African, 1825
Type: Tug ; late Gun-vessel ; Armament 2
Completed : 30 Aug 1825 ; Disposal date or year : 1862
BM: 295 tons
Propulsion: Paddle
Machinery notes: 90
Notes:

Laid down as Dee, 10 gun sailing brig sloop, and the converted to paddle steamer.

1 Mar 1826 departed Falmouth for Sierra Leone.

Early April 1826 is reported to have arrived at Sierra Leone following a 33 day passage from Falmouth.

28 Aug 1826 departed Freetown with the Lively in search of a Colombian pirate, reported to be in the area, but having sighted her, she escaped in the dark of the night.

Nov 1826 is reported to be taking the Governor along the coast to inspect the various Army units occupying the forts along the Gold Coast and up the various rivers in the regionn.

1830 Woolwich

27 May 1830 arrived Deal, from the Mediterranean,

11 Jan 1831 Woolwich Refitting.

14 Feb 1831 Lieutenant James Harvey is appointed to the African steam-vessel.

3 Apr 1831 arrived Plymouth from Woolwich and departed on the 4th for Falmouth, Lieut. Harvey, in command.

6 Apr 1831 arrived Falmouth from Plymouth.

8 Apr 1831 departed Falmouth with mails for the Mediterranean.

21 May 1831 arrived Plymouth from the Mediterranean, last from Falmouth, from Corfu (30 Apr.), Malta (4 May), Gib. (13), and Cadiz (14).

28 May 1831 departed Plymouth for Portsmouth and Woolwich.

1 Nov 1831 refitting at Woolwich.

Jan 1832 is reported to be fitted and ready for sea, the power of her engines having been increased from 80 to 90 h.p., with "beautiful" Maudsley engines.

27 Jan 1832 arrived Spithead from Woolwich and departed Monday for Falmouth to take out the next mail for the Mediterranean.

16 Mar 1832 arrived at Gibraltar from Falmouth and Cadiz.

18 Mar 1832 departed Gibraltar for Malta.

21 Mar 1833 arrived Falmouth from Plymouth.

9 Apr 1832 arrived Portsmouth from Falmouth, and departed the following morning for Woolwich to undergo repairs.

4 Jun 1832 departed Woolwich to Lisbon and the Mediterranean, where it is planned that she will carry the mail between Malta and the Ionian Islands.

18 Jun 1832 arrived Gibraltar from Falmouth.

24 Jun 1832 arrived Malta, from Gibraltar.

6 Oct 1832 departed Falmouth, with the Firebrand, for Portugal and the Mediterranean.

9 Oct 1832 returned to port, with the Firebrand, in view of the severe gales, which would appear to have damaged the Firebrand.

9 Oct 1832 departed Falmouth later in the day for Portugal etc.

1 Nov 1832 arrived Malta from Corfu.

3 Dec 1832 arrived at Plymouth, from the Mediterranean, last from Falmouth, with the Confiance.

14 Apr 1833 arrived at Plymouth.

26 May 1833 departed Falmouth to search for the Columbia steam-packet, which suffered machinery problems about 100 miles S.W. of Scilly.

30 May 1833 returned to Falmouth from search for the Columbia steamer, but missed her.

1 Aug 1833 arrived at Falmouth an Monday, from Lisbon, (23 Jul.), and Oporto (25 Jul.).

30 Aug 1833 Falmouth. arrived.

12 Oct 1833 departed from Falmouth, with the mails for Portugal.

1 Jan 1834 Being employed on various home port services.

11 Jan 1834 Woolwich Under repair in the basin.

18 Jan 1834 Remains at Woolwich

11 May 1834 arrived Plymouth from Lisbon.

29 May 1834 Will be paid off at Plymouth on Saturday for recommissioning.

5 June 1834 Commissioned at Plymouth by Lieutenant J. West.

16 Dec 1834 The African is to be given a new complement, with the masters' assistants and all others being included ; engineers are to rank with the gunner, boatswain, and carpenter, but next after the latter ; they are not to have halt-pay nor superannuation, and are to be removed when considered necessary. The gunner is to be removed, and the stores placed in charge of the second master ; assistant surgeons are, in future, to be appointed to steamers commanded by lieutenants. The Lisbon mails are not in future to be taken by steamer ; gun-brigs being appointed in their place. Devonport Telegraph.

18 Feb 1835 departed Plymouth to Falmouth and is expected to take the next mail for Malta.

26 Jul 1835 arrived Falmouth with mail from Malta (5th), calling at Gibraltar (18), and Cadiz (19).

28 Aug 1838 Promoted Master : R. Salmond

22 Jul 1841 left Woolwich. to tow the Castor from Sheerness to Chatham, where the latter will be paid off.

5 Aug 1841 Woolwich, departed for Chatham to tow the Growler to the City Canal to have her engines fitted by Messrs. Seaward and Co.

9 Aug 1841 Woolwich, left Woolwich for Sheerness, to tow the Trafalgar out of dock to her moorings.

1 Sep 1841 Woolwich, the Monkey and African towed the Rhadamanthus from Sheerness to Woolwich.

29 Oct 1841 Woolwich, in harbour.

19 Feb 1842, is reported to have been fitted with new and more powerful machinery for use at Portsmouth as a tug boat, this presumably following recent occasions when no such vessel was available, having been employed on other duties, such as ferrying personnel between the various ports where they were recruited and required, meanwhile no tugs were available in emergencies, when they were needed at Portsmouth, when the Vindictive went aground recently, and suffered serious damage to her hull.

12 Aug 1842 at Woolwich being fitted out for service.

23 Sep 1842 towed the Royal George to Woolwich.

6 Oct 1842 the African and Monkey departed Woolwich with 100 convicts for Sheerness to be put on board the Owen Glendower, recently converted to a convict ship, for passage to Gibraltar, where the convicts were to be employed on new works to be added to the fortress.....thinks he....all those tunnels.

17 Dec 1842 arrived Portsmouth from Woolwich, and came into harbour.

Mar 1847 involved in recovery of steam sloop Sphynx. See below

Jan 1848 Chatham, in Ordinary (reserve)

20 Dec 1848 now used as a tug at Sheerness

21 Apr 1852, shortly after four A.M. the the squadron, consisting of the Assistance, Resolute, North Star, with the tenders Pioneer and Intrepid, departed downstream for the Nore, towed by the `Lightning,' `African,' and `Monkey,' the tenders under their own steam, for the North Sea. At 9 o'clock cast off the tugs and anchored at the Nore to complete the stowage of the North Star, and make good some defects, the Pioneer having collided with the Assistance.

22 Apr 1852, the Intrepid having made good her defect the Squadron departed under tow in the early hours, but the movement of the sea making towing inconvenient, the tows were dropped and the Assistance, Resolute, and North Star continued under sail, and the sea getting up the Lightning returned to Woolwich, and not being seen again, it was assumed that the African had accompanied the Lightning.

1860 tug at Sheerness

1861-62 classified in the Naval Budget as a Yard Craft at Sheerness ie not in commission - tug.

Portsmouth, 12 March 1847.- The Sphynx steam sloop was towed into this harbour at ten o'clock this morning by the Echo tug, and was followed by the African and Monkey tugs, each laden with the gear used in this memorable operation. The vessel was not finally extricated from her stranded position until ten o'clock yesterday morning. The following is a description of the means which have proved successful in saving this fine vessel:-

The plan devised for this object was by means of "camels" - the project of Commander Caffin, of the Scourge steam-sloop, and Mr. Watts, the senior assistant master shipwright of this dockyard - the buoyant power of which amounted to above 130 tons, brought under a strong frame-work constructed under her paddle-boxes ; to this was added by Mr. Watts, subsequently to Commander Caffin's leaving, another camel, which was brought under the head of the vessel, on which, at the extreme foremost end was erected a high framework for supporting the chain cabins, hawsers, &c., used in heaving the vessel off, and to obviate or counteract this downward pressure, at the end of the camel, next the stem, was fixed a fork, formed by means of two stout pieces of fir timber placed a little more than the breadth of the stem asunder (sic), and bolted firmly to the deck of the camel. This fork came underneath two stout cleats fastened to the stem of the vessel, so that the downward pressure of the cables when hove upon constituted a power, at one end, of a lever to lift the bow of the ship at the other end. This was found to render most important aid in getting the vessel over the bank or reef of rocks, up to which she had been brought on the two former occasions, but could not then be got over. This ledge has not more than six feet of water on it at high tide, whereas the Sphynx, when lightened of everything except her engines, drew ten feet of water. The feat, therefore, of getting her over the reef is one of the most remarkable incidents ever recorded in naval science .- London Paper.