HMS Daedalus (1826)
Encyclopedia
HMS Daedalus was a nineteenth century warship of the Royal Navy
. She was launched as a fifth-rate frigate
of 46 guns in 1826, reduced to 20 guns in 1840.
In August 1848, Captain McQuhae of the Daedalus and several of his officers and crew (en route to St Helena) saw a sea serpent
which was subsequently reported (and debated) in The Times
. The vessel sighted what they named as an enormous serpent between the Cape of Good Hope
and St Helena. The Serpent was witnessed to have been swimming with four feet of its head above the water and they believed that there was another sixty feet of the creature in the sea. Captain McQuahoe also said that "[The creature] passed rapidly, but so close under our lee quarter, that had it been a man of my acquaintance I should have easily have recognised his features with the naked eye." According to seven members of the crew it remained in view for around twenty minutes. Another officer wrote that the creature was more of a lizard than a serpent.
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...
. She was launched as a fifth-rate 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 46 guns in 1826, reduced to 20 guns in 1840.
In August 1848, Captain McQuhae of the Daedalus and several of his officers and crew (en route to St Helena) saw a sea serpent
Sea serpent
A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine.Sightings of sea serpents have been reported for hundreds of years, and continue to be claimed today. Cryptozoologist Bruce Champagne identified more than 1,200 purported sea serpent sightings...
which was subsequently reported (and debated) in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. The vessel sighted what they named as an enormous serpent between the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
and St Helena. The Serpent was witnessed to have been swimming with four feet of its head above the water and they believed that there was another sixty feet of the creature in the sea. Captain McQuahoe also said that "[The creature] passed rapidly, but so close under our lee quarter, that had it been a man of my acquaintance I should have easily have recognised his features with the naked eye." According to seven members of the crew it remained in view for around twenty minutes. Another officer wrote that the creature was more of a lizard than a serpent.
Sources
- "Big eels and little eels" in Eagle Annual 1968, Oldhams books limited, Holland, 1967, p 118.
- "Don't Shoot the Albatross!: Nautical Myths and Superstitions" by Jonathan Eyers, A&C Black, London, UK, 2011, p 87.
- Mid-Victorian ships of the Royal Navy