Capture and destruction of thirteen piratical Chinese Junks, in Mir's Bay, by H.M. Steamer "Medea"

In March 1850, under the command of Captain William Lockyer, the British steamer HMS Medea came across a fleet of pirate junks at anchor in Mirs Bay, east of Hong Kong. On seeing the warship, many of the pirates jumped overboard in an effort to escape. Volleys from Medea's guns and musket fire reportedly killed 150 of the fleeing pirates as they swam towards shore. From the early 1850s, the Royal Navy with their new steam-powered, screw-driven vessels had proven effective in quashing largew pirate fleets. Following this commission the Medea was ordered to India where she infamously transported the Koh-i-Noor diamond to England.