HMS Investigator (1861)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Investigator.

HMS Investigator was a wooden paddle survey vessel of the Royal Navy, built to carry out an expedition on the Gabon River in Africa.

Investigator off the coast of Africa in 1867
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Investigator
Builder	Deptford Dockyard
Laid down	15 June 1861
Launched	16 November 1861
Fate	Sold to the local authorities at Lagos in 1869
General characteristics
Class and type	Paddle survey vessel
Tons burthen	149 tons
Length	121 ft (37 m)
Beam	16 ft (4.9 m)
Draught	7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
Propulsion	Paddle wheels 34 nhp
Armament	2 guns

Investigator was laid down on 15 June 1861 at Deptford and was launched on 16 November 1861. She was initially commanded by Lieutenant Benjamin Langlois Lefroy off the west coast of Africa. On 1 September 1863, Lieutenant Commander William Digby Dolben of Investigator drowned while crossing the bar of Lagos when the gig, a four-oar whaler, was swamped. He was succeeded by Lt Charles Knowles, later Vice Admiral Sir Charles Knowles, 4th baronet whose expedition August–October 1864 up the Niger was published in the Royal Geographical Society Journal in January 1865. He was succeeded by George Truman Morrell in 1865, under whose command she sailed up the River Niger, making contact with local tribes. In 1867, she ran aground in the River Niger and came under attack from hostile inhabitants, who were armed with cannon. Two of her crew were killed. She was refloated after 11 days and taken in to Lagos in a severely damaged condition. Investigator was sold to the local authorities at Lagos in 1869.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Lyon, David and Winfield, Rif, The Sail and Steam Navy List, All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889, pub Chatham, 2004, ISBN 1-86176-032-9