HMS Fisgard

HMS Fisgard (launched as Audacious, 1869)

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Name	Fisgard (launched as Audacious, 1869)	Explanation
Type	Central battery ironclad
Launched	27 February 1869
Hull	Iron
Propulsion	Screw
Builders measure	3774 tons
Displacement	6010 tons
Guns	14
Fate	1927
Class	Audacious
Ships book	ADM 135/30
Note	1902 torpedo d.s. 1904 = Fisgard. 1906 t.s. 1914 = Imperiéuse, repair ship
Snippets concerning this vessels career
Date	Event
1 October 1870 - 5 July 1871	Commanded by Captain David Spain, ship of First Reserve, Kingstown, Ireland
23 November 1871 - 4 May 1873	Commanded by Captain Charles Webley Hope, ship of First Reserve, Hull
18 September 1873 - 17 March 1874	Commanded by Captain Henry Dennis Hickley, Coast Guard, River Humber
18 September 1873 - 17 March 1874	Commanded by Captain Henry Dennis Hickley, Coast Guard, River Humber
1 September 1874 - 23 December 1877	Commanded (from commissioning at Chatham) by Captain Philip Howard Colomb, flagship of Vice-Admiral Alfred Phillipps Ryder, China
31 August 1877 - 23 February 1879	Commanded by Captain Francis Durrant, flagship of Vice-Admiral Charles Farrell Hillyar on the China station
5 September 1882 - 18 December 1882	Commanded by Captain Henry Craven St John, to relieve Iron Duke as flagship on the China station
19 December 1882 - 12 April 1884	Commanded by Captain Richard Edward Tracey, flagship of Vice-Admiral George Ommaney Willes, China
5 January 1884 - 6 January 1886	Commanded by Hugo Lewis Pearson, flag-ship of Vice Admiral Sir William Montagu Dowell, China
31 October 1885 - 24 January 1888	Commanded by Robert Hastings Harris
25 January 1888 - 29 February 1888	Commanded by John Borlase Warren
1 April 1890 - 1893	Commanded by Captain Arthur Cecil Henry Paget, coast guard, Hull
1904	Renamed Fisgard
1914	Renamed Imperiéuse
*Extracts from the Times* newspaper**
Date	Extract
Fr 14 February 1868	OUR IRON-CLAD FLEET. — A return likely to be called for annually has been laid before Parliament, giving an account of our iron-clad fleet built, building, or ordered. The return, which is dated the 30th of August, 1867, contains a list of 31 ships then completed, 13 of them wholly armour-clad, and 18 partially. They are: — The Black Prince, 32 guns; Warrior, 32; Defence, 16; Resistance, 16; Achilles, 26; Hector, 18: Valiant, 18; Minotaur, 26; Agincourt, 26; Northumberland, 26; Royal Oak, 24; Prince Consort, 24; Caledonia, 24; Ocean, 24; Royal Alfred 18; Zealous, 20; Bellerophon, 15; Lord Clyde, 24; Lord Warden, 18; Penelope, 11; Pallas, 8; Favourite, 10; Research, 4; Enterprise, 4; Waterwitch, 2; Vixen, 2; Viper, 2; Royal Sovereign, 5; Prince Albert, 4; Scorpion, 4; Wivern, 4. Twenty-one of these ships are of more than 3,000 tons each. Six other ships were at the date of this return building; two to be wholly armour-clad, and four partially; the Hercules, just launched; the Monarch, 6 guns, to be launched in June; the Captain, 6, the Repulse, 12, to be launched in April; the Audacious, 14, in December; and the Invincible, 14, in March, 1869. All these six ships exceed 3,700 tons. Another, the Bellona, is ordered [and apparently later cancelled]. Lastly, there are the four wholly armour-clad batteries launched in 1855 and 1856, the Erebus, Terror, Thunderbolt, and Thunder; the three first of 16 guns, and the last 14, their tonnage ranging from 1,469 to 1,973. The first cost of the 31 iron-clad ships completed amounted in the whole to 7,284,294l. This includes fittings, but the accounts for some of the latter ships are not yet closed, and this sum does not include incidental and establishment charges. These last indirect charges, calculated in accordance with the recommendation of the Committee on Dockyard Manufactures, add about 35 per cent. to the gross direct charges for labour and materials expended upon each ship in the financial year 1864-65, about 51 per cent. for 1865-66, and the year 1866-67 is for the present estimated to show the same ratio of 51 per cent. These indirect charges have amounted, on the Bellerophon, to no less than 114,372l.; Lord Warden, 104.292l., with a further addition to follow: Royal Alfred, 69,999l., also liable to some addition; Lord Clyde, 66,964l.; Pallas, 61,076l. The most costly of the ships have been the Minotaur, 450,774l.; the Agincourt, 446,048l., both of them with unsettled claims for extra payment; the Northumberland, 433,130l., with the accounts not yet closed; the Achilles, 444,590l.; and the Hercules, estimated at 401,000l. Further sums have to be added to the cost of these ships for dockyard, incidental, and establishment charges.
Th 18 August 1870	The Iron Duke, 14, left Keyham yesterday morning, and went round the Eddystone for the contractor's preliminary trial trip. The engines worked very satisfactorily, and on Thursday next the official trial will be made. The following ships are in the Keyham yard. The invincible, 14, is in dock to have her new twin screws fitted; these have been made at Keyham, and are of a different pitch to those she had previously. The fitting out of the Vanguard, 14, and Audacious, 14, is completed, and they are now ready for sea. The Narcissus, 35, flag-ship of the flying squadron, is having new boilers at Keyham, and will be ready for sea at the end of this month. The Lord Clyde, 24, is having her engines put on board; the new cylinders and pistons, and the greater portion of the machinery, has been made at Keyham. The Terrible, 19, is in dock repairing. The Topaze, 31, and Doris, 24, are receiving new boilers, with thorough repairs to machinery, and general refit of the ships. The new screw sloop Tenedos, 6, is in Keyham Basin, waiting to receive her machinery.
Fr 9 September 1870	The Vanguard, the invincible, the Iron Duke, the Audacious, the Narcissus, the Aurora, and the Cadmus have received their complete armament from the Gunwharf, Devonport, and two sailing transports have within the last four days discharged about 340 tons of shell at this Arsenal from Woolwich.
Sa 29 October 1870	The Invincible, 14, Capt. Lambert, in charge of Capt. C. Fellowes and Staff of the Steam Reserve, left Plymouth Sound on Wednesday morning for the six hours official steam trial. There was also on board Mr. Murdoch, who had been sent by the Admiralty to test the smoke-consuming apparatus. At the time of the Invincible's leaving the Sound she was at a draught of 21ft. 8in. aft, and 20ft. 6in. forward, her double bottom not being filled with water, and having no ammunition on board, the object of this trial being to test her new screws at a six hours’ run of uninterrupted steaming. At starting the weather was quite calm, but prior to her return a strong breeze set in from the westward with proportionate sea. The ship during the trial was kept, with the wind abeam, and when she first hove in sight on her return, steaming in from the southward, she had the appearance of being almost on her beam ends; and as she approached the Sound it became evident that she was heeling over 17 to 18 deg., and the greatest anxiety prevailed on shore for the safety of the ship. Although the Invincible heeled to this extent she had not a stich of canvas set, and her topgallantmasts ware on deck. It is therefore certain that even if the water ballast and ammunition were on board the ship would be unsafe under canvas, and the same may be said of the other three ships of the same class — namely, the Audacious, the Vanguard, and the Iron Duke.
Tu 1 November 1870	The Naval Commander-in-Chief at Devonport, Admiral Sir Henry Codrington, K.C.B., has been instructed by the Admiralty to detain until further orders the ships of the Audacious class which, with the exception of the Iron Duke at Keyham. are now in Plymouth Sound — namely, the Invincible, the Vanguard, and the Audacious.
Ma 24 July 1871	The Vanguard, 14, Capt. J. Spain, will sail from Plymouth to-dav for Kingston [Kingstown= modern Dun Leoghaire]
Ma 9 June 1873	THE SHAH OF PERSIA. ... The subjoined Information was made public by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty on Saturday afternoon: — "The following are the arrangements of the Admiralty for the reception of His Majesty the Shah of Persia on his embarkation at Ostend and arrival at Dover:— "A squadron of ironclads, under the orders of Rear-Admiral Hornby, will leave Spithead on or about the 18th inst. Her Majesty’s ships Vigilant and Lively and other yachts will embark His Majesty at Ostend early on the morning of the 18th inst. Her Majesty's ships Devastation, Audacious, and Vanguard, will escort His Majesty thence towards Dover, where they will be met by the following ships, under the command of Rear Admiral Hornby:— Agincourt (flag), Northumberland, Black Prince, Achilles, Hercules, Sultan, Monarch, and Hector; and Audacious. Vanguard, and Devastation (to be detached to Ostend and rejoin). The squadron will convoy His Majesty to near Dover Pier, where His Majesty will land. On joining the ships at Ostend and the channel squadron, and on landing, His Majesty will be received with the usual salutes and ceremonies due to His Majesty's exalted rank." At Devonport and Keyham the following vessels are being prepared and equipped to take part in the naval review at Spithead:—The Zealous, 20, wood built, armour-plated, screw ship; the double screw, iron, armour-plated turret-ships Gorgon, 4; Hecate, 4; Hydra, 4; and Cyclops, 4; the Prince Albert, 4, screw, armour-plated, iron turret-ship; the Hotspur, 3, double screw, iron, armour-plated ram; the Waterwitch, 4, iron, armour-plated, hydraulic gun-boat; the Goshawk, 4, and the Swinger, 4, screw composite gunboats; the Plucky, 1, screw gunboat; and the Lively, paddle despatch vessel (the latter being intended to join the escort). Besides these vessels, the ironclads Northumberland, 28, Agincourt, 28, and Vanguard, 14, have lately left Devonport for the rendezvous of the fleet at Spithead. On the 17th of June it is anticipated that the Channel Fleet will be lying off Dover to await the arrival of the Shah of Persia, and it is proposed for the yachts of the Royal Cinque Ports Club to go out on Wednesday and sail as a squadron to meet the Shah, and to return to Dover with the Ironclad Fleet.
Ma 30 June 1873	The fleet remaining at Spithead anchorage yesterday comprised the following vessels:—The Agincourt, flagship, Rear-Admiral Hornby, C.B., commanding-in-chief; the Sultan, carrying the broad pennant of Commodore Vansittart, C.B., second in command; the Northumberland, Hercules, Monarch, Audacious, Vanguard, Black Prince, Caledonia, Penelope, Hector, Valiant, Achilles, Glatton, Devastation, Royal Sovereign, and Valorous, paddle. The Devastation, Glatton, and Royal Sovereign are expected to go into Portsmouth harbour from Spithead this morning.
Tu 1 September 1874	The Audacious, 14, armour-plated, fitting out at Chatham as a flagship for China, will be commissioned at that place to-day by Capt. P.H. Colomb.
Fr 21 July 1876	Admiral Ryder, appointed to the command of the Audacious, 14, double-screw iron ship, armour-plated, 6,034 tons, 4,021-horse power, which is being fitted at Chatham dockyard as the flag-ship for the China station, to relieve the Iron Duke, has arrived at Chatham to superintend the fitting out of the vessel.
Th 18 January 1877	Our Hongkong Correspondent writes under date the 14th of December last:— "Her Majesty's ships of war in harbour are the Audacious (flag-ship of Vice-Admiral Ryder), Fly, Growler, Nassau, Ringdove and Vigilant. The orders for the Ringdove to leave here on the 16th of December for England have been countermanded. She will now probably be paid off here, thoroughly repaired by the Naval-yard authorities and re-commissioned with the crew of the Lapwing, her present officers and crew returning to England in the troopship Himalaya. By last advances of the 30th of November, the Charybdis, Frolic, and Mosquito remained by the Lapwing at Chan-shan-tan Island. The weather continued fine, but the chances of getting her afloat were very much against her. The Curlew at Tien-tsin, remains there for the winter. The Growler, after a thorough repair to het boilers, has completed her stores, and proceeds to Amoy in the place of the Fly, ordered to remain in Hongkong.
Tu 27 November 1877	The Euphrates left Port Said on the 24th inst. for Malta and Portsmouth. Letters have been received from Commodore Sullivan, in the Active, in Simon's Bay, up to the 29th of October. The Industry would convey Mr. Stanley, the explorer, and his followers to Zanzibar. Letters have been received from Admiral Ryder, in the Audacious, at Hongkong, up to the 11th ult.; he would there await the arrival of his successor. The Sheldrake had returned from Ichang to Hankow. The Lily had gone from Nagasaki to Chinkiang. The Midge left on the 24th of September for Tientsin, where she will winter. The Frolic was still in dock at Shanghai, after collision. The Growler was ordered from the Dindings up to Hongkong, where she will be docked. The Vigilant had been docked. The health of the Squadron was satisfactory.
Fr 5 April 1878	It is stated that the Admiralty hare decided upon augmenting our fleet on the China and East Indian stations by the addition of another armour-plated vessel. The only vessels of any size on these stations are the Audacious, 14, armour-plated, flag-ship of Vice-Admiral C.F. Hillyar, C.B., Commander-in-Chief on the China station; and the Undaunted, 31, unarmoured frigate, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral J. Corbett, C.B., Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies. The other vessels — about 30 in number — are small, and do not carry any heavy armament. The Penelope, now at Chatham, and which is ready for commission, will be sent to China, and as she has been fitted as a flag-ship, it is thought that a Rear-Admiral will be appointed to her, to be second in command on the station.

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