HMS Sphinx

HMS Sphinx (1846)

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Name	Sphinx (1846)	Explanation
Type	1st class sloop
Launched	17 February 1846
Hull	Wooden
Propulsion	Paddle
Builders measure	1056 tons
Displacement	1611 tons
Guns	6
Fate	1881
Class
Ships book
Note
Snippets concerning this vessels career
Date	Event
29 June 1846	Commanded by Commander John Bettinson Cragg, Woolwich
2 February 1850	Commanded by Commander Charles Frederick Alexander Shadwell, East Indies (including 2nd Burma war)
24 May 1854 - 21 October 1854	Commanded (from commissioning at Portsmouth) by Captain William John Cavendish Clifford, transporting French troops to the Baltic, then the Black Sea during the Russian war
15 September 1854 - 2 May 1857	Commanded by Captain Arthur Parry Eardley-Wilmot, Mediterranean
20 September 1859 - 1 January 1862	Commanded (from commissioning at Portsmouth) by Commander George Fiott Day, East Indies and China
1 January 1862 - 9 July 1863	Commanded (until paying off at Woolwich) by Commander Theodore Morton Jones, China
1865 - April 1868	Commanded by Captain Richard Vesey Hamilton, West Indies
17 April 1868 - 5 December 1868	Commanded by Captain John Edward Parish, North America and West Indies
12 May 1870 - 17 November 1873	Commanded by Captain Henry Bouchier Phillimore, North America and West Indies
*Extracts from the Times* newspaper**
Date	Extract
Sa 6 March 1858	The Royal Sovereign, 131, Impérieuse, 51, Melpomene, 51, Termagant, 24, and Perseverance troop-ship, are all-in the steam basin at Portsmouth preparing for service. The Duke of Wellington, 131, Captain Eyres. C.B.; Victory, 104, Captain Seymour, C.B.; Blenheim, 60, Captain F. Scott, C.B.; and the Sidon, 22, Sphynx, 6, and Fire Queen steam yacht, are all-in dock fitting out and refitting.
Fr 1 July 1859	The Impérieuse, 51, screw, Captain R.B. Maguire, has been brought down Portsmouth harbour and placed along-side the Malabar, coal depôt, for the purpose of coaling. The Neptune, 91, screw, Captain Sir W. Hoste, has crossed lower and topsail yards and placed battens on her rigging, in readiness for rattling down. She has hauled off from alongside the sheer jetty to alongside the Prince Regent hulk, in Portsmouth harbour. The Sidon, 22, paddle, Captain R.B. Crawford, is coaling alongside the north quay of the fitting basin. The Dauntless, 32, screw, Captain W. Edmonstone, in the steam basin at Portsmouth, has commenced crossing her lower and topsailyards. The Sphinx, 6, paddle, and the Beagle, 8, screw, have both been brought down Portsmouth harbour, and placed in the steam basin, to be advanced to the first-class steam reserve.
Fr 15 May 1868	The Cadmus, screw (unarmoured wooden) corvette, 21 guns, 1,466 tons, 400-horse power, Capt. Alexander C. Gordon, arrived at Spithead on Wednesday morning from Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she had been relieved as senior officers ship by the Sphinx, Capt. Richard Vesey [Hamilton]. She sailed from Halifax on the 25th of April, and experienced a very heavy westerly gale during her run across the Atlantic. Lieut. Green, of the 61st Light Infantry, carne home as passenger in the ship from Halifax, and a number of invalided seamen and marines from the ships forming the English squadrons under the command of Sir George Rodney Mundy also came home in the ship as supernumeraries. In addition to Her Majesty's ship Sphinx there lay at Halifax, on the date of the Cadmus's sailing, the United States armoured turret ship Onondaga, Capt. Deverenne. Vice-Admiral Sir G.R. Mundy, in Her Majesty?s ship Royal Alfred, was expected to arrive at Halifax about the date of the Queen's birthday. On the 9th inst. the Cadmus passed at sea the Nameless, of Jersey. The seamen and marines were disembarked from the Cadmus soon after her arrival at Spithead yesterday by the Sprightly steam tender, and, about 4 p.m., the corvette left Spithead again under steam, for Sheerness, where she is ordered to be dismantled and paid out of commission. She was commissioned for service in the West Indies in December, 1864. Capt. A.C. Gordon has commanded her nearly two years, his appointment bearing date June 1866 [this is quite incorrect; he had commanded her since 13 December 1864]

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