Sherard Osborn
Encyclopedia
Sherard Osborn was a Royal Navy admiral and Arctic
explorer.
, Clio & Volage.
at the attack on Kedah
in the Malay Peninsula
, and was present at the reduction of Canton
in 1841 and at the capture of Woosung
in 1842. From 1844 until 1848, he was gunnery mate and lieutenant in HMS Collingwood
, the flag-ship of Sir George Seymour
in the Pacific.
, and in 1850 was appointed to the command of the steam-tender Pioneer in the Arctic expedition under Horatio Thomas Austin
, in the course of which he performed (1851) a remarkable sledge-journey to the western extremity of Prince of Wales Island. He published an account of this voyage, entitled Stray Leaves from an Arctic Journal (1852), and was promoted to the rank of commander shortly afterwards.
he again took part as commander of Pioneer. In 1856, he published the journals of Captain Robert McClure
, giving a narrative of the discovery of the Northwest Passage
.
as the captain of Vesuvius. After seeing considerable action in the Black Sea he was promoted to post-rank in August 1855 and was appointed to Medusa, in which he commanded the Sea of Azov
squadron until the end of the war. For these services he was appointed a Companion in the Order of the Bath (CB)
, Légion d'honneur
(4th class), and the Turkish
Order of the Medjidie
(4th class).
, he took a prominent part in the operations of the Second Opium War
, and performed a piece of difficult and intricate navigation in taking his ship up the Yangtse
to Hankow (1858). He returned to England in broken health in 1859, and at this time contributed a number of articles on naval and Chinese
topics to Blackwood's Magazine, and wrote The Career, Last Voyage and Fate of Sir John Franklin (1860).
in the Gulf of Mexico
during the trouble there, and, in 1862, undertook the command of a squadron (the so-called "Vampire Fleet") fitted out by the Chinese government for the suppression of piracy
on the coast of China; but owing to the non-fulfilment of the condition that he should receive orders from the imperial government only, he threw up the appointment.
, the first British turret-armed battleship, in order to test the turret system of shipbuilding.
in the Channel Fleet. On 12 June 1873 he was appointed Rear Admiral.
to undertake a summer voyage for the purpose of testing the conditions of ice-navigation with the aid of steam. The result of this summer voyage was the British Arctic Expedition
, under Sir George Nares
. Osborn became a member of the expedition committee.
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
explorer.
Early life
Born in Madras, he was the son of an Indian army officer. Osborn entered the navy as a first-class volunteer in 1837, serving until 1844 in HyacinthHMS Hyacinth (1829)
|HMS Hyacinth was an 18-gun Royal Navy sixth-rate sloop. She was launched in 1829 and surveyed the north-eastern coast of Australia under Francis Price Blackwood during the mid 1830s. She took part in the First Opium War, destroying, with HMS Volage, 29 Chinese junks...
, Clio & Volage.
Active service in Malaya and China
In 1838, he was entrusted with the command of a gunboatGunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
at the attack on Kedah
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
in the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
, and was present at the reduction of Canton
Battle of Canton
The Second Battle of Canton was fought between British and Chinese forces in Canton, China, in May 1841 during the First Opium War.-Background:...
in 1841 and at the capture of Woosung
Battle of Woosung
The Battle of Woosung was fought between British and Chinese forces in Woosung, China, on 16 June 1842 during the First Opium War. The British victory opened the way to Shanghai, which was captured with little resistance on 19 June.- References :...
in 1842. From 1844 until 1848, he was gunnery mate and lieutenant in HMS Collingwood
HMS Collingwood (1841)
HMS Collingwood was an 80-gun two-deck second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 17 August 1841 at Pembroke Dockyard.She was fitted with screw propulsion in 1861, and sold out of the navy in 1867.-References:...
, the flag-ship of Sir George Seymour
George Francis Seymour
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Francis Seymour, GCB, GCH, PC was a Royal Navy officer.-Naval career:...
in the Pacific.
The search for Franklin
He took a prominent part in 1849 in advocating a new search expedition for Sir John FranklinJohn Franklin
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...
, and in 1850 was appointed to the command of the steam-tender Pioneer in the Arctic expedition under Horatio Thomas Austin
Horatio Thomas Austin
Sir Horatio Thomas Austin was a British officer in the Royal Navy, and an explorer of the Canadian arctic. Following the 1849 failure of James Clark Ross's attempt to locate the lost Franklin Expedition, Austin led an 1850 expedition that also attempted to find Sir John Franklin and his crew....
, in the course of which he performed (1851) a remarkable sledge-journey to the western extremity of Prince of Wales Island. He published an account of this voyage, entitled Stray Leaves from an Arctic Journal (1852), and was promoted to the rank of commander shortly afterwards.
Marriage
In January 1852 he married Helen, daughter of John Hinksman of Queen Anne Street, London.The Belcher expedition
In the new expedition (1852–1854) under Sir Edward BelcherEdward Belcher
Admiral Sir Edward Belcher, KCB , was a British naval officer and explorer. He was the great-grandson of Governor Jonathan Belcher. His wife, Diana Jolliffe, was the stepdaughter of Captain Peter Heywood.-Early life:...
he again took part as commander of Pioneer. In 1856, he published the journals of Captain Robert McClure
Robert McClure
Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure was an Irish explorer of the Arctic.In 1854, he was the first to transit the Northwest Passage , as well as the first to circumnavigate the Americas.-Early life and career:He was born at Wexford, in Ireland, the posthumous son of one of Abercrombie's captains,...
, giving a narrative of the discovery of the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
.
Crimean War
Early in 1855, he was called to active service in the Crimean WarCrimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
as the captain of Vesuvius. After seeing considerable action in the Black Sea he was promoted to post-rank in August 1855 and was appointed to Medusa, in which he commanded the Sea of Azov
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
squadron until the end of the war. For these services he was appointed a Companion in the Order of the Bath (CB)
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(4th class), and the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Order of the Medjidie
Medjidie
Medjidie or Mejidie is the name of a military and knightly order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdülmecid I.-Order of the Medjidie:...
(4th class).
Second Opium War
As captain of FuriousHMS Furious (1850)
HMS Furious was a 16 gun steam powered paddle wheel frigate of the Royal Navy built at Portsmouth Dockyard and launched on 26 August 1850. She was the lead ship of the two ship class of...
, he took a prominent part in the operations of the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
, and performed a piece of difficult and intricate navigation in taking his ship up the Yangtse
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
to Hankow (1858). He returned to England in broken health in 1859, and at this time contributed a number of articles on naval and Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
topics to Blackwood's Magazine, and wrote The Career, Last Voyage and Fate of Sir John Franklin (1860).
HMS Donegal and the "Vampire Fleet"
In 1861, he commanded DonegalHMS Donegal (1858)
HMS Donegal was a 101-gun screw-driven first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 September 1858 at Devonport Dockyard....
in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
during the trouble there, and, in 1862, undertook the command of a squadron (the so-called "Vampire Fleet") fitted out by the Chinese government for the suppression of piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
on the coast of China; but owing to the non-fulfilment of the condition that he should receive orders from the imperial government only, he threw up the appointment.
HMS Royal Sovereign
In 1864, he was appointed to the command of Royal SovereignHMS Royal Sovereign (1857)
HMS Royal Sovereign was originally laid down as a 120-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She would have mounted sixteen cannon, 114 guns, and a pivot gun. With the rise of steam and screw propulsion, she was ordered to be converted on the stocks to a 131-gun screw ship, with...
, the first British turret-armed battleship, in order to test the turret system of shipbuilding.
Commercial Interests
In 1865, he became agent to the Great Indian Peninsula Railway Company, and two years later managing director of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company. From 1869 he was a Director of the International Mid-Channel Telegraph Co. Ltd.HMS Hercules
In 1871 he was appointed as captain of HerculesHMS Hercules (1868)
HMS Hercules was a central-battery ironclad of the Royal Navy in the Victorian era, and was the first warship to mount a main armament of calibre guns....
in the Channel Fleet. On 12 June 1873 he was appointed Rear Admiral.
Encouragement of the British Arctic Expedition
His interest in Arctic exploration had never ceased, and in 1873 he induced Commander Albert MarkhamAlbert Hastings Markham
Admiral Sir Albert Hastings Markham, KCB was a British explorer, author, and officer in the Royal Navy. In 1903 he was made Knight Commander in the Order of the Bath...
to undertake a summer voyage for the purpose of testing the conditions of ice-navigation with the aid of steam. The result of this summer voyage was the British Arctic Expedition
British Arctic Expedition
The British Arctic Expedition of 1875-1876, led by Sir George Strong Nares, was sent by the British Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound. Two ships, HMS Alert and HMS Discovery , sailed from Portsmouth on 29 May 1875...
, under Sir George Nares
George Nares
Vice-Admiral Sir George Strong Nares KCB FRS was a British naval officer and Arctic explorer. He commanded both the Challenger Expedition and the British Arctic Expedition, and was highly thought of a leader and a scientific explorer...
. Osborn became a member of the expedition committee.
External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Stray Leaves from an Arctic Journal or, Eighteen Months in the Polar Regions, in Search of Sir John Franklin's Expedition, in the Years 1850-51, by Sherard Osborn. Free ebook at manybooks.net