HMS Waterwitch was a British hydrographic

Hydrography

Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...

 survey vessel active in eastern Asian waters in the early 20th century. She was a wooden vessel, purchased from a private owner specifically for survey work. She was lost in a collision in Singapore harbour in 1912.

Construction and Acquisition

She was originally built as a private vessel in 1878 as The White Lady, and given by an admirer to Lillie Langtry

Lillie Langtry

Lillie Langtry , usually spelled Lily Langtry when she was in the U.S., born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, was a British actress born on the island of Jersey...

, famous as the mistress of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII

Edward VII of the United Kingdom

Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...

). The vessel was sold and renamed Lancashire Witch, then purchased by the British Admiralty on 17 March 1893, renamed Waterwitch and rated 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...

 for survey work.

Career

Much of Waterwitchs surveying was done in Malayan waters; a postcard from a member of the crew shows she was in Port Swettenham in September 1908. According to Korean accounts, Waterwitch surveyed Socotra Rock

Socotra Rock

Socotra Rock is a submerged rock 4.6 meters below sea level located in the East China Sea. The rock is the subject of a territorial dispute between South Korea, which considers it to lie within its exclusive economic zone, referring to it as Ieodo or Parangdo , and China, which considers it to...

 in 1910, and confirmed a depth of less than 18 ft (5.5 m). Some of the ocean features surveyed by Waterwitch include:

Feature	Position	Date	Remarks
Hayward Bank	34°57′N 11°56′W	19 August 1894
Dacia Bank	31°10′N 13°40′W	23 August 1894	Named for the cable ship Dacia
Waterwitch Bank	12°31′S 176°44′W	23 September 1895	Named for Waterwitch
Combe Bank	12°33′S 177°38′W	26 September 1895	Named for J W Combe, CO of Waterwitch
Isabella Bank	12°24′S 177°25′W	28 September 1895
Balmoral Reef	15°40′S 175°52′W	6 November 1896
Norfolk Ridge	28°34.7′S 167°50.7′E	Unknown	Named for Norfolk Island Norfolk Island Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...

Loss

On 1 September 1912, while lying at anchor off the north-eastern end of the mole at Singapore Harbour, Waterwitch was struck amidships by Seamew, the personal launch of the Governor of Singapore. Seamew had been heading around the breakwater for her usual berth and paid little enough attention to the position of Waterwitch that she drove right at her. The launch's sharp prow pierced Waterwitchs wooden side, and she then compounded her error by putting her engines hard astern. Waterwitchs bridge collapsed, her mainmast fell over the port side, and the resulting gaping wound in her side allowed an overpowering in-rush of water.

Since her fires were out, no power could be raised, and so her anchor watch manned the pumps and a tug

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

took her in tow. The wash from the tug increased the flooding and Waterwitch sank in 24 ft (7.3 m) of water. At low water, her masts, funnel, and the highest parts of her superstructure remained above water. Two members of her ship's company were drowned: Marine Sturgess knocked himself out diving overboard and was drowned, and an unnamed Chinese boy drowned between decks. She was later raised, repaired and sold. A Board of Trade inquiry was held at Singapore from 20 to 23 September 1912.