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HMS Highflyer (1851)
Encyclopedia
HMS Highflyer was a 21-gun wooden screw frigate
(later re-designated a corvette) of the Royal Navy
. She was built on the River Thames by C J Mare and launched on 13 August 1851. She spent twenty years in service, including action in the Crimean War
and the Second Opium War
, before being broken up at Portsmouth
in May 1871.
were redesignated as corvettes in 1854. In common with other screw corvettes of the time, she was envisaged as a steam auxiliary, intended to cruise under sail with the steam engine available for assistance. Commensurately she was provided with a full square sailing rig
. Her geared two-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine, provided by Maudslay, Sons & Field, developed 702 ihp and drove a single screw.
yard of C J Mare & Co.
on the River Thames
. She was launched on 18 August 1851 and commissioned at Woolwich on 13 August 1852. The cost of building came to £27,105 for the hull, £17,431 for the machinery and £11,539 for fitting out.
. She took part in the 1853 Naval Review as part of the starboard division, and deployed in 1854 to the Baltic during the Crimean War
.
After recommissioning at Portsmouth in 1856 she sailed for the China Station
, where she took part in the Second Opium War
. She was present at the capture of Canton in December 1857 and the Second Battle of Taku Forts
on 25 June 1859. Midshipman John Fisher, later Baron Fisher of Kilverstone, served in her during the mid 1850s.
Highflyer paid off at Portsmouth on 31 May 1861 and recommissioned on 15 December 1864 for a commission on the Cape of Good Hope
and East Indies
Stations. She paid off for the last time on 31 August 1868 and was broken up at Portsmouth in May 1871.
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"...
(later re-designated a corvette) 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...
. She was built on the River Thames by C J Mare and launched on 13 August 1851. She spent twenty years in service, including action in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
, before being broken up at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
in May 1871.
Design
Highflyer was ordered as a small wooden frigate to a design by the Surveyor's Department of the Admiralty on 25 April 1847; she and her sister EskHMS Esk (1854)
HMS Esk was a 20-gun Highflyer-class screw corvette launched on 12 June 1854 from J. Scott Russell & Co., Millwall. She saw action in the Crimean War, the Second Opium War and the Tauranga Campaign in New Zealand, and was broken up at Portsmouth in 1870.-Design:Esk was built in exchange for HMS...
were redesignated as corvettes in 1854. In common with other screw corvettes of the time, she was envisaged as a steam auxiliary, intended to cruise under sail with the steam engine available for assistance. Commensurately she was provided with a full square sailing rig
Full rigged ship
A full rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel with three or more masts, all of them square rigged. A full rigged ship is said to have a ship rig....
. Her geared two-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine, provided by Maudslay, Sons & Field, developed 702 ihp and drove a single screw.
Construction
The design was approved in November 1849, and she was laid down in January 1850 in the Leamouth WharfLeamouth
Leamouth is the area to the west of the mouth of the River Lea at the River Thames at . The northern part of the area lies within a meander of the Lea; the southern part is bounded in the west by the former East India Docks, on two sides by the Lea and by the River Thames to the south...
yard of C J Mare & Co.
Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company
The Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Limited was a shipyard and iron works straddling the mouth of Bow Creek at its confluence with the River Thames, at Leamouth Wharf on the west side and at Canning Town on the east side...
on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. She was launched on 18 August 1851 and commissioned at Woolwich on 13 August 1852. The cost of building came to £27,105 for the hull, £17,431 for the machinery and £11,539 for fitting out.
Service history
After commissioning she served on the North America and West Indies Station, and in the Mediterranean FleetMediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
. She took part in the 1853 Naval Review as part of the starboard division, and deployed in 1854 to the Baltic during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
.
After recommissioning at Portsmouth in 1856 she sailed for the China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
, where she took part in the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
. She was present at the capture of Canton in December 1857 and the Second Battle of Taku Forts
Battle of Taku Forts (1859)
The Second Battle of Taku Forts, in June 1859, was an Anglo-French attack on a series of Chinese forts protecting Taku, China during the Second Opium War...
on 25 June 1859. Midshipman John Fisher, later Baron Fisher of Kilverstone, served in her during the mid 1850s.
Highflyer paid off at Portsmouth on 31 May 1861 and recommissioned on 15 December 1864 for a commission on the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope Station
The Cape of Good Hope Station was one of the geographical divisions into which the British Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope....
and East Indies
East Indies Station
The East Indies Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1865 to 1941.From 1831 to 1865 the East Indies and the China Station were a single command known as the East Indies and China Station...
Stations. She paid off for the last time on 31 August 1868 and was broken up at Portsmouth in May 1871.