Galatea HMS
H.M.S. Galatea featured on the 4′/2d. stamp was a frigate built at Woolwich and launched in 1859. Under the command of Capt. Rochfort Maguire, she was employed in the Baltic and on the Mediterranean and West Indies stations; on the latter station she assisted in suppressing the insurrection in Jamaica and destroyed the batteries on Cape Haitien.
On January 24, 1867, H.M.S. Galatea was commissioned by Capt. H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh, K.G. She sailed from Woolwich on February 18, 1867 for Plymouth Sound, where she completed storing for a world cruise, commencing the voyage on February 26 and completing it at Spithead at noon on June 14, 1868. A call was made at Tristan da Cunha on August 5, the warship arriving there just after daylight and sailing again at 4 p.m. The settlers stated that they did not have a name for the little village and requested permission to call it Edinburgh after the title of His Royal Highness. This permission was readily granted and the settlement has henceforth been called Edinburgh.
H.M.S. Galatea had the following dimensions: length overall, 317 ft., beam, 50 ft., deepest draft, 22 ft. 7 ins. and tonnage 3,227. Her horse power was 800 and speed on trials 13 knots, her bunker capacity being 700 tons of coal. (Info E Argyle SB 4/65)SG76
