Royal Navy ensigns

[Top-of-the-hill]

   The family story was that he raised the British flag on them! In fact it wasn't far off - we were interested in guano, and the islands were ceded to Britain. Fremantle took formal possesion, hoisted the flag and appointed 2 natives to be in charge of the flagpole!
   I won't bore you any more with my family history, but this man was my only interesting ancestor.

[KGarrad]

In 1854 the sultan of Muscat (later Muscat and Oman now Oman) presented the islands to Queen Victoria as a gift and responsibility for the islands was granted to the Bombay government in British India. There was some concern at the time that the deed of cession was null since the sultan had no rights over the archipelago. The Red Sea and India Telegraph Company, formed in 1858, intended to use one of the islands as a base for a telegraph connection between Aden and Karachi but the project was abandoned in 1861 after sections of the cable failed. A group of Liverpool entrepreneurs were granted monopoly rights to harvest the abundant guano deposits, but after having met resistance from the local inhabitants who considered that resource theirs, and questions in the British parliament about the advisability of granting monopoly rights to anyone, the mining was abandoned after some 200,000 tons had been extracted between 1855 and 1860.

from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khuriya_Muriya_Islands

[Top-of-the-hill]

  1854 was when ggfather's ship was there. I remember my grandfather showing me the islands in the atlas.

[Regorian]

As you read, HMS Juno was 'on the Australian Station 1853'. Quite possibly there were  a few sloops/cutters too. I would consider that as under the Admiralty direct. I'm no sort of expert on the matter.

Surprised it was still in service 1880ish even as a training ship, built 1838. But perhaps there were others.

 

[Top-of-the-hill]

   Also involved with the relocation of the Pitcairn Islanders to Norfolk Island. (I am really glad I was brought up in the family home by my grandfather, who was able to tell me these things! And since been able to confirm the near truth of what I was told.)