HMS Rosario (1860) facts for kids
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Rosario chasing a man-stealing schooner in Polynesian waters, c. 1871
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Rosario |
| Ordered | 1 April 1857 |
| Builder | Deptford Dockyard |
| Laid down | 13 June 1859 |
| Launched | 17 October 1860 |
| Commissioned | 20 June 1862 |
| Fate | Sold for breaking on 31 January 1884 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Rosario-class sloop |
| Displacement | 913 tons |
| Length | 160 ft 10 in (49.02 m) |
| Beam | 30 ft 6 in (9.30 m) |
| Draught | 15 ft 10 in (4.83 m) |
| Installed power | 436 indicated horsepower |
| Propulsion |
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| Sail plan |
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| Speed | 9.2 kn (17.0 km/h) under power |
| Complement | 140 |
| Armament |
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HMS Rosario was a Royal Navy warship built in 1860. She was a type of ship called a sloop, which was a small warship. Rosario had 11 guns and used both sails and a steam engine to move.
She was active for many years, including eight years in the waters around Australia. During this time, she helped stop the illegal kidnapping of people from Pacific islands. This practice was known as "blackbirding." Rosario was the fifth Royal Navy ship to be named Rosario. She was eventually sold in 1884.
Contents
Ship Design and Features
The Rosario class of ships was designed in 1858 by Isaac Watts. He was the main naval architect at the time. These ships were made of wood.
Size and Structure
Rosario was about 160 feet (49 meters) long and 30 feet (9 meters) wide. She weighed 913 tons. These ships were the last wooden sloops built for the Royal Navy. Later ships started using iron parts.
How Rosario Moved
Rosario had a steam engine with two cylinders. This engine powered a single propeller. She could reach a speed of 9.2 knots (about 17 km/h) using her engine. She also had a full set of sails, like a ship-rigged vessel. Around 1869, her sails were changed to a barque rig, which is a slightly different setup.
Ship's Guns
When Rosario was first built, she had 11 guns. These included a large 40-pounder gun and several smaller 32-pounder and 20-pounder guns. By 1869, her armament was changed. She then carried one large 7-inch gun and two 40-pounder guns.
Building the Ship
Rosario was ordered on April 1, 1857. Her construction began on June 13, 1859, at Deptford Dockyard. She was the first ship of her class to be launched, which happened on October 17, 1860. She officially joined the Royal Navy on June 20, 1862.
Rosario's Service History
Rosario served two main periods of duty, called "commissions."
First Commission (1862–1866)
From June to October 1862, Rosario helped protect fishing boats in the North Sea. After that, she moved to the North America and West Indies Station. This meant she patrolled the waters around North America and the Caribbean.
During this time, she visited places like Kingston, Jamaica and Fort Monroe in Virginia. The Royal Navy worked with the US Navy to fight against slavery. Rosario likely played a role in these efforts in the Caribbean.
In 1866, she was sent to Montreal in Canada. Her job was to protect the harbor during the Fenian Raid. These raids were attacks by Irish-American groups. Sixteen of her crew members received a medal for their service during this time. After four years, she returned to England and finished her first commission on October 13, 1866.
Second Commission (1867–1875)
Rosario started her second period of service on September 28, 1867. She then sailed to the Australia Station. This covered a vast area, including Australia, New Zealand, and many Pacific islands.
In 1868, her officers visited Auckland, New Zealand. The next day, she took the Governor of New Zealand, Sir George F. Bowen, to Tauranga.
In 1869, Rosario stopped a ship called Daphne. The Daphne was suspected of "blackbirding." This was the illegal and forced recruitment of people from Pacific islands to work in places like Queensland, Australia. Commander Palmer, Rosario's captain, took the case to court. However, the court dismissed the charges. The judge said there was not enough proof that the people were slaves. The court also refused to hear from the kidnapped islanders.
In 1870, a sports team from Rosario played the first-ever international Rugby Union match in New Zealand. They played against a team from Wellington.
From 1871 to 1872, Albert Hastings Markham was in charge of Rosario for a short time. During this period, she sailed to the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) to help stop the illegal labor trade.
In 1872, she visited several places in New Zealand, including Wellington, Otago, and Auckland. Later that year, she sailed to the Solomon Islands. After repairs in Sydney, she returned to New Zealand in early 1873.
In late 1873, Rosario sailed to Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and New Britain. She helped return people who had been illegally taken for labor. She arrived back in Sydney in February 1874.
In March 1874, Commander A.E. Dupuis took command. Rosario visited Fiji and Samoa. Then she sailed to the Marshall Islands, the Ellice Islands, and the Gilbert Islands. Her mission was to gather information and search for William "Bully" Hayes. Hayes was a well-known criminal involved in blackbirding.
Rosario found some of Hayes's shipwrecked crew. Commander Dupuis questioned Hayes, but Hayes managed to escape before he could be arrested. A crew member's journal described how Hayes escaped from Kosrae in a small boat. Rosario took the rest of Hayes's crew to Sydney.
In February 1875, Rosario was ordered to return to England. She left Sydney in April 1875. On her way home, near New Zealand, she faced a strong storm. The storm damaged her sails and parts of the ship. She had to stop in Auckland for repairs, which took about six weeks.
After repairs, she continued her journey. She sailed around Cape Horn in July. She crossed the Equator in August. Finally, Rosario arrived back in England on September 30, 1875. She was officially taken out of service on October 12, 1875.
Ship's Final Days
Rosario was listed at Chatham in 1880. On January 31, 1884, she was sold to a company named Castle. They broke her up for scrap at Charlton.
