HMS Phoenix (1879)
Encyclopedia
HMS Phoenix was a sloop
launched in 1879. She was wrecked off Prince Edward Island
, Canada on 12 September 1882.
as a development of William Henry White
's 1874 . The graceful clipper bow of the Opsreys was replaced by a vertical stem and the engines were more powerful. The hull was of composite construction, with wooden planks over an iron frame.
(two on pivoting mounts, and two broadside). Four machine guns and one light gun completed the weaponry.
rig, that is, square-rigged foremast and mainmast, and fore-and aft sails only on the mizzen mast.
and laid down on 8 July 1878. She was launched on 16 September 1879 and commissioned on 20 April 1880.
on the morning of 12 September 1882 under the command of Commander Hubert Grenfell. In company with , she was on her way to Canso, Nova Scotia
. The wind was a north-east gale and the sea was thick with rain squalls. As she approached East Point
from the north-west, under short sail and in the dark, the distance to East Point Light was judged to be 4 or 5 miles. In fact, the distance was deceptive, and with the tidal stream carrying the ship towards East Point at as much as 6 knots (11.8 km/h), the ship was swept onto the East Point Reef in an approximate position of 46°28.5′N 61°58′W.
The whole of 13 September was spent trying to save the ship, but the sea was too rough for boats to travel between the ship and the land. By 14 September 4 local fishermen were able to take a boat to Phoenix, which by now was sitting upright on the reef and flooded to the deck. Grenfell ordered the boats and rafts to make for the shore, and everybody on board was landed safely.
Northampton was recalled by telegram from Halifax and brought with her Rear Admiral Sir Francis Leopold McClintock
, the commander-in-chief of the North America and West Indies Station. The weather remained poor, and it was not until 19 September that the ship's company of Phoenix could be embarked. With the help of two small vessels, Foam and Charger, Phoenixs guns and heavy equipment were salvaged, but it was clear that the ship could not be refloated, and the salvage rights to the wreck were sold for £3,000.
The board of enquiry found that insufficient efforts had been made to establish the range of the light, and that the courses steered had been hazardous. Commander Grenfell was given a severe reprimand and dismissed ship, Lieutenant John Hill, the navigating officer, forfeited a year's seniority, and the gunner was reprimanded.
By December 1883 there were only a few ribs to be seen at low water, and the scattered remains of the wreck now lie in less than 30 feet (9.1 m) of water. The wreck can be dived, although strong tidal streams make the area dangerous for all but the most experienced.
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...
launched in 1879. She was wrecked off Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, Canada on 12 September 1882.
Design
The Doterel class was designed by Nathaniel BarnabyNathaniel Barnaby
Sir Nathaniel Barnaby, KCB was Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy from 1872 to 1885....
as a development of William Henry White
William Henry White
Sir William Henry White was a prolific British warship designer and Chief Constructor at the Admiralty....
's 1874 . The graceful clipper bow of the Opsreys was replaced by a vertical stem and the engines were more powerful. The hull was of composite construction, with wooden planks over an iron frame.
Propulsion
Power was provided by three cylindrical boilers, which supplied steam at 60 pound per square inches (413,685.4 Pa) to a two-cylinder horizontal compound-expansion steam engine driving a single 13 inch screw. This arrangement produced 1128 ihp and a top speed of 11+1/2 kn.Armament
Ships of the class were armed with two 7-inch (90 cwt) muzzle-loading rifled guns on pivoting mounts, and four 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled gunsRML 64 pounder 64 cwt gun
The RML 64 pounder 64 cwt gun was a Rifled, Muzzle Loading naval, field or fortification artillery gun manufactured in England in the 19th century, which fired a projectile weighing approximately...
(two on pivoting mounts, and two broadside). Four machine guns and one light gun completed the weaponry.
Sail plan
All the ships of the class were provided with a barqueBarque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
rig, that is, square-rigged foremast and mainmast, and fore-and aft sails only on the mizzen mast.
Construction
Phoenix was ordered from Devonport DockyardHMNB 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...
and laid down on 8 July 1878. She was launched on 16 September 1879 and commissioned on 20 April 1880.
Service
Sloops of her type were designed for patrolling Britain's extensive maritime empire, and were normally sent to foreign stations for extended periods. Typically the crews would serve commissions of several years before handing their ship over to a newly-arrived crew and returning home in another ship. Phoenix was sent to the North America and West Indies Station.Wreck
Phoenix left Gaspé, QuebecGaspé, Quebec
Gaspé is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the city had a total population of 14,819....
on the morning of 12 September 1882 under the command of Commander Hubert Grenfell. In company with , she was on her way to Canso, Nova Scotia
Canso, Nova Scotia
For the headland, see Cape Canso.Canso is a small Canadian town in Guysborough County, on the north-eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia, next to Chedabucto Bay. The area was established in 1604, along with Port Royal, Nova Scotia. The British construction of a fort in the village , was instrumental...
. The wind was a north-east gale and the sea was thick with rain squalls. As she approached East Point
East Point, Prince Edward Island
East Point is a cape and an unincorporated community located at the eastern-most extremity of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Its geographic coordinates are 46º27'N, 61º58'W....
from the north-west, under short sail and in the dark, the distance to East Point Light was judged to be 4 or 5 miles. In fact, the distance was deceptive, and with the tidal stream carrying the ship towards East Point at as much as 6 knots (11.8 km/h), the ship was swept onto the East Point Reef in an approximate position of 46°28.5′N 61°58′W.
The whole of 13 September was spent trying to save the ship, but the sea was too rough for boats to travel between the ship and the land. By 14 September 4 local fishermen were able to take a boat to Phoenix, which by now was sitting upright on the reef and flooded to the deck. Grenfell ordered the boats and rafts to make for the shore, and everybody on board was landed safely.
Northampton was recalled by telegram from Halifax and brought with her Rear Admiral Sir Francis Leopold McClintock
Francis Leopold McClintock
Admiral Sir Francis Leopold McClintock or Francis Leopold M'Clintock KCB, FRS was an Irish explorer in the British Royal Navy who is known for his discoveries in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.-Biography:...
, the commander-in-chief of the North America and West Indies Station. The weather remained poor, and it was not until 19 September that the ship's company of Phoenix could be embarked. With the help of two small vessels, Foam and Charger, Phoenixs guns and heavy equipment were salvaged, but it was clear that the ship could not be refloated, and the salvage rights to the wreck were sold for £3,000.
The board of enquiry found that insufficient efforts had been made to establish the range of the light, and that the courses steered had been hazardous. Commander Grenfell was given a severe reprimand and dismissed ship, Lieutenant John Hill, the navigating officer, forfeited a year's seniority, and the gunner was reprimanded.
By December 1883 there were only a few ribs to be seen at low water, and the scattered remains of the wreck now lie in less than 30 feet (9.1 m) of water. The wreck can be dived, although strong tidal streams make the area dangerous for all but the most experienced.