HMS Thetis (1846) facts for kids
SMS Thetis, the former HMS Thetis, circa 1867.
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Thetis |
| Namesake | Thetis |
| Ordered | 23 April 1842 & 16 February 1843 |
| Builder | Devonport dockyard |
| Cost | £51,926 |
| Laid down | 2 December 1844 |
| Launched | 21 August 1846 |
| Commissioned | 30 December 1846 |
| Fate | Transferred to the Prussian Navy on 12 January 1855 |
.svg){kind=small} Prussia |
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| Name | SMS Thetis |
| Acquired | 12 January 1855 |
| Decommissioned | 28 November 1871 |
| Stricken | 28 November 1871 |
| Fate | Broken up in 1894–95 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class and type | 36-gun fifth-rate frigate |
| Displacement | 1,894 long tons (1,924 t) |
| Tons burthen | 1533 14⁄94 bm |
| Length | 164 ft 7.25 in (50.2 m) |
| Beam | 46 ft 8.75 in (14.2 m) |
| Draught |
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| Depth of hold | 13 ft 6.5 in (4.128 m) |
| Sail plan | Ship rig |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 330 |
| Armament |
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HMS Thetis was a sailing warship called a frigate that belonged to the British Royal Navy. It had 36 guns! After serving for almost ten years, the ship was given to Prussia, a country in Europe, in exchange for two smaller steam-powered boats.
Thetis then became a training ship for young sailors in the Prussian Navy, the North German Federal Navy, and later the Imperial German Navy. It was used until 1871. After that, Thetis was turned into a hulk, which is like a floating storage place for coal. It was finally taken apart in 1894–95.
Contents
About the Ship: Thetis Design and Features
Thetis was a large sailing ship with three masts. It was designed to be a frigate, which is a type of warship that was fast and could carry many guns. The ship had a total sail area of about 2,370 square meters (25,500 square feet).
The ship could travel at a top speed of 15 knots, which is about 28 kilometers per hour (17 miles per hour). Sailors thought Thetis was a very good ship for sailing in rough seas and was easy to steer. However, it did tend to rock a lot in the waves.
When Thetis was with the British Navy, it had a crew of 330 officers and sailors. Later, when it served Prussia, it had 35 officers and 345 enlisted men.
How Big Was Thetis?
Thetis was measured at 164 feet 7.25 inches (50.17 meters) long at its main gun deck. Its beam, or width, was 46 feet 8.75 inches (14.24 meters). The depth of its hold (the space inside the ship) was 13 feet 6.5 inches (4.13 meters).
The ship was about 1,533 tons burthen, which was an old way of measuring a ship's size. It also displaced about 1,894 long tons (1,924 metric tons) of water, which tells us how heavy the ship was. The front of the ship sat 13 feet 10 inches (4.22 meters) deep in the water, and the back sat 15 feet 5 inches (4.70 meters) deep.
Thetis Guns and Weapons
When Thetis was a British ship, it carried many powerful guns. On its upper deck, it had eighteen 32-pounder guns and four 68-pounder guns. These were all smoothbore guns, meaning the inside of the barrel was smooth. The "pounder" number tells you the weight of the cannonball it fired. The "cwt" (hundredweight) tells you the weight of the gun itself.
The ship also had ten 32-pounder guns on its quarterdeck (the back part of the upper deck) and four more on its forecastle (the front part of the upper deck). These 32-pounder guns were a lighter model.
Later, when the Prussians took over Thetis, they changed its weapons. They armed it with thirty-eight Swedish 68-pounder guns, though two of these were later removed.
Thetis History: From British to German Service
The design for Thetis was approved in 1843, and it was the only ship of its kind. The ship was built at the Devonport Dockyard in England. Its construction began on December 2, 1844.
Thetis was launched into the water on August 21, 1846, and officially started its service on December 30, 1846. Building and fitting out the ship cost about £51,926.
In February 1847, Thetis accidentally ran aground (got stuck on the bottom) near Lisbon, Portugal. It had to go to Plymouth, England, for repairs.
From 1850 to 1854, Captain Augustus Leopold Kuper was in charge of Thetis. He sailed the ship to the southeast coast of America and then into the Pacific Ocean. While he was exploring, Captain Kuper surveyed an area near Vancouver Island. Because of his work, an island there was named Kuper Island. A nearby island was named Thetis Island after the ship itself. Other places on Vancouver Island, like Thetis Lake, are also named after the ship.
After nine years of service with the British, Thetis was given to the Prussian government on January 12, 1855. This was part of a deal where the British received two steam-powered gunboats in return.
The Prussians used Thetis as a training ship for young sailors and naval cadets. By 1867, it was also used to train sailors in how to use artillery (big guns). Famous future admirals like Alfred von Tirpitz, Eduard von Knorr, and Max von der Goltz were among the cadets who trained on Thetis.
Thetis continued to serve in the navies of the new German state as it was forming. However, on November 28, 1871, it was removed from the navy's active list. Its internal equipment was taken out, and it became a coal hulk in Kiel, Germany. This meant it was used as a floating storage facility for coal. The old ship was finally taken apart in 1894–95.
