A "Devil Ship" Bedeviled: The Iconography and Reality of the Opium War's SS Nemesis

In hagiographic memory the Nemesis is the invincible steamer that imposed British (white) hierarchical discipline on an honorable but intractably conservative China. To its builders, the first iron warship unquestionably demonstrated the superiority of western ways and western people. On close examination, however, the monolithic meanings ascribed to the vessel quickly dissolve.

The ship was heavily armed, carried a large crew, and was designed with an extremely light draft expressly in order to ascend Chinese rivers; it was clearly a specific tool of imperial aggression. But it was also a technological, social, and legal mongrel. As an experimental prototype, the vessel’s novel advantages were offset by unforeseen drawbacks. Design flaws caused it to frequently run aground and to founder—even nearly fall apart—in rough seas. Keeping the inefficient engines in fuel was an enormous logistical challenge. Corrosive salt water invaded the engines and boilers. The racial and class rigidity implicit in the iconic image is another mirage. Many of the sailors and combatants on the British side were nonwhite, and the naval hierarchy was in flux as it moved from sailing ships to steamers. The Nemesis also had an unusually complex legal status. The British East India Company commissioned, built, and owned it. Nevertheless, the extremely expensive floating hunk of private capital was captained by officers of the Royal Navy and sailed under sealed orders from the British government.

This paper traces the construction, financing, staffing, and Opium War activities of the Nemesis. It also considers Chinese reaction, and non-reaction, to the appearance of steamers in their waters; responses varied widely. Ultimately, the ship’s career calls into question the symbolic meanings and practical implications of mid-century steam technology, both in China and Britain.