Monsoon Voyages

Category: Ship stories

  • HMS Repulse & HMS Prince of Wales — The Singapore Strategy

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    Zoe Cheang
    in

    “Stronghold naval base, strategic center, Singapore is, above all, one of the ramparts of that freedom that the British stand for”. Singapore was popularly believed, in Britain, to be a fortress and a symbol of British dominance in the region. However, with Imperial Japan growing in influence and strength, the British knew they had to…

  • The Legacy of HMS Marlborough

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    Zoe Cheang
    in

    In the mid-19th century, as the world teetered between the age of sail and the dawn of steam engine, the Royal Navy launched one of its most ambitious and symbolic ships: HMS Marlborough. She was a sight to behold — with 131 guns bristling from three wooden decks and propelled by both sail and a…

  • HMS Jasper and the Taiping Rebellion

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    Zoe Cheang
    in

    This week we will be spotlighting HMS Jasper in the Taiping Rebellion. Initially built for the British Royal Navy in 1857, HMS Jasper was a small but powerful wooden gunboat designed to navigate both shallow coastal waters and winding rivers. With both sails and a steam engine powering a single screw propeller, she could reach…

  • Neutrality of HMS Leander in the Bombardment of Valparaíso

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    Zoe Cheang
    in

    On March 31, 1866, the people of Valparaíso woke to an astonishing sight — a Spanish fleet, with its ironclad hulls glinting under the sun, ready to unleash fire upon their city. This was an attack that shocked the world, and amidst the chaos sat HMS Leander, a British warship tasked with maintaining neutrality (and…

  • The Legacy of HMS Dorsetshire

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    Zoe Cheang
    in

    Today we will be spotlighting HMS Dorsetshire, a heavy cruiser of the British Royal Navy, which has played a significant role in naval operations during the early years of World War II. Commissioned in September 1930, she was the second (and final ship) of the Norfolk subclass within the County-class cruisers. Named after the English…

  • The Legacy of HMS Birmingham

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    Zoe Cheang
    in

    This week, we will be spotlighting HMS Birmingham. From intense battles in World War II to a dramatic rescue in China, it has carved its place in history as a formidable and versatile ship.  HMS Birmingham’s Early Years Commissioned in 1937 as part of the Town-class cruisers, HMS Birmingham quickly found itself in the thick…

  • The Legacy of HMS Eclipse

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    Zoe Cheang
    in

    Hello everyone! We will be spotlighting HMS Eclipse, one of the few ships that you may have been transcribing from on our citizen-science project called Monsoon Voyages. HMS: What does it stand for? Before we jump straight into the history, you might have noticed the ship prefix “HMS”, followed by a name while transcribing the…

  • Role of HMS Hornet in the Capture of Canton

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    Praveen Rao Teleti
    in

    The HMS Hornet, a 17-gun sloop of the Royal Navy, played a crucial role in the capture of Canton (modern-day Guangzhou) during the Second Opium War (1856–1860). Built in 1854 as part of the Royal Navy’s Cruizer-class sloops, the Hornet was equipped with a combination of sails and steam power, allowing it to operate effectively…