HMS Tribune (1853)
HMS Tribune (1853)


Royal NavyVessels

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NameTribune (1853)Explanation
TypeCorvette TypeFrigate
Launched21 January 1853   
HullWooden Length192 feet
PropulsionScrew Men300
Builders measure1570 tons   
Displacement2243 tons   
Guns31   
Fate1866 Last in commission1866
Class  Class (as screw)Tribune
Ships bookADM 135/479   
Career
DateEvent
14 January 1853Launched at Sheerness Dockyard.
14 May 1853
- 22 November 1854
Commanded (from commissioning at Woolwich) by Captain Swynfen Thomas Carnegie, Channel squadron, then the Baltic and then the Black Sea during the Russian War
28 November 1854
- 16 January 1855
Commanded by Captain Lord John Hay, Black Sea during the Russian War
11 December 1854Commanded by Captain James Robert Drummond, Mediterranean, and Black Sea during the Russian War
13 August 1855Commanded by Captain Harry Edmond Edgell, Pacific (including 2nd Anglo-Chinese War)
18 August 1858
- August 1860
Commanded (until paying off at Portsmouth) by Captain Geoffrey Thomas Phipps Hornby, Pacific (where he diplomatically helped resolve the dispute - "Pig War" - with the United States over San Juan Island, off Vancover)
17 March 1862
- 16 May 1866
Commanded (from commissioning at Portsmouth until paying off at Portsmouth) by Captain Viscount Gilford, Pacific
August 1866Sold to C. Marshall for breaking up at Plymouth.
Extracts from the Times newspaper
DateExtract
(various)this gets replaced
Ma 6 March 1854

PORTSMOUTH, March 5.

The victualling of the ships at Spithead for six months foreign service was completed yesterday. There are now at this rendezvous to-day the following ships, the complements of which we give, as nearly as we can arrive at them without consulting the ships' books:—
 Guns.Tons.Crew.Horse-
power.
Princess Royal, Captain Lord Clarence Paget, flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B., &c.913,129880400
Prince Regent, Captain Hutton, flag of Rear-Admiral Corry.902,513821
Edinburgh, Captain Hewlett, flag of Rear-Admiral Chads. C.B.561,772660450
Royal George, Captain Codrington, C.B.1212,6161,100400
St. Jean d'Acre, Captain the Hon. Henry Keppel.1013,600900650
Boscawen, Captain Glanville.702,212620
Hogue, Captain W. Ramsay.601.750660450
Imperieuse, Captain Watson, C.B.512,347530360
Arrogant, Captain Yelverton.471,872450360
Amphion. Captain A.C. Key.341.474320300
Tribune, Captain the Hon. S.T. Carnegie.301,570200300
Dauntless, Captain Ryder.331,490300580
Leopard, Captain Giffard.181,412280550
Valorous, Captain C.H.M. Buckle.161,255220400
Dragon, Captain Willcox.61,270200500
Bulldog, Captain W.C. Hall.61,123160500
Frolic, Commander Nolloth.16511120
They have each been ordered (this day) to draw charts for the Baltic.
Every day will add to this force, which will eventually include the three-deckers, Duke of Wellington, 131; St. George, 120; Waterloo, 120; Neptune, 120; Caesar, 91; Nile, 91; James Watt, 91; Algiers, 91; Monarch, 84; Ganges, 84; Cressy, 81; Majestic, 81; Blenheim, 60; Ajax, 60; Euryalus, 51 ; Fox, 42; Pique, 40; and numerous others. Sir Charles Napier will, we believe, command personally 20 sail of the line, and 10 sail of French. There will be about 50 sail of smaller ships, which will be apportioned to the English and French Rear-Admirals and Commodore Martin, and it is reported a squadron of sailing-sloops or brigs is to be commissioned to cruise off the Scotch coast to prevent privateering. Rear-Admiral Corry will shift his flag to-morrow from the Prince Regent, 90, to the Neptune, 120, an order having been received yesterday, appointing Captain Hutton to the Neptune, and Captain Smith, C.B., from the Neptune, to the Prince Regent. Captain Hutton takes with him Commander Bunce, Lieutenant Brandreth, and 50 of the Prince Regent's crew. When the change of officers and ships was made known on board the Prince Regent yesterday, the whole ship's company, who really love their admiral and captain, and are devotedly attached to their matchless ship, wanted to follow the admiral, as one man, into the Neptune, and when told that only 50 would be allowed to be draughted by the Admiralty, their countenances betokened the sincerest dejection. Subsequently all the petty officers went aft on the quarter deck and respectfully requested that the Admiralty might be memorialised for their removal with their admiral and captain. The Neptune will be some time getting ready. She has lower yards and topmasts up and topgallant masts pointed, but has only 150 men on her books besides her draught of Royal Marines. We expect, therefore, that Rear-Admiral Chads will be the first despatched with a "flying squadron" of frigates towards the Baltic, that Sir Charles Napier will follow, and that Rear-Admiral Corry will bring up the rear. Captain Hay, of the Victory, has declined the flag-captaincy to Sir Charles Napier. The Prince Regent, the St. Jean d’Acre, the Amphion and the Odin were paid wages down to the 31st of January yesterday. The Imperieuse, Tribune, and Valorous will be paid to-morrow, leaving only the Arrogant (whose pay books have not yet been landed) of Admiral Corry's division to be paid. The Blenheim, 60, Captain the Hon, F.J. Pelham, has readjusted her compasses and will be ready to join the fleet to morrow. The Caesar, 91, Captain Robb, is rattling down her rigging. The Odin, 16, Captain F. Scott, is repairing boilers in the steam-basin. The fleet are daily exercised in .gunnery, reefing, furling, &c. Mr. Parratt, of the Treasury, brought down last night from London a small tubular collapsing boat, upon the principle of his admirable liferaft, which he has this day taken off to the St. Jean d'Acre, for the Hon. H. Keppell. The 23d, 42d, and 79th Regiments are preparing for active service. The two latter corps will be augmented by volunteers from the 72d and 79th depots, 31 volunteers from the 11th Foot, 32 from the 65th, and 62 from the 35th embarked from this dockyard at 6 o'clock this morning, in the Foyle, British and Irish Steam-pocket Company's vessel, to join the 1st battalion of the Royals, at Plymouth. The Foyle embarks the 93d depôt at Plymouth, to-morrow, for the Isle of Wight. The depôt of the 2d battalion of the Rifle Brigade will be conveyed to the Isle of Wight to-morrow in Her Majesty's steam-tender Sprightly.
The Cruiser, 14, Commander G.H. Douglas, will join the Baltic fleet.
Tu 11 September 1860The following vessels comprise the four classes of the steam reserve at Portsmouth, the list corrected to this date :-
First Class.- Duke of Wellington, 131 guns, 700 horsepower; Princess Royal, 91 guns, 400 horse-power; Shannon, 51 guns, 600 horse-power ; Immortalité, 51 guns, 600 horse-power; Volcano, 6 guns, 140 horse-power; Philomel, 6 guns, 80 horse-power; and gunboats Brazen, Beaver, Snapper, Traveller, Grinder, and Blazer, of two guns each, and 60 horse-power.
Second Class.- Royal Sovereign, 131 guns, 800 horse-power; Victoria, 121 guns, 1,000 horse-power; Prince of Wales, 131 guns, 800 horse-power ; Duncan, 101 guns, 800 horse-power; Nelson, 91 guns, 500 horse-power; the Sutlej, 51 guns, 500 horse-power ; the Harrier, 17 guns, 100 horse-power; the Rinaldo, 17 guns, 200 horse-power; the Medea, 6 guns, 350 horse-power; the Stromboli, 6 guns, 280 horse-power; the Coquette, 6 guns, 200 horse-power; and the gunboats Cracker, Fancy, Swinger, Pincher, and Badger, of 60 horse-power each, and 2 guns.
Third Class.- The Tribune, 31 guns, 300 horse-power; the Rosamond, 6 guns, 280-horse power; the Vigilant, 4 guns, 200 horse-power; the Vulture, 6 guns, 470 horse-power; the Cygnet, 5 guns, 80 horse-power; and the gunboats Cheerful, Rambler, Pet, Daisy, Angler, Chub, Ant, Pert, and Decoy, of two guns each and 21 horse-power.
4th Class.- The screw transport Fox, 200 horse-power; the Erebus, 16 guns, 200 horse-power; the Meteor, 14 guns, 150 horse-power; and the Glatton, 14 guns, 150 horse-power.

The foregoing - not including the gunboats and mortar vessels in Haslar-yard - consist of seven line-of-battle ships, four frigates, two corvettes, nine sloops, three floating batteries, 20 gunboats, and one troop steamer. They give a total force of 1,150 guns, propelled by 11,420 horse-power (nominal). The Fox steam troopship is given in this return as not carrying any guns, but in the official Navy List she still carried "42" attached to her name.

Tu 11 February 1862With reference to the order alluded to in The Times of yesterday for reducing the number of guns and men on board ships of war, instructions are given for the reduction of the armament, the character of which may he illustrated by a few examples:- The Tribune, screw frigate, now fitting for commission at Portsmouth, is ordered to carry, in lieu of 32 guns, as heretofore, only 23, as follows:- Main deck, 16 65 cwt. 8-inch; upper deck, 4 40-pounders, Armstrongs; 1 100-pounder, Armstrong (pivot); 2 33-pounders, of 45 cwt. The Shannon and Euryalus are each to land 16 guns, and, like the Tribune, will carry only 8-inch guns on their main decks. The Duncan, 93, lands 10 of her guns, reducing her to a 89. The substitution of one calibre of gun on the main deck of our frigates and on the main and lower deck of our line-of-battle ships will tend to considerably simplify the "projectile" question. The reduction of the number of guns on board ship in peaceable times must be for the ship's benefit in rendering her easy in a seaway, and, besides, the guns can be easily replaced on board whenever they might be required. The reduction of the number of men on board, however, does not admit of such reasoning. In the case of the Warrior, for instance, we believe that during her recent stay at Portsmouth her crew was inspected at quarters by one of the Board of Admiralty, upon the complaint of the captain that the crew allowed her was insufficient in number. Our frigates now exceed the size of our three-deckers of a few years back, and this reduction of their crews will be looked upon by the profession generally with grave suspicion.


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