HMS Leven (1813)
Encyclopedia
HMS Leven, was a 20-gun sixth-rate
post ship
(sometimes referred to as a sloop
) of the Cyrus class
, of the Royal Navy
. She was built in Ipswich
, and launched on 23 December 1813. She was notable as the survey ship that mapped large stretches of the coast of Africa in a voyage from 1821 to 1826 under the command of Captain William Fitzwilliam Owen
. Leven Point near Cape Vidal in KwaZulu-Natal
, South Africa
, is named after the ship.
in October 1814, Leven was employed on the coast of La Vendee during Napoleon Bonaparte's final campaign
, under the command of Captain Buckland Stirling Bluett.
under the command of Captain David Ewen Bartholemew, who set off to survey part of the west African coast and the Cape Verde Islands. Bartholemew died at the island of Mayo
on 19 February 1821; his first lieutenant, Robert Baldey, returned Leven to Spithead
on 23 July after an abortive attempt to map the River Gambia.
Command of the ship passed to Captain William Fitzwilliam Owen, who had risen to prominence following his surveys of the Great Lakes
. In August 1821, in the company of the brig-sloop
, Leven departed for Africa again, with orders to map eastward from the Cape of Good Hope
. Amending orders later extended the mission to include a survey of the entire east coast of Africa as well as southern Arabia, Madagascar
, and several island groups in the Indian Ocean
. On their return journey, long stretches of the west African coastline and the River Gambia were surveyed, several slave ships were apprehended and support was given to British forces in the First Anglo-Ashanti War. By the time she returned home late in 1826, 30000 nautical miles (55,560 km) of coast had been surveyed and 83 charts prepared. This had been achieved at a terrible cost; half the crew of the two little ships had been killed by tropical diseases.
. By 1830, she was a prison hulk at Chatham and in 1842, was the receiving ship at Limehouse
. She was finally broken-up in July 1848.
Sixth-rate
Sixth rate was the designation used by the Royal Navy for small warships mounting between 20 and 24 nine-pounder guns on a single deck, sometimes with guns on the upper works and sometimes without.-Rating:...
post ship
Post ship
Post ship was a designation used in the Royal Navy during the Age of Sail to describe a ship of the sixth-rate that was smaller than a frigate , but by virtue of being a rated ship , had to have as its captain a post captain rather than a lieutenant or commander...
(sometimes referred to as a sloop
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
) of the Cyrus class
Cyrus class post ship
The Cyrus-class sixth rates of the Royal Navy were a series of sixteen post ships built to an 1812 design by Sir William Rule, the Surveyor of the Navy. The first nine ships of the class were launched in 1813 and the remaining seven in 1814. The vessels of the class served at the end of the...
, 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 in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, and launched on 23 December 1813. She was notable as the survey ship that mapped large stretches of the coast of Africa in a voyage from 1821 to 1826 under the command of Captain William Fitzwilliam Owen
William Fitzwilliam Owen
Vice Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen , was a British naval officer and explorer. He is best known for his exploration of the west and east African coasts, discovery of the Seaflower Channel off the coast of Sumatra and for surveying the Canadian Great Lakes...
. Leven Point near Cape Vidal in KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, is named after the ship.
Napoleonic wars
After commissioning at WoolwichWoolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
in October 1814, Leven was employed on the coast of La Vendee during Napoleon Bonaparte's final campaign
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
, under the command of Captain Buckland Stirling Bluett.
Survey service
She decommissioned at Chatham in 1816, and in August 1818 she was transferred to the Royal Navy's Survey ServiceUnited Kingdom Hydrographic Office
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is an organisation within the UK government responsible for providing navigational and other hydrographic information for national, civil and defence requirements...
under the command of Captain David Ewen Bartholemew, who set off to survey part of the west African coast and the Cape Verde Islands. Bartholemew died at the island of Mayo
Mayo
- Places :Ireland* County Mayo* Mayo * Mayo * Mayo * Mayo East * Mayo North...
on 19 February 1821; his first lieutenant, Robert Baldey, returned Leven to 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...
on 23 July after an abortive attempt to map the River Gambia.
Command of the ship passed to Captain William Fitzwilliam Owen, who had risen to prominence following his surveys of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. In August 1821, in the company of the brig-sloop
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
, Leven departed for Africa again, with orders to map eastward from 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...
. Amending orders later extended the mission to include a survey of the entire east coast of Africa as well as southern Arabia, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, and several island groups in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. On their return journey, long stretches of the west African coastline and the River Gambia were surveyed, several slave ships were apprehended and support was given to British forces in the First Anglo-Ashanti War. By the time she returned home late in 1826, 30000 nautical miles (55,560 km) of coast had been surveyed and 83 charts prepared. This had been achieved at a terrible cost; half the crew of the two little ships had been killed by tropical diseases.
Harbour duties
Leven was decommissioned in February 1827 and fitted out as a hospital shipHospital 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....
. By 1830, she was a prison hulk at Chatham and in 1842, was the receiving ship at Limehouse
Limehouse
Limehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is on the northern bank of the River Thames opposite Rotherhithe and between Ratcliff to the west and Millwall to the east....
. She was finally broken-up in July 1848.