HMS Assistance (1850)

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HMS Assistance in the Ice, by Thomas Sewell Robins, 1853
History
United Kingdom
Name	Acorn
Namesake	Acorn
Owner	T.Kincaid (1840–1850)
Builder	J. Thomas, Howrah, Calcutta[1]
Launched	1834,[1] or 1835
Renamed	Baboo
Fate	Sold to the Royal Navy in 1850
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Assistance
Acquired	March 1850
Fate	Abandoned in the ice on 25 August 1854
General characteristics
Type	Teak-built barque
Tons burthen	423,[2] or 420[3] (bm)
Length	Overall:117 ft 4 in (35.8 m) Keel: 115 ft 7 in (35.2 m)
Beam	28 ft 5 in (8.7 m)
Depth of hold	13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Barque rigged
Complement	58
Armament	Two guns
Notes	Teak-built[2]

HMS Assistance was an Arctic discovery barque of the Royal Navy, and the sixth vessel to carry the name. She began in 1834 as the India-built merchant vessel Acorn. Her name was changed to Baboo. Under that name she transported contract labourers between Mauritius and India, and immigrants to South Australia. The Royal Navy purchased her in 1850 and named her HMS Assistance. Assistance participated in two Arctic expeditions before her crew abandoned her in the ice in 1854.