sold to Singapore.][Diana]
/ref>
''Diana'' steamed to Singapore on 28 February 1836.[ There, Johnston & Co. advertised her for sale. The East India Company purchased her in March 1837, and appointed Samuel Congalton her captain.][ ''Diana''s establishment consisted of her captain, two European officers, and thirty Malays. In the East India Company's service ''Diana'' suppressed piracy and conducted maritime surveys. Congalton remained her captain until 1845 when he became captain of her replacement, ''Hooghly''.][ ''Diana'' appears to have been sold off and renamed ''Eliza Penelope''.]
Citations
References
*India Office (1878) ''A catalogue of manuscript and printed reports, field books, memoirs, maps, etc., of the Indian surveys: deposited in the map room of the India Office''. (W.H. Allen & co.).
*
* {{winfield
*Thayi, Aditya (Executive Producer) (2019).
Ships That Shaped Us - S1E1: Resurrecting The Diana
' ocumentary Channel News Asia, 22:53. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
Victorian-era naval ships of the United Kingdom
British ships built in India
Ships of the British East India Company
1823 ships
Ships in art