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William Loney RN - Background  
Home-Loney-Background-The Royal Navy Browse mid-Victorian RN vessels: A; B; C; D; E - F; G - H; I - L; M; N - P; Q - R; S; T - U; V - Z; ??
NameNigerExplanation
TypeSloop (1862: Corvette)   
Launched18 November 1846   
HullWooden Length194 feet
PropulsionScrew Men160
Builders measure1013 tons   
Displacement1454 tons   
Guns14   
Fate1869 Last in commission1869
Class    
Ships bookADM 135/325   
Career
DateEvent
18 November 1846Launched at Woolwich Dockyard.
9 July 1850
- November 1854		Commanded (from commissioning at Portsmouth) by Commander Leopold George Heath, west coast of Africa, then (end of 1852) Mediterranean (and in 1854 the Black Sea during the Russian War, Heath being beach-master at Eupatoria during the landing)
2 February 1855
- 31 January 1856		Commanded (until paying off at Woolwich) by Commander Henry William Hire, Mediterranean, and the Black Sea during the Russian War
14 May 1856
- 8 September 1858		Commanded (from commissioning at Woolwich) by Captain Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane, East Indies and China, (including 2nd Anglo-Chinese War) (until Cochrane invalided)
8 September 1858
- 13 September 1861		Commanded (until paying off at Woolwich) by Captain Peter Cracroft, East Indies and China then Australia and New Zealand Wars
3 February 1865
- 9 October 1865		Commanded (from commissioning at Woolwich) by Captain John Clarke Byng, North America and West Indies (untill Byng invalided)
9 October 1865
- 9 December 1868		Commanded (until paying off at Woolwich) by Captain James Minchin Bruce, North America and West Indies
2 December 1869Sold to Castle for breaking up at Charlton.
Extracts from the Times newspaper
DateExtract
Ma 24 February 1845

22 February 1845

Mr Lang, master shipwright at Woolwich Dockyard, has been ordered to lay down a first-class steam-sloop, to be named the Niger, upon a plan submitted by himself, and she is to have a screw propeller and be completed in March 1847.
We 10 September 1845

9 September 1845

The Amphion, of 36 guns, converting into a steam-vessel with screw propeller at Woolwich, is ordered to be completed as soon as possible for commission; and the Niger steam-vessel, ordered to be built at that dockyard, is to be proceeded with. These works require a number of hands, and instructions have been issued to employ 60 extra shipwrights, 12 blacksmiths, and 6 joiners.
Sa 24 October 1846

23 October 1846

The Niger stream-vessel, building at Woolwich Dockyard, is to be launched on the 3r of November.
Fr 6 November 1846

5 November 1846

The Grappler, steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander Hawker, is expected to leave Woolwich on Tuesday next, her services being required immediately. A number of men are employed upon her to get her ready, and so many others have been required to finish the vessels already in an advanced state, that the launch of the Niger steam-vessel has been postponed until workmen can be spared to make her ready for launching.
Th 19 November 1846

18 November 1846

The Niger steam vessel, built at Woolwich dockyard from a design from by Mr. 0. Lang, and to be fitted with one of Mr. Smith's screw propellers, 13 feet in diameter, was launched to-day at 25 minutes past 1 o'clock, p.m. The vessel was named by Mrs. Dwyer, wife of Captain Dwyer, R.N. Amongst the officers present were Captain Henderson, C.B. of the Sidon steam frigate; Commander Smith, of the William and Mary yacht; Commander Hamond, of the Medea steam vessel; Captain Wellesley and Captain Knox, studying steam at the factory, and a number of officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Marines. The vessel is very strongly put together, and her decks have been coated with marine glue, and the heads of the whole of the copper nails and bolts sunk an inch each into the wood, and then covered with a coating of the marine glue, and covered with a circular piece of wood about an inch thick, joined with the same material, forming an apparently solid deck easily cleaned and kept in the best order.

The Niger went off the stocks in fine style amidst the cheers of the assembled spectators, and she looks remarkably well in her future element. The following are her dimensions:-

 ft.in.
Length between the perpendiculars1850
Keel tonnage1677 1/8
Breadth extreme348
Do. for tonnage344
Do. moulded338
Depth in engine room216
Burthen in tons 1013 51-94 old measurement.
Do. do. 923 1505-3500 new do.
Engines 400 horse power.
Fr 19 November 1869The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have directed the sale of another batch of war vessels, lying at Portsmouth, Sheerness, and Devonport. The list includes Her Majesty's screw frigate Emerald, 2,913 tons, built at Deptford in 1856; the screw sloop Miranda, 1,039 tons, built at Sheerness in 1851: the screw sloop Wasp, 974 tons, built at Deptford in 1850; the screw sloop Sharpshooter, 503 tons, built at Blackwall in 1846; the screw sloop Niger, 1,002 tons, built at Woolwich in 1846; the paddlewheel steam vessel Thais, 302 tons, built at Messrs. Laird's yard, Birkenhead, in 1856; and the hulls of the steamers Coronation and Plym. The sale, which will be the third of war vessels since the Recess, will be held at Lloyd's Captains' room, Royal Exchange, in the early part of the ensuing month. The Wasp and Sharpshooter are now lying at Portsmouth, the Emerald, Miranda, and Niger at Sheerness, and the Thais, Coronation, and Plym at Devonport.
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