HMS Investigator (1848)
| The Devils Thumb, Ships Boring and Warping in the Pack, Dedicated by special permission to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty By their Lordships most obedient Servant W H Browne, Lt. R N HMS Enterprise (left) and HMS Investigator (right) | |
| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Investigator |
| Builder: | Scott's, Greenock[1] |
| Cost: | £25,337[1] |
| Acquired: | Purchased in February 1848 |
| Fate: | Abandoned 3 June 1853 |
| Notes: | Fitted for Arctic service by Green's of Blackwall[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Discovery vessel |
| Tons burthen: | 422 tons (builder's measure)[1] |
| Length: | 118 ft (36 m)[1] |
| Beam: | 28.2 ft (8.6 m)[1] |
| Depth of hold: | 18.9 ft (5.8 m)[1] |
| Sail plan: | Barque-rigged |
HMS Investigator was a merchant ship purchased in 1848 to search for Sir John Franklin's lost expedition. She made two voyages to the Arctic and had to be abandoned in 1853 after becoming trapped in the ice. She was the fourth ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.
Construction and purchase
Built at Scott's of Greenock and running 422 tons, she was purchased by the Admiralty in February 1848 and was fitted for Arctic exploration the Blackwall yard of Greens.[1]
Before her 1850 voyage under McClure, she was strengthened for Arctic service by William M. Rice, Master Shipwright of Woolwich Dockyard. Extensive fortifications in timber (teak, English oak, Canada elm) and 5-16ths inch steel plating were made. Ten pairs of iron diagonal riders were set in the hold, with ten pairs of diagonal plates on the sides of the vessel between decks. To cope with snow and ice loads, the upper decks were doubled with 3-inch fir planking. Preston's Patent Ventilating Illuminators were installed to improve light and ventilation. Sylvester's Warming Apparatus, a modern stove system capable of warming the entire ship, was also employed with good results [2].
Career
Later in 1848, she accompanied Enterprise on James Clark Ross's expedition to find the missing Sir John Franklin. Also aboard Investigator on this expedition was the naturalist Edward Adams. She was commanded for the return voyage by Robert McClure,[3] but became trapped in the ice, and was abandoned on 3 June 1853[1] in Mercy Bay, where she had been held for nearly three years. The following year, she was inspected by crews of the Resolute, still frozen in, and reported to be in fair condition despite having taken on some water during the summer thaw.
In 2010, a search party consisting of a team of Canadian scientists, archaeologists and surveyors began to look for the sunken Investigator in Mercy Bay at the northern tip of Aulavik National Park.[4]
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.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Winfield, Rif; Lyon, David (2003). The Sail and Steam Navy List, 1815-1889. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1861760326.
- ↑ Armstrong, Alexander (1857). A Personal Narrative of the Discovery of the Northwest Passage. London: Hurst and Blackett. http://books.google.com/books?id=04dAAAAAYAAJ. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
- ↑ "HMS Investigator at William Looney website". http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowShip.php?id=1625. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ↑ "World first: Canada searches for Sir John Franklin’s rescue ship - The HMS Investigator never found the doomed Franklin expedition and sank, as did Franklin’s Terror and Erebus"
- Brian Payton (2009) The Ice Passage. Doubleday Canada 978-0-385-66532-2
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