HMS Mermaid (1817)

The cutter Mermaid
History
United Kingdom
Name	Mermaid
Builder	Thompson, Howrah[1]
Launched	1816
Fate	Sold 1817
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Mermaid
Acquired	1817 by purchase
Commissioned	16 October 1817
Fate	Sold 1823
United Kingdom
Name	Mermaid
Owner	Government of New South Wales
Acquired	1823 by purchase
Fate	Wrecked on 13 June 1829, Flora Reef, Queensland
General characteristics
Tons burthen	83,[2] 84,[1] or 85 (bm)
Length	56 ft (17 m)
Beam	18 ft 6 in (5.6 m)
Draught	8 ft 10 in (2.7 m)
Sail plan	Originally: single masted cutter rigged c. 1829: Two-masted schooner
Notes	Teak-built

HMS Mermaid was a cutter built in Howrah, India, in 1816. The British Royal Navy purchased her at Port Jackson in 1817. The Navy then used her to survey the Australian coasts. In 1820 she grounded and in 1823 was condemned for survey work. The Navy sold her to the colonial government which used her to run errands until she was wrecked in 1829.