can you pls confirm shore base or seafaring

[JulesSmith]

I have my GG Grandfather's service record, but I can't identify which are shorebased and which are seafaring ships. Can you help please. Also, I can't make out some of the names so I will type them as they look, maybe someone would be good enough to take a look. Many thanks

Asia - 1878, 79, 80, 81, 85, 86, 90 I know this is seafaring
Opontes or Orontes ? 1878
Serapies 1879
Inflexible 1881
Excellent 1885
Swallow 1886
Vicotry II 1891, 95
Scout 1892
Sappho ? 1895
Australia (is this the name of a ship or the country?) 1896
And finally Duke of Wellington 1901 - 1903

The dates are when he served on them.
thank you in advance

Jules

[Commodore Armiger]

Asia: Guardship (launched 1824 as a 2nd rate line-of-battleship)

Orontes: Troopship (launched 1862)

Serapis: Troopship (launched 1866)

Inflexible: Battleship (newly launched in 1881)

Excellent: Gunnery Training Ship at Portsmouth (ex 1st rate line-of-battleship Queen Charlotte)

Swallow: Cruiser (launched 1885)

Victory II: Tender, Portsmouth

Scout: Torpedo cruiser (launched 1885)

Sappho: Cruiser (launched 1885) served mostly at distant colonial possessions.

Australia: Cruiser (launched 1888) (n.b. HMS not HMAS)

Duke of Wellington: Flagship Portsmouth (launched 1852 as 1st rate line-of-battleship, steam/sail)

Information on most of these can be found at www.wikipedia.org - remember to put HMS in front of the name. Swallow for some reason is not on Wiki, but at www.nhcra-online.org .

[JulesSmith]

Many thanks for the info, I'll take a look at the Wiki... I maybe should have thought to do that first.

[Joseph]

Jules,

Welcome to the forum, please do not take Wiki as a reference for any answers or assume them to be correct without checking another source.

HMS Asia
1 April 1876
Commanded by Captain Charles Lodowick Darley Waddilove, Guardship of Reserve Portsmouth
21 June 1884
Commanded by Captain Henry Frederick Nicholson, flagship of Rear-Admiral Frederick Anstruther Herbert, Guardship of Reserve, Portsmouth

Regards Charles

[JulesSmith]

Jules,

Welcome to the forum, please do not take Wiki as a reference for any answers or assume them to be correct without checking another source.

HMS Asia
1 April 1876
Commanded by Captain Charles Lodowick Darley Waddilove, Guardship of Reserve Portsmouth
21 June 1884
Commanded by Captain Henry Frederick Nicholson, flagship of Rear-Admiral Frederick Anstruther Herbert, Guardship of Reserve, Portsmouth

Regards Charles


Thankyou for this update. Does this mean that from 1876 she was no longer a second rate ship of the line, she was now a guardship of reserve instead? And what exactly is that please?

I have to admit to being really naive when it comes to ships and the RN as I've only just started to get interested. Sorry if my question seems daft.

[Joseph]

When a ship was coming to the end of its useful life it would be destored and preserved for the Reserve, HMS Asia was the parent ship looking after the Reserve Ships and men of the Royal Naval Reserve at Portsmouth. He need not have served on HMS Asia but was attached for administration.

Regards Charles

[JulesSmith]

When a ship was coming to the end of its useful life it would be destored and preserved for the Reserve, HMS Asia was the parent ship looking after the Reserve Ships and men of the Royal Naval Reserve at Portsmouth. He need not have served on HMS Asia but was attached for administration.

Regards Charles

Oh I see. Thanks for that. He seemed to be on and off the ship during his whole service. It's a shame the record doesn't give much detail about what he was actually doing during each draft. He was a stoker but it didn't give much more info than that.

Again, many thanks Charles.

[patroclus]

A few additional particulars:

ASIA, a teak built 84 gun line of battleship, and the flagship of the British fleet at the battle of Navarino in 1827, wore the flag of the Admiral Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard during the years mentioned. She was also a Living Ship for personnel. She was definitely not sea-going but the men based on her could have been employed in seagoing duties in small vessels.

The masted turret ship INFLEXIBLE, 11880 tons displacement (loaded) was completed for service in 1881 and sailed to the Mediterranean where she remained until 1885 when she returned to Portsmouth for a refit. She took part in the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882.

The SWALLOW (completed 1886) was a screw sloop of 1175 tons displacement, built of wood on an iron frame with the sailing rig of a schooner and armed with eight 5” BLs.

The steel second-class cruiser SAPPHO, of 3400 tons, was employed as a troopship in 1895/6. She had been based Chatham from her completion in 1892.

The DUKE OF WELLINGTON, built in 1853 as a wooden 131 gun screw ship of the line, was a barracks at Portsmouth in 1901-1903, the men moving ashore to the new Royal Naval Barracks in 1903. Definitely not sea-going.

[JulesSmith]

A few additional particulars:

ASIA, a teak built 84 gun line of battleship, and the flagship of the British fleet at the battle of Navarino in 1827, wore the flag of the Admiral Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard during the years mentioned. She was also a Living Ship for personnel. She was definitely not sea-going but the men based on her could have been employed in seagoing duties in small vessels.

The masted turret ship INFLEXIBLE, 11880 tons displacement (loaded) was completed for service in 1881 and sailed to the Mediterranean where she remained until 1885 when she returned to Portsmouth for a refit. She took part in the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882.

The SWALLOW (completed 1886) was a screw sloop of 1175 tons displacement, built of wood on an iron frame with the sailing rig of a schooner and armed with eight 5” BLs.

The steel second-class cruiser SAPPHO, of 3400 tons, was employed as a troopship in 1895/6. She had been based Chatham from her completion in 1892.

The DUKE OF WELLINGTON, built in 1853 as a wooden 131 gun screw ship of the line, was a barracks at Portsmouth in 1901-1903, the men moving ashore to the new Royal Naval Barracks in 1903. Definitely not sea-going.

Wow, thanks for this. That's more info than I had hoped for.

A big thank you to all of you.

Jules

[Stan.J]

Jules, Found this picture of Asia.

[Bertie]

Hi my rellie William John ADAMS (known as John ADAMS) was Petty Officer on HMS Asia in 1859. Can anyone help with information on her whereabouts around this time? Also, I cannot find any service record for him via the National Archives: any ideas? By 1871 he was a Greenwich Pensioner

[jbryce1437]

Welcome to the Forum Bertie. You may be able to find further info on the whereabouts of HMS Asia at that time here;
http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowShip.php?id=1080