Departure of H.M.S. Pearl from Sydney Ha…

Rare engraving of the send off in Sydney Harbour of HMS Pearl  for her return voyage to England.

HMS PEARL was a wooden screw corvette launched at Woolwich on 13 September 1855. PEARL undertook service in the Pacific Station (1856-1857), East Indies Station (1857-1873) and finally the Australia Station (1873-1875). During its service in the East Indies PEARL was involved in extensive naval action including the China War and operations against the Japanese. PEARL sailed for the Australia Station in 1873 and replaced HMS CLIO as flagship. Visits were made to Launceston, Melbourne and Fiji where it assisted in the process of acquiring the Fiji Islands as a colony of Britain in 1874. On 12 August 1875 at Carlisle Bay, Santa Cruz Islands PEARL’s crew was attacked by local indigenous people, resulting in the deaths of Commodore Goodenough and two sailors. PEARL served its remaining years mainly in the Pacific and was broken up in 1884.

From the original edition of The Illustrated Sydney News.

References:
Gibbs & Shallard. Illustrated Sydney News. ISSN 2203-5397.
Collections:
State Library New South Wales: F8/39-40
State Library Victoria: PCINF SLVIC=1853-1872
National Library Australia: Bib ID 440095