| Cherokee-class brig-sloop | |
|---|---|
 Longitudinal section of HMS Beagle (Cherokee class) as of 1832 | |
| Class overview | |
| Name: | Cherokee-class brig-sloop |
| Operators: |
 Royal Navy |
| Planned: | 115 |
| Completed: |
36 in first batch 34 in second batch (with another 1 being cancelled) 34 in third batch (with another 4 cancelled and 6 orders replaced by orders for equivalent steam-assisted paddle vessels) |
| Cancelled: | 11 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Brig-sloop |
| Tons burthen: | 237 bm in Cherokee |
| Length: |
90 ft 0 in (27.43 m) (gundeck) 73 ft 7.625 in (22.44408 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m) |
| Draught: | 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Complement: |
Ship-of-war:75 |
| Armament: |
Ship-of-war:2 x 6-pounder guns (bow) + 8 x 18-pounder carronades |
The Cherokee class was a class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy, mounting 10 guns. Brig-sloops are sloops-of-war with two masts (a fore mast and a taller main mast) rather than the three masts of ship sloops. The best known of the class was HMS Beagle, converted in 1825 into a three-masted exploration vessel for its first survey voyage, then considerably modified for the second voyage with Charles Darwin on board as a gentleman naturalist. Orders for 115 vessels were placed, including 5 which were cancelled and 6 for which the orders were replaced by ones for equivalent steam-powered paddle vessels.[1][2]
Design[]
The design for the Cherokee class was completed in 1807 by Henry Peake and approved on 26 November 1807, with the first four vessels having been ordered in March 1807 but not laid down until December; by the end of 1808 another 30 vessels had been ordered to this design. After these 34, a further 2 were ordered in 1812 which were built of teak at Bombay. The design was revived after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and another 78 were ordered in two batches between 1817 and 1827. The first batch of these later ships consisted of 35 orders (of which one was cancelled) whilst the second amounted to 44 new vessels of which 4 were cancelled and 6 replaced by orders for paddle vessels.
The class was much criticised, being popularly known as 'coffin brigs', following the loss by wrecking or foundering of a number of them. There seems to have been no particular fault in their design, but they were considered to be somewhat too small for the global duties that were assigned to them.[3]
1808-1816 vessels[]
The first four vessels listed below were ordered on 30 March 1807, two more on 26 November 1807 and the next twenty vessels on 31 December 1807. Eight more orders were placed during 1808.
| Name | Built by contract by |
Ordered | Laid down | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolla | Thomas Pitcher, Northfleet | 30 March 1807 | December 1807 | 13 February 1808 |
| Cherokee | Perry, Wells & Green, Blackwall | 30 March 1807 | December 1807 | 24 February 1808 |
| Leveret | Perry, Wells & Green, Blackwall | 30 March 1807 | December 1807 | 24 February 1808 |
| Cadmus | John Dudman & Co., Deptford | 30 March 1807 | December 1807 | 26 February 1808 |
| Achates | Samuel & Daniel Brent, Rotherhithe | 26 November 1807 | December 1807 | 1 February 1808 |
| Parthian | William Barnard, Deptford | 26 November 1807 | December 1807 | 13 February 1808 |
| Briseis | 31 December 1807 | 19 May 1808 | ||
| Jasper | 31 December 1807 | 27 May 1808 | ||
| Ephira | 31 December 1807 | 28 May 1808 | ||
| Onyx | 31 December 1807 | 8 July 1808 | ||
| Badger | 31 December 1807 | 23 July 1808 | ||
| Opossum | 31 December 1807 | 9 July 1808 | ||
| Wild Boar | 31 December 1807 | 9 July 1808 | ||
| Rinaldo | 31 December 1807 | 13 July 1808 | ||
| Chanticleer | 31 December 1807 | 26 July 1808 | ||
| Goldfinch | 31 December 1807 | 8 August 1808 | ||
| Woodlark | 31 December 1807 | 17 November 1808 | ||
| Shearwater | 31 December 1807 | 21 November 1808 | ||
| Calliope | 31 December 1807 | 8 July 1808 | ||
| Hope | 31 December 1807 | 22 July 1808 | ||
| Britomart | 31 December 1807 | 28 July 1808 | ||
| Prince Arthur | 31 December 1807 | 28 July 1808 | ||
| Cordelia | 31 December 1807 | 26 July 1808 | ||
| Redpole | 31 December 1807 | 29 July 1808 | ||
| Helicon | 31 December 1807 | 8 August 1808 | ||
| Lyra | 31 December 1807 | 22 August 1808 | ||
| Beaver | April 1808 | 16 February 1809 | ||
| Drake | 27 June 1808 | 3 November 1808 | ||
| Rosario | 27 June 1808 | 7 December 1808 | ||
| Renard | 9 July 1808 | 5 December 1808 | ||
| Tyrian | 18 July 1808 | 16 December 1808 | ||
| Bermuda | 18 July 1808 | 20 December 1808 | ||
| Rhodian | 18 July 1808 | 3 January 1809 | ||
| Sarpedon | 30 September 1808 | 1 February 1809 |
Two vessels were ordered 2 October 1812. These were built at Bombay, using teak construction, but were otherwise identical to the earlier 34.
| Name | Built by contract by |
Ordered | Laid down | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sphinx | East India Company, Bombay | 2 October 1812 | May 1814 | 25 January 1815 |
| Cameleon | East India Company, Bombay | 2 October 1812 | March 1815 | 15 January 1816 |
1818-1821 orders[]
Unlike the wartime batch, all the post-war batches were built in the Royal Dockyards rather than by contractors. Note that several names of vessels from the 1808-1816 batch were re-used for vessels in the second or third batches (as indicated below).
Thirty-five vessels were ordered in 1817-1821 - twelve on 13 June 1817, twelve on 2 November 1818, two on 8 December 1818, six on 23 May 1820, one on 6 January 1821 and two on 19 April 1821.
| Name | Built by HM Dockyard |
Ordered | Laid down | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alacrity | Deptford | 13 June 1817 | October 1817 | 29 December 1818 |
| Ariel | Deptford | 13 June 1817 | February 1819 | 28 July 1820 |
| Barracouta | Woolwich | 13 June 1817 | June 1818 | 13 May 1820 |
| Beagle ("Darwin's Beagle") |
Woolwich | 13 June 1817 | June 1818 | 11 May 1820 |
| Bustard | Chatham | 13 June 1817 | November 1817 | 12 December 1818 |
| Brisk | Chatham | 13 June 1817 | November 1817 | 10 February 1819 |
| Delight | Portsmouth | 13 June 1817 | November 1817 | 10 May 1819 |
| Cygnet | Portsmouth | 13 June 1817 | November 1817 | 11 May 1819 |
| Eclipse | Plymouth | 13 June 1817 | March 1818 | 23 July 1819 |
| Emulous (2nd of name) | Plymouth | 13 June 1817 | June 1818 | 16 December 1819 |
| Falcon | Pembroke | 13 June 1817 | May 1818 | 10 June 1820 |
| Frolic | Pembroke | 13 June 1817 | August 1818 | 10 June 1820 |
| Lyra (2nd of name) | Plymouth | 2 November 1818 | March 1819 | 1 June 1821 |
| Jasper (2nd of name) | Portsmouth | 2 November 1818 | May 1819 | 26 July 1820 |
| Britomart (2nd of name) | Portsmouth | 2 November 1818 | June 1819 | 24 August 1820 |
| Partridge | Plymouth | 2 November 1818 | December 1819 | 22 March 1822 |
| Reynard (2nd of name) | Pembroke | 2 November 1818 | May 1820 | 26 October 1821 |
| Weazle | Chatham | 2 November 1818 | May 1820 | 26 March 1822 |
| Kingfisher | Woolwich | 2 November 1818 | December 1820 | 11 March 1823 |
| Procris | Chatham | 2 November 1818 | March 1821 | 21 June 1822 |
| Algerine | Deptford | 2 November 1818 | April 1821 | 10 June 1823 |
| Magnet | Woolwich | 2 November 1818 | June 1821 | 13 March 1823 |
| Halcyon | Woolwich | 2 November 1818 | unknown | Cancelled 21 February 1831 |
| Zephyr | Pembroke | 2 November 1818 | November 1821 | 1 November 1823 |
| Opossum (2nd of name) | Sheerness | 2 November 1818 | November 1819 | 11 December 1821 |
| Onyx (2nd of name) | Sheerness | 2 November 1818 | November 1819 | 24 January 1822 |
| Plover | Portsmouth | 23 May 1820 | August 1820 | 30 June 1821 |
| Ferret | Portsmouth | 23 May 1820 | August 1820 | 12 October 1821 |
| Hope (2nd of name) | Plymouth | 23 May 1820 | March 1822 | 8 December 1824 |
| Mutine | Plymouth | 23 May 1820 | April 1822 | 19 May 1825 |
| Forester | Deptford | 23 May 1820 | unknown | Re-ordered at Chatham 23 May 1826 |
| Griffon | Deptford | 23 May 1820 | unknown | Re-ordered at Chatham 23 May 1826 |
| Tyrian (2nd of name) | Woolwich | 6 January 1821 | April 1823 | 16 September 1826 |
| Philomel | Portsmouth | 19 April 1821 | June 1821 | 28 April 1823 |
| Royalist | Portsmouth | 19 April 1821 | August 1821 | 12 May 1823 |
1823-1826 Orders[]
Forty-four vessels were ordered in 1823-1826, thirty on 25 March 1823, two on 23 November 1824, two on 7 December 1824, four on 23 May 1826 and six on 28 October 1826. Of these only thirty-four were built as sailing brigs; four were cancelled, and the orders for six more were replaced by orders for paddle vessels.
| Name | Built by HM Dockyard |
Ordered | Laid down | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leveret (2nd of name) | Portsmouth | 25 March 1823 | May 1823 | 19 February 1825 |
| Musquito | Portsmouth | 25 March 1823 | May 1823 | 19 February 1825 |
| Hearty | Chatham | 25 March 1823 | July 1823 | 22 October 1824 |
| Myrtle | Portsmouth | 25 March 1823 | July 1823 | 14 September 1825 |
| Lapwing | Chatham | 25 March 1823 | September 1823 | 20 February 1825 |
| Sheldrake | Pembroke | 25 March 1823 | November 1823 | 19 May 1825 |
| Harpy | Chatham | 25 March 1823 | March 1824 | 16 July 1825 |
| Fairy | Chatham | 25 March 1823 | July 1824 | 25 April 1826 |
| Skylark | Pembroke | 25 March 1823 | May 1825 | 6 May 1826 |
| Espoir | Chatham | 25 March 1823 | January 1825 | 9 May 1826 |
| Calypso (2nd of name) (ex Hyaena) |
Chatham | 25 March 1823 | March 1825 | 19 August 1826 |
| Spey | Pembroke | 25 March 1823 | July 1825 | 6 October 1827 |
| Variable | Pembroke | 25 March 1823 | May 1826 | 6 October 1827 |
| Briseis (2nd of name) | Deptford | 25 March 1823 | August 1827 | 3 July 1829 |
| Rapid | Portsmouth | 25 March 1823 | January 1824 | 17 August 1829 |
| Recruit | Portsmouth | 25 March 1823 | February 1825 | 17 August 1829 |
| Reindeer | Plymouth | 25 March 1823 | December 1824 | 29 September 1829 |
| Thais | Pembroke | 25 March 1823 | July 1828 | 12 October 1829 |
| Rolla (2nd of name) | Plymouth | 25 March 1823 | June 1825 | 10 December 1829 |
| Savage | Plymouth | 25 March 1823 | October 1829 | 29 December 1830 |
| Saracen | Plymouth | 25 March 1823 | December 1829 | 30 January 1831 |
| Scorpion | Plymouth | 25 March 1823 | June 1830 | 28 July 1832 |
| Sealark | Plymouth | 25 March 1823 | November 1830 | Cancelled 10 January 1831 |
| Hyaena (ex Calypso) |
Deptford | 25 March 1823 | unknown | Cancelled 21 February 1831 |
| Termagent | Portsmouth | 23 November 1824 | October 1829 | 26 March 1838 |
| Lynx | Portsmouth | 23 November 1824 | February 1830 | 2 September 1833 |
| Nautilus | Woolwich | 7 December 1824 | April 1829 | 11 March 1830 |
| Curlew | Woolwich | 7 December 1824 | November 1829 | 25 February 1830 |
| Delight (2nd of name) | Chatham | 23 May 1826 | August 1827 | 27 November 1829 |
| Algerine (2nd of name) | Chatham | 23 May 1826 | October 1827 | 1 August 1829 |
| Griffon (2nd of name) | Chatham | 23 May 1826 | July 1830 | 11 September 1832 |
| Forester (2nd of name) | Chatham | 23 May 1826 | September 1830 | 28 August 1832 |
| Partridge (2nd of name) | Pembroke | 28 October 1826 | August 1828 | 12 October 1829 |
| Wizard | Pembroke | 28 October 1826 | October 1829 | 24 May 1830 |
| Charybdis | Portsmouth | 28 October 1826 | December 1829 | 27 February 1831 |
| Buzzard | Portsmouth | 28 October 1826 | December 1829 | 23 March 1834 |
| Foxhound | Plymouth | 28 October 1826 | unknown | Cancelled 21 February 1831 |
| Helena | Plymouth | 28 October 1826 | unknown | Cancelled 21 February 1831 |
Six of the vessels originally ordered 25 March 1823 were swiftly re-ordered as paddle steamers in May 1824 - Alban and Carron (both at Deptford), Columbia, Confiance, Dee and Echo (all four at Woolwich).
References[]
- ↑ "HMS Beagle - Port of science and discovery - Port Cities". http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConFactFile.64/HMS-Beagle.html. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
- ↑ FitzRoy 1839, pp. 17–22
- ↑ Gardiner, Robert (Ed.) (1998) The Naval War of 1812, Chatham Publishing, London, p. 90.
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.
- Rif Winfield, The Sail and Steam Navy List, 1815-1889 (Chatham Publishing, 2004)
- Rif Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1793-1817 (2nd edition, Seaforth Publishing, 2009)
- Rif Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1714-1792 (Seaforth Publishing, 2007).
- FitzRoy, Robert (1839). "Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle between the years 1826 and 1836, describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagle's circumnavigation of the globe. Proceedings of the second expedition, 1831-36, under the command of Captain Robert Fitz-Roy, R.N.". Henry Colburn. http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F10.2&viewtype=text&pageseq=1. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
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