Nemesis (1839)
An engraving of Nemesis (published 1844)
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| History | |
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| Name: | Nemesis |
| Owner: | East India Company |
| Builder: |
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| Launched: | 1839 |
| Commissioned: | March 1840 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Paddle frigate |
| Tons burthen: | 660 bm |
| Length: | 184 ft (56 m) |
| Beam: | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Draught: | 6 ft (1.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | 120 horsepower steam engine |
Nemesis was the first British ocean-going iron warship. Launched in 1839, she was used to great effect in the First Opium War under Captain Richard Collinson and Captain William Hutcheon Hall. The Chinese referred to her as the "devil ship".
Although commissioned by the Secret Committee of the East India Company (EIC) in 1839, the vessel did not appear in the EIC's list of ships, leading The Times to comment:
"...this vessel is provided with an Admiralty letter of license or letter of marque. If so, it can only be against the Chinese; and for the purpose of smuggling opium she is admirably adapted."
Nemesis was built by British shipbuilding company Birkenhead Iron Works in three months. She had a length of 184 feet (56 m), a beam of 29 feet (8.8 m), a draught of 6 feet (1.8 m), and a burthen of 660 tons. She was powered by two sixty horsepower Forrester engines. She was armed with two pivot-mounted 32-pounder and four 6-pounder guns, and a rocket launcher. The steam- and sail-powered ship was particularly effective in China because her shallow draught allowed her to travel into rivers to pursue and engage other vessels and targets.
Her watertight bulkheads were the first to be used in a warship. They enabled her to survive the hull damage she sustained during sea trials and en route to China in 1840. That year, Nemesis became the first iron ship to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, aided by techniques developed the year before by Sir George Airy, the Astronomer Royal, to adjust a compass for the effect of an iron hull. The adjustments weren't done very well, with the result that the ship's compass performed poorly throughout its career.
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