HMS Glasgow (1814)
HMS Glasgow was a fourth-rate conventional frigate of 50 guns, built by Wigram & Green of Blackwell and launched on 21 February 1814.[1]
Career
[edit]Bombardment of Algiers, 1816
[edit]HMS Glasgow was present alongside HMS Queen Charlotte at the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816; an attempt by the British to end the piracy and slavery along the North African coastline by Barbary corsairs.[2] HMS Glasgow contributed over 3,000 of the 50,000 rounds fired by the allied forces at the corsairs.Though the bombardment was only considered a partial success, it did eventually secure the release of over 1,000 enslaved Christians.
Battle of Navarino, 1827
[edit]HMS Glasgow participated in the Battle of Navarino in October 1827, the last major engagement involving only wooden walled sailing ships.[3]
Broken Up
[edit]HMS Glasgow was broken up at Chatham Dockyard in 1829.
Figurehead
[edit]The figurehead of HMS Glasgow was carved from pitch pine, known for its durability, strength and resistance to decay,[4] though the carver remains unknown.
The figure itself depicts a military figure in highland dress as a full bust. It was unusual for a frigate to have a full-length figurehead. It was perhaps approved with the intention of showing a kilted soldier to represent the Scottish city of Glasgow and stand out as distinctly Scottish.
It formed part of the Chatham Dockyard collection of figureheads when it was removed from the vessel after being broken up in 1829 and was recorded as being located there in the 1911 and 1938 collection catalogues. From 1949 to 1976, the figurehead was at HMS Ganges, a boys’ training establishment at Shotley, Suffolk. It was later located outside the Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar, before being finally accessioned into the Royal Naval Museum's collection in 1983.[5]
The figurehead can be seen as part of the collection at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth.[6] It can also be viewed alongside other figureheads within the collection on the Bloomberg Connects website and app.
References
[edit]- ^ Pulvertaft, Daivd (2009). The Warship Figureheads of Portsmouth (1st Colour ed.). UK: The History Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0752450766.
- ^ "The Bombardment of Algiers". Historic UK. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
- ^ "The Battle of Navarino was fought on October 20, 1827, leading to the destruction of a large fleet of the Ottoman Empire during the War of Greek Independence. | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
- ^ "Pitch Pine | The Wood Database (Softwood)". Retrieved 2025-07-30.
- ^ Pulvertaft, David (2009). The Warship Figureheads of Portsmouth (1st Colour ed.). UK: The History Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0752450766.
- ^ "Discover the Royal Navy like never before | National Museum of the Royal Navy". www.nmrn.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-07-30.