Building the ship

 
The Times newspaper in 1843 reported a list of ships being built at Pembroke. The report noted that slipway 5 was occupied by the ship 'Constance' about 3/8ths completed. Like most of the ships built at Pembroke, work stopped when the hull was completed.  'Constance' was launched on the 12th of March 1846. The ship would then be rigged sufficiently to sail it round to Plymouth. On the 26th April 1846, Henry Paul, master, commissioned the ship. The first page of the ship's log of 'Constance' had an entry at Plymouth - 'Lashed alongside the dockyard'.  And the following day it was noted that lieutenant Thomas Brand, boatswain William Henry Jones and carpenter Thomas Wily joined the ships muster. The captain, Sir Baldwin W. Walker, KCB, - future surveyor of the navy - joined the ship on the 28th. The first of the master's logs has a reference PRO ADM 53 2332 and covers the period from 26th April 1846 to 24th Oct 1846. The whole period of the voyage required eight log books, although PRO ADM 53 2339 was used for a month only. The last entry was dated 25th November 1859.  All the log books are to be found at the Public Record Office, Kew.

The figurehead of the Constance on Whale Island, Portsmouth Harbour at HMS Excellent.
During the following weeks, more men were added to the ships complement and work was done on the rigging and spars. Other items were set in place and large quantities of stores were taken on board. In June, the captain had made a detailed sketch - now to be found glued into the first page of the log - of the storage containers in the ship: each container fitted into the ship and each identified by its location, and capacity. There was a place for everything and the captains plan showed where all the stores were placed.  Interestingly, the diagram of a section of the ship clearly showed the V shape from the keel. This was a feature of the five big frigates designed by Symonds, a navy captain. 'Constance' was the first of this class of ships.

  

 

By June 25th 1846, 'Constance', moored in Plymouth Sound, was provided with the ship's chronometer and a marine barometer supplied by Mr Cox of Devonport. The ship then sailed for Portsmouth on the 28th and was at single anchor at Spithead by the 29th. The log noted that 'Victory' sailed on the 30th and on the 2nd July the crew 'manned the yards on Her Most Gracious Majesty passing the ship in her yacht'. By the 11th of July, Edmund Heathcote had joined the ship as senior lieutenant. The log noted on 31st July that 7 boys were taken on board from the 'Victory' for service in the Pacific. On the 2nd of August the ship weighed anchor at 10.30 am, saluted Admiral Sir Hyde Parker with eleven guns, opened the chocolate - container number 410, 107lbs - and headed for Plymouth. Edmund Heathcote took up his military duties on the 3rd of August by a practice firing of the ship's guns. The number and type of shot expended were counted and Heathcote and the gunner Hornbrook signed the log.  On the 5th, 'Constance' was at anchor in Plymouth Sound.  On the 9th of August they left England headed for Lisbon: the voyage of the 'Constance' was properly underway.  We can see from the entry in the log shown below, that Edmund Heathcote's signature, left side of the image, had a distinct right handed slope. 

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