Bacchante Class iron screw corvettes.
Photographs and history of the Bacchante class corvettes of the 1870s
including HMS Bacchante, HMS Boadicea and HMS Euryalus, launched 1875 -
1877.
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| HMS
Bacchante |
19th
October 1876 |
Sold 1897 |
| HMS
Boadicea |
16th
October 1875 |
Sold 1905 |
| HMS Euryalus |
31st
January 1877 |
Sold 1897 |
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HMS Bacchante |
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HMS Bacchante iron screw corvette pictured pre 1896.
Sister ship was the Boadicea shown below.
A
reproduction of this original photo / photo-postcard size 10" x
7" approx available. Order photograph here © Walker
Archive. Order Code PHX189 |
HMS Bacchante, 25th June 1897 |
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HMS Boadicea |
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HMS
Boadicea - Name History |
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The third “Boadicea” was a 16-gun screw
corvette, launched at Portsmouth in 1875.
She was of 4140 tons, 5290 horsepower and 14.9 knots speed.
Her length, beam, and draught were 280ft, 45ft, and 24ft. In 1879 the “Boadicea,” flying the broad pennant of Commodore
Frederick W. Richards, proceeded to Cape Town to take part in the Zulu
War. In March the “Boadicea” supplemented the Naval Brigade
already at the front by 16 officers and 378 men under commodore Francis
Romilly. The naval brigade
fought in the battle of Ginginhlovo, rendering excellent service with
the guns, and holding the corners of the British Square, and it
contributed greatly to the relief of Ekowe.
The conduct of the Naval Brigade was eulogised by Sir Garnet
Wolseley, and the “Boadiceas” were the last to re-embark on July 31st.
In 1881 the “Broadicea” flying the broad pennant of Commodore
Frederick Richards, assisted in the first Boer war by the landing of the
Naval Brigade. On January 6th
128 officer and men, two machine guns, and a couple of rocket tubes
proceeded to the front under Commodore Francis Romilly.
The Naval Brigade took part in the battle of Laing’s Nek, and
the disaster at Majuba on February 27th.
In this latter affair the “Boadicea” lost 1 officer and 10
men killed, Commander Romilly and 5 men mortally wounded and 10 severely
wounded. The Dido’s Naval
Brigade lost in addition 3 killed and 3 wounded.
Surgeon Mahon displayed magnificent devotion and gallantry, and
was specially promoted. A
peace was concluded soon afterwards, and the Naval Brigade returned to
their ships. In 1888 the
“Boadicea,” commanded by Captain the Hon. Assheton Curzon Howe, and
flying the flag of Rear Admiral the Hon. Edmund Fremantle, was at the
head of a fleet of seven English vessels and one German ship took part
in the blockade of the Zanzibar Littoral.
This was undertaken in the interests of the suppression of
slavery, and partly in consequence of the revolt of several of the coast
towns against German authority. The
blockade was of an uninteresting nature.
On November 6th the “Boadicea’s” pinnace,
commanded by Lieutenant Walter Clifton Slater, captured a large slave
dhow off Pemba, after a exciting chase of six hours.
The dhow had 41 slaves on board, and was not brought to until
shots had been shot on both sides.
In September 1890 nine German traders were murdered in Vitu, a
small state about 230 miles north of Zanzibar.
On October 24th the boats of the “Boadicea”
Captain the Hon. Assheton Curzon Howe, and those of two other ships,
proceeded to Baltia and burnt the village.
On October 26th a Naval Brigade of 700 seamen and
marines were landed under the personal command of Vice-Admiral the Hon.
Edmund Femantle. Meeting
with some brisk resistance en route, the expedition captured the town of
Vitu on October 27th, Gunner George Alfred Jenning, of the
“Boadicea” blowing up the town gate with gun cotton. The town and the Sultan’s house were burned, and the
brigade returned to their ships, having lost 12 men wounded and
developed several cases of sunstroke.
Captain the Hon. Assheton Curzon Howe was made a C.B. for this
service. In 1905
the “Boadicea” was broken
up. |
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Crew of HMS Boadicea, 1880's at Simonstown.
A
reproduction of this original photo / photo-postcard size 10" x
7" approx available. Order photograph here © Walker
Archive. Original photo and album sold. Order Code LGE0145 |
HMS Boadicea, 1877.
A
large image size 10" x 7" approx, is available. Reproduced
from the original negative / photo under license from MPL, the copyright
holder. A signed numbered certificate is supplied. Price
£25. Order photograph here Order Code
XMP3029
Original
republished © MPL Photograph (Postcard Size). Price £5 Click here
to order. Order Code MP3029 |
HMS Boadicea, 1877.
A
large image size 10" x 7" approx, is available. Reproduced
from the original negative / photo under license from MPL, the copyright
holder. A signed numbered certificate is supplied. Price
£25. Order photograph here Order Code
XMP3030
Original
republished © MPL Photograph (Postcard Size). Price £5 Click here
to order. Order Code MP3030 |
|
The Old Boadicea in c.1900 when she was dismantled for
use as a hulk, she was the last of the fully masted and sparred steam
frigates which immediately preceded the sail-less vessels. The photograph
shows the crew manning yards at Calcutta when she was flagship at the East
Indies Station.
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HMS Boadicea.
HMS Boadicea, flying the flag of Rear Admiral W.R.
Kennedy on the East Indies Station, 1895.
Reproduction
of original photograph published 1895 Price £25. Click here to
order. ORDER CODE 1V10
|
|
HMS Euryalus |
HMS Euryalus, 1878.
A
large image size 10" x 7" approx, is available. Reproduced
from the original negative / photo under license from MPL, the copyright
holder. A signed numbered certificate is supplied. Price
£25. Order photograph here Order Code
XMP3031
Original
republished © MPL Photograph (Postcard Size). Price £5 Click here
to order. Order Code MP3031 |
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