Acheron, 1838
Type: Sloop ;
Launched : 23 Aug 1838 ; Disposal date or year : 30 Apr 1855
Disposal Details : HMS Acheron was put up at auction on Monday, by Messrs Bowden and Threlkeld, and ultimately knocked down to Messrs GA Lloyd and Co. for the sum of �2,150.
BM: 735 tons ; Displacement: 1006 tons
Propulsion: Paddle
Machinery notes: 160 h.p.
Notes:

12 Feb 1839 arrived Gibraltar with the mail from India and Malta.

5 May 1839 Malta Prince George of Cambridge arrived here yesterday on board the Acheron and is shortly expected to sail to Constantinople in the Princess Charlotte.

15 May 1839 Malta, In Port.

25 Jun 1839 arrived Valetta from Gibraltar.

6 Jan 1840 Malta, the Volcano arrived from Gibraltar Thursday evening with the mails. Those for the squadron were despatched by the Phoenix on Friday, and those for the Ionian Islands and Greece on the same day by the Acheron.

11 Jan 1840 arrived Malta on Monday night with the mails from the Ionian Islands and Greece.

1 Aug 1840 brought despatches for the Flag Officer's squadron, in the Levant, and departed for Stamboul.

Aug 1840 Malta, after her arrival at Corfu, proceeded with the Lord High Commissioner to the northern islands on the 11th and returned on the night of the 12th instant. She arrived here on the 17th with mails from the Ionian Islands and Greece, and proceeds to-day for Gibraltar with those for England.

13 Oct 1840 arrived Malta from Marseilles with the mail from London of the 6th inst.

31 Oct 1840 at Malta.

2 Jan 1841 arrived at Marseilles with the East Indies mail and departed on the 10th for Malta : she sails with the mails for the Ionian Islands on the 16th.

12 Feb 1841 at Malta.

13 Mar 1841 Malta, arrived with mails from Corfu, Patras, and Zante in 3 days.

15 Mar 1841 Malta, departed with mails for Gibraltar and England [departed to Gibraltar to connect with mail boat for England ?].

26 May 1841 at Malta.

25 Jun 1841 at Malta.

26 Jul 1841 departed Gibraltar, arriving Malta 1 Aug.

15 Aug 1841 in port at Valetta.

3 Sep 1841 arrived at Constantinople.

27 Sep 1841 reported to be in the Bosphorus.

15 Oct 1841 arrived Malta, from Constantinople, and is performing quarantine.

31 Oct 1841 departed Malta for Naples with Lord and Lady Ponsonby.

13 Nov 1841 is ordered home from the Mediterranean.

4 Dec 1841 arrived Plymouth with the Malta mails.

12 Dec 1841 arrived Woolwich, and to be paid off.

17 Dec 1841 Woolwich, will be paid off on Thursday.

Feb 1842 in ordinary at Woolwich.

26 Mar 1842 undergoing repairs at Woolwich.

5 Nov 1842 being refitted at Woolwich, have been ordered to Sheerness to be commissioned.

16 Nov 1842 departed Woolwich for Sheerness to be commissioned.

30 Nov 1842 commissioned at Sheerness.

21 Jan 1848 Sails from Plymouth.

22 Jan 1848 It is reported that Captain Stokes, late of HMS Beagle, had been appointed by the Admiralty to survey the coast of New Zealand in the Acheron steam sloop.

30 Jan 1848 arrived Madeira

4 Feb 1848 departed for Rio

1 Mar 1848 arrived Rio de Janeiro

5 Apr 1848 Sails from Rio

15 Apr 1848 It is reported that Acheron was due to bring mail and plant speciments from the UK - leaving about 30 dec 1847.

2 May 1848 arrived at the Cape of Good Hope

6 May 1848 The South Australian of 19 Apr reports that the Acheron was due to leave the UK on 5 Jan 1848 with mail, but has been delayed.

15 Jun 1848 Sails from the Cape

21 Jul 1848 arrived King Georg'e Sound

7 Aug 1848 Sails from King Georg'e Sound

18 Aug 1848 arrived Sydney, en route for a survey of the coast of New Zealand.

11 Oct 1848 departed for Port Stephens

16 Oct 1848 Returned to Sydney from Port Stephens

30 Oct 1848 departed for New Zealand

7 Nov 1848 H.M. steamer Acheron, hence the 30th October, arrived at Auckland

5 Dec 1848 To sail from Auckland on a surveying cruise.

20 Dec 1848 East Indies per Navy List

31 Dec 1848 arrived Auckland from a surveying cruise.

31 Jan 1849 arrived Wellington from Auckland.

2 May 1849 The Wellington Independent reports that the vessel had arrived from Akoroa.

30 June 1849 The Maid of Erin has been taken up to supply coal at Port Otago for the next 6 months.

6 Oct 1849 The New Zealand Spectator reports that the Acheron assisted refloating the Inconstant of Adelaide, on Wednesday last, after she'd missed stays and gone ashore on Pencarrow Head, where she remained for several hours.

1 Nov 1849 Arrives at Sydney, from Auckland (23rd), and Bay of Islands (25th ultimo).

17 Nov 1849 In Farm Cove, Sydney, refitting.

5 Jan 1850 Still at Farm Cove, Sydney, refitting.

14 Jan 1850 arrived Auckland

2 Feb 1850 Seen at Wellington.

25 Sep 1850 An accident occurred to one of the ship's boats when master's mate, Mr. Burnett, and three of the crew, Messrs. Waters, Beale, and Newton, were drowned in the neighbourhood of Massacre Bay, when attempting to return to the ship. The party, originally consisting of Mr. Burnett, Mr. Paget, mate, John Waters, Henry Beale, John Bateman, John Jeffries, and John Horner, able seamen, and George Newton, to assist with the survey of Wanganui. See the Nelson Examiner for 28 Sep 1850 for more info.

20 Nov 1850 Reported to be at Wellington

27 Nov 1850 Sails for Middle Island.

8 Dec 1850 At Akaroa. departed for Otago in the evening.

25 Mar 1851 arrived Wellington from the west coast of Middle Island.

14 Apr 1851 departed from Wellington for Port Underwood

14 Jun 1851 It is reported that the Admiralty have decided to refit the Acheron at Sydney, rather than for her to take passage to England. She will be paid-off at Sydney and men wanting to return to England may do so on the Fly or Havannah which are understood to be returning shortly. Stores and equipment will be sent out by men-of-war. United Service Gazette.

20 Jun 1851 Reported to be at Newcastle.

28 Jun 1851 departed for the purpose of surveying the coast, as far south as Cape Howe, She has visited Twofold Bay, Jervis Bay and Port Aitken.

25 Jul 1851, refitting in Farm Cove, Sydney, when the survey vessels Calliope, Fantome, Pandora, arrived from England, this day.

23 Aug 1851 To be commissioned under the command of Lieutenant Lambert of HMS Calliope, with a small crew she will be kept available and coaled for emergencies

20 Sep 1851 departed for Newcastle.

13 Dec 1851 The United Services Gazette reports that the officers and crew of the Acheron have arrived at Devonport on board the Havannah and were paid-off on Wednesday.

Late 1851 It is reported that 2nd Master Joseph W Smith - formerly of HMS Acheron was promoted by the Board to Master, as a result of passing an excellent exam.

26 Jun 1852 Lieutenant Fitzgerald. in command. Having coaled has departed Sydney on a coasting voyage, to seek out survivors of the schooner Favorite, thought to have gone ashore on Ninety Mile Beach,

28 Jun 1852 arrived Twofold Bay, having lost her stern boat and davits, and split some of her sails, and damaged a boiler, in a heavy gale. In landing in the surf at Eden, a Whale boat owned by Mr. Challis, fell on the leg of Boy 1st Class William Rowe Parry, breaking it.

7 Jul 1852 Returned to Sydney with passengers, including Mr Dobson, but without finding the object of the cruise, but reporting that the heavy surf along the coast could well have broken up any vessel which might have gone ashore on this coast.

11 Nov 1852 Evening. Mr Noel, mate of the Acheron, with one seaman by the name of Basbridge, went out into Sydney harbour in a sailing boat. However, on nearing the Heads a squall capsized the boat and despite the best efforts of the brig "Thomas and Henry" and an accompanying sailing boat manned by Mr. King, their aid came too late to save Mr. Noel who drowned. Seaman Basbridge was saved.

3 Feb 1853 3 pm to Goat Island to embark 54 Europeans and 6 Chinamen, prisoners, to work at the Breakwater at Newcastle.

14 Feb 1853 arrived Sydney from Newcastle, which she's left earlier that day.

19 Jul 1853 Is reported to have gone to the assistance of the barque "Tory,", wrecked on Long Beach, 18 miles from Newcastle, where she arrived the following afternoon. Over the next day or so she rescued some of the crew and passengers and took them, with some luggage to Newcastle and Port Stephens.

24 Jul 1853 arrived Sydney from Port Stephens, which she left on 23rd inst.

26 Jul 1853 Torch alongside Acheron for coal.

11 Oct 1853 Assisted, with men of the Fantome in getting the "Walter Hood" afloat after she'd gone ashore close to Bradley's Head.

30 Oct 1853 With men from the Fantome attended wreck of the "Exchange," off Camp Cove, to give assistance and help in recovering stores, merchandise and fittings etc.

5 Dec 1853 Went out of Sydney harbour Wednesday to tow in a reported wreck, which turned out to be the debris from a ship which would appear to have recently broken up in a storm. No name found.

26 Dec 1853 Took the "Harmony", receiving ship, down to the quarantine station on Monday. A seaman's leg was broken by one of the hawsers being carried away. He was transferred to the Calliope. 27 Jan 1854 departed from Sydney for Newcastle

11 Sep 1854 Acheron proceeded down the harbour on a trial trip on Thurs afternoon, when her engines were pronounced in first rate order and everything proved satisfactory. She had a thorough overhaul at Cockatoo Island, under the superintendence of Mr Thomas and is now fitted up with seven paddle-wheel gun boats, viz: - 2 with 12 pound field-pieces ; 4 with 32 pound field-pieces ; and one with a light 12 pound field-piece. Her boilers and have been repaired and now give her a velocity of about 10 mph. Her officers are to be taken from HMS Calliope, and she is to be manned by volunteers, with about 10 experienced seamen to teach them their duty. We understand she is to be stationed at the Heads.

30 Apr 1855 HMS Acheron was put up at auction on Monday, by Messrs Bowden and Threlkeld, and ultimately knocked down to Messrs GA Lloyd and Co. for the sum of �2,150.