Rhadamanthus, 1832
Type: 2nd class sloop ; Armament 5
Launched : 16 Apr 1832 ; Disposal date or year : 1864
BM: 813 tons ; Displacement: 1086 tons
Propulsion: Paddle
Machinery notes: 220
Notes:

26 Apr 1832 departed Plymouth for Woolwich.

27 Aug 1832 Rhadamanthus, Salamander, and Phoenix are fitting out for sea, but will not be commissioned until required.

13 and 15 Sep 1832 has been completed with Maudsley's 220 h.p. engines and was tried down the river on both days.

22 Sep 1832 was to proceed today to Sheerness to tow the Howe to Chatham.

27 Sep 1832 the officers and men of the Dee have been lent to the Rhadamanthus to fit her out and take her to sea for trials, both vessels then being taken into the basin at Woolwich today.

5 Oct 1832 was commissioned at Woolwich by Cdr. G. Evans. The officers and men of the Dee are to return to their own vessel.

End of 1832, a part of a squadron of vessels involved in the blockade of the ports of Holland, which was defying the great Powers with regard to the Belgian question. See p. 270-1 at www.archive.org/details/royalnavyhistory06clow.

?? Nov 1832 departed Woolwich for Spithead.

4 Nov 1832 arrived from the Eastward with seamen for the Spartiate and then proceeded to Plymouth.

15 Nov 1832 anchored in the evening in the Downs with the following British vessels : Donegal, 78 ; Talavera, 74 ; Stag, frigate ; Larne and Scout corvettes ; Rhadamanthus and Dee, steam vessels.

16 Nov 1832 anchored at Deal and then weighed and departed to the eastward.

28 Nov 1832 arrived Deal from a cruise in the North Sea.

5 Dec 1832 departed the Downs for Plymouth.

12 Jan 1833 having had her engines overhauled at Plymouth departed on a short trial to the Eddystone and back.

28 Feb 1833 brought the Forester, ashore on Scilly Isles, back to Plymouth.

20 Mar 1833 taken out of dock at Plymouth, having been fitted with a hydrostatic log. She is due to sail for the West Indies shortly and is thought to be the first steam vessel operated on that station by the Royal Navy, and there is some interest regarding how she will stand up to the climate ?

25 Apr 1833 departed for the eastward.

30 Apr 1833 departed Madeira for the West Indies.

12 Dec 1833 departed Jamaica for St. Domingo.

5 Feb 1834 Is reported to be at Port Royal.

24 Jul 1834 an account of salvage-money received for assistance rendered to the Ewell Grove will be deposited at the High Court on Admiralty, on or before the 10 Nov 1835.

19 Sep 1835 at Portsmouth fitting for commission.

22 Apr 1836 arrived Lerwick, Shetland Isles last Monday for volunteers for the ships commissioning but recruited very few, many men having already volunteered for service in the Brazils and the whale ships.

21 Jun 1836 the Rhadamanthus has arrived with the Terror in tow in preparation for the latter's exploration of the North-West Passage under Captain Black.

15 Oct 1836 due to depart Portsmouth shortly for Lisbon with Marines from Woolwich.

21 Oct 1836 arrived Portsmouth from Plymouth.

19 Nov 1836 is expected shortly at Portsmouth from Woolwich, en route for the coast of Spain.

24 May 1837 arrived Plymouth from San Sebastian.

9 Jan 1839 at Malta.

2 Feb 1839 is reported to have struck a rock off Toulon, and was on her way to England to repair having left her guns at Malta.

15 May 1839 in Valetta harbour.

21 Jun 1839 arrived Valetta.

2 Jul 1839 Malta, the Princess Charlotte, Rodney, Bellerophon, Pembroke, Tyne and Rhadamanthus departed and joined the Minden, Talavera, Asia, Castor, and Zebra in the offing and departed for the east, but destination unknown.

27 Jul 1839 reported to be at the anchorage of Bashika, near the Dardanelles.

Sep 1939 at Besika Bay.

13 Oct 1839 it is reported that a malignant fever had appeared among the crews of both fleets at Besika Bay, but with most intensity on board the French vessels.

4 Nov 1839 is reported to have departed Besika Bay 23 Oct, with the fleet, for the winter anchorage at Vourla.

6 Oct 1839 arrived Beshika Bay from Constantinople, with despatches.

13 Oct 1839 the Confiance arrived here from Beshika Bay, with despatches from Constantinople, brought by the Rhadamanthus.

4 Nov 1839 Malta is reported to have departed Besika Bay 23 Oct for a winter anchorage at Vourla.

19 Dec 1839 joined the squadron at Vourla, from Malta.

8 Mar 1840 at Vourla.

25 May 1840 at Malta.

17 Jul 1840 arrived Smyrna.

3 Aug 1840 arrived Eriseos, and then went round with the squadron to Mytelene.

16 Aug 1840, arrived Alexandria yesterday from Mytelene (14th), with Mr. Moore, Queen's messenger, on board with despatches for London from Lard Ponsonby.

30 Sep 1840 Departed Malta for England.

19 Oct 1840 arrived at Woolwich from Malta.

26 Oct 1840 Woolwich, to be paid wages on Wednesday and will be sent on 2 weeks leave.

28 Oct 1840 Woolwich, has been laid up in ordinary. Mr. H. I. Robins, Mate, will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.

30 Mar 1841 Woolwich, was towed to Sheerness yesterday by the Comet and Monkey steam-vessels.

1 Sep 1841 was towed to Woolwich from Sheerness: she is to be fitted out as a troop ship, and Mr. Thomas Laen, Master of the Royal Sovereign, is appointed to command her, and W. H. Bateman clerk in charge.

10 Sep 1841 Woolwich, Clerk H. Bateman has been appointed clerk in charge of the Heroine (his appointment to the Rhadamanthus having been cancelled.)

10 Sep 1841 Woolwich, is to be supplied with boats above the paddle wheels, on Captain George Smith's plan. This excellent position for placing boats so as not to encumber the vessels, has already bean introduced in several employed in Her Majesty's service.

11 Sep 1841 is being fitted out with Capt. G. Smith's Paddle Wheel Life Boats, which, it is reported, have demonstrated their usefulness on a number of occasions recently.

11 Sep 1841 Second Master J. D. Pascoe ; 16 Sep, Assistant-Surgeon C. D. Steele ; 18 Sep, Assistant-Surgeon Mr. C. D. Steele ; 2 Oct Second Master John Gaaner, appointed to the Rhadamanthus.

2 Oct 1841 is fitting out at Woolwich.

16 Oct 1841 Assistant-Surgeon J. Bernard, appointed to the Rhadamanthus.

29 Oct 1841 in the basin at Woolwich.

27 Nov 1841 Second Masters Pascoe, and Garner, of the Rhadamanthus, promoted to Master.

4 Dec 1841 Second Master W. H. Mallard and T. Pitt, appointed to the Rhadamanthus.

8 Jan 1842 is loading at Woolwich with provisions and stores, and is to take sappers, miners and artillery to Gibraltar, reportedly calling at Portsmouth en route.

22 Jan 1842 arrived Spithead, from Woolwich, en route for Corfu, with Major Vicar's company of Sappers and Miners, under Lt. Ford, R.E., and Capt. Dunlop and 11 gunners and drivers of the R.A., with about 31 women and children ; embarked 50 boys for the fleet.

25 Jan 1842 departed for the Mediterranean.

16 Mar 1842 arrived Gibraltar, from Malta, and was at Lisbon on 21st.

11 Apr 1842 refitting at Woolwich.

1 May 1842 departed Woolwich for Leith to take the Depot of the 71st Regt to Gosport.

10 May 1842 arrived Spithead from Leith, with the depot of the 71st Regt., bound for Winchester.

14 May 1842 departed Spithead for Dublin where she'll embark the Rifle Brigade for Dover.

24 May 1842 arrived at Portsmouth from Sheerness with the Royal Marine detachment from the Benbow.

26 May 1842 arrived Plymouth from the Eastward and departed 28th for New York with important dispatches for our ambassador in the US.

3 Jun 1842 spoken with in lat. 48 ; long 20.

15 Jun 1842 arrived Halifax, NS, in 17 days, and then departed for the U.S..

8 Jul 1842 arrived Plymouth from New York.

15 Jul 1842 arrived Spithead from Plymouth and came into Harbour.

23 Jul 1842 refitting at Woolwich.

6 Aug 1842 is being prepared to take Lord Stuart de Rothsay to St. Petersburg shortly.

12 Aug 1842 at Woolwich undergoing repairs which it is hoped with be completed next week.

24 Aug 1842 will shortly depart to the Nore to join the Queen's escort of the Royal George en route to Granton, Nr. Leith, Scotland.

21 Sep 1842 departed Woolwich for St. Petersburg with Lord and Lady Stuart de Rothsay and family.

29 Oct 1842 has returned to Woolwich from Cronstadt and is refitting.

5 Nov 1842 has been ordered to prepare for her crew to be paid in advance and for a passage to Corfu to take out 2 companies of the Royal Artillery and bring home to England those at present stationed there.

12 Nov 1842 due to leave Woolwich next week for the Mediterranean, touching at Portsmouth en route.

19 Nov 1842 arrived Spithead from Woolwich, en route for the Mediterranean with supernumeraries for Malta from Portsmouth.

22 Nov 1842 departed Spithead for Plymouth and the Mediterranean.

8 Dec 1842 at Gibraltar.

24 Dec 1842 it has been reported that the Rhadamanthus ran down a trawler by the name of Ellen, fishing off Hastings at night, reputedly with no lights. 2 of the fisherman were picked up, but a third, by the name of Apps, was drowned. The Admiralty are reported to have granted �100 to the widow of Mr. Apps.

In 1846 Henry Baldwin, Rock Island Chief Officer, took government officials around in a Coast Guard boat with Alexander O'Driscoll, a "local middleman," to show the effect of the potato famine in the area. O'Driscoll asked the government to supply meal by steamer and have it distributed by the Coast Guards. The following year in February 1847, according to Captain Thomas, "bread-stuffs" were sent by the British Relief Association on board the Rhadamanthus to the Rock Island Coast Guard station but Baldwin was not allowed to distribute them. A few bags of flour were sent to Goleen(4). Later that same month, some 500 labourers from the local famine relief road works, carrying their shovels, went to Baldwin to demand food. The Protheroe had just arrived in the harbour with 109 tons of bread-stuffs donated by the British Relief Association. The captain of the ship was ordered by Captain Harston of the British Relief Association to leave for Schull. The local men attempted to prevent the ship's departure with the port pilot refusing to take the ship out of the harbour for fear of the crowd. Eventually it was towed to Schull by another government steamer where it discharged 364 sacks of food. According to Alexander O'Driscoll at the time 25 people a day were dying(5).
(4)Hickey, Famine in West Cork, 179.
(5)Hickey, Famine in West Cork, 188.
With thanks to Aidan Power

20 Dec 1848 Steam sloop. Transport. Particular Service

Spithead 2 Apr 1851 Master Belam, departed for Plymouth and the Cape of Good Hope.

Plymouth 5 Apr 1851 departed for the Cape of Good Hope with military stores and specie.

30 Aug 1851 Cape of Good Hope

19 Feb 1856 departed today for Plymouth.

Deal 12 Aug 1858 Passed through from Woolwich for the west.

1860 Particular Service.