Home > HMS Wivern (1863)

Her true ownership was concealed by the fiction that she was being constructed as the Egyptian warship El Monassir. To have been named Mississippi upon delivery to the Confederates, she would have been superior for offshore warfare to all but one of the United States' Navy warships, and thus represented a most serious danger to the Union's control of the seas.

However, effective Federal diplomacy prevented the emergence of this threat. The British government seized the pair of ironclads in October 1863, a few months after their launch and before they could be completed. In early 1864, both were purchased for the Royal Navy, receiving the new names Scorpion and Wivern.

Completed in October 1865, Wivern was assigned to the Channel Fleet until 1868. After a refit that reduced her sailing rig from a bark to a schooner, the Wivern served briefly as a coastguard ship based at Hull and then went into reserve. In 1870Events January 6 The inauguration of the Musikverein ( Vienna). January 10 John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil January 15 A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the United States Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking Wivern was brought back into active service and despatched to Hong KongThe Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or Hong Kong (, pinyin: Xinggng, WG: Hsiang-kang, Cantonese IPA, Jyutping or Penkyamp: hoeng1 gong2, meaning Fragrant Harbour , is one of two Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of Chi. She remained in Hong Kong until sold for scrap in 1922Events January 7 Dali Eireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64-57 votes. January 10 Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dail Eireann January 11 First successful insulin treatment of diabetes. January 12 British government releases Irish prisoners, having been reduced to harbor duties from 19041904 is a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). Events January 7 The distress signal " CQD" is established only to be replaced two years later by " SOS. February 7 A fire in Baltimore, Maryland destroys over 1,500 buildings in 30.

One of her commanding officers was Captain Hugh Talbot Burgoyne, VC who was later appointed the commanding officer of HMS CaptainHMS Captain was a revolutionary masted turret ship of the Royal Navy launched in 1869, and capsized the following year with tremendous loss of life. Breastwork monitors were the most powerful ships of their day but had very short range because contemporar. Captain was also a twin turret ship. Unfortunately it was lost in a storm of Cape FinisterreCape Finisterre Spain (Cabo Finisterre), literally Cape Land's End is a rock-bound peninsula in the north-west of Spain. At Cape Finisterre in 1747 during the War of the Austrian Succession, the English won a naval battle against the French; and again in during the night 6/7 September 1870Events January 6 The inauguration of the Musikverein ( Vienna). January 10 John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil January 15 A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the United States Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking.