HMS Gorgon (1837)
| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Gorgon |
| Builder: | Royal Dockyard, Pembroke Dock[1] |
| Launched: | 31 August 1837 |
| Decommissioned: | 11 February 1864 |
| Fate: | Broken up, 1864 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,610 long tons (1,640 t) |
| Tons burthen: | 1111 bm |
| Length: | 235 feet (72 m) |
| Beam: | 37 feet 6 inches (11.43 m) |
| Draught: | 16 feet (4.9 m)[2] |
| Propulsion: | paddle |
| Complement: | 160 |
| Armament: |
6 guns: 2 x 10 in 4 x 30 pdr |
HMS Gorgon was a wooden steam paddle frigate of 6 guns. She was launched on 31 August 1837 and broken up in 1864. She was teak built with oak main beams, had a displacement of 1,610 long tons (1,640 t), and her paddle wheels were 27 feet (8.2 m) in diameter.
Gorgon was designed by Sir William Symonds and was the first vessel to be fitted with direct-acting engines (in which the engine's cylinders are placed under the crankshaft), the engines being built by Seaward and Company. In addition to saving space over previous side-lever engines, they weighed 60 tons less.
Service
In 1840 Gorgon saw action with three other paddle sloops, HMS Vesuvius, HMS Stromboli and HMS Phoenix, in the bombardment of the city of Acre under the command of Admiral Robert Stopford.
In 1843, during the Uruguayan Civil War, Gorgon arrived in the River Plate to join the Royal Navy squadron commanded by Commodore John Purvis. She anchored in the bay as a deterrent to potential attackers. She ran aground on 10 May 1844 but was subsequently refloated.
In 1858 Gorgon assisted in the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable by taking soundings for the former warship HMS Agamemnon, which had been converted into a cable ship. When the cable link was completed to New York, the crew of the Gorgon and the other ships were feted by civic receptions and processions through the city.[3]
Gorgon was despatched to Madagascar in 1863 to keep the peace on the death of King Radama II.[4] She returned via the Cape of Good Hope, arriving at Spithead on 29 January 1864. She discharged her ammunition and guns at the Royal Arsenal, was paid out of commission on 11 February[5].
Despite being decommissioned, Gorgon had one last mission. The vessel was towed to Greenhithe on 6 May 1864 to act as a receiving hulk for the crew of HMS Osborne, seven of whom had acquired smallpox.[6] The ship was ultimately dismantled at Woolwich.[7]
References
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: the complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 9781861762818. OCLC 67375475.
- Dumpleton, Bernard (2002), The Story Of The Paddle Steamer, Bristol: Intellect Books, p. 174, ISBN 1841508012
- Cooper Key, Sir Astley (1847), A Narrative of the Recovery of the HMS Gorgon, London: Smith, Elder & Co., ISBN 1841508012
- ↑ The Times (London), Tuesday, 19 September 1837, p.1
- ↑ The Times (London), Monday, 23 May 1859, p.11
- ↑ The Times of London, Monday, 20 September 1858, p.7
- ↑ The Times (London), Wednesday, 3 February 1864, p.9
- ↑ The Times (London), Thursday, 11 February 1864, p.12
- ↑ The Times (London), Saturday, 7 May 1864, p.9
- ↑ The Times (London), Saturday, 30 January 1864, p.12
