HMS Driver was a Driver-class wooden paddle sloop of the Royal Navy, notable for undertaking the first global circumnavigation by a steamship. Launched on 24 December 1840 from Portsmouth Dockyard, she was constructed under the design of Sir William Symonds. The vessel’s hull cost £19,433, while her machinery, supplied by Seaward & Capel of Limehouse, Woolwich, added another £13,866. After fitting out, which cost an additional £6,408, she was commissioned on 5 November 1841. The ship’s design featured a wooden hull and paddle propulsion, with a displacement of approximately 1,058 tons. She was equipped with engines rated at 280 horsepower and was rigged as a brig. Her armament included six guns, making her a formidable warship for her size. Her initial service was marred by an early accident when she was driven ashore at Steel Point, Yorkshire, on 28 November 1841, but she was subsequently refloated and continued her deployment. HMS Driver’s service included voyages to the East Indies and China, where she operated in Chinese waters and lost her original commanding officer. In September 1845, she was ordered to New Zealand, where she arrived on 20 January 1846, becoming the first steamship to visit the region. During her time there, she participated in the Hutt Valley Campaign, part of the New Zealand Wars. Her circumnavigation began in earnest when she departed New Zealand on 28 January 1847, heading east via Cape Horn. Her voyage lasted 105 days, concluding with her arrival at Portsmouth on 14 May 1847. Notably, her second-in-command Lieutenant Thomas Kisbee, along with the master, purser, surgeon, and assistant surgeon, completed the entire journey. On 11 March 1850, HMS Driver was present in Victoria Harbour to witness Richard Blanshard’s appointment as Governor of Vancouver Island, where she issued a seventeen-gun salute. Her maritime career ended when she was wrecked on 3 August 1861 on Mayaguana Island in the Bahamas during a voyage from Bermuda to Jamaica. Her service and pioneering circumnavigation mark her as a significant vessel in maritime history.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.