HMS Dwarf (1843) facts for kids
HMS Dwarf was a special ship launched in 1840. Her first name was Mermaid. The Royal Navy bought her in 1843, making her the very first ship in their fleet to use a screw propeller! She was taken apart in 1853.
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Meet the Mermaid
The Mermaid was an iron ship, which means she was made of metal. She was built at a place called Blackwall Yard for regular shipping jobs. What made her unique was her special propeller, invented by Bennet Woodcroft. It was called a "varying pitch screw propeller."
This ship was about 164 tons in size. When she had her first test trip, she only needed about 5.5 feet (1.7 meters) of water to float.
The British Admiralty (the group in charge of the Royal Navy) bought the Mermaid on June 22, 1843. They bought her from a company called J. and G. Rennie. A man named Sir George Cockburn suggested they buy her. One important rule for buying her was that she had to be able to steam at least 12 miles per hour (19 km/h). After they bought her, the Navy changed her name to HMS Dwarf.
Testing the Dwarf'
The Dwarf had her trials (test runs) on May 15, 1843. She did six runs and reached an average speed of 12.142 miles per hour. The detailed results of her propeller tests were shared in December 1844. These tests helped the Navy learn a lot about how screw propellers worked.
Dwarf's Duties
Dwarf became a tender ship for the royal yacht, HMY Victoria and Albert (1843). A tender ship is like a smaller support boat that helps a larger ship. Lieutenant Commander Edward Halhead Beauchamp-Proctor was in charge of her until March 1843. After that, the ship was taken out of service for a while at Woolwich.
In October 1844, Prince Albert was on the royal yacht at Cowes. He was very interested in "the little screw" ship. He even came aboard the Dwarf with Queen Victoria to see it up close!
In December 1845, the Dwarf was sent to Sheerness. There, she became the support ship for the admirals (high-ranking officers) of that port.
A Brave Rescue
In 1848, Lieutenant Osborne was in charge of the Dwarf off the coast of Ireland. One day, while the ship was getting ready in the Portsmouth Basin, he heard someone shout, "a boy overboard!" Without thinking, he jumped into the water with his full uniform, including his sword, and saved the boy. He was recognized for his bravery.
An Unusual Flag
While Dwarf was docked in Kingstown Harbour, Ireland, her crew went to a ship called Ann Kenney. They found and took an emerald green silk flag that they didn't recognize.
A Collision at Sea
On September 26, 1849, the Dwarf was hit by another ship, HMS Trident, in the Atlantic Ocean. This happened about 60 nautical miles (111 km) southeast of the Old Head of Kinsale, County Cork. The Dwarf was badly damaged. Her crew was taken onto the Trident, which then towed the damaged Dwarf to Kinsale, County Cork, for repairs.
The End of the Dwarf
The Dwarf was scrapped (taken apart) in 1853.
The Royal Navy's second ship with a screw propeller was HMS Bee. She was a wooden paddle ship launched in 1842. The Bee had a screw propeller added in 1844. She was taken apart in 1874. Both the Dwarf and the Bee were mainly used for experiments to learn about new ship technology, not for fighting.
