20 April 1871

Wind variable with light airs from the south. Under steam.

0200 Observed land on port bow E by S.

0245. Altered course to SE by S.

0310. Altered course to SSW.

0330 Taroy Point  E by N ½ N.  Cabotta SW 1/2/ W.

0345. Stopped and sounded in 21 fathoms.. Daylight. Little Canister E ½ S. Tanasserim SSW ½ W.

0510 Proceeded.

0800. NEMESIS sighted steaming up inside of Taroy Point Island.. altered course ESE. Passed through channel between Iron Island and Little Camister and Tory Rocks. Here we met with strong tide eddies, being high water at Mergui.

Noon. The beacon marking the entrance to the river were very different to make out. They were rather small and consisted of a black and white basket on a pole. The third beacon marking the shoal on the western side of the river is a t present not there. The  forth is a buoy ( white and a staff) about a mile north from pier.

1245 Came to in Port Mergui with sandy bottom in 3 ½ fathoms and veered to 1 ¾ shackles..

1630. Sent a Funeral party on shore to inter the remains of Thos Gould. AB who died of heart disease  on the night of the 20 April.

 

Remarks

The town of Mergui is very small and few Europeans live on the side of the hill above the native town and is tolerably large with a large white Bazaar which is seen a great distance off. There appears to be no particular trade to this place as only dhows were in the harbour. The DRYAD when she about two months ago anchored off the Kings island and communicated with boats.

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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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