HMS Dryad was a 4-gun Amazon-class screw sloop, launched at Devonport in 1866. She served on the East Indies and North American Stations, taking part in the Abyssinian War, a confrontation with the French at Tamatave and the Egyptian War. She was sold for breaking in 1885.
Design
Designed by Edward Reed, the Royal Navy Director of Naval Construction, the hull was built of oak, with teak planking and decks, and she was equipped with a ram bow.
Propulsion
Propulsion was provided by a two-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine by Ravenhill, Salkeld & Company driving a single screw.
Sail plan
All the ships of the class were built with a barque rig.
Armament
The class was designed with two , 6½-ton muzzle-loading rifled guns mounted on slides on centre-line pivots, and two 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns on broadside trucks. Dryad, Nymphe and Vestal were rearmed in the early 1870s with an armament of nine 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns, four each side and a centre-line pivot mount at the bow.
History
1866–1868
Dryads keel was laid in April 1865, and she was launched on 25 September 1866. On 13 February 1867, she struck rocks off Downderry, Cornwall and was beached in Whitsand Bay. The accident was attributed to her compasses being five points out. She was refloated and taken in to Plymouth, Devon for repairs. Her first Captain was Commander Thomas Fellowes, who took command on 3 May 1867, and under whom she formed part of the East Indies Fleet.
Abyssinian War (1868)
In 1868, the ship's company of Dryad took part in the Abyssinian War. A Naval Brigade, composed of 80 men from several ships, was landed at Zula on 25 January, and was placed under the command of Commander Fellowes. They were armed with 12-pound rockets, which were ideally suited to operations in the rugged terrain of Abyssinia. William Simpson of the Illustrated London News reported that its The Brigade marched inland, and joined the main force under Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Napier, the Commander-in-Chief at Santara on 30 March. The "Blue Jackets" rendered valuable service during the action at Arogye on 10 April, where they led the attack up the King's Road.
On 13 April, they took part in the assault and capture of Magdala, throwing rockets into the town. The Brigade sustained no casualties at Magdala, and behaved admirably, earning the warm praise of the Commander-in-Chief. By 10 June, the campaign was over and the British forces had re-embarked at Zula.
Commander Philip Howard Colomb relieved Fellows as Captain of Dryad on 6 July 1868, Commander Fellows apparently being invalided out of the ship. Shortly afterwards, on 14 August, Commander Fellowes was promoted to Post-Captain for his services. "Abyssinia (1868)" constitutes the second battle honour awarded to Dryad: the first, "Proserpine (1796)", was inherited from the first ship named .
Anti-Slavery on the East Indies Station (1868–1872) [[File:Slave-catching in the Indian Ocean (1873) (14760875981).jpg|thumb|Dryad chases down a slave dhow in 1869]]Dryad continued to serve on the East Indies Station until 1872. Under Colomb she worked in and around the Persian Gulf, Oman and Zanzibar, engaged in the suppression of slavery. Colomb's experiences are captured in his book Slave-catching in the Indian Ocean: A record of naval experiences, published by Longmans of London in 1873. He captured seven slave ships during his two years in the Indian Ocean, and returned to Britain a lionised figure, courted by the press.
Commander George Parsons relieved Colomb on 11 April 1870 and commanded Dryad until 26 April 1872.
Out of commission (1872–1874)Dryad’s first commission ended on 26 April 1872, when Commander Parsons left her in Devonport. Normal practice of the time was for the ship's company to leave the ship upon decommissioning, with the exception of a few specialists, including the shipwright and gunner, who would have been accommodated in another vessel. The dockyard would have taken her in hand for a refit, and she would have recommissioned, with a new captain and crew, on completion.