The Times newspaper contains the following accounts of the strength, disposition etc. of the Victorian Royal Navy (1842, 1861, 1863).
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| We 20 April 1842 | NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. The total number of vessels in the navy of every description at present in commission is 271. Of these, 19 are line-of-battle-ships, 34 frigates, 69 steam-vessels, 112 brigs and sloops, 11 flag and receiving-ships, 7 troop-ships, 3 Royal yachts, 1 store-ship, 1 hospital-ship, 1 gunnery-ship, 11 tenders and lighters, and 2 navy transports. The line-of-battle-ships are the Howe, 120; Queen, 110; Rodney, 92; Impregnable, 104; Monarch, 84; Ganges, 84; Calcutta, 84; Formidable, 84; Vanguard, 84; Indus, 84; Cornwallis, 72; Agincourt, 72; Blenheim,72; Illustrious, 72; Wellesley, 72; Cambridge, 78; Benbow, 72; Malabar, 72; and Thunderer, 84. The present distribution of the vessels in commission in the British navy is as follows:— | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fr 13 May 1842 | OFFICIAL RETURN of the ROYAL NAVY comprising the SHIPS of WAR and STEAMERS now BUILDING and FIT for SERVICE. Steamers for Service — Acheron, Adder, Advice, African, Alban, Albert, Alecto, Ariel, Asp, Avon, Black Eagle, Beaver, Blazer, Boxer, Carron, Charon, Colombia, Comet, Confiance, Cuckoo, Cyclops, Dasher, Dee, Dotterel, Dover, Echo, Experiment, Fearless, Firefly, Flamer, Fury, Geyser, Gleaner, Gorgon, Hecate, Hecla, Hermes, Hydra, Jasper, Kite, Lightning, Lizard, Locust, Lucifer, Medea, Medina, Medusa, Megara, Merlin, Messenger, Meteor, Minos, Monkey, Myrtle, Otter, Phoenix, Pigmy, Pike, Pluto, Polyphemus, Prometheus, Prospero, Redwing, Rhadamanthus, Salamander, Sampson [only launched in 1844!], Shearwater, Soudan, Sprightly, Spitfire, Stromboli, Swallow, Tartarus, Toronto, Traveller, Urgent, Vesuvius, Vixen, Volcano, Wilberforce, Widgeon, Wildfire, Zephyr. Steamers Building. — Ardent, at Chatham; Beelzebub [I cannot find any reference to this vressel], Portsmouth; Bulldog, Chatham; Centaur, Portsmouth; Cormorant, Sheerness; Devastation, Woolwich; Driver, Portsmouth; Gladiator, Woolwich; Growler, Chatham; Infernal, Woolwich; Inflexible, Pembroke; Janus, ditto; Rattler, Sheerness; Scourge, Portsmouth; Sphynx, Woolwich; Spiteful, Pembroke; Styx, Sheerness; Thunderbolt, Portsmouth; Virago, Chatham; Vulture, Pembroke. Ships of War Building. — Aboukir, 90 guns, Plymouth; Active, 36, Chatham; Albatross, 16, Portsmouth; Albion, 90, Plymouth; Algiers, 110, Pembroke; Amethyst, 26, Plymouth; Amphyon, 36, Woolwich; Arab, 16, Chatham; Boscawen, 70, Woolwich; Calypso, 20, Chatham; Cambrian, 36, Pembroke; Centurion, 60, ditto; Chesapeake, 36, Chatham; Chichester, 50, Woolwich; Collingwood, 80, Pembroke; Colossus, 80, ditto; Constance, 36, Portsmouth; Coquette, 20, Chatham; Creole, 26, Plymouth; Cumberland, 70, Chatham; Daring, 10, Sheerness; Dart, 3, ditto; Despatch, 10, Chatham; Elk, 16, ditto; Exmouth, 90, Plymouth; Flora, 36, ditto; Goleath, 80, Chatham; Hannibal, 90, Woolwich; Heroine, 10, ditto; Helena, 16, Pembroke; Heron, 16, Chatham; Hindostan, 78, Plymouth; Hound, 10, Woolwich; Irresistible, 80, Chatham; Juno,20, Pembroke; Liberty, 16, ditto; Lion, 80, ditto; Majestic, 80, Chatham; Mars, 80, ditto; Mariner, 10, Pembroke; Martin, 10, ditto; Nibe, 26, Plymouth; Philomel, ditto; Royal Albert, 120, Portsmouth; Princess Royal, 120, ditto; Prince of Wales, 120, ditto; Royal Frederick [cancelled], 110, ditto; Sealark, 10, ditto; Siren, 16, Woolwich; Spartan, 26, Plymouth; Spy, 3, Sheerness; Squirrel, 16, Pembroke; Superb, 80, ditto; Sybille, 38, ditto; Victoria, 110, ditto; Worcester, 50, Deptford. The British Navy consists of 605 ships of war in ordinary and commission (including steamers), carrying from 1 to 120 guns each, of different calibre. This fleet, the largest in the world, employs in time of peace 33,000 ablebodied seamen, 2,000 lads, and 13,000 Royal Marines, forming in all an effective naval force of 46,000 men and 2,000 lads. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We 9 October 1861 | Ships Of War Building. It may not be uninteresting to our readers to know that there are 54 ships of war now under constuction at the Royal Dock and other private yards, many of which are in a very forward state for launching. This return, which has been carefully compiled, will show that these vessels will carry an aggregate of 1,254 guns, are of 10,930-horse power [table below adds up to 20,660 horse power!], and 95,255 tons [table below adds up to 95,465 tons!]. The names of these vessels, together with the place of building, are as follows:-[The 20 vessels (638 guns, 8,780 horse power, 41,423 tons displacement) without a link in de table below were cancelled before completion]
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| Fr 2 January 1863 | NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. Naval And Military Intelligence. The annual official return of the number, name, tonnage, armament, and horse-power of each vessel, both steamers and sailing ships, composing the British navy, was published yesterday under the authority of the Lords of the Admiralty. Including a numerous fleet of gunboats, the navy of England on the 1st of January numbered 1,014 ships of all classes. Of this number there are 85 line-of-battle ships, mounting from 74 guns to 131 guns each, according to their rating; 39 of from 50 guns to 72 guns each; 69 frigates of from 24 guns to 46 guns each, most of which are of a tonnage and horse-power equal to a line-of-battle ship; 30 screw corvettes, each mounting 21 guns; and upwards of 600 frigates and vessels of all classes mounting less than 20 guns. In addition to the above there is a fleet of 190 gunboats, each mounting two heavy Armstrong guns and of 60-horse power, besides a numerous squadron of iron and wooden mortar vessels built during the Russian war, and now laid up at Chatham. At present there are 43 vessels under construction for the Admiralty at the various public and private dockyards, many of which will be completed and launched during the present year. The iron vessels building are the Achilles, 50, 6,079 tons, 1,250-horse power, at Chatham; the Northumberland, 50, 6,621 tons, 1,250-horse power, at Millwall; the Minotaur, 50, 6,621 tons, 1,250 horse power, at Blackwall; the Agincourt, 50, 6,621 tons, 1,250-horse power, at Birkenhead; the Hector, 32, 4,063 tons, 800-horse power, at Glasgow; the Valiant, 32, 4,063 tons, 800-horse power, at Millwall; the Tamar, 3, 2,812 tons, 500-horse power, and the iron-cased frigate Royal Alfred, 34, 3,716 tons, 800-horse power, at Portsmouth; the Ocean, 34, 4,045 tons, 1,000-horse power, at Devonport; the Zealous, 34, 3,716 tons, 800-horse power, at Pembroke; and the Favourite, 22, 2,186 tons, 400-horse power, at Deptford. In addition to the above, the Royal Sovereign, 3,963 tons, 800-horse power, is being converted into a cupola ship, and the Enterprise, building at Deptford, for a shield-ship, on the new plan submitted to the Admiralty. During the year 1862 the vessels launched at the several dockyards were the Caledonia, 50, 4,045 tons, 800-horse power, iron-cased frigate, at Woolwich; the Royal Oak, 34, 3,716 tons, 800-horsepower, iron-cased frigate, at Chatham; the Prince Consort, 34, 3,716 tons, 800-horse power, iron-cased frigate, at Pembroke; the Rattler, 17, 951 tons, 200-horse power, and the Columbine, 4, 669 tons, 150-horse Power, at Deptford; the Jaseur, 5, 80-horse power, at Devonport; the Orontes, 3, 2,812 tons, 500-horse power, at Blackwall; and the Enchantress, 4, 835 tons, 250-horse power, and the Psyche, 4, 835 tons, 250-horse power, at Pembroke. The vessels now under construction at the various Royal dockyards, exclusive of the iron and ironcased ships, are the Dryad, 51, 3,027 tons, 600-horse power, the Harlequin, 6, 950 tons, 200-horse power [cancelled in 1864], and the Helicon, 4, 835 tons, 200-horse power, at Portsmouth; the Bulwark, 91, 3,716 tons, 800-horse power [already suspended in 1861 and finally cancelled in 1872]; the Belvidera, 51, 3,627 tons, 600-horse power [cancelled in 1864], the Menai, 22, 1,857 tons, 400-horse power [cancelled in 1864], the Reindeer, 17, 951 tons, 200-horse power, the Salamis, 4, 835 tons, 250-horse power, and the Myrmidon, 4, 695 tons, 200-horse power, at Chatham; the Repulse, 89, 3,716 tons, 800-horse power, the Dartmouth, 36, 2,478 tons, 500-horse power [cancelled in 1864], the Wolverene, 21, 1,623 tons, 400-horse power, and the Sylvia, 4, 695 tons, 200-horse power, at Woolwich; the Robust, 89, 3,716 tons, 800-horse power [already suspended in 1861 and finally cancelled in 1873], the Ister, 36, 3,027 tons, 500-horse power [cancelled in 1864], and the Bittern, 4, 669 tons, 150-horse power, at Devonport; the Endymion, 36, 2,478 tons, 500-horse power, the Sappho, 6, 950 tons, 200-horse power, and the Circassian, 4, 669 tons, 150-horse power [completed as Enterprise], at Deptford; the North Star, 22, 1,623 tons, 400-horse power [cancelled in 1865], at Sheerness; the Tweed, 51, 3,027 tons, 600-horse power [cancelled in 1864], the Trent, 6, 950 tons, 200-horse power, [completed as Research,] the Newport, 5, 425 tons, 80-horse power, the Nassau, 4, 695 tons, 200-horse power, the Guernsey, 4, 695 tons, 200-horse power [cancelled in 1863, not laid down] the Tartarus, 4, 695 tons, 200-horse power [cancelled in 1864], and the Research, 4, 1,253 tons, 200-horse power, at Pembroke; and the Prince Albert, 5, 2,529 tons, 500-horse power, at Millwall. The number of line-of-battle and other steamers composing the squadron on the North American station is 29, under the orders of Vice-Admiral Sir A. Milne, K.C.B. The squadron in the Mediterranean, under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir W.F. Martin, K.C.B., numbers 28 vessels of all classes. The East India and China squadrons consist of 32 vessels, the Admiral in command of that station being Rear-Admiral A.L. Kuper, C.B. The number of ships stationed on the West Coast of Africa assisting in the suppression of the slave trade is 21. The Pacific squadron, under the command of Rear-Admiral J. Kingcome, numbers 12 ships, and that on the south-east coast of America, commanded by Rear-Admiral R.L. Warren, 8 ships. There are six line-of-battle and other ships stationed at the Cape of Good Hope, and the same number are attached to the Australian station, under the orders of Commodore W.F. Burnett, C.B. The Channel squadron consists of the Revenge, 73, 3,322 tons, 800-horse power, Capt. C. Fellowes, flagship of Rear-Admiral R. Smart, K.H.; the Warrior, 40, 6,109 tons, 1,250-horse power, Capt. the Hon. A.A. Cochrane; the Black Prince, 40, 6,109 tons, 1,250-horse power, Capt. J.F.B. Wainwright; the Defence, 16, 3,720 tons, 600-horse power, Capt. A. Phillimore; and the Resistance, 16, 3,710 tons, 600-horse power, Capt. W.C. Chamberlain. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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