The stamp issued by the Solomon Island and which depict the HMS CURACOA with the year 1839 did my look for the connection with the Solomon Islands. Also the “Ships Badge” or “Ship Crests” (the last is not the correct word I believe, and so far I know not used in the navy.) did not belong to the vessel depict on the stamp. Log Book Vol 9 page 131 gives that the “Ships Badges” belong to HMS CURACOA a cruiser built in Pembroke Dock of 1917.
The following URL has more information on the “Ships Badges”.
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/rn/print.php?page=3346
The only HMS CURACOA in the Royal Navy in 1839 was the one built in 1809 as a 5th rate by J. Guillaime, Northam for the Royal Navy. (The web site gives built Itchenor.)
Tonnage 750 ton (bm) dim. 145 x 38½ x 15ft. (draught)
Armament 36 guns, in 1831 24 guns.
February 1809 commissioned under command of Capt. John Tower and till decommissioned in 1815 he was the only captain on the vessel.
23 August 1810 a court martial was held at Portsmouth on Mr. Christopher Smith, under-clerck of CURACOA, for enticing Messrs. William Bruton and Chris Austen, midshipmen of the same ship to immigrate to America. He was sentenced to two years imprisoned in the Marshelsea prison.
Off Lands End on 09 November 1810, where Capt Tower saw a man-of-war brig in pursuit of a schooner. Signals from the brig, which he later found to be the HELICON soon told him that she was chasing an enemy. CURACOA made all sail and, after three hours captured the French privateer schooner VENUS armed with 14 guns and commanded by Guillaume Augenard, and she had a disastrous cruise. She had made no captures in the 14 days she had been out of L’Orient and the previous night the 8th, she had received a complete beating from a English ship, believed to be a packet, which had engaged her off the Scillies for two hours, killing 5 men, wounding 14 others and damaging her rigging and sails.
1811 At Spithead, with orders for the East Indies but still at Portsmouth in October, she sailed for the Mediterranean to cooperate with the Spanish forces off Catalonia.
In January 1812, with HMS RAINBOW and PAPILLON in company, she harassed a division of the enemy, which was making its way along the coast from the eastward towards Barcelona and obliged them to retire and take a more circuitous route. On the 29th Capt. Codrington in HMS BLAKE, hearing that some 7000 French troops were about to make a movement along the coast, directed Capt. Tower to proceed together with HMS MEROPE to Mataro to aid Capt. O’Ryan with its defence.
On the morning of the 30th CURACOA made the signal that the enemy was advancing and HMS RAINBOW opened fire on them near Vilassar, followed by CURACOA and MEROPE as they approached Mataro.
HMS BLAKE AND PAPILLON, off Arenys, weighed anchor and worked up to Mataro to join them. At Col. O’Ryan’s request the squadron opened fire on the parts of the town occupied by the French who were busy plundering the houses and reports reached the ships that some 600 were killed. It was hoped that this fire, and the attacks by the Spanish guerillas who lined the hills, would drive then out, but the French returned after dark giving each part of the army an opportunity to plunder in its turn. Since it was impossible to continue expending ammunition at such a rate, the firing had to be restricted to keeping the enemy in a constant state of alarm.
When it was reported that the enemy were about to enter Arenys, CURACOA and PAPILLON were sent there with 11.500 cartridges and ship’s biscuit for the Spanish patriots to maintain them on the hills behind Mataro. Capt. Tower found the French entering Catella, St. Pol and Canet but the want of wind prevented him attacking them except by using his boats.
The enemy pulled out of Mataro before daylight on 2 February, retreating through the vineyards at the back of the town out of gunshot. They were harassed by the guerillas as they made a fatiguing march to Arensy and, as they halted on the hills, HMS BLAKE, CURACOA and PAPILLON and the boats threw a few shots over the town to deter them from entering. The boats scoured the streets which ran down the sea to prevent them plundering the houses during the night.
At different periods CURACOA captured the French privateers MARSOUIN and VENUS, each mounting 14 guns.
At the end of June CURACOA cane under the orders of Capt. Campbell of HMS LEVIATHAN and with IMPERIEUSE and ÉCLAIR attacked a convoy of 18 sail of square and lateen rigged vessels, which had assembled at Alassio and Laigueglia (Capt. Cambell called it Languilla) on the western side of the Gulf of Genoa. An hour before daylight on the 27th the mariners covered by HMS ÉCLAIR landed between the two towns. They were immediately attacked by triple their number but drove through them with a bayonet charge and captured two batteries before entering the towns. More than 20 French soldiers were killed and 14 taken prisoner. The marines were re-embarked after spiking the guns but, although the ships were anchored less than a musket shot from the shore, and the launches and other boats kept up a heavy fire from their carronades, it was found impossible bringing off the vessels, so they were destroyed by guns.
CURACOA lost three mariners killed and 3 wounded.
On 20 May 1813 the mariners and seamen of CURACOA and AIGLE landed at Campo del Porto in the island of Elba and, after routing a considerable body of troops, captured a battery of two 12-pounders and a square Martello tower with a 6 pounder. The enemy in the harbour scuttled three deeply laden feluccas. The following morning the boats captured three settees, convoyed by the French brig ABEILLE. which had taken refuge in Portoferraio.
The boats chased two feluccas on the beach at Mesea (Massa?) near the Gulf of Spezia on the morning of the 28th. In the evening the breeze enabled the two ships to anchor close in and, by throwing a few shells from CURACOA, the vessels were brought off.
CURACOA lost Thomas Cropper, Capt. of the after-guard, killed and two seamen wounded. AIGLE had two killed and three wounded.
In the spring of 1815 the CURACOA returned to Portsmouth .
1816 Out of commission.
Most probably in ordinary (reserve) from 1816 till 1830 and 1836 till 1838, the logbooks from 14 Dec. 1809 till 01 Sept 1815 have survived, also the logs from 04 April 1831 till 29 July 1835 from 09 April 1839 till 30 Nov. 1842, and from 01 March 1843 till 04 Sept. 1847.
1830 At Sheerness in Ordinary,
1831 Reduced to 24 guns at Chatham.
1839 Must have visited Solomon Islands
31 March 1840 captured the slaver THIRTEENTH OF JUNE.
17 August 1841 She arrived at Pitcairn under command of Capt. Jenkins Jones, when on the island a severe flu epidemic raged. When she arrived the sea was to bad to communicate with the shore, but when the sea abated the ship surgeon William Gunn landed and gave a great deal of assistance to the islanders during the epidemic.
1843 Fitted with a trial mast, on 4 March 1848 The Lords of the Admiralty issued instructions in January 1843, to the master shipwright at Chatham Dockyard, to have the mainmast of the CURACOA, then fitting out at that port, joined with marine glue, to test its capabilities for that purpose. The mast was accordingly made of several pieces of timber, joined together, under the immediate superintendence of Mr. Jeffrey; when completed it measured 28 inches in diameter, and 66 feet in length, and when put up, with topmast 90 feet 10 inches.
Soon thereafter she was commissioned under command of Captain Sir. T. Pasley, Bart, and proceeded to the South America Station.
1846 At the South America and River Plate Station, and on serving the usual period was ordered home, and paid off.
During the voyage she was dismasted and their Lordships ordered that the mast should be opened, as is usual after four years service, to ascertain its present condition. The master shipwright, Mr. Isaac Watts, at Sheerness dockyard, in compliance with their lordship’s order, set eight men to work with sledge hammers and wedges to separate the timbers, but their united efforts at one time failed to separate the joints, and only split the solid timber into large pieces.
The foremast which was joined in the upper part in the usual manner adopted at the dockyards, was found to be very rotten, the parts where the wet had entered and been retained being equally yielding to the pressure of the hand as a piece of sponge, and in other places where dry crumbled into powder on being pressed. Both masts being in the same vessel and exposed to the same weather and climates, afford a correct comparison, and pieces of each have been sent to the Admiralty for their lordships inspection. (could be the first laminated mast)
1849 Broken up.
Solomon Islands 1980 8c sg 409, scott ?
Sources: Mostly copied from http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/C4.HTM The Pitcairners by Robert Nicolson. Log Book May 2004 page 184. Info received from Mr. Paul Benyon.