Skip to content

N John CURRIN

HMS Orpheus Shipwreck (7 February 1863) Her approach to Manukau Harbour on 7 February ran near Whatipu beach, through a series of dangerous sand bars.

HMS Orpheus was a Jason-class Royal Navy corvette that served as the flagship of the Australian squadron. Orpheus sank off the west coast of Auckland, New Zealand on 7 February 1863: 189 crew out of the ship’s complement of 259 died in the disaster, making it the worst maritime tragedy to occur in New Zealand waters

Read more here – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Orpheus_(1860)

The Flying Squadron was a Royal Navy squadron formed at least three times. Its first formation existed from June 1869-November 1870

Showing Flying Squadron at Wellington… 1870 Showing the Flying Squadron under Rear-Admiral Hornby at Wellington and the ships Rosario, Barossa, Endymion, Scylla, Liverpool (flag ship), Phoebe and Liffey.
Depicted placeWellington
Date25 January 1870

First formation, 1869-70[edit]

The British Flying Squadron of 1869 leaving False Bay, Cape of Good Hope, showing Liverpool (1860), Rattlesnake (1861), Scylla (1856), Endymion (1865), Bristol (1861), Barrosa (1860), and Seringapatam (1819). Illustrated London News 1869

The first Flying Squadron was established in 1869. It was made up, at various times, of ten wooden ships with auxiliary steam power. The squadron sailed from Plymouth on 19 June 1869. It called at Madeira, South America, South Africa, Melbourne, Sydney, and Hobart in Australia, Auckland, Wellington, and Lyttleton in New Zealand, Japan, Canada Hawaii, and Bahia in Brazil, before returning to England on 15 November 1870.[2][3]

The Flying Squadron of 1869 under Rear-Admiral Hornby at Wellington, with ships Rosario, Barossa, Endymion, Scylla, Liverpool, Phoebe and Liffey.

Rear-Admiral Geoffrey Hornby commanded the squadron from 19 June 1869 – 15 November 1870,[4] flying his flag from HMS Liverpool (1860).[3] Other ships of the squadron included HMS Liffey (1856), HMS Bristol (left at Bahia), HMS Endymion (1865), HMS Scylla (left at Esquimalt), HMS Barrosa (1860), HMS Phoebe, HMS Pearl, and HMS Charybdis. Between 1866 and 1870, HMS Satellite (1855) served in the Pacific with the Commander-in-Chief, China. She joined the Flying Squadron at Valparaiso in Chile, sailing home the rest of the way with them.

  • Plymouth Sound
    (June, 1869)
  • Hobart, Tasmania
    (January, 1870)
  • Auckland, New Zealand
    (February, 1870)
  • Esquimalt Bay, Canada,
    (May, 1870)
  • Honolulu, Hawaii
    (June, 1870)
  • Rounding Cape Horn
    (September 13, 1870)