HMS Endymion (1865) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

HMS Endymion was a 21-gun wooden screw frigate

Screw frigate

Steam frigates and the smaller steam corvettes were steam-powered warships.The first vessel that can be considered a steam frigate was the Demologos which was launched in 1815 for the United States Navy....

, the third of four ships of this name to serve in 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...

. She was the last wooden frigate built at Deptford Dockyard. She was commissioned in 1866 and spent much of her service based at Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

. In 1869–70 she sailed around the world as part of a Flying Squadron. She remained in front-line service until 1874

Endymion then served as a guard ship at Hull

Kingston upon Hull

Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

, Yorkshire

East Riding of Yorkshire

The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...

until 1879, latterly with her boilers condemned as unfit for service. A plan to use her as a flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

at Harwich

Harwich

Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...

, Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

from 1875 was abandoned due to the loss of . During her time at Hull, crew from Endymion assisted the local police in fighting a number of fires in buildings and timber yards.

Emdymion was lent to the Metropolitan Asylums Board

Metropolitan Asylums Board

The Metropolitan Asylums Board was established under Poor Law legislation, to deal with London's sick poor. It was established by the Metropolitan Poor Act 1867 and was wound up in 1930, its functions being transferred to the London County Council. Despite its name, the MAB was not involved in...

in 1881 for use as an administration and hospital ship

Hospital ship

A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....

, initially at Greenwich

Greenwich

Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...

, Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

and later at Dartford

Dartford

Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....

. She was sold out of service in 1885, and served as an administration ship until 1904. Endymion was sold in December 1904 and broken up in 1905.

Description

Endymion was 240 feet (73.2 m) long, with a beam of 48 feet (14.6 m), and a draught of 18 in 8 in (5.69 m). She was designed with a burthen of 2,478 tons BOM

Builder's Old Measurement

Builder's Old Measurement is the method of calculating the size or cargo capacity of a ship used in England from approximately 1720 to 1849. It estimated the tonnage of a ship based on length and maximum beam...

and displaced 3,197 tons. She was to be fitted with 36 guns and had a complement of 450. Propulsion was by a steam engine of 500 nominal horsepower, which was built by Napier & Son

Napier & Son

D. Napier & Son Limited was a British engine and pre-Great War automobile manufacturer and one of the most important aircraft engine manufacturers in the early to mid-20th century...

s, Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

. The engine drove a single screw propeller of 18 feet (5.49 m) diameter and 21 feet (6.4 m) pitch. The propeller was 3 in 6 in (1.07 m) long, and the tips of the blades were 7 in 6 in (2.29 m) beneath the surface of the water. She was also rigged as a full-rigged ship.

Construction

Endymion was the last wooden frigate built at Deptford. Her keel was laid down on 20 October 1860. She was built on the same slip that had been vacated by the launch of . On 1 February 1862, construction of Endymion was suspended on the orders of the Admiralty

Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

, although the Admiralty later decided that she would be completed. Construction restarted on 7 February 1864. Her engines and boilers were transported from Deptford to Sheerness in October 1865 on board Dee and Monkey. She was launched on 18 November 1865, and was then towed by the steamships Locust, Monkey and Widgeon to Woolwich

Woolwich Dockyard

Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....

, where they awaited for the tide before Endymion was towed to Sheerness for completion. Endymion was launched by Miss Ffrench, the daughter of Major Ffrench of the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot

74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot

The 74th Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment. During the Childers Reforms it was united with the 71st Regiment of Foot to form the Highland Light Infantry.-Service history:...

. A crowd of 40,000 people was present.

By January 1866, Endymion was ready to have her lower masts fitted, following which her bottom was to be coppered

Copper sheathing

Copper sheathing was the practice of protecting the under-water hull of a ship or boat through the use of copper plates affixed to the outside of the hull. It was pioneered and developed by the Royal Navy during the 18th century.-Development:...

. She was designed to take 36 guns, which were intended to comprise four 100-pounder

Somerset cannon

The Somerset cannon was a British cannon designed within the Admiralty and manufactured by Armstrong's.Its genesis was the unexpected failure of the Armstrong breech-loading rifles recently developed and installed on Royal Navy ships. The Somerset was a 6.5 ton 9.2-inch calibre smoothbore...

, rifled muzzle-loading guns (weight 125 Cwt

Hundredweight

The hundredweight or centum weight is a unit of mass defined in terms of the pound . The definition used in Britain differs from that used in North America. The two are distinguished by the terms long hundredweight and short hundredweight:* The long hundredweight is defined as 112 lb, which...

/6,350 kg each), fourteen 8-inch guns (65 Cwt/3,302 kg each), located on the maindeck; and nine 110-pounder breech-loading guns (82 Cwt/6,166 kg each) located on the upper deck. In August, it was reported that Endymion was then being fitted with three 110-pounder Armstrongs

Armstrong Whitworth

Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...

guns, four 6½-ton/100-pounder and fourteen 8-inch guns.

Front-line service

Endymion was commissioned at Sheerness on 27 September 1866, under the Command of Charles Wake, who had previously commanded . Sea trials were undertaken on 19 and 20 October. On the latter date, speed was assessed over a measured mile at the Maplin Sands

Maplin Sands

The Maplin Sands are mudflats on the northern bank of the Thames estuary, off Foulness Island, near Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, though they actually lie within the neighbouring borough of Rochford...

. On the first three runs, an average speed of 12.5 knots (24.5 km/h) was recorded, but one of the bearings in the engine was found to be running hot. Three more runs were made, giving an average speed over the first six runs of 11.672 knots (22.9 km/h). Six more runs were made at half-power, giving an average of 9.788 knots (19.2 km/h).

Endymion departed from Spithead

Spithead

Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...

for the Mediterranean on 28 October, arriving at Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

on 10 November. She sailed eastward, arriving at Valetta, Malta

Malta

on 19 November. She remained at Malta until 27 December, when she departed for target practice

Target practice

Target practice refers to any exercise in which projectiles are fired at a specified target, usually to improve the aim of the person or persons firing the weapon....

, returning on 29 December.

Endymion departed on 2 January 1867 for Beyrout, Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

, taking supplies for . She had arrived at Alexandria

Alexandria

Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...

, Egypt by 20 January. On 25 February, one of her carpenters was court-martial

Court-martial

A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...

led on board for drunkenness. He was found guilty and dismissed from the ship, being returned to the United Kingdom on board .Endymion arrived off the Syrian coast on 19 April. She returned to Malta on 29 July. On 22 August, the Mediterranean Squadron, comprising , , , HMS Endymion, and and under the command of Lord Clarence Paget, departed from Spezia, Italy. The squadron arrived at Bastia

Bastia

Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....

, Corsica

Corsica

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....

from Villafranca Tirenna, Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

on 9 September. On 9 October, was in difficulties off Avenza, Italy in a gale. Arethusa and Endymion were despatched under steam to her aid. During the rescue, one of Endymions guns was dislodged from its mountings and ended up in a messroom. A sailor was washed overboard, but was rescued. Arethusa towed Cruiser to Spezia. On 29 October, she departed from Malta for Livorno

Livorno

Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...

, Italy to collect a 16-year-old Japanese prince, orders having been received to sail immediately after arrival at Malta, once refuelling and victualling had been performed. This was instead of undergoing repairs. She returned to Malta on 7 November. Endymion departed for Marseilles on 11 November with the prince on board. During the voyage to Marseilles, her engines broke down, causing damage to the engine's air pump, cylinders, pistons and trunk. She was ordered back to Malta for repairs, arriving on 22 November. On 27 November, her assistant-paymaster was court-martialled on board HMS Hibernia for being absent without leave. He was found guilty, losing a year's seniority and being dismissed from the ship.

On 30 January 1868, Endymion was caught by a squall whilst taking up her berth in Valetta Harbour. She collided with the Turkish

Turkish Navy

The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...

ironclad Mahmoudiah, taking away her bowsprit and then colliding with , damaging some boats and an accommodation ladder. Endymion was reported to be undamaged. On 18 March, and Endymion departed for Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

, Italy, Endymion was carrying Rear-Admiral Kellett

Henry Kellett

Vice Admiral Sir Henry Kellett KCB was a British naval officer and explorer.-Naval career:Kellett joined the Royal Navy in 1822...

, who was going on leave to recuperate. The voyage was also to test her engines, which had taken four months to repair. She returned to Malta on 4 April. Endymion sailed on 26 May for Beyrout, in company with Lord Warden. She returned via Piraeus

Piraeus

Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....

, Greece, arriving on 14 June. On 17 June, a first-class engineer from Endymion was court-martialled on board HMS Hibernia for drunkenness. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to be dismissed from Her Majesty's Service. On 1 July, and Endymion departed Malta for Corfu

Corfu

Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...

and Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

, Italy. She departed from Venice on 27 July for Trieste

Trieste

Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...

. She arrived at Malta on 18 September. On 26 September, Endymion departed from Malta in company with Chiltern, Newport and Scanderia, which were laying a new submarine cable between Malta and Alexandria, which was reached on 6 October. She then sailed to Brindisi

Brindisi

Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...

, Italy to collect Lord Napier of Magdala

Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala

Field Marshal Robert Cornelis Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, GCB, GCSI, CIE, FRS was a British soldier.-Early life:...

, arriving on 15 November. Endymion was the first British frigate to enter Brindisi Harbour. She sailed for Alexandria on 19 November, arriving on 24 November. She then sailed to Malta, arriving on 6 December. She was then dry dock

Dry dock

A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...

ed to enable her bottom to be cleaned.

Endymion left the dry dock on 7 January 1869. On 26 January, a sub-lieutenant serving on board was court-martialled on board HMS Hibernia for false accounting in connection with the gun-room wine accounts whilst serving on board Endymion during 1867. He was further charged with destroying part of the issue-book relating to the wine accounts. The first charge was found to be partly proved, whilst he was found not guilty on the second charge. He was sentenced to be dismissed from Her Majesty's Service.She sailed from Malta on 27 January in the company of bound for Gibraltar

Gibraltar

. She was reported to be at Cadiz

Cádiz

Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....

, Spain on 11 February, and at Gibraltar a month later. She departed on 22 March for Malaga

Málaga

Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...

, Spain, where she arrived on 3 April. She then received orders to sail to England to join the Flying Squadron. Endymion sailed to Spithead via Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

, Portugal, arriving on 1 May. On 21 May 1869, Edward Lacy took command of Endymion. She sailed on 10 June for Plymouth Sound

Plymouth Sound

Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a bay at Plymouth in England.Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles . Its northern limit is Plymouth Hoe giving a north-south distance of nearly 3 nautical miles...

. Endymion was to join a Flying Squadron which was to sail around the world. The other ships were , , and . was to join the squadron at Bahia

Bahia

Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...

, Brazil once her repairs had been completed. Scylla was the fastest, and Endymion was the slowest of the six ships. Barossa caught up with the squadron by the time 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...

was reached on 1 July. The squadron departed for Bahia the next day. On 9 July, a race under sail was held between the six ships. Endymion was sixth and last, behind Barossa, which was 24½ cables

Cable length

A cable length or cable's length is a nautical unit of measure equal to one tenth of a nautical mile or 100 fathoms, or sometimes 120 fathoms. The unit is named after the length of a ship's anchor cable in the age of sail...

(4.54 km) ahead. The squadron departed from Bahia on 4 August, minus Bristol, which returned to Plymouth. The squadron then sailed to Rio De Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Argentina, departing on 26 July for Montevideo

Montevideo

Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...

, Uruguay, where the squadron arrived on 6 August. During the voyage from Rio de Janeiro, a fatal case 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....

was reported on board one of the ships. The squadron departed on 11 September for The Cape

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...

, where it arrived on 4 October. Bristol rejoined the squadron there. The squadron departed from Cape Town

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

on 16 October bound for Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

. On 9 November, the squadron was caught in a storm and scattered, with all ships sustaining some damage to their rigging and sails. The squadron reached Melbourne on 26 November, anchoring in the mouth of the Yarra Yarra River at Williamstwon

Williamstown, Victoria

Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733....

. The citizens of Melbourne gave the squadron an enthusiastic welcome. It sailed for Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

on 7 December, arriving on 12 December. On 29 December, the squadron sailed for Hobart

Hobart

Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...

, Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

.

On 2 January 1870, the Flying Squadron arrived at Hobart. It sailed on 10 January for New Zealand. Arrival at Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

was on 2 February, with the squadron departing six days later for Japan. On 6 April, the squadron arrived at Yokohama

Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

, departing on 14 April for Yedo and returning to Yokohama on 17 April and sailing again on19 April. It's destination was Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, Canada, which was reached in May, departing on 28 May for 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...

, Chile, via Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...

, departing from there on 22 June. The squadron arrived at Valparaiso on 14 August. At this point it comprised , Endymion, Liffey Liverpool and . The squadron sailed on 28 August, and 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...

on 13 September. The circumnavigation was completed on 21 September, and was celebrated by the order of "splice the mainbrace

Splice the mainbrace

"Splice the mainbrace" is an order given aboard naval vessels to issue the crew with a drink. Originally an order for one of the most difficult emergency repair jobs aboard a sailing ship, it became a euphemism for authorized celebratory drinking afterward, and then the name of an order to grant...

" being given. On 2 October, on of the boys serving on Endymion fell overboard. He was a non-swimmer and Sub-Lieutenant Jones dived in and came to his rescue, the boy being unharmed. The squadron arrived at Bahia on 6 October, sailing three days later. An intended call at Fayal, Azores

Azores

The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...

was abandoned due to unfavourable weather conditions. The squadron arrived at 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...

on 15 November. Endymion arrived at Spithead on 17 November 1870. She was then ordered to be dis-masted and paid off, Her lower masts and rigging were retained, and she was paid off on 30 November, with a view to a quick recommission.

Endymion departed from Portsmouth

HMNB Portsmouth

Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...

under steam on 6 February 1871 for trials off Spithead, returning to port that day. On 24 April 1872, Edward Madden took command of Endymion, which was then in use as a training ship for cadets. On 28 May, personnel on leave from Endymion were recalled as the ship had received orders to sail immediately. She undertook a short cruise in the English Channel

English Channel

The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

, arriving back at Spithead on 3 June. She then sailed for Gibraltar, putting in to Plymouth on 19 June to land a sailor who had fell from the rigging. She was at Lisbon on 12 August, She departed from Gibraltar on 24 August heading west. She sailed to Vigo

Vigo

Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...

, Spain, where she joined the Mediterranean Squadron, comprising , , , , and . The squadron arrived at Gibraltar on 2 October. Endymion departed on 9 October and headed west. She sailed to Plymouth, departing on 27 October for Portsmouth, arriving on 1 November. She then underwent a refit. Replacement fore and main masts were fitted. These had come from and were heavier that those previously installed on Endymion, leading to doubts over her stability. She was reported to be ready for active service in December 1871.

On 11 May 1872, Endymion was inspected at Portsmouth by Admiral Sir George Mundy

George Mundy

Admiral Sir George Mundy, KCB was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the early nineteenth century, serving principally in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...

KCB

Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...

, before departing for Portland that evening. She was described as being armed with 22 guns. She later departed for Gibraltar, arriving on 30 June. She sailed on 6 July to join the Mediterranean Squadron. On 12 July, Endymion anchored in the Tagus

Tagus

The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...

at Lisbon. She later returned to Gibraltar, remaining behind when the squadron sailed as a court-martial

Court-martial

was to be held on board. The engineer of was sentenced to be dismissed from the ship with the loss of a year's seniority and a severe reprimand. Following the conclusion of the court-martial, Endymion joined the squadron at Vigo

Vigo

Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...

, Spain on 14 August. The squadron departed on 21 September, for a cruise around the Mediterranean, with an eventual destination of Malta. It arrived off Lisbon on 24 September, Endymion left the squadron at Gibraltar, sailing on 7 October for England in company of Aurora. Endymion was carrying Sir J Drummond Hay

John Hay Drummond Hay

Right Hon. Sir John Hay Drummond Hay, GCMG, KCB was the United Kingdom's Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Morocco in the nineteenth century....

, and took him to Tangier

Tangier

Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...

, Morocco, leaving immediately after he had disembarked. She called at Lisbon, arriving on 15 October and departing the next day. She arrived at Portsmouth on 31 October. Endymion then underwent a refit. New masts were fitted, which were brought to Portsmouth on board . On 5 November, a court-martial was held at Portsmouth on board Duke of Wellington of a boy who was accused of the theft of £8 7s 6d

£sd

£sd was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies used in the Kingdom of England, later the United Kingdom, and ultimately in much of the British Empire...

belonging to No.7 mess and its caterer. He was found guilty and sentenced to three months' imprisonment at Lewes Gaol

Lewes (HM Prison)

HM Prison Lewes is a local men's prison, located in Lewes in East Sussex, England. The term 'local' means that the prison holds people on remand to the local courts, as well as sentenced prisoners. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service....

.

On 11 January 1873, a court-martial was held at Portsmouth on board of an able seaman from Endymion who was charged with desertion and attempting to obtain money by fraudulent means. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment at Winchester Gaol. The first seven days in each month to be kept in solitary confinement and the rest of the time to be kept at hard labour. At the termination of his imprisonment he was to be dismissed with disgrace. On 19 January, Endymion was undergoing trials in the Channel when she was caught in a storm. A rating was lost overboard and she lost her jib-boom and two boats. Her new foremast was damaged. Following repairs at Portsmouth, she sailed on 22 January for Vigo, her arrival being reported 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...

of 4 February. Endymion departed from Vigo on 6 February in company of , and . She was bound for Barbados

Barbados

Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...

. Vigo was reached in early February, with the squadron sailing on 6 February. Endymion sailed to Martinique

Martinique

Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...

whilst the rest of the squadron sailed to Saint Vincent

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....

. The squadron regrouped at Guadaloupe on 3 April and then sailed to Martinique, arriving at Saint Pierre

Saint Pierre Island

Saint Pierre Island is one of the three main islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. It contains the town of Saint-Pierre, which lies on the island's east coast and is the main population centre of the island group....

on 5 April. The squadron then sailed to 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...

, Jamaica, arriving on 14 May. The squadron then sailed to Gibraltar, where they had arrived by the end of August. On 18 September, Henry Hickley took command of Endymion. In September, Endymion was one of several ships ordered to lay off Valencia, Spain where there was an insurgency

Cantonal Revolution

The Cantonal Revolution was a cantonalist uprising that took place during the First Spanish Republic, starting on July 12 of 1873 in Cartagena...

. Ironclads owned by the Canton of Murcia

Region of Murcia

The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the country, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast....

were crewed by convicts. Questions were asked about whether or not this deprived them of any protection under the laws of war. She was lying off Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

by the end of October, departing on 27 October, and arriving at Valencia on 5 November. Endymion arrived at Gibraltar on 2 December. She departed on 13 December for Malaga

Málaga

, Spain, where she was to relieve Doris.

Endymion departed on 5 January 1874 for Malta, calling at Portmán, Spain on 12 January. Endymion arrived at Malta on 15 February. She departed from Malta on 8 March for Corfu, as part of the Mediterranean Squadron. The other ships were , , and . On 10 May,Endymion and Narcissus both ran aground in Palermo Bay, with Narcissus losing 27 feet (8.2 m) of her false keel and being holed in two places. Both ships put in to Cagliari

Cagliari

Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...

, Sardinia

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

. Rear-Admiral Randolph, in charge of the squadron, was court-martialled on board at Devonport. He was unanimously acquitted. The squadron arrived at Port Mahon

Mahon

Mahón is a municipality and the capital city of the Balearic Island of Minorca , located in the eastern part of the island. Mahon has the second deepest natural harbor in the world: 5 km long and up to 900m. wide...

, Spain on 1 June. Doris was ordered to leave the squadron and proceed to Gibraltar under steam. Endymion was ordered to proceed to Devonport

HMNB Devonport

Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...

, She departed on 13 June, arriving at Plymouth on 4 July. After a spell on guard off the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

, where Queen Victoria

Victoria of the United Kingdom

Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....

was staying at Osborne House

Osborne House

Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....

, she arrived at the Medway

River Medway

The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....

on 23 July for paying off. Endymion left Cowes on 21 July, and was replaced by an ironclad. She sailed to Portsmouth for paying off. On 27 July, an able seaman from Endymion was court-martialled on board at The Nore. He was charged with being in contempt of an officer and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline. He was found guilty and sentenced to one year's hard labour and to be dismissed from the Navy.Endymion was sent to the Humber for coast guard duties.

Guard ship

Endymion was at Hull

Kingston upon Hull

, Yorkshire

East Riding of Yorkshire

by October. On 25 December, a warehouse in Hull caught fire. A boat was despatched from Endymion with a hand pump on board, followed by another with a steam pump. Both boats assisted in the firefighting operation, but the warehouse was gutted. Endymion sailed from Hull in July for Plymouth. replaced her on guard ship duties. Both ships sailed in company from Devonport on 30 July for Portland

Isle of Portland

The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...

.

On 17 January 1875, a court-martial was held on board Duke of Wellington as Portsmouth of a leading seaman from Endymion who was charged with indecent assault and inducing another to commit the same offence. The trial lasted for over eight hours. The first charge was found partly proven, and he was found guilty on the second charge. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment as a close prisoner. On 1 April, a court-martial was held on board Duncan at The Nore of a marine

Royal Marines

The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...

serving in Endymion who was accused of assaulting a corporal in the execution of his duties. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years' hard labour and dismissal from the service.Endymion returned to Chatham in August for her annual refit. Her crew transferred to . In September, she was towed from Sheerness to Devonport by the Admiralty tugs Camel and Grinder, her boilers having been condemned as unfit for service. It was intended that Endymion would be stationed at Harwich

Harwich

, Essex where she was to replace as the flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

of the Admiral Superintendent of the Naval Reserve. That plan was cancelled due to the loss of , with that ship's crew transferring to Iron Duke, with her crew transferring back to Endymion. Endymion departed from Devonport on 4 November for Hull, where she was to take up coast guard duties. As her boilers had not been repaired, she departed under sail. On 13 December, a court-martial was held on board Duke of Wellington at Portsmouth

HMNB Portsmouth

Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...

of an able seaman from Endymion charged with three counts of insubordination and disobedience. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment at Lewes Gaol. The first seven days in each month to be kept in solitary confinement and the rest of the time to be kept at hard labour.

On 23 February 1876, a private in the Royal Marines

Royal Marines

serving on board Endymion was court-martialled on board Duke of Wellington at Portsmouth on a charge of insubordination. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment at Lewes Gaol. The first seven days in each month to be kept in solitary confinement and the rest of the time to be kept at hard labour. On 7 March, a fire broke out in the yard of Humphrys & Pearson Ltd, shipbuilders, located in the Victoria Dock. A range of workshops was destroyed, and the ship Sylph, then under construction, was severely damaged. Her rigging and port side were burnt. Royal Marines from Endymion and assisted in the firefighting operations. On Ascension Day, a salute was fired by Endymion in honour of the Queen. This caused two windows to fall out of a building in Scale Lane, Hull, injuring two passers-by. On 14 August, a fire broke out at a timber yard in Hull. Crewmen from , Endymion and assisted the Hull police in fighting the fire. Nine days later, crewmen from Endymion gave assistance at another fire at a timber yard in Drypool

Drypool

Drypool is an area within the city of Kingston upon Hull, EnglandHistorically Drypool was a village, manor and later parish on the east bank River Hull at the confluence of the Humber Estuary and River Hull, it is now part of the greater urban area of Kingston upon Hull, and gives its name to a...

. John Moresby

John Moresby

Captain John Moresby was a British Naval Officer who explored the coast of New Guinea and discovered the site of Port Moresby.Moresby was born in Allerford, Somerset, England, the son of Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby...

took command of Endymion on 29 September 1876.

In 1877, she remained stationed on the Humber, with as her tender

Ship's tender

A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship used to service a ship, generally by transporting people and/or supplies to and from shore or another ship...

. Pheasant was sent to Sheerness in June for paying off and decommissioning, Pheasant was replaced by . On 9 September, a fire developed in a fish merchant's shop in Church Lane, Hull. The building was three years old, having replaced an earlier structure that had burnt down. Men from Endymion assisted the Hull Police in fighting the fire. Shortly after the fire had been exinguished, Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church, Hull

Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican parish church in the centre of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.-History:It is the largest parish church in England when floor area is the measurement for comparison...

was discovered to be on fire. It was suspected that sparks from the fire at the fish merchant's shop had caused this fire, which was extinguished without doing any major damage.

On 6 March 1878, Henry Woollcombe took command of Endymion. This was due to the death of Rear-Admiral William Charles Chamberlain

William Charles Chamberlain

William Charles Chamberlain was a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy, and sometime Superintendent at the dockyard, HMNB Devonport....

, Superintendent at Devonport. Captain Leveson Somerset, in command at Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

was promoted to the vacated position. Moresby was promoted to the Bermuda position and Woollcombe was promoted to replace him as captain of Endymion. On 12 April, a fire developed in shops at the Market Place, Hull. Forty marines from Endymion assisted the Hull Police in fighting the fire. They brought a hand pump but was unable to use it owing to incompatibility of the hose and hydrant, being different sizes. On 22 August, a private in the Royal Marines was court-martialled at Portsmouth for desertion from Endymion. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months imprisonment and dismissal from service.

In March 1879, a butcher

Butcher

A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...

in Hull

Kingston upon Hull

launched a lawsuit to recover £47

Pound sterling

The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

in respect of meat supplied to the officers of the wardroom mess. A mess-man by the name of Jones had collected monies from various crew, but not paid the butcher. The jury found in favour of the plaintiff, even though notices had been placed in the local press stating that Jones was not authorised to pledge the credit of the officers on board Endymion. A notice which the plaintiff claimed not to have seen. On 15 July, a court-martial was held on board at Sheerness of a lieutenant accused of drunkenness. He was found guilty and sentenced to six months' loss of seniority and a severe reprimand. Endymion departed from Hull under tow on 6 July. She arrived at Chatham on 10 July 1879 to be replaced on the Humber by , with her crew transferring to that ship, including Captain Woollacombe. Endymion was placed in the fourth division of the Medway Steam Reserve. Endymion was decommissioned on 31 July.

Administration and hospital ship

In June 1881, the Lords of the Admiralty

Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

agreed to lend and Endymion to the Metropolitan Asylums Board

Metropolitan Asylums Board

along with a steam pinnace

Pinnace (ship's boat)

As a ship's boat the pinnace is a light boat, propelled by sails or oars, formerly used as a "tender" for guiding merchant and war vessels. In modern parlance, pinnace has come to mean a boat associated with some kind of larger vessel, that doesn't fit under the launch or lifeboat definitions...

, due to an epidemic of smallpox

Smallpox

Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...

in London. Endymion was to serve as an administration. She was towed out of Chatham on 25 June and towed to Greenwich

Greenwich

, Kent

Kent

on 29 June. She was to be used as a hospital ship

Hospital ship

for patients infected with smallpox

Smallpox

, although Endymion was supposed to be an administrative ship. Atlas was acquired by the board on 4 June, and Endymion on 5 July. The plans for the conversion of Atlas and Endymion were drawn up by Messrs A & C Hartson, the architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

s to the board. A gangway connected the two ships. Conversion of Atlas and Endymion cost £11,000. Endymion provided accommodation for the staff serving on the ships, as well as kitchen and laundry facilities. She also provided heating for the ships, as well as laundry and the repair of the patient's clothes being done on board.

The location of the ships drew an objection from the shipbuilders Messrs Rennie because some of their employees refused to work near the riverside where Atlas was moored. It was also necessary to move Atlas and Endymion every time Rennie's launched a ship. In 1882, the Thames Conservancy wrote to the Metropolitan Asylums Board urging them to move Atlas and Endymion from Greenwich. The Thames Conservancy also called upon the board to pay a large claim for expenses incurred by Messrs Rennie's. At a meeting of the board, it was suggested that if moved, Atlas should be used for convalescent patients. The board decided to await the report from a Royal Commission into infectious diseases hospitals before deciding whether or not to move the ships. The last smallpox patients left Atlas in August 1882. The Metropolitan Asylums Board decided that the ships provided a useful facility and that they would be kept.
In 1884, Atlas and Endymion were joined by a third hospital ship, the former cross-Channel

English Channel

paddle steamer

Paddle steamer

A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...

. In February 1885, a meeting of the Metropolitan Asylums Board was informed that the Admiralty had stated that it the board wished to continue using Atlas and Endymion, they would have to purchase them at a cost of £8,400 and £6,500 respectively. The board replied that they would purchase the ships, but asked for the cost to be reduced. In June, it was reported that the board were authorised to purchase both ships. On 2 January 1902, a fire broke out on board Endymion. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade and the fireboat

Fireboat

A fireboat is a specialized watercraft and with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment....

Alpha attended. Endymion served in this rôle until 1904, when the new Joyce Green Hospital opened at Dartford

Dartford

Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....

, Kent. Endymion was sold by auction

Auction

An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...

at the Bull Hotel, Dartford

Dartford

Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....

, Kent, in December 1904 for breaking. Endymion sold for £3,200. Along with Atlas and Castaliâ, a total of £8,045 was realised. The ships were to be removed within two months or a rental of £25 per week would then be payable.

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