HMS Valorous (1851)

HMS Valorous was a 16-gun, steam-powered paddle frigate of the Royal Navy built at Pembroke Dockyard and launched on 30 April 1851.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Valorous.

HMS Valorous, a sketch by W L Wyllie
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Valorous
Ordered: 25 April 1847
Builder: Pembroke Dockyard/Miller & Ravenhill
Laid down: March 1849
Launched: 30 April 1851
Completed: 7 July 1853
Fate: Sold for breaking up 27 February 1891
General characteristics
Class and type: Magicienne-class second-class paddle frigate
Tons burthen: 1,255 bm
Length: 210 ft (64 m)
Beam: 36 ft (11 m)
Draught: 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Propulsion:
  • 2-cylinder oscillating engines
  • Paddle wheels
  • 400 nhp, 1,300 ihp (970 kW)
Speed: 9–10 knots (17–19 km/h; 10–12 mph)
Complement: 175
Armament:
  • 16 (later 14) guns:
  • 10 (later 8) x 32 pdr guns (middle deck)
  • 1 × 68-pounder gun (upper deck)
  • 1 × 10 in gun (upper deck)
  • 4 × 32 pdr guns (upper deck)
Notes: Displaced 2,300 tons

Design and construction

She was part of the two-ship class of Magicienne-class second-class paddle frigates. She was built at a cost of £69,064, of which her machinery cost £24,329.[1] She was originally ordered on 25 April 1847[1] as a first-class sloop to John Edye's design, approved on 12 August 1847. On 5 August 1847 they were re-ordered as 210 ft (64 m) vessels. When finished, they constituted the last group of paddle warships built for the Royal Navy.

Niagara, Valorous, Gorgon (misspelt Gordon) and Agamemnon laying the Transatlantic telegraph cable at mid-ocean in 1858

Career

In 1852 she was in the Mediterranean Sea, then in 1854 she was assigned to the Baltic Sea .[2] On 23 July, Valorous ran aground in the Åland Islands, Grand Duchy of Finland. She was severely damaged, losing her forefoot and keel and being holed. A sail was placed over the hole and her crew managed to prevent her from sinking.[3] In 1855 she operated in the Black Sea during the Crimean War. In 1857 she was on the North America and West Indies Station, and from 1863 until she was paid off in September 1867 she operated off the Cape of Good Hope. Carrying extra stores, she accompanied the British Arctic Expedition ships Alert and Discovery as far as Godhavn in 1875.[4] In 1878 she was commanded by Captain John A Fisher (later Admiral of the Fleet).[2]

Disposal

She was sold on 27 February 1891 to E Marshall of Plymouth for breaking up.[1]

Footnotes
  1. Winfield, R.; Lyon, D. (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6.
  2. Mackay pp. 138–139
  3. "The Baltic Fleet". The Times (21812). London. 1 August 1854. col E-F, p. 10.
  4. Mills, William James (2003). Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-422-0.

References
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