HMS Dryad

Thanks to Navalis for posting the following information on the World Naval Ships Forum: August 1874 – refitting at Devonport 19 August – commissioned by Commander Compton Domville for the North America station 8 September – machinery trials/ran measured mile 24 Sep – sailed Plymouth for Halifax 7 - 8 Oct – at Madeira 12 Nov – arrived Halifax 11 Dec – sailed for Bermuda 4 Jan 1875 – sailed B for Jamaica Jan/Feb – Jamaica / Colon 22 Feb – Jamaica March – Jamaica April – Cienfuegos / Port Antonio 8 May – sailed Jamaica for Port-au-Prince, Haiti June – Jamaica July – St Domingo Aug - Jamaica 9 Sep - assisted mail steamer Shannon which ran aground off Jamaica 23 Sep – boiler room explosion onboard: four men killed – “The Dryad was about to get underway, under steam, from Pedro Bay, where she had been since the 10th, looking after the wreck of the Shannon, when the communication valve of one of the boilers was blown out, and Mr James Dalton, Chief Engineer, Mr William Edwards, engineer, William Rich, leading stoker and William Vonall, stoker were severely scalded. Mr Edwards and Vonall died some hours later but Mr Dalton and Rich were landed at the naval hospital Jamaica, where they died the following evening” (Pall Mall Gazette 16 Oct 75) Part of the machinery, including the safety valve was sent back to UK for examination; it was later claimed that the accident was caused by the imperfect manner in which the valve boxes had been constructed. The faulty coatings had been smoothed over with cement to fill up the holes and flaws, so as to pass muster. 18 Oct – sailed Jamaica for Turks Island 9 Nov – returned Jamaica November/December – at Port Royal, refitting & repairing 6 January 1876 – sailed Jamaica for Havana, Cuba 20 January – sailed H for Jamaica 1 February – arrived Jamaica 24 Feb – sailed for Honduras 2 March – announced that the West Indian Telegraph Company had awarded a sum of £50 to be distributed to the men of the Dryad for their help and assistance in laying the Cuba telegraph cable March – Honduras 21 April – returned Jamaica 27 April – sailed J for Bermuda 11 May – arrived Bermuda 6 June – sailed Bermuda 10 June – arrived Halifax Commander Richard King appointed to command From July – based at Halifax August – November - at Halifax with calls at St Johns - Quebec 2 November – sailed Halifax for Bermuda 3 November = Gazette announced award of Salvage Money to the Dryad for services to the Shannon – ten classes of shares, ranging from £137 for the Commander to 19s 2d at the bottom end 6 November – arrived Bermuda – grounded on entering harbour 2 December – sailed B for Halifax taking mails 15 December – returned Bermuda 4 January 1877 – sailed B for the West Indies in company with the Bellerophon 16 January – at Dominica 30 January – at Barbados 5 February – arrived Trinidad, having called at St Vincent & Grenada 12 February – arrived La Guayra 19 February – arrived Jamaica 27 February – sailed Jamaica for Bermuda, calling at Havana en route 25 March – sailed Bermuda for Halifax with mails April – returned Bermuda April – May – at Bermuda June – July – at Jamaica Commander John Stokes assumed command 25 August – sailed Jamaica for ‘visit various ports on the Spanish Main’ 18 September – returned Jamaica 29 September – sailed Jamaica 3 November – sailed Bermuda for Plymouth 27 November – arrived Plymouth 14 December – paid off into the Reserve

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