11 October 1889

At sea. Course NW ¾ N at 12.5 knots. Wind NW force 1 with broken cloud. Barometer 30.19 inches rising to 30.25 at noon before falling to 30.19 at 1600 and finishing at 30.18 inches at midnight. Temperature at noon 83F. 0725. Observed Ras Kimbyi (?) NW by W. 0800. Course as requisite. 0915 Mustered by Divisions and read prayers. Exercised at General Quarters. 0930. Reduced to 95 revolutions. Employed training out boats and as requisite. 1050. Reduced to 75 revolutions – 8.5 knots. Position at noon 6.21S 40.18E (Log shows 6.21S 30.18E which puts it on the mainland! There is a pencil mark changing it to 40.18) Wind SSE force 1. 1300. Made number to HMS Boadicea. 1325. Stopped and came to off Zanzibar in 10 fathoms and veered to 2 ½ shackles. Let fires die out in 3 boilers. Distilling with one boiler.  Employed as requisite. Anchorage bearings.  Ras Shangani S16E. Clock Tower S66E. Found here HMS Boadicea (Flag), HMS Stork. German corvette Carola and French sloop Bouret.

They were ordered to replace older sailing vessels that were no longer sufficient to protect German interests around the world. Intended for service in the German colonial empire, the ships were designed with a combination of steam and sail power for extended cruising range, and they were equipped with a battery of ten 15-centimeter (5.9 in) guns. Relying primarily on sail power for their long-range deployments, the ships were obsolescent before construction began.

1730. Mustered at Quarters. 2220. Sailed transport Somarto (?) Coal expended 29 tons 3 cwt. Number on sick list 9.

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1806-1816

This is the account of the first vessel named HMS Cossack, a title that would be passed on to five later ships and commemorated by the Royal Navy in the Cossack Building at HMS Raleigh.

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1854-1875

The second Cossack was originally ordered by Russia for the Black Sea Fleet in December 1852 at a cost of 290,000 silver roubles. However, when relations between Britain and Russia deteriorated, Russia sold the vessels to the Hamburg trading firm Henry Mersk & Co.

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1886-1905

This account covers the third vessel named HMS Cossack. Launched on 3 June 1886 and in service until 1905, she spent the majority of her career in the Far East, calling at India, Aden, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and other ports.

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1907-1919

The fourth HMS Cossack received the first Battle Honour for participating in operations along the Belgian coast from 17 October to 8 November 1914. This section contains copies of the original construction contract and detailed plans showing her launch, deck arrangements, and machinery.

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1938-1941

Credited with battle honours including Baltic 1855, Witu 1890, Dover Patrol 1914–1919, Narvik 1940, Norway 1940, Atlantic 1940–1941, the Bismarck Action 1941, and the Malta Convoys 1941, the HMS Cossack in service from 1938 to 1941 was a formidable presence.

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1944-1960

During Warship Week in February 1942, the town of Esher raised £1,192,211, contributing to the construction of the warship HMS Cossack. The funds were collected by the public depositing money into a rubber-type float in a pool. Remarkably, the surplus was enough to fund a submarine as well. The story continues.

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