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HMSHerald(1824)

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For other ships with the same name, seeHMS HeraldandHMS Termagant.

HMSHeraldin Sydney Harbour, 1857, albumen print.
History
United Kingdom
NameHMSHerald
Ordered5 June 1819
BuilderEast India Companydockyard,Cochin,British India
Laid downMarch 1820
Launched15 November 1822
Commissioned16 July 1824[1]
Renamed
  • Launched as HMSTermagantin 1822
  • RenamedHeraldon 15 May 1824
Reclassified
  • Survey vessel in June 1845
  • Chapel ship in 1861
FateSold for breaking on 28 April 1862
General characteristics[1]
Class and typeAtholl-class28-gunsixth-ratecorvette
Tons burthen49991⁄94(bm)
Length
  • 113 ft 8 in (34.6 m) (gundeck)
  • 94 ft8+3⁄4in (28.9 m) (keel)
Beam
  • As built:31 ft 10 in (9.7 m)
  • For tonnage:31 ft 6 in (9.6 m)
Depth of hold8 ft 9 in (2.67 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement175
Armament
  • Upper deck: 20 × 32-pounder (25 cwt)carronades
  • QD:6 × 18-pounder carronades
  • Fc:2 × 9-pounder guns

HMSHeraldwas anAtholl-class28-gunsixth-ratecorvetteof theRoyal Navy.She was launched in 1822 asHMSTermagant,commissioned in 1824 as HMSHeraldand converted to a survey ship in 1845. After serving as a chapel ship from 1861, she was sold for breaking in 1862.

Construction and career

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Termagantwaslaunchedat theEast India Companydockyard atCochin,British Indiaon 15 November 1822. Lieutenant Robert Wallace Dunlopcommissionedon 30 July 1822 to sail her to the United Kingdom. She arrived atPortsmouthon 7 July 1823. In July Captain Lord Henry Frederick Thynne took command, though he had nominally been appointed about a year earlier, on 30 July 1822.[1]

Atlantic service

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The vessel was renamedHeraldon 15 May 1824, and commissioned on 16 July 1824. At this time she was rated ayacht.Commander Henry John Leeke recommissioned her on 31 May 1824. He sailed her to St Petersburg, theWest Indies,back to England fromHavana,then toQuebec,and finally toMalta.Captain SirAugustus William James CliffordrecommissionedHeraldon 27 May 1826 to carry theDuke of Devonshireon an embassy to Russia. Commander Henry Eden replaced Clifford in November 1826, only to hand over command to Commander Edward William Curry Astley in April 1827.[1]

On 7 April 1829 Commander George Berkeley Maxwell replaced Astley. Maxwell sailedHeraldto St Petersburg, Cartagena, Quebec, and home.Heraldwaspaid offin 1830. She then underwent fitting for sea between April and July 1830. On 20 November 1830 Captain Robert Godon took command at Portsmouth. He paid her off in January 1831.Heraldthen underwent fitting for sea again between November 1837 and August 1838.[1]

Pacific service

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CaptainJoseph Nias

CaptainJoseph NiasrecommissionedHeraldon 24 May 1838 for theEast Indiesand China.[1]On 26 August 1839,HeraldandHMSPelorusattempted toscuttlethe British merchant shipLucretia,which had caught fire off Kyardbilly's point,Sydney,New South Wales.The attempt was unsuccessful and the ship exploded and sank.[2]

On 29 April 1840 Nias sailedHerald,with MajorThomas Bunburyof the 80th Regiment (appointed by GovernorWilliam Hobsonas Commissioner) andEdward Marsh Williamsas interpreter, to take a copy of theTreaty of Waitangi(known as the "Herald-Bunbury" copy) to theSouth IslandofNew Zealandto obtain signatures from Māori chiefs as part the process of claiming British sovereignty over New Zealand.[3][4]

During the period 1841–1842 she was involved in actions offCantonin the fleet commanded bySir William Parkerin the First Anglo-Chinese War (1839–1842),[5]known popularly as theFirst Opium War.Heraldwas paid off at Chatham in 1842.

Survey and scientific work

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Heraldwas converted at Sheerness to asurvey shipbetween July 1844 and June 1845. At that time her armament was reduced to eight guns.Henry KellettrecommissionedHerald8 February 1845 for surveying in the Pacific.[1]She left Plymouth on 26 June 26 1845 and sailed first viaBrazilto theFalkland Islandswhere she arrived in September. They then roundedCape Horninto the Pacific.[6]Together withHMSPandoraunder Lieutenant-Commander James Wood she spent three years surveying the coast of British Columbia after theOregon boundary disputewith the United States.,[7]and on the Pacific coast of South America.[6]

Heraldwas assigned in 1848 to join the search for SirJohn Franklin,whose ships had disappeared exploring theNorthwest Passage.Heraldsailed three times through theBering Strait,in 1848, 1849 and 1850. No trace of Franklin was found.[8]During this period she discoveredHerald Island,in theChukchi Sea,which Kellett named after his ship.[9]In 1848 and 1849Heraldreturned south in the months of the northern winter to continue surveying work in Panama,Costa Rica,and theGulf of California.In October 1850,Heraldleft the Arctic, and sailed for home viaHawaii,Hong Kong,Singaporeand theCape of Good Hope,arriving at Spithead on 6 June 1851, thus completing a six-year circumnavigation of the globe.[9]

Berthold Seemannwas the naturalist for most of this voyage, and wrote the main account of the expedition in two volumes as well as an illustrated volume on the botany.[6][9][10]Samson (1998) has provided a modern overview of his work, relating it to the political and economic context of the period.[11]Edward Forbessubsequently published on the zoology of the expedition.[12][13]

  • Chart of the Pacific coast from Panama to Ecuador, surveyed by Kellet and Wood. This 1958 edition is based mainly on the original survey.
    Chart of the Pacific coast from Panama to Ecuador, surveyed by Kellet and Wood. This 1958 edition is based mainly on the original survey.
  • Phytelephas macrocarpa, the palm that produces vegetable ivory, found in coastal areas of Central America and northern South America. From Seemann (1857)[10]
    Phytelephas macrocarpa,the palm that producesvegetable ivory,found in coastal areas of Central America and northern South America. From Seemann (1857)[10]
  • Molluscs from the voyage, from Forbes (1850)[12]
    Molluscs from the voyage, from Forbes (1850)[12]
  • Petropavlosk in Kamchatka, Russian port of call for Herald en route to the Bering Strait.[9]
    PetropavloskinKamchatka,Russian port of call forHeralden route to theBering Strait.[9]

From 1852 to 1861, under the command of CaptainHenry Mangles Denham,Heraldcarried out a survey of the Australian coast andFijiIslands, continuing the mission ofHMSRattlesnake.The naturalists on the voyage wereJohn MacGillivray(1821–1867),William Milne(botanist) andDenis Macdonaldas Assistant Surgeon-zoologist. James Glen Wilson was the ship's artist.Herald,with her tenderHMSTorch,a paddle steamer' leftPlymouthon 10 June 1852. They travelled via Madeira and theCape Verde Islands,Rio de Janeiro,Tristan de Cunha,Cape TownandSt Paul Island,arriving atPort Jackson(Sydeney Harbour) on 18 February 1853. Throughout the journey, surveying work was carried out, including deep-sea soundings, locating shoals, magnetic observations, establishing an accurate meridian distance between Rio and Cape Town, and a complete survey of St Paul Island. Many natural history onservations were made.[14]: 1–26 The rset of the year 1853 was spent surveyingLord Howe Islandand the nearbyBall's Pyramidand inNew CaledoniaandVanuatu.Surveys were carried out of thesle of Pines,MaréandAneityum.These islands are close to the route between Sydney and Fiji, so it was important to chart their accurate positions.[14]: 27–57 

On 27 May 1854,Heraldsailed forFijiviaAucklandandRaoul Island.Heraldsurveyed in the south of Fiji, and obtained accurate positions for theMinerva Reefs,and also enabled numerous doubtful hazards to be removed from the charts.[14]: 58–7 Between 1854 and 1857,Heraldmade three surveying trips to Fiji, greatly adding to the small-scale survey that had been carried out byCharles Wilkesin 1840. During this period,Heraldalso surveyedNorfolk Islandand assisted in the resettlement of thePitcairn Islandersto Norfolk Island. In April 1855, following diagreements about publication and allegations of financial irregularities, MacGillivray was dismissed from his post on theHerald.On 26 February 1857,Heraldreturned to Sydney.[14]: 79–263 

Denham andHeraldthen made a survey of Port Jackson, which was completed in November 1857. This included a large-scale plan ofCockatoo Island.Heraldwas the first sailing ship to enter the Fitzroy Dock, on Cockatoo Island.[15]Heraldthen surveyed the southern and western coasts of Australia as far asShark Bay,returning to Sydney on 29 June 1858. On 3 September, they set sail for theCoral Sea,an area with many reefs most of which had not been charted accurately. The survey of the Coral sea would involve three cruises, and continue until May 1860. The result was to greatly improve the safety of the outer approach to theTorres Strait,to the east of theGreat Barrier Reef.[14]: 310–398 

In 1859,Heralderected the first beacon onMellish Reef and Cay,using wreckage from the Frenchaviso‘Duroc’, which had wrecked on the reef in 1857.

Heraldleft Sydney on 17 August 1860 to chart reefs and take deep-sea soundings in preparation for telegraphic cable-laying.Surabayawas reached on 20 November, andSpitheadin England on 16 May 1861, and was decommissioned on 1 July, nine years after setting out.[14]: 399–428 

There was no published contemporary account of the voyage. David (1995) gives a very detailed account of the voyage, and reproduces many of the drawings and paintings produced by James Glen Wilson.[14]

  • HMS Herald and steamship tender Torch, Expedition to the South Sea, Illustrated London News, 15 May 1852
    HMSHeraldand steamship tenderTorch,Expedition to the South Sea,Illustrated London News,15 May 1852
  • Chart of St Paul Island from the Herald survey of 1853
    Chart ofSt Paul Islandfrom theHeraldsurvey of 1853
  • HMS Herald at the entrance to Botany Bay. Painting by J. Glen Wilson.
    HMSHeraldat the entrance toBotany Bay.Painting by J. Glen Wilson.
  • Chart of Makogai and Wakaya, two of the Fiji Islands surveyed by Denham in Herald
    Chart ofMakogaiandWakaya,two of the Fiji Islands surveyed by Denham inHerald
  • The Pitcairn Islanders' settlement on Norfolk Island. From a drawing by J. Glen Wilson.
    The Pitcairn Islanders' settlement onNorfolk Island.From a drawing by J. Glen Wilson.
  • Beacon erected on Mellish Reef in the Coral Sea in 1859.jpg
    Beacon erected onMellish Reefin the Coral Sea in 1859.jpg

Heraldwas converted to a chapel ship and was used as a floating church in Shoreham in September 1861.[1]She was sold to Castle for breaking on 28 April 1862.[1]

See also

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Citations

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  1. ^abcdefghiWinfield (2014),p. 113.
  2. ^"Fatal Destruction of the Ship Lucretia with Loss of Life".The Times.No. 17229. London. 19 December 1839. col C, p. 6.
  3. ^"Williams, Edward Marsh 1818–1909".Early New Zealand Books(NZETC). 1952.Retrieved18 October2013.
  4. ^"Treaty of Waitangi signing locations: 'Herald-Bunbury' copy".NZ History Online.Retrieved18 October2013.
  5. ^"HMS HERALD (Anglo-Chinese war 1842)".Archived fromthe originalon 13 April 2013.Retrieved23 December2012.
  6. ^abcSeemann, Berthold (1854).Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Herald, During the Years 1845-51, Under the Command of Captain Henry Kellett, R.N., C.B.: Being a Circumnavigation of the Globe and Three Cruizes to the Arctic Regions in Search of Sir John Franklin. Volume 1.London: Reeve and Company.
  7. ^"Heraldat the William Loney website ".Retrieved22 May2011.
  8. ^Ritchie, G.S. (1967).The Admiralty Chart.London: Hollis & Carter. pp. 258–260.
  9. ^abcdSeemann, Berthold (1854).Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Herald, During the Years 1845-51, Under the Command of Captain Henry Kellett, R.N., C.B.: Being a Circumnavigation of the Globe and Three Cruizes to the Arctic Regions in Search of Sir John Franklin. Volume 2.London: Reeve and Company.
  10. ^abSeemann, Berthold (1857).The botany of the voyage of H.M.S. Herald, under the command of Captain Henry Kellett, R.N., C.B., during the years 1845-51.London: Lovell Reeve.
  11. ^Samson, Jane (1998).""That Extensive Enterprise": HMS Herald's North Pacific Survey, 1845-1851 "(PDF).Pacific Science.52(4): 287–293.
  12. ^abForbes, Edward (1850)."On the marine Mollusca discovered during the voyages of the Herald and Pandora, by Capt. Kellett, RN, and Lieut. Wood".Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London.18:53–57.
  13. ^Richardson, John; Forbes, Edward (1854).The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Herald under the command of Captain Henry Kellet, R.N., C.B., during the years 1845-51.London: Lovell Reeve.
  14. ^abcdefgDavid, Andrew (1995).The Voyage of HMS Herald.Melbourne University Press.ISBN0-522-84390--5.
  15. ^Gillett, p. 12.

References

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  • Gillett, Ross; Melliar-Phelps, Michael (1980).A Century of Ships in Sydney Harbour.Rigby Publishers Ltd.ISBN0-7270-1201-0.
  • Edward Forbes(1815–1854),The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Herald under the command of Captain Henry Kellett,... during the years 1845-51.(London, 1854).
  • Winfield, Rif (2014).British Warships in the Age of Sail 1817–1863: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates.Seaforth Publishing.ISBN978-1-84832-169-4.
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