HMS Salamander (1832)

She was commissioned on 27 November 1832 at Woolwich Dockyard under Commander Horatio Thomas Austin, RN. From 15 February 1834 she was under Commander William Langford Castle, for service in the Channel; on 15 April 1836 she was under Commander John Duffill, and then on 16 August 1836 to 1840 she was under Commander Sydney Dacres, notably off the north coast of Spain during the first of the Carlist Wars. On 16 September she was under Commander Hastings Henry, but paid off from this commission on 11 August 1841.

On 25 June 1842 she was recommissioned under Commander Andrew Snape Hamond (1811-1874), and joined the South America Station, before proceeding to the Pacific.

Salamander in the harbour of Papeeti, taken from the hill at the back of the town

She was stationed in Papeeti, Tahiti as an observer during the Franco-Tahitian War from the summer of 1844 to the Autumn of 1846.[5] On her way home in 1847, she was repaired with a new mainmast and bowsprit at Jamaica in February 1847, and then arrived home to pay off in November 1847 at Woolwich Dockyard. After a refit at Sheerness she returned to Woolwich, and in January 1849 she moved to Plymouth where she joined the Steam Reserve.

The Salamander was recommissioned on 17 July 1850 under Commander John Ellman, RN, and proceeded to the East Indies, where she participated in the Second Anglo-Burmese War. She returned home in August 1854, and on 18 August command was taken over by Commander Benjamin Portland Priest, RN for a brief period of service in the Mediterranean before she arrived home again at Portsmouth, to pay off on 23 November 1854 into the Steam Reserve.[1]

She recommissioned again on 6 November 1855 under Commander George Mecham, RN, for service off the west coast of Africa. Arriving home in June 1856, she was used as a transport, but in late 1856 she proceeded northwards to search for missing British merchantmen overdue on their voyage from Archangel. She returned to Sheerness in February 1857 to repair damage caused by ice, and was paid off on 4 February. Over the next year, she underwent a major refit at Chatham Dockyard, including the replacement of her boilers. More extensive repairs took place over the next few years, culminating in 1863 in the rebuilding of her poop and masts, and the overhaul of all her machinery.[1]

She was recommissioned on 8 December 1863 under Commander John Carnegie, RN, and was assigned to the Australia Station, where she transported the party to set up the coaling station at Albany passage. She undertook survey work along the Great Barrier Reef, running aground on a reef, which was named in her honour, before being refloated. She then undertook survey duties of Wilsons Promontory and Port Phillip Bay under the command of Commander George Nares from 11 July 1865.[6] During this voyage, she ran aground on a reef, damaging her engines and hull. She was refloated and taken in to Brisbane, Queensland, where she was repaired.[7] Salamander left the Australia Station on 4 July 1867.[6] She was paid off in December 1867 into the Steam Reserve.

Over the next decade, the Salamander served in a number of ancillary tasks, mainly as a tug or a transport, under a variety of commanding officers. During 1870 she under command of Commander George F.B. Swain, RN and in 1872 she was under the command of Commander John C. Solfleet, RN. During this time she was used intermittently used as a transport. She was commissioned on 9 April 1872 as a transport under Commander Edward Youel, RN then on 23 December 1872 under Commander James Kiddle, RN. She towed HMS Unicorn to Dundee in 1873, but afterwards was paid off into reserve again on 20 July 1875 at Portsmouth.[1]