Collection RBSC-ARC-1544 - Ship Logs collection

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Ship Logs collection

General material designation

  • Textual record

Parallel title

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

Level of description

Collection

Reference code

RBSC-ARC-1544

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

Physical description area

Physical description

13 cm of textual records.

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

(1870-1908)

Administrative history

The HMS Swiftsure was an iron armoured battleship of 6910 tons built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company at Jarrow in 1870. She was engaged against the Spanish Intransigentes in 1873 and with Hornby at the Dardanelles in 1878. She became a Pacific Station flagship from 1882-1885, and again from 1888 to 1890. She was the largest of the ships in the Pacific Squadron, which also included the HMS Sappho and HMS Mutine, both sloops. She was commanded by Captain R.C. Atchinson, and was a part of expeditions commanded by Admiral Algernon McLellan Lyons. From 1901 to 1908, she served as a stores hulk under the name Orontes. She was sold for scrap in 1908.

Name of creator

(1879-1921)

Administrative history

HMS Mutine was a Doterel-class sloop of the Royal Navy, built at the Devonport Dockyard and launched on 20 July 1880, and was assigned to the Pacific Station,including service in China. She was converted to a boom defense vessel in 1899, and served in World War 1 protecting Southampton Water. She was sold for breaking to C A Beard on August 1921.

Name of creator

(1873-1887)

Administrative history

HMS Sappho was a Fantome-class sloop of the Royal Navy, built by Wigram & Sons, Blackwall and launched on 20 November 1873. She was commanded by Noel Stephen Fox Digby and began service at the Australian station in December 1874. She served on the Pacific Station from 1881 to 1886, and was sold for scrap in December 1887.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The collection consists of ship logs bound into two separate volumes, spanning the years 1882-1885. The logs document multiple voyages of three British battleships sailing the coast of North and South America.

The logs were kept by C.F. Henderson, F.A. Hodge, and possibly other crew-mates, as in some instances the recorder of the log is not named. They contain a meticulously detailed account, written and layouted in script, of the routinized and often eventful day to day lives of mariners who sailed South America, the west coast of America, and the Pacific west to the Hawaiian Islands.

Interleaved between the daily record of the voyages are manuscript charts and detailed diagrams of the ships themselves. There are charts delineating parts of South America, the Hawaiian Islands and the western coastline of America, including Vancouver Island and vicinity in detail. All the charts bear the manuscript tracks of the ships. Many of the diagrams and drawings of the ships and their parts are in color and show profile and sectional views of machinery and artillery as well as plans of the ships as a whole.

The manuscripts are bound with twine, and canvas wrapper over marble boards.

The voyages documented in the logs, including destination and date range are as follows:

Volume 1:

Log I: HMS Swiftsure. Commanded by Captain R.C. Atchinson. July 1882 –January 1884. Kept by C.F. Henderson. Rio de Janerio to Montevideo to Sandy Point to Coquimbo to Callao to Pisco. Pisco to Callao. Callao to Chimbote to Pacasmayo to Paita to Galapagos Islands to Honolulu to Esquimalt to San Francisco to San Diego to Acapulco to Panama (Tobago Island) to Callao to Pisco to Arica.

Log II: HMS Sappho. Commanded by Commander Bouverie F. Clark. January 1884--Feb 1884. Kept by C.F. Henderson. Pisco to Arica to Iquique to Coquimbo to Valparaíso.

Log III: HMS Swiftsure. Feb. 1884-July 1884. Kept by C.F. Henderson. Valparaíso to Caldera to Iquique to Callao to Honolulu to Esquimalt.

Volume 2:

Log IV. HMS Swiftsure. Kept by F.A. Hodge March 1883-June 1884. Galapagos to Honolulu to Esquimalt to San Francisco to San Diego to Acapulco to Panama. Port La Union to Panama Bay to Callao to Pisco to Arica to Iquique to Coquimbo to Valparaíso to Coquimbo to Caldera to Iquique to Callao to Honolulu.

Log V. HMS Mutine. Commanded by Captain Edwards. Kept by unknown. June 1884-July 1884. Honolulu to Esquimalt.

Log VI: HMS Swiftsure. Commanded by Captain R.C. Atchinson. Kept by unknown. July 1884-Aug 1884. Esquimalt.

Log VII: HMS Swiftsure. Commanded by Captain Guy Mainmariny. Kept by unknown. Aug 1884-October 1884. Esquimalt to English Bay. Burrard Inlet to Esquimalt.

Log VIII: HMS Swiftsure. Commanded by Rear Admiral Baird, Captain F.S. Brand. October 1884-June 1885. Esquimalt to San Francisco to Mazatlan to San Blas to Acapulco to Panama to Payta to Callao to Mollendo to Arica to Coquimbo to Valparaíso to Coquimbo.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Language of material

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

Associated materials

Related materials

Accruals

General note

The logs related to the HMS Mutine were originally described as HMS Mutine Fonds, RBSC-ARC-1391.

Alternative identifier(s)

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Control area

Description record identifier

Rules or conventions

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Description revised by Claire Williams in June 2018.

Language of description

Script of description

Sources

Accession area

Related people and organizations

Related places

Related genres