HMS Assistance (1855)
HMS Assistance (1855)


Royal NavyVessels

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NameAssistance (1855)Explanation
TypeStoreship   
Launched5 April 1855
HullWooden
PropulsionScrew
Builders measure1793 tons
Displacement2260 tons
Guns 
Fate1860
Class 
Ships book
Note1860.06.07 wrecked near Hong Kong Wrecked 1860.06.01
Snippets concerning this vessels career
DateEvent
20 April 1857Commanded by Commander William Andrew James Heath, East Indies and China
Extracts from the Times newspaper
DateExtract
Th 5 February 1857The iron steam troopships Transit, Resolute, and Assistance, are in an advanced state for re-commission at Portsmouth.
Sa 14 March 1857The Transit iron steam troopship will be ready to embark troops in a few days.
Ma 16 March 1857The Transit will be ready in a day or two to embark the 23d Fusiliers.
Tu 17 March 1857Artificers are employed from 5 in the morning until 10 at night in Portsmouth dockyard, to equip the gunboat squadron for China enumerated yesterday as fitting out at Portsmouth, and also the troopships and frigate Transit, Assistance, Adventure, and Furious. The Transit is so far complete that the was swung in Portsmouth harbour yesterday for the adjustment of her compasses, and the others are all well forward. The experienced hands of the ordinary flagship St. Vincent, Captain Eliott, and the steam reserve depôt ship Blenheim, Captain the Hon. F.T. Pelham, C.B., are helping in the rigging and fitting departments.
We 29 April 1857Her Majesty's ship Transit, having the 90th Regiment on board for China, has put in at Corunna in "deep distress." Our Portsmouth correspondent had a letter, from which the following is an extract, placed in his hands yesterday for publication:-

"Her Majesty’s ship Transit, Corunna, April 19.
"Here we are! Done up ! Two days' 'Bay' weather sent us in here to be fresh rigged; you never saw a worse sea boat in your life, — crank, top-heavy, and everything that’s bad! We have everything we could wish in the way of provisions, — only two days' salt since we came on board; — but such an old tub you never saw; the rigging never set up, or anything secured; we had hard work to keep the masts from going over the side; if she had pitched instead of rolling I am sure the foremast must have gone over the bows. We had to get tackles across the decks from side to side to brace the rigging in to save the spars; in fact, a greater tub to roll I never knew. She is topheavy. I am certain she will never weather the Cape, or she will deceive all on board, both soldiers and blue-jackets. She is a disgrace to the British Government, and more so to the dockyard authorities. If she is lost I only hope my diary will be found to condemn those who sent her to sea. You may think what she must be when I teil you for a truth that there are not one dozen men (troops) on board with a dry hammock, every seam in her deck letting in water. They had to give, or at least did give, extra grog.
. "____ ____."

This letter is from an intelligent and responsible person on board the Transit, and is authenticated by name, rank, and every other essential establishing the credit of the writer.


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