Service Record: Help Please

[Blackpool]

Hi all,
Just found this forum in my search for information on various Navy ships and wonder if anyone out there can help me.
My ancestor had a naval career lasting from 1829 to 1856 on numerous ships, I've managed to get his service record from British Archives, but I'm having real trouble working out the ships names from a bad copy and poor handwritting. I wonder if anyone can identify these ships from what I think the letters are! I'd also be interested if anyone can point me to what each of the ships were doing at the time of service.
Here goes, please bear in mind these names may contain two or three inaccurate letters, including the first letter!

1829 - 1830 Ramillies (Found ship but would like to know what it was doing at this time)
1830 - 1831 Julaivera
1831 - 1833 Druid
1833 - 1836 Emaguiuo
1836 - 1837 San Josef
1837 - 1842 Sappho (I've found a Sappho built in 1900's but not one in 1800's)
1842 - 1843 San Josef
1843 - 1847 Samamung
1847 - 1848 Devonport **** would this be the docks rather than a ship?
1848 - 1851 Powerful
1851 - 1852 St George
1852 - 1854 Valorous
1854 - 1856 Meander (got this one sorted)

To cap it all I'd love some explanation of the ranks of seaman in those days so I can make out what some of the codes might be, plus does anyone know if the 4 columns on the service record are payments, if so what are they ? pounds, shillings, pence, or am I on the wrong track totally?
Thanks in advance
Paul

[tonclass]

Any chance of scanning his service record and posting on this forum ? We might be able to recognise some of the bad handwriting and ascertain what the columns are.
Rgds
Rik

[Stan.J]

Found one...The Valorous.
A Paddle Wheel Steam operated wooden hulled Frigate launched at Pembroke dock April 1851. She was the last fighting Paddle Ship of the Royal navy. She remained on the list for 40 years before being sold at Plymouth on the 27th Feb.1891.

Length.........210ft.
Beam............26ft.
Displacement..2300t.
Rigging..........3 Masts-Square Rig.
Machinery......Sidewheels-Steam.
Armanent.......16 guns.
Complement....Not Known
Hope that helps a little
Cheers Stan.

[John Brown]

Blackpool

This might help your research:

HMS St George...Launched 27/08/1840 at Plymouth was a 120 gun 1st Rate Ship of the line. Originally a fully rigged sailing ship she was fitted with screw propulsion in 1859 and sold in 1883.

HMS Druid .......Launched 1/07/1825 a 46 gun 5th rate ship disposed of in 1863.

HMS Powerful..... Launched 1826 with 84 guns. Broken up between 1860 and 1864.

HMS San Josef....a 112 gunned 1st rate ship captured from the Spanish at the Battle of cape St Vincent on 14/02/1797. during the years in question she acted as receiving ship for HMS Royal Adelaide which carried the flag of Commander in Chief Plymouth. Finally broken up in 1849.

HMS Samamung.......This might be HMS Samarang .......a 6th rate ship launched 1/01/1822 and broken up in 1883. During the years in question (1843 -47) she was employed on survey duty in the East Indies and the Philippines.

Good Luck...John

[kc]

Hi Blackpool

Just to add a few extra bits of info:

Samarang - The one mentioned by John Brown was a guardship in 1847, and was sold at Gibraltar - presumably for scrap - in October 1883.

HMS Sappho - Brig Sloop, launched 3rd February 1837, foundered on the Australian station in 1859.

Also, there was a 'lighter' vessel named Devonport DY from 1824 to 1850. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable on this type of vessel will explain exactly what this ship is, and indeed whether it is likely to be this ship on the record rather than the dockyard itself. As far as I know, these were small vessels exclusively used for dockyard duties, and therefore this ship would be (the) one at Devonport. There is another listed from 1851 as a buoy boat, but this is later than the 1847-1848 you have on your record.

[kc]

I meant to add, it would be good to see a scan of the names of the ships, so we may have a go at identifying the names ourselves. We should be able to come up with something more useful between us.

(I tried to find Julaivera and Emaguiuo in several list books, but found nothing that would match them, or even look something like them.)

[Blackpool]

I'm so sorry everyone, I thought I had clicked so I'd get any replies to email, but it didn't work and there I was thinking no response!!

I can't seem to upload the scans, not sure if they are too large, or the system is failing on me.

If you'd like to see them, can I suggest dropping me a message and I'll email them to you.
Thanks
Paul

[Blackpool]

Just looked at the settings for attachments, 19K, if I get them that small it isn't readable, so, please mail me for originals.
Ta
Paul

[kc]

You can email them to me a t images@battleships-cruisers.co.uk and I'll put them on here for you if you like.

Are you saving them as jpeg files? If not, try that before you send them to me.

Regards,
kc

[Blackpool]

All sent yesterday, did you get them??
Cheers
Paul

[kc]

Yes, I did get them. I'll post them as soon as I get an opportunity. They need some work to resize them etc.