HMSCyclops was a paddle wheelsteam frigate built for theRoyal Navy and launched in 1839 and taken out of service in 1861 and sold for breaking in January 1864. She saw action in theSyrian War in 1840 and theCrimean War in 1854, later being involved in laying the firstTransatlantic telegraph cable in 1858.
TheCyclops was a first classsloop launched on 10 July 1839 and completed in February 1840. Built in the Royal Navy dockyard inPembroke Dock,Pembrokeshire inWales[1] with a wooden hull, she weighed 1,195 tons, had six guns and was propelled by a paddle in the middle of the ship[2] powered byJ. & S. Seaward and Capel two-cylinder 'Gorgon' engines giving a top speed of 9.5 knots. TheCyclops was originally intended as a sister ship for theGorgon but in July 1838 her design was altered by adding a 12 foot long midships section and she became a steam frigate, changing to acorvette in the 1850s. At that time she was the largest steam warship in the world.[3]
By 1840 the Royal Navy had commissioned two ships that had been designed as steam paddle frigates. TheGorgon and the slightly largerCyclops had both been constructed to have a full battery on their gun deck, next to carrying guns on their upper decks. However,Gorgon was so deep in the water that her gun ports had to be shut permanently.Cyclops had been designed to carry 16 32 pdrs on the main deck, but these could not be fitted.[4] Both ships therefore failed to become true frigates, but were nevertheless very successful. TheCyclops would be taken as a model to build six more of thesesteam frigates (Vulture,Firebrand,Gladiator,Sampson,Dragon andCentaur) .[5] On 31 May 1844 the Admiralty then officially adopted the term 'steam frigate'. All these ships became steam (paddle) frigates of the second class, except for theGorgon, which became a sloop.[6]
The rating ofCyclops as a 'steam frigate' was surprising: she was rigged as a brig (with only two masts), and carried all her guns on the upper deck.[4] Other aspects did explain this classification. TheCyclops was commanded by a captain and had at least been planned to have a 'complete' covered gun deck. The crew of 175 men was areduced crew.[7] By counting 13 men for every two 32 pdrs, the designed complement would be 175 + (8*13) = 284 men, almost matching that of a fifth rate frigate. Another reason to rate theCyclops as a frigate was that with her size of 1,190 bm tons, she was of the same size as the fifth rate frigates like those of theSeringapatam-class frigate of 1,150 bm tons. As the Royal Navy lacked a corvette category, the alternative would have been to rate her as a sloop, but even ship-rigged sloops did not get near her size. When the Royal Navy started to use the designation corvette, theCyclops and her six near sisters were re-classified as corvettes in the 1850s.[6]
From 19 November 1839 theCyclops was commanded by CaptainHoratio Thomas Austin, and among the crew at its launch was Joseph Andrews who in 1845 was appointed captain of the hold aboard theErebus and who was lost during theFranklin Expedition. In March 1840Arthur Cumming (later Admiral Sir Arthur Cumming) was appointed Mate,[8] while in February 1841Charles Frederick Schomberg was appointed the ship's senior lieutenant.
Under Austin theCyclops saw service in theMediterranean Sea and operations during theSyrian War in 1840, one of the last actions for which theNaval General Service Medal was awarded. The war had begun whenMehemet Ali,Pasha ofEgypt, attempted to claim independence from theOttoman Empire.[9] Ali invadedSyria and took control of theOttoman Fleet forcing youngSultanAbdülmecid I to request help from the European powers.[9] Great Britain,Austria,Prussia andRussia agreed to assist and issued an ultimatum to Ali demanding his withdrawal from Ottoman possessions (Arabia,Crete and Syria) in return for being made hereditaryViceroy of Egypt.[9]Cyclops was detached from patrolling to carry the ultimatum intoAlexandria on 9 August 1840.[10]
The ultimatum was refused and the European allies intervened, the naval side of the war becoming the responsibility of Britain and Austria.[9]Cyclops played an active role; arriving atBeirut on 7 September 1840 to fire shells in support of the landing of Ottoman troops, attempting to capture the fort atGebail on 11 September, landingmarines and further troops atJouna on 12 September and capturingBatroun on 15 September.[10] On 25 SeptemberCyclops arrived atSidon, the main Egyptian southern division supplies depot, alongsideHMSThunderer,Gorgon,Wasp,Stromboli,Hydra,SMSGuerriera (Austrian) andGulfideh (Ottoman).[9] The ships proceeded to bombard the citadel and surrounding fort on 26 September before a force of 500 Ottoman troops were landed.[9] The 2,700 strong defending force continued to resist so the bombardment was resumed and reinforcements of 750 British Marines and 100 Austrian troops landed, alongside some British sailors.[9] The fort was overrun and the entire garrison captured, Cumming beingmentioned in despatches for his bravery during the action.[9]The Admiralty rewarded him with promotion to the rank oflieutenant, dated just two days after the action.[8]Cyclops remained in the theatre until leaving forMalta in October and saw action atTsour, the Syrian War continued into November 1840.[10] TheCyclops was paid off in January 1843.[3]
From May to September 1843 under Captain Austin theCyclops saw service off Ireland and formed part of the "royal squadron" accompanying the royal yachtVictoria and Albert toLe Tréport in France andOstend in Belgium. In 1846 she formed part of theExperimental Squadrons, groups of ships sent out in the 1830s and 1840s to test new techniques of ship design, armament, building and propulsion against old ones.
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From November to December 1846 she was commanded by Captain William Frederick Lapidge off the south-east coast of America following which she formed part of theChannel Squadron.[2] In December 1843 LieutenantGraham Gore joined the crew being "employed for particular service". He was later lost onErebus during theFranklin Expedition in theArctic.[11]
From July 1848 her captain wasGeorge Fowler Hastings, during whose command she transported soldiers to Ireland and saw service on the west coast of Africa until February 1851.[12] The crew ofCyclops are recorded as receiving bounties for the capture of the vesselsBom Successo on 25 December 1848,Esperanca on 10 May 1849,[13]Sophia on 11 August 1849 andApollo on 29 October 1949 (the last two in consort withHMS Rattler)Pilot on 10 January 1850,Ventura on 27 January 1850 (both withHMS Pluto),[14]Sociedade on 17 June 1850,[15] and an unnamed "slavebrigantine" on 20 November 1850;[16] as the chief duty of theWest Africa Squadron was the suppression of theslave trade,[3][17] presumably those ships were allslave ships.
TheCyclops saw action under its Master Robert Wilson Roberts on 17 October 1854 when she took part in the first Bombardment ofSebastopol during theCrimean War.[3][18]
In 1855 she saw service in the Mediterranean under Master Commander John F. Rees, while during April to September 1857 under Lieutenant Commander Joseph Dayman she took surveyed the route for laying the firstTransatlantic telegraph cable and in the following year she escorted the converted warshipHMSAgamemnon when the first cable was laid.[3] From September 1857 under CaptainWilliam John Samuel Pullen she was in the East Indies and China and was involved in surveying theRed Sea andCeylon.[2]
On 15 June 1858 21 Christian residents ofJeddah, then anOttoman town of 5,000 inhabitants, predominantly Muslims, were killed in theJeddah massacre, including the French consul M. Eveillard and his wife, and the British vice-consul Stephen Page, by "some hundreds ofHadramites, inhabitants of Southern Arabia". On getting no reply to her "demand for satisfaction", theCyclops bombarded the town for two days in July 1858.[3] Twenty-four residents, mostly Greeks and Levantines, some "under British protection" plus the daughter of the French consul Elise Eveillard and the French interpreter M. Emerat, both badly wounded, escaped and took refuge, some by swimming to it, in theCyclops.[19][20][21][22]
Her final service was to lay a submarine cable betweenKarachi andAden to complete the telegraph link between London and India. She was finally paid off in May 1861.[3]
HMSCyclops was sold for breaking in January 1864.[2][23]
Media related toHMS Cyclops (ship, 1839) at Wikimedia Commons