HMS Comus

HMS Comus (1878)

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Name	Comus (1878)	Explanation
Type	Corvette
Launched	3 April 1878
Hull	Steel
Propulsion	Screw
Builders measure
Displacement	2380 tons
Guns	14
Fate	1904
Class	Comus
Ships book
Note
Snippets concerning this vessels career
Date	Event
28 October 1879 - 7 March 1884	Commanded (from commissioning at Sheerness) by Captain James Wylie East, China then Pacific
*Extracts from the Times* newspaper**
Date	Extract
Fr 17 October 1879	Orders have arrived at Sheerness to commission the Comus on the 23d inst, The Comus is one of the steel ships recently built at Glasgow by Messrs. Elder and Co.
Tu 9 December 1879	The Comus, 14, screw corvette, 2,383 tons, 2,300-horse power, Capt. J.W. East, which left Sheerness about a fortnight since for the China station, arrived in Sheerness harbour yesterday morning from Portsmouth, in order to have some important alterations made in her interior.
Tu 6 January 1880	The following Information respecting the movements of Her Majesty’s ships is supplied by the Admiralty The Achilles arrived at Gibraltar on the 3d inst., would coal on the 5th, and leave for Lisbon on the 6th inst. The Orontes arrived at Port Said on the 3d inst. The Jumna arrived at Port Said on the 3d inst. The Euphrates arrived at Malta on the 1st inst., and sailed on the 2d for Port Said. The Comus arrived at Madeira on the 3d inst. and left on the 4th. The Albatross arrived at Aden on the 1st of January and proceeded. From the East Indies Station letters have been received from Rear-Admiral Gore Jones in the Vulture, at Bombay, up to the 15th of December. The Euryalus left on the 13th of December for Aden and Suez; she will be docked at Suez; Rear-Admiral Jones, having transferred his flag to the Vulture, remains at Bombay. The Ruby returned to Rangoon on the 14h of December from Maulmain; she will procced to Trincomalee and Bombay when relieved by the Spartan. The Wild Swan was at Rangoon. The Spartan left Trincomalee on the 8th of December for Rangoon to relieve the Ruby. The Dragon arrived at Zanzibar on the 1st of November, and left on the 12th of November for Johanna to relieve the Rifleman; she would call at Lindi, and then cruise near the Comoro Islands. The Vestal was at Mozambique on the 6th of November. The Rifleman was at Johanna on the 3d of November, would go to Zanzibar, and thence to Aden on her way to England. The Beacon was at Bahrein on the 6th of December. The Ready was at Muscat on the 7th of December.
Tu 2 March 1880	The following Information respecting the movements of Her Majesty’s ships is supplied by the Admiralty The Raleigh arrived at Madeira on the 28th of February; all well. The Comus and the Dido arrived at Simon’s Bay on the 29th of February; all well. From Jamaica.— Letters have been received from Commodore Ward up to the 8th of February. The Druid, sailed for Belize and coast of Cuba on the 26th of January. The Flamingo, after visiting the island ports, would join the Admiral on the 1st of March. The Sparrowhawk, after refit, resumed surveying duties on the 31st of January. The Plover arrived on the 7th of February from Bermuda. From Trinidad.— Letters have been received from Vice-Admiral Sir F.L. M’Clintock; arrived in the Northampton on the 7th of February, having left Barbados, with the Tourmaline in company on the 5th of February; would leave on the 13th of February for Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, and Antigua.
Sa 13 March 1880	The following Information respecting the movements of Her Majesty's ships is supplied by the Admiralty The Goshawk arrived as Galway from Clifden on Thursday, having visited Innishark and Arran Islands and distributed meal. The Wye arrived at Gibraltar on the 10th inst.; would leave on the 11th inst. for Lisbon. Her Majesty's Indian troopship Crocodile left Malta yesterday for Portsmouth. From the East Indies.— The Ruby sailed on the 16th of February for Zanzibar. The Spartan was at Rangoon waiting relief by the Eclipse. The Wild Swan was at Port Blair, Andaman Islands; would leave tor Rangoon about the 4th of March. The Beacon was in dock at Bombay. The Ready was at Muscat, at disposal of Political Resident, Persian Gulf; the Vulture was at Bussorah, also at disposal of Resident, Persian Gulf. From the Cape of Good Hope. —The Dido arrived on the 11th February. The Comus left Ascension on the 25th of January and visited Tristan d'Acunha on the 6th of February, arrived at the Cape on the 14th of February, and would leave for Crozet Islands, St. Paul's, and China station on the 20th of February.
Fr 19 March 1880	The steel corvette Comus, Capt. East, had by last advices reached Simon’s Bay, and had by her performances justified the Admiralty in building the "C" class of ships. The Comus left Plymouth on the 24th of December, and arrived under sail at Ascension on Sunday, January 25, having made an excellent passage and proved herself a capital sailer. It was expected that by the time she arrived at her station in China she would have become a very smart ship, as the captain was taking advantage of every opportunity to exercise the crew in making and shortening sail, reefing, &c. The Comus called in at Tristan d’Acunha on the 8th of February, the expectations of the captain to make the whole distance under canvas not having been fulfilled; for as the wind fell light it was found necessary to get up steam. The object of the ship's calling at the island was to present, in the name of the President of the United States, the senior resident, Peter Green, with a gold chronometer watch, the next in rank with a binocular glass, and the rest of the settlers with £40 in money for their having been the means of saving the lives of an American shipwrecked crew. The Comus did not anchor off the island, but the captain, with nearly all the officers, went on shore and were met on the beach with great rejoicings by the inhabitants, who were very anxious to sell them provisions. The settlers number, all told, 105 persons, who seemed very healthy and comfortable. Indeed, disease is well-nigh unknown on the island. The Comus arrived at Simon's Bay on Saturday afternoon, February 14, after having experienced squalls and much bad weather, and the crew had the pleasure of hearing that the mails which they had missed at Madeira had been forwarded to the Cape. After visiting the Crozet Islands in search of a supposed ship-wrecked crew, the Comus would proceed to Singapore and China.
Th 3 June 1880	The following Information respecting the movements of Her Majesty’s ships is supplied by the Admiralty:— From the Mediterranean.— Letters have been received from the Commander-in-Chief at Malta up to the 27th of May. The Cygnet and the Falcon are temporarily employed on the coast near Smyrna; the Cygnet is under orders to leave the Piraeus for Corfu on the 8th inst.; the Falcon will proceed to Constantinople, remain three weeks, then visit the Piraeus and Smyrna for a few days each, and then return to the Sea of Marmora. From the East Indies.— The Commander-in-Chief sails for a cruise to the Mauritius, Zanzibar, &c., in the Euryalus, on the 1st inst. From China.— The Comus sailed northward from Batavia on the 21st of April; the Frolic left Singapore for Seychelles and Spithead on the 28th of April. From Australia.— The Raleigh will be ordered to call at Wellington (New Zealand) on her return voyage, and will be met there by the Danae.
Th 26 August 1880	The composite vessel Hornet, Commander Eaton, which left Singapore on the 1st of May on the arrival there of the Comus, reached Spithead yesterday afternoon. She arrived at Malta on the 18th of July, where she was detained several days for the purpose of making good defects in her machinery. She left England for China on the 19th of January, 1869, and was re-commissioned at Hongkong on the 25th of February, 1877. She will go into Portsmouth harbour this afternoon for inspection, and will be paid off into the 4th Division of the Steam Reserve.
Ma 4 October 1880	China.— Letters have been received from the Commander-in-Chief in the Vigilant, at Yokohama, up to the 12th of August. Had arrived from Okosiri Island on the 12th of August. The Albatross, arriving at Nagasaki on the 11th of August, remains. The Comus arrived at Yokohama from Hongkong on the 30th of July, and remains. The Encounter, Senior Officer of the North China Division, was at Shanghai on the 21st of July. The Fly was on passage to Kobé. The Foxhound arrived at Hakodadi on the 3d of August. The Iron Duke left Okosiri Island for Hongkong on the 6th of August. The Lapwing returned to Tientsin from Cheefoo on the 9th of July and remains. The Lily was at Shanghai on the 21st of July; would relieve the Mosquito at Hankow. The Modeste would leave Yokohama to be docked at Nagasaki about the 19th of August. The Mosquito was at Hankow on the 3d of July; would be relieved by the Lily. Hongkong.— Letters received from the Commodore up to the 23d of August state that the Iron Duke arrived from Japan on the 18th of August, and was taken into Aberdeen Dock on the 20th; was undocked on the 20th of September. The Kestrel, en route to Singapore, was detained at Manilla until the 7th of August by bad weather. The Moorhen would be ready for sea by the 20th of September, and would proceed to Singapore to relieve the Kestrel. The Pegasus was at Hongkong for general service. The Sheldrake was at Foochow. The Swinger was at Amoy.

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