She was built as a wooden brig sloop by Fletcher & Fearnall, Limehouse, on the River Thames for the Royal Navy.
13 October 1831 ordered.
Feb 1832 keel laid down.
14 July 1832 launched under the name HMS SERPENT one sister the SNAKE both of the Snake Class.
Tonnage 418 ton (bm), dim. 100.0 x 32.0 x 14.10ft., length of the keel 79.9ft.
Armament 16 – 32pdr. carronades and 2 – 18pdrs.
Crew 110.
06 December 1832 completed at Woolwich Drydock, building cost £5.326.
Thomas Ditchburn designed the class.
October 1832 under command of John Symonds on the North America and West Indies stations.
April 1835 under command of Evan Nepean on the North America and West Indies station.
January 1836 ordered home.
October 1836 under command of Richard Warren on the North America and West Indies station.
10 May 1839 under command of Commander Robert Gore on the North America and West Indies station.
30 August 1841 till 23 November 1841 under command of Commander Charles H. Seale at Chatham.
27 November 1841 till 18 May 1846 under command of William Nevill in the East Indies.
Under command of Commander L.U.Hammet she made calls on several island of the Marshall Group on passage from Hong Kong to Kosrae.
She was looking for the fate of the missing whaleship WAVERLEY.
31 December 1852 she sighted Rongerik and Rogelap, some of the crew landed but the inhabitants fled making gestures of contempt.
01 January 1853 landed at Wotho where officers exchanged biscuits for coconuts.
02 January sighted Kwajalien, but did not land. Came ashore at Ujae, where natives met them and showed them watering spots. Some of the natives spoke English. When the crew of the SERPENT neared the waterholes it looks that the natives picked up their spears from the grass around the water place. The attack was forestalled when an other boat of the SERPENT landed.
11 January the HMS SERPENT arrived at Kosrae to obtain provision, and find any information on the missing WAVERLEY.
13 January she sailed out again after she learned that the WAVERLEY and HARRIET were burnt some years before.
They received information on several whites, which were living on Kosrae Island.
14 January she arrived at Pingelap for one day, looking for information and searching for stranded American sailors, and to gather information from the natives on the ships burnt by them.
They were met by about 150 armed men and boys, but they fled when they saw muskets. They traded with the natives who spoke broken English.
15 January made a call at Mokil, where they found two foreigners living there, who had subdued the natives.
16 January sailed from Mokil.
December 1857 she was used as a tender for target practice.
She was broken up at Portsmouth the work of breaking her up was completed on 26 July 1861.
Marshall Islands 1993 52c sg500, scott 456 1994 sgMS549, scott 605g and sgMS675, scott 605l.
Source: Foreign ships in Micronesia by F. F.X. Hezel. http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowShip.php?id=2052
http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/S1.HTM The Sail and Steam Navy List by Lyon and Winfield.