Her class were designed as second-class despatch and gunvessels.[4] They were intended to operate close inshore during the Crimean War and were essentially enlarged versions of the Arrow-class gunvessel, which has been designed by the Surveyor’s Department in 1854.[1]
In February 1856, Ringdove was assigned under the command of Commander Isaac Newton Thomas Saulez. On 20 September 1856, command was transferred to Commander Robert George Craigie.[2]
In June 1861, Ringdove entered the Seto Inland Sea,[6] where she performed soundings and naming.[7] By July, she was stationed in Edo Bay during the Mitorōnin attack on the British Legation in Tōzen-ji.[8] After the incident, Laurence Oliphant, who survived the attack, joined Craigie on Ringdove for a reconnaissance mission in Tsushima. Craigie reported to Admiral James Hope the activities of Russians in the area, leading to the withdrawal of Russian troops from Tsushima in autumn 1861.[9]
By April 1862, Ringdove was anchored off the British Consulate in the Chinese city of Ningbo, which was occupied by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.[10] On 22 April, the Taiping troops celebrated the arrival of General Fan Youzeng from Nanking.[11] The celebrations which involved the firing several poorly-aimed musket shots. Some of the shots narrowly missed Ringdove. Craigie wrote to the Taiping generals and Admiral Hope to complain.[10][12][13] Despite Craigie receiving profuse apologies from General Huang Chengzhong,[11][12] Roderick Dew, commander of the British forces, demanded that the east-facing Taiping batteries to be dismantled. The demands were not met, and eventually escalated to the retaking of Ningbo on 10 May.[12] During the battle, Ringdove took down the guns at the North Gate of the city.[14] After the battle, she was placed about 25 miles up the Yong River, to prevent Taiping retaliation on civilians.[15]
On 16 September 1862, command was transferred to Commander Ralph Abercrombie Otho Brown, until her decommissioning on 10 November 1864.[2]
Uhalley, Stephen Jr. (1971). "The Taipings at Ningpo: The Significance of a Forgotten Event". Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 11: 17–32. JSTOR23881506.
United Kingdom
