HMS Hydra (1838)

Hydra's sister-ship, Hecate, aground near Cape Flattery in 1861
History
Name:	HMS Hydra
Namesake:	Hydra
Ordered:	18 September 1837
Builder:	Chatham Dockyard
Cost:	£37,239
Laid down:	January 1838
Launched:	13 June 1838
Out of service:	13 May 1870
Fate:	Sold for breaking up
General characteristics
Class and type:	Hydra-class sloop
Displacement:	1,096 long tons (1,114 t)
Tons burthen:	814  91⁄94 bm
Length:	165 ft (50 m) (gundeck) 143 ft 7 1⁄4 in (43.77 m) (keel)
Beam:	32 ft 10 in (10.01 m)
Draught:	13 ft (4.0 m)
Depth of hold:	20 ft 4 in (6.20 m)
Installed power:	220 nhp
Propulsion:	Boulton and Watt 2-cylinder side lever steam engine Iron tubular boilers Paddles
Sail plan:	Brig rig
Speed:	9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) (under steam)
Complement:	135
Armament:	2 × 32-pounder (50cwt) guns 2 × 8 in (200 mm) (65cwt) guns
Service record
Commanders:	Cdr. Anthony W. Milward (1839-40) Cdr. Robert S. Robinson (1840) Cdr. Alexander Murray (1840-42) Cdr. Horatio B. Young (1843-46) Cdr. Arthur F. Morrell (1846-47) Cdr. Grey Skipwith (1847-49) Cdr. Thomas Belgrave (1852) Act.-Cdr. Wm. E. A. Gordon (1852-53) Cdr. Henry G. Morris (1853-56) Cdr. Richard V. Hamilton (1858-62) Cdr. Arthur L. Mansell (1865-66) Capt. Peter F. Shortland (1866-68)
Operations:	Syrian War (1840) Blockade of Africa (1843-49)

HMS Hydra was the lead ship of her class of wooden steam paddle sloops of the British Royal Navy, launched in 1838 at Chatham Dockyard. After taking part in operations during Syrian War in 1840, she then served on anti-slavery operations and also as a survey vessel. She was scrapped in 1870.

Hydra was commissioned on 19 January 1839 under Commander Anthony William Milward to operate in the Mediterranean Sea. After Milward's death in early 1840 Commander Robert Spencer Robinson was appointed to her.Hydra then saw action during the Syrian War, as part of a squadron under the command of Commodore Charles Napier (the ships Powerful, Ganges, Edinburgh, Revenge, Benbow, frigate Pique, and steamer Gorgon) operating off the coast of Ottoman Syria. In Admiral Sir Robert Stopford's report on the Anglo-Austrian-Turkish landings in September 1840 he noted that the steam vessels had been "eminently useful in constantly moving along a great extent of coast with troops and arms, and taking part in the attacks upon the different forts".