HMS Blonde (1819) facts for kids
HMS Blonde, by Robert Dampier, 1825
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Blonde |
| Ordered | 11 December 1812 |
| Builder | Deptford Dockyard |
| Laid down | March 1816 |
| Launched | 12 January 1819 |
| Completed | 1824 |
| Renamed | HMS Calypso on 9 March 1870 |
| Reclassified | Receiving ship in November 1850 |
| Fate | Sold on 28 February 1895 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | 46-gun modified Apollo-class fifth-rate frigate |
| Tons burthen | 1,103 bm |
| Length |
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| Beam | 39 ft 8 in (12.1 m) |
| Depth of hold | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 315 |
| Armament |
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HMS Blonde was a 46-gun frigate of the British Royal Navy. She was a large sailing warship. In 1824, she made a very important journey to the Pacific Ocean. Later, from 1850, she was used for harbour duties. Her name was changed to HMS Calypso in 1870. The ship was finally sold in 1895.
Contents
Building the Ship
The order for Blonde was placed on December 11, 1812. She was built at the Deptford Dockyard in England. Her design was new, based on the Apollo class of ships.
Construction began in March 1816. Blonde was launched into the water on January 12, 1819. After her launch, she was kept in storage until 1824. Then, she was finished and prepared for active service at Woolwich.
Journey to Hawaii
Lord Byron (the 7th Baron) was the commander of Blonde. He led her on a very important journey in 1824.
Carrying Hawaiian Royalty
Blonde left Woolwich, England, on September 8, 1824. On board were the bodies of King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu of the Kingdom of Hawaii. They had died while visiting King George IV in England.
The Hawaiian Islands were once called the "Sandwich Islands." This name honored John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. He had sponsored Captain James Cook's voyage in the 1770s.
Important People on Board
The ship's crew included some special guests. James Macrae, Scottish botanist was a botanist from the Royal Horticultural Society. He was sent to study plants. Naturalist Andrew Bloxam also joined the voyage. His brother, Rowland, was the ship's chaplain. Ship's artist Robert Dampier created many important paintings during the trip.
Stops Along the Way
On November 27, 1824, they reached Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. They stayed at St. Catherines from December 24 to January 1, 1825. There, the naturalist collected plants. He hoped these plants could become useful crops in Hawaii.
On February 4, 1825, they anchored at Valparaíso, Chile. Sadly, the Hawaiian Admiral Naihekukui died suddenly there. From March 25 to April 3, they visited the Galapagos Islands.
Arriving in Hawaii
On May 1, several Hawaiians, including Kuini Liliha, were baptized by the ship's chaplain. Land was first seen off the island of Hawaii at Hilo on May 3. On May 4, they landed at Lahaina on the island of Maui. This is where the Hawaiians left the ship.
On May 6, they landed in Honolulu. A gardener named John Wilkinson had come from England. He was meant to teach farming. Before leaving England, Governor Boki had agreed to give Wilkinson some land. This land was in the Mānoa Valley.
The botanist Macrae left some coffee plants and other plants from Brazil. Sadly, the climate was not good for Wilkinson. He died in March 1827. Coffee took many more years to become a successful crop in Hawaii.
Royal Funeral and Exploration
On May 11, a state funeral was held for the late King and Queen. This was the first Christian memorial service for a Hawaiian ruler. The ship's crew and many Hawaiian leaders attended.
On June 7, Blonde sailed back to Hilo. They held church services there on June 12. For a while, Europeans called Hilo Bay "Byron's Bay." American missionary Joseph Goodrich led a group to climb Mauna Kea. This is the highest point for thousands of miles. On June 15, they took a canoe to Laupāhoehoe. Goodrich did not reach the snowy top due to altitude sickness. However, some others in the group did on June 17.
On June 25, a group went to visit the Kīlauea volcano. They arrived at the smoking crater with glowing red lava on June 27. Lord Byron visited a few days later.
On July 7, they left Hilo and returned to Honolulu by July 9. On July 12, they left for Kealakekua Bay. They arrived on July 14. There, they looked at the place where Captain James Cook died in 1779.
On July 15–16, they visited a royal burial site called Hale o Keawe at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau. They removed most of the wooden carvings and other items. Byron thought they were "pagan symbols." They built a monument to Captain Cook. It was a post with a copper plate. They left on July 18.
Return Journey
On July 27, they crossed the equator, planning to go to Tahiti. The crew of Blonde were the first Europeans to see Malden Island. It was named after navigator Lieutenant Charles Robert Malden on July 30, 1825. They landed on the island and found remains of old houses.
On August 1, they passed Starbuck Island. They landed at Maʻuke in the Cook Islands on August 8. On September 6, they reached Valparaíso again. They explored the coast of Chile. They sailed around Cape Horn on December 29. On March 7, 1826, they rescued survivors from another ship called Frances Mary. Blonde arrived back in England on March 15.
In 1826, Maria Graham wrote a book based on Rowland Bloxam's journal. The Huntington Library in Southern California has Lord Byron's original logbook from this voyage.
Later Service
In 1835, Blonde was stationed at Valparaíso. Commodore Francis Mason was in command. At that time, HMS Challenger was shipwrecked. Mason was worried about the dangerous coast. But Captain Robert FitzRoy of HMS Beagle convinced him to take Blonde to help with the rescue.
Service in China
HMS Blonde was involved in several battles in China. This happened during the First Opium War (1839–1842).
Final Years
Blonde became a receiving ship at Portsmouth in November 1850. A receiving ship is like a floating barracks or storage ship. In the 1861 Census, she was at Portsmouth. She was attached to the royal yacht Osbourne. She was listed as a 'hulk', meaning an old ship no longer fit for sea.
Her name was changed to HMS Calypso on March 9, 1870. She was sold at Portsmouth on February 28, 1895.
See also
- European and American voyages of scientific exploration
