An item reported that the commanding officer of the Mediterranean squadron was ordered to sent all available infantrymen and naval personnel to Soeakim.(1) The corvette HMS Carysfort (2) left in the meantime Alexandria towards Soeakim and two warships were to leave soon Malta while transporting 1,500 marines towards Soeakim. Furthermore were next Saturday 500 men to leave Portsmouth on board of a transport destined via Plymouth towards Soeakim.
The newspaper Middelburgsche Courant of the same date supplied more details. It was the transport Poonah which would depart via Plymouth towards Soeakim with on board two detachments of marines totally 514 men. The admiralty also announced that the ironclad Carysfort left Alexandria to join the squadron commanded by admiral Hewett. All available men of the squadron at Malta (the journalist thought around 1,200 men) were to sent to Soeakim.
Notes
1. The Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882 was fought between the United Kingdom supporting the Egyptian and Sudanese Khedive Tewfik Pasha against the rebelling army officer Ahmed Orabi or Urabi. After defeating the Egyptian forces in September that year was Egypt controlled by England although the Khedivate was restored. In 1914 became Egypt a British protectorate and was the Khedivate replaced by a Sultanate.
2. This was a screw steam corvette of Comus-class. The armour of those corvettes consisted of a1.5” thick deck protecting the engines. She was laid down at the yard of John Elder - who also manufactured her engines - on 17 August 1876, launched on 26 September two years later, completed on 15 September 1880 to be sold for breaking up in 1899. Her armament consisted of 2-7”guns, 12-65pdr guns, 2 light guns, eight Nordenfeldt quick firing guns and two torpedo carriages. With a displacement of 2,380 tons were her dimensions 225 x 44 x 19 feet or 69 x 13 x 6 metres.
