HMS Constance (1846)
Encyclopedia
HMS Constance was a 50-gun fourth-rate
frigate
of the Royal Navy
launched in 1846. She had a tonnage of 2,132 and was designed with a V-shaped by Sir William Symonds
she was also one of the last class of frigates designed by him. On her shakedown voyage from England to Valparaiso
she rounded Cape Horn
in good trim, her captain for this voyage being Sir Baldwin Wake Walker
, who commented "I think her a good sea boat, and a fine man of war". On the voyage she encountered a Hurricane at 62o south. Walker wrote that "nothing could have exceeded the way she went over it, not even straining a rope yarn". In August 1848 her captain George Courtenay, for whom the town of Courtenay
was named, led 250 sailors and marines from Fort Victoria
to try to intimidate the Indians. Her crew and officers were Quarantined aboard whilst berthed at Port Royal
on 26 October 1867 during an outbreak of Yellow Fever
In 1848 she became the first Royal Naval vessel to use Esquimalt as her base.
In 1862 she was converted to screw propulsion
using a compound engine designed by Randolph & Elder. She was the first Royal Naval ship to be fitted with this class of engine, and won a race against two frigates from Plymouth
to Madeira
in 1865.
Fourth-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a fourth rate was, during the first half of the 18th century, a ship of the line mounting from 46 up to 60 guns. While the number of guns stayed subsequently in the same range up until 1817, after 1756 the ships of 50 guns and below were considered too weak to stand in...
frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
launched in 1846. She had a tonnage of 2,132 and was designed with a V-shaped by Sir William Symonds
William Symonds
Sir William Symonds FRS was "Surveyor of the Navy" in the Royal Navy from 9 June 1832 to October 1847, and took part in the naval reforms instituted by the Whig First Lord of the Admiralty Sir James Robert George Graham in 1832.-Early life:He was the second son...
she was also one of the last class of frigates designed by him. On her shakedown voyage from England to Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
she rounded Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
in good trim, her captain for this voyage being Sir Baldwin Wake Walker
Baldwin Wake Walker
Admiral Sir Baldwin Wake Walker, 1st Baronet KCB was Surveyor of the Navy from 1848 to 1861. and was responsible for the Royal Navy's warship construction programme during the 1850s naval arms race and at the time of the introduction of the Ironclad warship; it was his decision to build HMS...
, who commented "I think her a good sea boat, and a fine man of war". On the voyage she encountered a Hurricane at 62o south. Walker wrote that "nothing could have exceeded the way she went over it, not even straining a rope yarn". In August 1848 her captain George Courtenay, for whom the town of Courtenay
Courtenay, British Columbia
Courtenay is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the largest city in the area commonly known as the Comox Valley, and it is the seat of the Comox Valley Regional District which replaced the Comox-Strathcona Regional District...
was named, led 250 sailors and marines from Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria may refer to:* Fort Victoria, Alberta, Canada* Fort Victoria , Canada* Fort Victoria * Fort Victoria , England* Masvingo, Zimbabwe, named Fort Victoria until 1982...
to try to intimidate the Indians. Her crew and officers were Quarantined aboard whilst berthed at Port Royal
Port Royal
Port Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century...
on 26 October 1867 during an outbreak of Yellow Fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
In 1848 she became the first Royal Naval vessel to use Esquimalt as her base.
In 1862 she was converted to screw propulsion
Screw propulsion
A screw-propelled vehicle is a land or amphibious vehicle designed to cope with difficult snow and ice or mud and swamp. Such vehicles are distinguished by being moved by the rotation of one or more auger-like cylinders fitted with a helical flange that engages with the medium through or over which...
using a compound engine designed by Randolph & Elder. She was the first Royal Naval ship to be fitted with this class of engine, and won a race against two frigates from Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
to Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
in 1865.