Ryde Social Heritage Group research the social history of the citizens of Ryde, Isle of Wight. Documenting their lives, businesses and burial transcriptions.
RYDE SOCIAL HERITAGE GROUP
Based at Ryde Cemetery Heritage & Learning Centre. Preserving, documenting and promoting the social history of Ryde on the Isle of Wight.
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HMS Boadicea

Bacchante-class Corvette

QUARANTINE HULK 

When the Royal Navy ships reached the end of their life as a sea-going battle ship, they were used for many other purposes, Prison Hulks, Quarantine Hulks and much else.

Such was HMS Boadicea.  She was a Bacchante-class corvette launched in 1875.  She served in the Zulu War between March-June 1879, and landed some of her men in the naval brigade serving ashore, these took part in the battle of Gingindlovu and the relief of Eshowe.  In 1882 she landed some of her crew to take part in the 1st Boar War or Transvaal War (Naval Brigade).  Robert Falcon Scott served on her early in his career.

Four ships and a shore establishment of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Boadicea after Boadicea, queen of Iceni in Roman Britain, whilst another ship was planned but never completed. She was struck off the effective list at Portsmouth and classified as a hulk in March 1900.

The article below appeared in the IW Observer 31 March 1900:

ANOTHER QUARANTINE VESSEL
The Boadicea is being dismantled at Portsmouth for the purposes of being converted into a floating isolation hospital.  In this capacity she will be moored at the Motherbank, and will be attached to Haslar Hospital for the reception of cases of infectious disease, either from the hospital or from ships.  For some time past the Boadicea has been in the reserve basin at Portsmouth, amongst other obsolete ships.  She was built at Portsmouth about 30 years ago, and did two or three commissions, the best remembered of which was when as a flagship on the Cape station during the Zulu war and the Boar war of 1882 she landed a Naval Brigade, who fought at Majuba, where the commander of the ship was killed.

Sources: IW Observer, Wikipedia
Image: Wikipedia
Article: Ann Barrett