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SULPHUR
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(8) |
Bomb
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Built in 1826, Chatham.
Broken up in 1857. |
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- 1827 Chatham.
- 1830 W. T. DANCE, 11/1828, particular service.
December 1833 Portsmouth. - 1835 (barque) F. W. BEECHEY, 09/1835.
- 1837 Edward BELCHER, 11/1836, South America.
BELCHER was asked to determine the exact longitude of the Pacific coast.
With STARLING as a tender he left the Hawaiian Islands for Cook's Straits on 27 July 1837.
They arrived at the Russian port of Port Etches on 26 August and took several observations.
On 12 September they were at Sitka for stores and on 5 October at Nootka Sound to take more observations.
They re-fitted in San Francisco Bay and then explored the Sacremento River for 150 miles to the limit of navigation.
On 30 November they were at Monterey en route to San Blas and Panama. - Early in 1839 they returned to Honolulu for re-fitting but by 19 July they were back at Sitka and on 28 July 1839 SULPHUR and STARLING arrived off the mouth of the Columbia River on a surveying expedition.
Both vessels suffered damage through grounding.
BELCHER later admitted that he had secret instructions to make a report on British interests in Oregon where a dispute was developing with the USA. - 1841 China.
On 7 January Capt. BELCHER placed the steamers QUEEN and NEMESIS in position to bombard the upper fort at Chuenpee in the Boca Tigris (on the eastern side of the mouth of the Canton River).
Meanwhile SAMARANG, MODESTE, DRUID and COLUMBINE silenced the guns in the centre while Royal Marines and army detachments attacked from the rear.
Later in the day SULPHUR's boats joined those from CALIOPE, LARNE, HYACINTH and STARLING in an attack on 15 war junks in Anson's Bay.
NEMESIS struck a rock rounding Chuenpee Point and tore off the outer paddle ring of one of her wheels at the time Capt. BELCHER came alongside her with two of his boats, so he sent some of his men on board.
They were later joined by Lieut. KELLETT from STARLING and NEMESIS opened up with her two 32-pounder pivot guns and Congreve rockets.
Eleven junks were destroyed, some of those which had drifted ashore were set on fire by SULPHUR's people.
This was dangerous because many had still loaded guns which exploded when the flames reached them.
Some 80 guns were recovered the next day. - CALLIOPE, HERALD, ALLIGATOR, MODESTE and SULPHUR with the two steamers MADAGASCAR and NEMESIS went up the river on 27 February to destroy Chinese fortifications.
SULPHUR led the ships into an attack on 40 large junks and an old East Indiaman, the CAMBRIDGE (34), in Whampoa Reach.
The CAMBRIDGE was eventually boarded and blown up and the following day a raft blocking the river was cleared away. - SULPHUR took part in the attack on Canton in May.
Capt. BELCHER, with Capt. BARLOW of NEMESIS were responsible for collecting the large number of boats required to carry 3,200 seamen and marines and 2,223 of the land force up the river on the 24th.
When Capt. BELCHER accompanied Commodore SENHOUSE in the HYACYNTH to examine Fatee Creek it was found impossible to push her through so Capt. BELCHER was ordered to take a division of boats from SULPHUR, HYACINTH, CALIOPE, CRUIZER and PYLADES further up the creek.
They compelled a junk to take them in tow as far as Fatshan Creek where it was scarcely wide enough to use their oars.
Here they found a battery but fortunately it had been abandoned by the Chinese and the guns taken away.
Their progress towards Canton was hampered by large numbers of sampans and by shot from the main British squadron which had mistaken them for the enemy.
As they approached Shameen Fort it opened up on the steamers and, since the boats were under cover of houses, they decided to land and drive the Chinese out of the fort with musketry but found that they could not cross a deep ditch.
So the boats with guns were brought up and five carronades opened fire on the fort at a range of thirty yards, forcing the enemy to flee. - 1844 Woolwich.
At the time of her breaking up she was the only bomb in the Navy List.
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