Clio, 1806
Type: Sloop ; Armament 18
Launched : 1806 ; Disposal date or year : 1845
BM: 389 tons
Complement : 71 officers and men ; 24 boys ; 20 marines
Notes:

21 Sep 1808 captured a Danish privateer, name unknown, 6 guns. 11 men, on the Home station.

5 Jan 1810 arrived Portsmouth from the Eastward.

21 Jul 1810 with the homeward-bound Baltic convoy, of about 200 sail, off Rob's Snout, under the protection of the Lynx, Clio, Snake, Rosario, Gluckstadt, and Centinel, with the Tartar, Rose, and Primrose following at some distance astern, [presumably with a view to preventing enemy gun boats sneaking up from astern, and picking off the slower vessels in the convoy.]

31 Oct 1811 departed Leith Roads on Monday afternoon on a cruise along the coast.

31 Dec 1811 departed Leith to protect the convoy from the Baltic, now reported to be on the coast.

13 Jan 1812 arrived Edinburgh in Leith Roads on Saturday morning and made signal for a convoy to the southward, on Saturday.

31 Aug 1812 at Leith has made signal for a convoy to Gottenburgh, and will sail about Wednesday.

14 Oct 1812 Clio and Hamadryad captured the French privateer Pilotin in the Baltic.

8 Jan 1813 arrived in Leith Roads yesterday morning from a cruise.

3 Jun 1813 departs Leith with the convoy to Archangel on the 15th.

10 Sep 1814 arrived in Leith Roads on Wednesday, from a cruise.

5 Oct 1826 arrived Spithead from the Nore with sets of Sir Wm. Congreve's life saving apparatus for saving crews without assistance from ashore, for trials of the equipment to be carried out. Clio later returned to Chatham.

30 Dec 1826 departed Portsmouth to Chatham.

Circa 19 Jul 1830 departed Plymouth for South America.

15 Dec 1830 at Cape Frio.

1 Jan 1831 departed the East Coast of South America for the Pacific.

17 Jan 1831 departed from Buenos Ayres for Monte Video and Valparaiso.

Clio. 12 Jun 1832 at Coquimbo with Dublin and Rattlesnake when the Volage departed for Rio.

24 Jun 1832 at Valparaiso.

Late 1832, had departed to take possession of the Falkland Islands. See p. 272 at www.archive.org/details/royalnavyhistory06clow.

2 Jan 1833 re-established British rule on the Falkland Islands.

19 Feb 1833 at Rio de Janeiro refitting.

2 Apr 1833 departed Rio for Portsmouth.

3 Jun 1833 arrived Spithead.

17 Jun 1833 paid off in harbour at Portsmouth.

18 Apr 1835 has been commissioned this week at Sheerness.

16 May 1835 was taken out of dock into the basin at Portsmouth Wednesday.

6 Jun 1835 is reported to be preparing at Portsmouth for the East Indies station, as will be the Wanderer and Wolverine, when launched.

13 Jun 1835 was taken out of the basin at Portsmouth on Monday.

2 Aug 1835 is reported to have departed Lisbon with a small squadron for the Gambia to settle some unrest in the area.

10 Sep 1835 was in the Gambia, and sailing for Portlandic where the Stag and Tweed were cruising.

14 Nov 1835 is reported to be on the south coast of Spain.

10 Jun 1836 is reported at Gibraltar to be at Tarragona.

18 May 1839 Portsmouth In harbour.

23 May 1839 Portsmouth the Lily was towed into harbour by the Hydra, to be paid off on Monday, all standing, and recommissioned by Commander Deare, transferred (with the whole of the officers except the purser) from the Clio, to which Commander Fremantle is appointed.

1 Jun 1839 Lieutenant H. E. B. Bennett, appointed to the Clio ; Clerk E. J. H. Helpman, late of Pelican, appointed to the Clio.

1 Jul 1839 Surgeon. James E. Goodridge, appointed to the Clio.

20 Jul 1839 Portsmouth went out of harbour on Monday, was paid advance on Tuesday, and departed on the following day for Plymouth, and from thence to the South America station.

18 Jan 1840 Rio de Janeiro, Captain Fremantle, temporary senior officer at Rio, announced to the British Embassy the arrest of the Brazilian slave ship "Congresso," sailing under Portuguese colours, on the 17th inst., by HMS Wizard, in accordance with recently revised British government regulations introduced to combat the increasingly difficult situation at Rio de Janeiro where local wealthy Slave Traders were making it almost impossible to achieve a conviction by the Mixed Court of British and Brazilian judges, set up by Treaty, despite overwhelming evidence regarding the guilt of the vessels concerned. The "Congresso" was sent to the Cape of Good Hope, under a prize crew, for adjudication by a Vice-Admiralty Court.

19 Sep 1840 Purser W. 0. Cox, appointed to the Clio.

Circa 13 Jan 1841 in the Rio Plata.

Jan 1841 Monte Video, remains in the Rio Plata.

8 May 1841 departed Rio de Janeiro for a cruise, on the look out for slave traders, in the region of Campos.

10 May 1841 touched the ground whilst in stays, but got off, and came round again, but having lost her way dropped on the same spot again, but having taken in the courses she forged off by herself, but by this time the ship was standing for the land and closer than previously thought, probably about a mile and a half off, the current setting in a lot faster than expected. The leadsmen called 5 fathoms, and the helm was put down accordingly, but nevertheless the ship grazed the bottom before coming head to wind, but after checking, no damage appears to have been caused and she wasn't making water.

12 May 1841 off a stretch of the coast known for where slaves were frequently landed the pinnace was manned and stocked with food and water, and armed accordingly, and manned with 15 officers and men and was ordered to cruise off the Puma Islands to intercept any slave vessels using that anchorage. They observed a brig within the Puma Islands, and her crew slipping her cables with a view to running her on shore, the crew having taken to the ship's boats to escape. She was boarded by officers from the pinnace who found she had 300 Africans, 100 having died on the passage across the Atlantic. She carried no papers or colours, although the locals suggested she might have been the Fleur de Carbone, from Benguala. They attempted to get her off shore, but the wind blowing on shore, this was found to be impossible, and by about 9.30 pm a number of large canoes had arrived around the brig with about 70 men and, in the circumstances, the crew of the pinnace were unable to do anything, and it would appear that the Africans were removed because by 2 o'clock in the morning she had been set on fire and was burning. The pinnace's crew having been involved in the melee of vessels 4 of her crew had been slightly wounded. Source FO 84-385 1 Admiralty 1841 Sept-Dec.

12 May 1841 the cutter was manned and provisioned &c., for a week, with a view to her remaining here whilst the Clio went off to check out the progress of the pinnace.

18 May 1841 Clio arrived off the Puma Isles, having met contrary winds and tides en route, but could find no trace of the pinnace, and returned to pick up the cutter. On returning to the islands the cutter was lowered and attempted to speak with the locals, but they remained heavily armed and threatening, and rather than be taken prisoner, along with the boat, the cutter returned to the ship. The weather deteriorating the Clio was taken back out to sea, and statements taken from the party who attempted to go ashore.

24 May 1841 discovered at the Puma Isles that the pinnace and her crew had been taken to Campos, circa 20 May and after arriving off that place sent in a boat to demand the release of the pinnace and her crew, but the powers ashore having stated that the matter had been referred to Rio de Janeiro and that the matter was out of their hands.

28 May 1841 Capt Fremantle went ashore to prove his identity and that of his ship, and having recognised the fact that the boat and the men attached to it were not pirates, but British, the tune of the authorities ashore changed rapidly, and the officers and men returned to the ship with the pinnace.

28 May 1841 the Clio was joined at Campos by the Fawn.

29 May 1841 the Clio and Fawn were joined at Campos by the Grecian, and later, in the evening, by the Partridge.

31 May 1841 being off the Islands of Puma, where a slave ship was reported to have been seen, she had been burnt to the water's edge, and apart from a few spars on the beach, little else had survived and, whilst Capt Fremantle and Lt Foot, from the Fawn, went ashore, the locals remained tight lipped and her name remains "Unknown."
6 Jun 1841 picked up the pinnace off the Puma Isles, and returned to Rio de Janeiro.

22 Jun 1841 at Rio Janeiro.

27 Jun 1841 detained about 3 miles S.W. of the Island of St Catherines, off the Cost of Brazil, the Portuguese slave brigantine Feliz Vencidor / Vencedor, Manoel Maria Mergu, master, with a crew of 11 men, which was sent for adjudication to the Vice-Admiralty Court at the Cape of Good Hope and sentenced on 13 Aug 1841 to be condemned, having already gone aground in False Bay on 28 Jul.
According to her papers she was entitled to claim the protection of her Portuguese flag and whereof was her master Manoel Maria Mergu, who stated that he was on a voyage from Rio to Monte Video, but an examination of the vessel showed that she was not only fitted out for the slave trade, ie ready for a slave deck to be fitted, but also provided with casks which could hold about 2,000 gallons of water, enough for 6 months supply for the crew on board, and wasn't carrying a passport allowing her to carry that quantity of water, the casks of that size only being only permitted to for use with palm oil, thus Capt Fremantle decreed that in his opinion the vessel was clearly equipped for and engaged in the slave trade, and seized her as being liable to forfeiture &c. by virtue of the Act entitled "an act for the suppression of the slave trade," he appointed Mate George William Boothby and a crew consisting of an officer and 7 men from the Clio to take charge of the Feliz Vencidor, and proceed to the Cape of Good Hope, arriving in False Bay on 28 Jul 1841 during the night, and in the morning the vessel was found to be a long way up the Bay and despite putting down two anchors the cables parted in the heavy swell and the vessel drifted onto the beach, where she remains. Some sources ie the Voyages Database give the names of the owners as Carvalho Ram�n & Francisco Colta, but from the papers discovered on board it was deduced that a Manoel Jose Gavinho was probably the owner, but no details known. The papers were handed over to the Vice-Admiralty Court, Cape of Good Hope circa 30 Jul 1841, and the vessel was condemned on 13 Aug 1841, appeared Mate George William Boothby & Thomas Self, Able seaman. And further to the above G.W. Boothby and Lieut G.M. Pedder, examined the wreck again and found further evidence of her having been fitted for the Slave Trade. This and more can be found at about page 231 in FO 84-437 Admiralty Letters 1842 Jan., available at the National Archives for free download.
Prize money due 31 Aug 1844.

9 Aug 1841 arrived at Rio de Janeiro.

13 Aug 1841 the Admiralty reports that a boat's crew from the Clio, which had arrived in Campos, where there had been violent proceedings on the part of a mob of slave dealers towards the officer and crew of the boat and that they were now in prison, but it isn't stated whether this was for their protection or whatever. HM packet Delight has been diverted from her normal work to go to Campos to see what can be done ? Lord Palmerston at the Foreign Office appears to have been kept in the picture, having been informed of the change of use of the packet for a, hopefully, short period ? 27 May 1841 the Partridge was instructed to go to Campos to see what could be done and then to report back to Rio de Janeiro.

13 Aug 1841 the Admiralty instruct the Delight to go to Campos to see what can be done about the Clio's boat's crew and officer, who had problems ashore with rioting slave dealers and ended up in prison.

14 Sep 1841 1841 left Simon's Bay, for the East Indies and China.

6 Nov 1841 Commander Stephen G. Fremantle (of the Clio), promoted to Acting Captain and appointed to the Southampton, vice Hillyar.

At some time during the period 1839-42 engaged in the Operations in China. Officers and Men serving on this ship during this period may be eligible for a Medal. See p. 288 at www.archive.org/details/royalnavyhistory06clow.

13 Nov 1841, arrived Singapore recently from England departed for Freemantle.

Cira Feb 1842 got on a rock near the island of Potal, at the entrance of the Canton River, and was got off with the assistance of a French frigate without sustaining any damage.

14 Mar 1842 at Chusan, Chinhae, or Ningpo.

5 Jul 1842 stationed at Chusan.

13 Jun 1842 anchored off Woosung. Once the defences at the mouth of the river were sounded and buoyed the works on both sides of the river were bombarded (16th). See p. 298-9 at www.archive.org/details/royalnavyhistory06clow

16 Jun 1842 operations commence against Shanghai. See p. 300 at www.archive.org/details/royalnavyhistory06clow

16 Jun - 29 Aug 1842 expedition up the Yang-tse-Keang, to the end of hostilities and signing of the Treaty of Nanking. See p. 300-> at www.archive.org/details/royalnavyhistory06clow and www.gazettes-online.co.uk