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HMS Cruizer (1852)
Encyclopedia
HMS Cruizer was a 17-gun wooden screw sloop
, the name-ship of the Cruizer class
of the Royal Navy
, launched at the Royal Dockyard, Deptford
in 1852. The spelling of her name was formally altered to HMS Cruiser in 1857. She became a sail training vessel in 1872 and was renamed HMS Lark. She was eventually sold for breaking in 1912.
, during which a party of her crew took part in the Battle of Fatshan Creek
in 1857. Her commander, Charles Fellowes
, was the first man over the walls of Canton
when the city was taken, and the ship saw further action on the Yangtse river, including the attack on the Taku Forts
on the Peiho river in 1858.
In 1860, under the command of John Bythesea
she surveyed the Gulf of Pechili to prepare moorings for the Allied fleet to disembark troops for the advance on Peking.
Cruiser was laid up in England in 1867, before being recommissioned for the Mediterranean station.
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
, the name-ship of the Cruizer class
Cruizer class sloop
The Cruizer class was a class of 17-gun wooden screw sloops built for the Royal Navy between 1852 and 1856, comprising six vessels.-Design:...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, launched at the Royal Dockyard, Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
in 1852. The spelling of her name was formally altered to HMS Cruiser in 1857. She became a sail training vessel in 1872 and was renamed HMS Lark. She was eventually sold for breaking in 1912.
History
Her first years of service were spent on the China stationChina Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
, during which a party of her crew took part in the Battle of Fatshan Creek
Battle of Fatshan Creek
The Battle of Fatshan Creek was a naval engagement fought between the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Chinese pirates on June 1, 1857. Commodore Henry Keppel sought out and destroyed the Chinese fleet before advancing to the city of Canton for its capture....
in 1857. Her commander, Charles Fellowes
Charles Fellowes
Vice Admiral Charles Fellowes CB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Channel Fleet.-Naval career:Fellowes joined the Royal Navy in 1836...
, was the first man over the walls of Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
when the city was taken, and the ship saw further action on the Yangtse river, including the attack on the Taku Forts
Battle of Taku Forts (1858)
The First Battle of Taku Forts on May 20, 1858 was an engagement of the Second Opium War. The British and French sent a squadron of gunboats, under Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, to attack China's Taku Forts. The battle ended as an allied success...
on the Peiho river in 1858.
In 1860, under the command of John Bythesea
John Bythesea
John Bythesea VC CB CIE was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in...
she surveyed the Gulf of Pechili to prepare moorings for the Allied fleet to disembark troops for the advance on Peking.
Cruiser was laid up in England in 1867, before being recommissioned for the Mediterranean station.