The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
HMS Termagant, 1847-1867
The HMS Termagant was 64 m long wooden screw-frigate with 24 guns.1 According to this despatch, the screw frigate Termagant was to accompany two gun boats, presumably the Forward and the Grappler, from St. Vincent to the service of West Coast waters, in 1859. The Termagant, however, was destined for the general service at the Station at the River Plate, or Río de la Plata, on the eastern coast of Argentina.
Akrigg and Akrigg write that after the Termagant delivered the HMS Forward, and HMS Grappler to Esquimalt, it was dispatched for a tour of the Gulf Islands to Burrard Inlet with
HMS Plumper, when it was caught in the tiderips and damaged its copper sheathing, and planking, and was freed from the rocks with
several trees still caught in its rigging.2 The damage was so severe that it could not be fully repaired in Nanaimo and was forced
to head for a dry dock at San Francisco, still leaking rather badly.3
In this despatch, the Termagant is mentioned as being moored in Esquimalt Harbour, along with the vessels Ganges, Satellite, Topaze, Alert, and Plumper, as well as the gunboats Grappler and Forward.