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HMS Dryad - Sloop
Country : UK
Launched : 25th September 1866
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
Sold for scrap September 1885.
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