HMS Thetis was a 36-gun fifth-rate

Fifth-rate

In Britain's Royal Navy during the classic age of fighting sail, a fifth rate was the penultimate class of warships in a hierarchal system of six "ratings" based on size and firepower.-Rating:...

 frigate

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"...

 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...

. After nearly a decade of service with the British, she was one of two frigates transferred to Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

 in exchange for two gunboat

Gunboat

A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...

s. She served with the Prussian Navy

Prussian Navy

Throughout the centuries, Prussia’s military consistently concentrated on its land power, and never sought a similar power at sea. Yet historically there were always Prussian naval forces , beginning in the days when "Prussia" meant only the Margraviate of Brandenburg.- The Navy of Electoral...

, the Norddeutsche Bundesmarine

Norddeutsche Bundesmarine

The Norddeutsche Bundesmarine was the Navy of the North German Confederation, formed out of the Prussian Navy. It was eventually succeeded by the Kaiserliche Marine in 1871.-External links:*...

 and the Kaiserliche Marine

Kaiserliche Marine

The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...

 as the SMS Thetis until being decommissioned in 1874 and broken up in 1894.

Design and career

The Thetis was the only ship built to her design, which was approved on 16 March 1843. Her builders were Read, Chatfield & Creuze. With the approval of the final order Thetis was laid down at Devonport Dockyard

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...

 on 2 December 1844. She was launched on 21 August 1846 and duly commissioned for service on 30 December 1846, having cost £40,605, this rising to £51,926 to have her fitted for sea.

From 3 July 1850 to February 1854 her captain was Augustus Leopold Kuper

Augustus Leopold Kuper

Admiral Sir Augustus Leopold Kuper GCB was a Royal Navy officer known for his commands in the far east.-Naval career:...

. He commissioned her at Plymouth and sailed her to the south-east coast of America and then the Pacific. Kuper Island

Kuper Island

Kuper Island belongs to the Penelakut First Nation and is located in the southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. Kuper has a population of about 300 members of the Penelakut Band. The island has an area of 8.66 km²...

, one of the Gulf Islands

Gulf Islands

The Gulf Islands are the islands in the Strait of Georgia , between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada....

 in the Strait of Georgia

Strait of Georgia

The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...

, off the east coast of Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...

, is named for him after he surveyed the area from 1851-3. The other island is named Thetis Island

Thetis Island

Thetis Island is an island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the Gulf Islands. The island was named in 1851 after HMS Thetis, a 36-gun Royal Navy frigate commanded by Captain Augustus Leopold Kuper . The ship was named after the Nereid Thetis from Greek mythology...

. There is also a Thetis Lake

Thetis Lake

Thetis Lake is a name that refers to two freshwater lakes connected by a narrow culvert in the 834 hectare Thetis Lake Regional Park outside Victoria, British Columbia, about 12km from the city centre. It was established as Canada's first nature sanctuary in 1958...

 on Vancouver Island.

Fate

After nine years of service she was disarmed and given to the Prussian Government in exchange for two steam gunboats on 12 January 1855. She sailed from 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 25 March 1855. After serving in the successor navies of the emerging German state, Thetis was struck from the navy list on 28 November 1871. Her internal equipment was removed and she was hulked, eventually being broken up in 1894.