User:Davidships/HMS Bulldog (1845)

HMS Bulldog was a wood-hulled paddle sloop of the Royal Navy. She was destroyed in Haiti in 1865.

Construction
Bulldog, the third warship of that name built for the Royal Navy, was launched on 2 October 1845 at the Chatham Royal Navy Dockyard. With a wooden hull of 190 ft length and 36 ft beam, measuring 1,124 tons burthen, she was powered by a two-cylinder side-lever steam engine totalling 500 nhp made by Rennie & Co, Millwall, driving side paddle wheels.

Fate
On 23 October 1865 Bulldog bombarded Port au Prince, Haiti in support of President Fabre Geffrard during the rebellion by General Sylvain Salnave in direct response to the shelling of the British steamship Jamaica Packet by the rebel steamer Voldrogue and the seizure of refugees from the British consulate. During the bombardment, Bulldog was stranded on a reef when attempting to run down Voldrogue, but could not be refloated. She was blown up by the British to prevent her falling into rebel hands. While stranded on the reef she continued to bombard the town, and sank the Voldrogue.

The consequent court-martial on 15-16 January 1866 found Captain Charles Wake to have been negligent in running the ship aground and premature in his destruction of the ship. He was severely reprimanded and dismissed the ship.