27 September 1897

At sea. Trincomalee to Colombo. Course N51W 8.3 knots. Wind WSW force 4 to 5 with overcast sky and gloomy weather. Moderate sea becoming slight. Barometer 29.95 inches rising to 30.02 at noon before dropping to 29.96 at 1600 and finishing at 30.04 inches at midnight. Temperature at noon 85F. 0100. Altered course to N 23 W. 0145. Reduced to 65 revolutions. Sounded in 100 fathoms. 0215. Lighthouse NE ½ N. 0230. Increased to 85 revolutions. 0245. Altered course to N14W. 0400. Light house abeam.  0610. Altered course to N28E at 7.5 knots. 0720. Sighted Colombo Lighthouse N54E.

The tower was constructed as a clock tower in 1856-57 and completed on the 25 February 1857.[1] The tower was designed by Emily Elizabeth Ward, the wife of Governor Sir Henry George Ward (1797 – 1860).[1][2] The construction was undertaken by the Public Works Department, under the supervision of Mr John Flemming Churchill (Director General of Public Works). The 29-metre-high (95 ft) tower was the tallest structure in Colombo at that time.[3] The original clock was commissioned for £1,200 in 1814 by the then Governor Sir Robert Brownrigg (1759 – 1833) but was kept in a warehouse, due to economic reasons, until 1857 when it was finally installed.

The lighthouse was deactivated after its light became obscured by nearby buildings and was decommissioned on 12 July 1952.[4] The modern Galle Buck Lighthouse was erected on Marine Drive as its replacement

 Hauled in P. Log. Connected steam wheel. Altered course as requisite for harbour. Engines as requisite. 0830. Stopped – picked up pilot. Proceeded up harbour in charge of pilot.0855. Let go starboard anchor. 0900. Let go port anchor. Laid out stream anchor astern. 1000. Pilot left ship. Banked fires in 2, 3 and 4 boilers. Distilling with number 4 boiler. Employed as requisite. Draught 13 feet 10 inches forward. 16 feet 2 inches aft. 1300. HMS Bellerophon at anchor. (HMS Bellerophon was a central battery ironclad built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1860s.) Japanese battleship “FIJI” at anchor. French gunboat at anchor. Make and mend clothes. 1700. Quarters. Hands bathed. Coal expended 12 tons 8 cwt. Number on sick list 3.

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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.

Anchor crest

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