The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-10-15 00:00:00

SUPPOSED LOSS OP THE GUNBOAT
WASP.

• The following information has been received at the
Admiralty from the Commodore at Hong Kong, dated
7th October, respecting the gunboat Wasp, which left
Singapore for Hong Kong on Sept. 10, and is now
more than three weeks overdue: ' Wasp left Singa-
pore Sept. 10. Not arrived. Cockchafer searching
Paracels ; Firebrand, Pales, Sze., to lat. 15. Calliope
left Hong Kong 7th Oct., and will sight Scarborough
Shoal and search to Kudat Straits. Government
steamer searches islands north of Sinkapore."
The Wasp was commissioned at Sheernesa on the
21st April, 1887. The following is a list of her
officers: Lieutenant Commander J. H. Adamson;
Sub-Lieutenants, Alexander Watkinson and the Hon.
G. D. Fortescue; Surgeon, Thomas Nunan,
A,.sistant Paymaster, Newton H. Greenwood;
Engineer, Henry Attwood ; Gunner, George F.
Hodges. The number of the Wasp on the Navy
List is 534. The vessel had on board seventy
three hands all told—namely, seven officers fifty-
five seamen, three boys, and eight marines. It is a
singular coincidence that another boat of the same
name and the same class was lost on the 22nd of Sep-
tember, 1884, on the coast of Ireland, in the vicinity
of Try Island, when 52 lives were lost. The Wasp
carries six guns, and is of the class known as "com-
posite." She is 670 tons (nominal) and 1000 horse-
power (nominal).
A Sheerness correspondent writes : Great anxiety
has been caused at Sheerness by the report that the
Wasp; composite gun-vessel, is believed to have been
lost on her passage from Singapore to Shanghai. She
left Sheerness on May 21st for Shanghai, to take the
place of the Midge, which had been condemned as
unfit for further service. Several supernumaries also
tcok passage in the Wasp for the China station, but
these were transferred to the Orion turret-ship at
Singapore. The voyage from Singapore to Shanghai
would probably take the Wasp about 16 days,
but it is very seldom Ships proceed d rect
to that port, as they generally call at
Hong Kong, which is about eleven days distant
for a gunboat from Singapore.. In naval circles at
Sheerness it is considered just possible that the ship
may have sought shelter at one of the Philippine
Islands not in telegraphic communication with Hong
Kong or Shanghai, although the length of time she is
overdue—about three weeks—does not favour such a
supposition, Lieutenant Adamson was formerly
senior lieutenant of Sheerness Royal Naval Bar-
racks, from which the crew of the Wasp was princi-
pally drawn, and is known as a very careful ()Meer.
The Wasp and the Rattle were the first of a new type
of gun vessels, and both were built for the Govern-
ment by Sir W. Armstrong and Co., at Nercastle-on-
Tyne. The Wasp had a displacement of 670 tons.
She was only delivered from the contractors in
January last. She carried very little sail, being only
provided with yards on her foremast, but was fitted
with engines of 1000 horse-power, capable of pro-
pelling the vessel at a speed of 13i knots per hour.
She was looked upon by the Amiralty as a very
useful type of ship, and since she was built six vessel's
of the same class have been ordered in the Govern-
ment yards.