August 28, 1858
A corvette (small warship) built for the British Royal Navy (RN) was launched at Sheerness Dockyard, which was located at the mouth of the River Medway in southeastern England. The afternoon ceremony for HMS (Her Majesty’s Ship) Clio was described in effusive terms by the London-based Standard.
This newspaper reported, “The launch of this splendid ship took place under the superintendence of Mr. W.R. Robinson, the senior assistant to the master shipwright.” The Standard further stated, “A more beautiful launch was never witnessed. The ship moved very gracefully into the water amidst the cheering of an immense assemblage of spectators, the band of the North Cork Rifles playing ‘Rule, Britannia’ and ‘God Save the Queen.’”
HMS Clio was subsequently used for a wide range of missions across the globe. In 1865, for example, this ship transported Queen Dowager Emma of the Hawaiian Kingdom from Honolulu to Panama as the first part of her trip to England.
Another one of Clio’s major tours of duty involved serving as the flagship for the Australian Station between 1870 and 1873. This RN command was responsible for patrolling the waters along the British colonies that comprised Australia at that time. Clio was eventually reassigned sometime around 1877 to serve as a school ship — a vessel used to train students as sailors — on the section of Menai Strait where the Welsh city and community of Bangor is located. This ship was ultimately sold for scrap and broken apart in 1919.
The attached image featuring Clio was painted in 1902 by marine artist Thomas Somerscales, who served on board the ship as a naval schoolmaster from 1864 to 1868.
Image Credit: Public Domain
For more information on HMS Clio, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Clio_(1858)
Transportation History 
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