 Karteria | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Revolutionary Greece | |
| Name | Karteria |
| Commissioned | 1826 |
| Out of service | 1831 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 233 tons |
| Length | 38.4 m (126 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion | steam paddles/sail |
| Speed | 7 knots (under steam) |
| Crew | 185 |
| Armament | 4 68-poundercarronades, 4 68-pounder cannon |
Hellenicsloop-of-warKartería (Καρτερία;Greek for "Perseverance") was the first steam-powered warship to be used in combat operations in history.[1] It was built in 1825 in an English shipyard for the revolutionaryHellenic Navy during theGreek War of Independence, on the order of CaptFrank Abney Hastings, a formerRoyal Navy officer who had volunteered his services to the Hellenic Navy.
The vessel was built by Daniel Brent Shipwrights in the Greenland South Dockyard,Rotherhithe, London.[2] It was financed mainly from the proceeds of the 2nd Greek Loan raised by theLondon Philhellenic Committee, but also by Capt Hastings' private funds.
The 233-ton vessel was propelled bysteam-powered paddles. Power was generated by 2 small steam engines. The vessel also featured 4 masts and could operate under sail: it was envisaged that the vessel would normally cruise underwind power, but switch to steam-power during combat operations, to allow maximum maneuvrability. It was armed with just 8 guns but all were 68-pounders, the most powerful calibre. The on-board furnaces that burnt coal to generate steam could also be used to heat cannon-shot to a red-hot state, creating highly incendiary missiles.[3]
The ship entered service in Greece in 1826. It was the first steam warship to see combat. (The first steam warship ever built was American, theUSSDemologos, a 30-gun armoured warship launched in 1814, but never used in battle).[4]
Under the command of Hastings, theKartería soon gained a fearsome combat reputation, taking part in numerous operations against theOttoman Navy. (TheKarteria fired 18,000 rounds in 1827 alone). The ship's most celebrated success was a raid on the port ofItea, near Salona (Amfissa) in theGulf of Corinth, on 29/30 September 1827, where it sank 9 Ottoman ships.[5]
Media related toKarteria (ship, 1825) at Wikimedia Commons