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| Name | Spitfire (1845) | Explanation | |
| Type | Gunvessel | ||
| Launched | 26 March 1845 | ||
| Hull | Wooden | ||
| Propulsion | Paddle | ||
| Builders measure | 432 tons | ||
| Displacement | 500 tons | ||
| Guns | 5 | ||
| Fate | 1888 | ||
| Class | |||
| Ships book | |||
| Note | 1851 survey vessel. 1862 tug | ||
| Snippets concerning this vessels career | |||
| Date | Event | ||
| 12 June 1845 | Commanded by Lieutenant commander James Archibald Macdonald, Mediterranean | ||
| 1 May 1848 - 5 October 1849 | Commanded by Lieutenant commander George Ommaney Willes, flagship of James Hope, Mediterranean | ||
| 21 April 1851 - 2 January 1855 | Commanded by Commander Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt, Mediterranean (surveying in Crete) and (1854) Black Sea during the Russian War | ||
| 3 January 1855 - 7 February 1856 | Commanded by Captain Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt, Mediterranean | ||
| 9 April 1858 - 24 December 1859 | Commanded by Lieutenant William Cox Chapman, west coast of Africa | ||
| 18 November 1859 | Commanded by Lieutenant Constantine O'Donnel Allingham, west coast of Africa | ||
| Extracts from the Times newspaper | |||
| Date | Extract | ||
| Tu 24 February 1846 | MALTA, Feb. 15. The only local event of the smallest interest relates to the court-martial which has been sitting since Monday last on board Her Majesty's ship Hibernia to try Lieutenant-Commander M'Donald and Second Master Stabb, for having got the steamer Spitfire on shore on the north-east end of Ithaca some weeks ago.The Court was composed of Rear-Admiral 8ir L. Curtis, president; Captain W.P. Wallis, Warspite; Captain Stopford, Amazon; Captain Richards, Hibernia; Commander Otway, Virago, as members; Mr. Benjamin Chimmo, Acting Deputy Judge-Advocate. After sitting every day throughout the week, the Court has finally adjourned till Monday for sentence, the defence having concluded last sight. From all I am enabled to learn of the facts, it would appear that for a long time past the Spitfire has been in a state of very serious insubordination, and the general feeling now is, that she was run ashore on purpose by a Quarter-master, the Commander and Stabb being below at the time. It is, however, notorious that the vessels employed in the packet service are not sufficiently well officered. It could hardly have been the intention of the Admiralty to have placed so few officers on board as to necessitate the attendance on the quarter-deck of one of the officers for 26 hours and a half successively! The sentence is anxiously looked for here. [The Times does not seem to contan any further reference to this court martial, but - as MacDonald remained in command of Spitfire - I assume he was not found guilty, or at most was admonished] | ||
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