HCS Pluto (1822)
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| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} United Kingdom | |
| Name | Pluto |
| Owner | British East India Company |
| Ordered | 1822 |
| Builder | Kyd & Co., Kidderpore, Calcutta |
| Launched | 1822 |
| Fate | Destroyed May 1830 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | (bm) |
| Installed power | 8 ihp (6.0 kW) |
| Propulsion | 2 paddle wheels |
| Speed | 4 kn (4.6 mph; 7.4 km/h) |
| Armament | 4 × 24-pounder brass carronades + 2 × 6-pounder guns (not in action)[1] |
The H[onourable] C[ompany's] S[hip] Pluto was built in 1822 for the British East India Company (EIC) as a steam dredge for Calcutta. The EIC converted her into a floating battery and she served during the first Anglo-Burmese war (1824 to 1826). At the end of the war, the EIC sold her and, her engine having been removed, she became a coal depot. A gale destroyed her in May 1830.
William Brunton, of the Eagle Foundry at Birmingham, had built a steam engine and boiler designed for a river boat. J&W. Gledstone purchased the engine and Major Davidson of the Bengal Engineers brought the engine to Calcutta around 1817 or 1818. The engine then sat in a warehouse until 1822.
In 1822 the Bengal Government had Kyd & Co., of Kidderpore, built a dredge named Pluto. She was flat-bottomed and had a square front and stern, with steam-driven bucket-chain dredges on each side. When war with Burma broke out in 1824, the EIC had the dredges removed and paddles installed for propulsion. It also had a false bow installed and armed Pluto with six cannon.[2]
Under the command of Lieutenant T.C.Minchall (RN), Pluto served in the EIC squadron under the command of Commodore John Hayes. From early 1825 she towed boats, provided some fire support with her carronades, and on occasion her European crew joined landing parties.[3]
After the war the British East India Company sold Pluto and she became a coal hulk (minus her engines) for Alexander & Co.[2] She sank in a gale in May 1830.[4]