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HMS Daring (1844)
Encyclopedia
HMS Daring was a 12 gun-brig
of the Royal Navy
which became part of the Experimental Squadrons of both 1844 and 1845, and later served in the West Indies. She was sold in 1864.
and built in Portsmouth Dockyard
. She was launched on 2 April 1844 and commissioned on 9 September the same year.
Henry James Matson, an outspoken abolitionist and hero of the Preventative Squadron
. She was employed on the Home Station, where she formed part of the 1844 Experimental Brig Squadron
. The Times
stated:
She appeared to be a good sailer; the report of the comparative sailing qualities of the vessels making up the Experimental Brig Squadron reads:
, Vanguard
, Superb
, Rodney
and Canopus
on the third cruise of the 1845 Experimental Squadron, the only brig to do so. They were joined on 21 October by the wooden steam sloop HMS Rattler
. The Times reported that Daring could not often keep up with the larger ships:
The United States government awarded medals to thirty-nine officers and crew of Daring, Endymion
and Alarm in recognition of saving several officers and crew of the United States brig Somers
in the harbour of Vera Cruz
on 10 December 1846.
and 3rd son of Sir Robert Peel
, British Prime Minister) became her captain from February 1847 until October 1848. She refitted at Chatham in 1850 and from August 1852 was commanded by Commander Gerard John Napier. Under Commander Napier she visited the Turks and Caicos Islands
in 1855, and is recorded on a 20c stamp issued by the islands in August 1973.
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
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...
which became part of the Experimental Squadrons of both 1844 and 1845, and later served in the West Indies. She was sold in 1864.
Construction
Daring was designed by Mr Thomas White of CowesCowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
and built in Portsmouth Dockyard
HMNB Portsmouth
Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...
. She was launched on 2 April 1844 and commissioned on 9 September the same year.
The Experimental Squadron of 1844
From September 1844 until February 1847 she was commanded by CommanderCommander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Henry James Matson, an outspoken abolitionist and hero of the Preventative Squadron
West Africa Squadron
The Royal Navy established the West Africa Squadron at substantial expense in 1808 after Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act of 1807. The squadron's task was to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by patrolling the coast of West Africa...
. She was employed on the Home Station, where she formed part of the 1844 Experimental Brig Squadron
Experimental Squadron (Royal Navy)
The Experimental Squadrons of the Royal Navy were groups of ships sent out in the 1830s and 1840s to test new techniques of ship design, armament, building and propulsion against old ones...
. 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...
stated:
She appeared to be a good sailer; the report of the comparative sailing qualities of the vessels making up the Experimental Brig Squadron reads:
The Experimental Squadron of 1845
Daring joined the two-deckers AlbionHMS Albion (1842)
HMS Albion was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Ordered in 1839, she was built at Plymouth and launched on 6 September 1842, and entered service in 1843. Albion was designed by Sir William Symonds, was the only ship of her class to ever serve as a sailing ship, and the last...
, Vanguard
HMS Vanguard (1835)
The sixth HMS Vanguard, of the British Royal Navy was an 78-gun second-rate ship of the line, launched on 25 August 1835 at Pembroke Yard. She was the first of a new type of sailing battleship: a Symondite.-Construction:...
, Superb
HMS Superb (1842)
HMS Superb was a two-deck 80-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 6 September 1842 at Pembroke Dockyard.She was one of the Vanguard class, designed by Sir William Symonds, Surveyor of the Navy and an innovative and controversial naval architect...
, Rodney
HMS Rodney (1833)
HMS Rodney was a two-deck 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 18 June 1833 at Pembroke Dockyard.Rodney was the ship where William Hall , later to become the first Black man and one of the first Canadians to win the Victoria Cross, began his naval career in 1852.Rodney...
and Canopus
HMS Canopus (1798)
HMS Canopus was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the British Royal Navy. She had previously served with the French Navy as the Tonnant-class Franklin, but was captured after less than a year in service by the British fleet under Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of the Nile in 1798...
on the third cruise of the 1845 Experimental Squadron, the only brig to do so. They were joined on 21 October by the wooden steam sloop HMS Rattler
HMS Rattler (1843)
HMS Rattler was a 12-gun wooden sloop of the Royal Navy and the first British warship to adopt a screw propeller powered by a steam engine...
. The Times reported that Daring could not often keep up with the larger ships:
The Wreck of USS Somers
HMS Endymion (1797)
HMS Endymion was a 40-gun fifth rate that served in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, the War of 1812 and during the First Opium War. She was built to the lines of the French prize captured in 1794...
and Alarm in recognition of saving several officers and crew of the United States brig Somers
USS Somers (1842)
The second USS Somers was a brig in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War, infamous for being the only U.S. Navy ship to undergo a mutiny which led to executions....
in the harbour of Vera Cruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
on 10 December 1846.
Service on the North America and West Indies Station
Daring apparently served the rest of her career on the North America and West Indies Station, returning to Britain at the end of each commission. Commander William Peel (a later winner of the VCVictoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
and 3rd son of Sir Robert Peel
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
, British Prime Minister) became her captain from February 1847 until October 1848. She refitted at Chatham in 1850 and from August 1852 was commanded by Commander Gerard John Napier. Under Commander Napier she visited the Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.The Turks and...
in 1855, and is recorded on a 20c stamp issued by the islands in August 1973.
Disposal
She was sold out of the service on 7 October 1864 and broken up. Her figurehead, a contemporary sailor staring straight ahead, is on display at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.Commanding officers
| From | To | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| 7 September 1844 | 11 February 1847 | Cdr Henry James Matson |
| 11 February 1847 | 2 October 1848 | Cdr William Peel |
| 30 August 1852 | Cdr Gerard John Napier |