Maritime History

HMS Niger (1846)

HMS Niger was originally slated to be built as a Sampson designed sloop; however, she was ordered as a First-Class sloop with screw propulsion on 20 February 1845 to be built at Woolwich Dockyard, along the design developed by Oliver Lang and with a hull like the Basilisk designed paddle sloops. Her armament and engine were to be like the Encounter Design building at Pembroke. A second vessel (Florentia) was ordered on 26 March 1846 but after her keel was laid at Pembroke Dockyard, her construction was suspended on 6 October 1846 then cancelled three years later, on 22 May 1849. Niger She conducted important propulsion trials, finally proving the superiority of screw propulsion and served in West Africa, the Crimea, China, the East Indies and Australia. She took part in the New Zealand wars in 1860 and was sold for breaking in 1869. Niger was the third named vessel since its introduction for a 33-gun fifth rate launched at Sheerness on 25 September 1759, converted to a prison ship in 1810, renamed Negro in 1813 and sold on 29 September 1814. Florentia introduced this name to the Royal Navy.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Battle of Machias
• ▸Battle of Trafalgar
• ▸Centennial (pilot boat)

Uncatalogued shelf

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