Ex-merchantman Sir Charles Adam, built in 1834 in the USA and purchased by the Royal Navy on 7 July 1838. Sold in 1843
HMS Experiment
Niagara Dock Company
1838
An ex-sailing ship, purchased on 21 July 1838 and converted to a paddle vessel. Sold in 1847 or 1848
HMS Traveller
Niagara Dock Company
1838
Ex-merchant ship, purchased at Niagara on 30 April 1839 and sold in 1844
HMS Montreal
Canada
1836
A two-masted schooner (may not have had an engine) purchased for use on Lake Erie on 18 October 1839. Sold 1848
HMS Minos
Chippawa, Ontario
June 1840
Sold to Mr Weston in March 1852
HMS Sydenham
Montreal
1841
Purchased while building at Montreal in 1841. Served in the Mediterranean as a packet. Refitted and reboilered at Woolwich in 1843-44. Sold at Malta on 11 July 1846
HMS Cherokee
Kingston Navy Yard, Ontario
22 September 1842
Sold to Messrs. Campbell, Forsyth, Yarwood & Gaskin on 30 October 1851
Magnet
Hamilton, Canada
1846
The British Government made a part payment while during build, retaining the right to assume possession of the vessel on payment of the remaining portion. The right was relinquished in 1864
HMS Canada
Purchased
Unknown
Purchased in 1847
Iron paddle gunboat (Great Lakes)[]
Mowhawk (1843)
Name
Ship Builder
Launched
Fate
HMS Mowhawk
William Fairbairn & Company, Millwall
21 February 1843
Delivered in pieces to the Kingston Yard, Lake Ontario. Served on Lake Ontario and later on Lake Huron. Lengthened by 25 ft (7.6 m) in 1846. Sold to J F Parke on 21 June 1852
The gunboats designed from 1870 onwards were of composite construction, i.e. they had an iron keel, stem and stern posts, and iron framing, with wooden planking retained over the iron frames.
Drill ship, renamed Drake on 13 March 1888. Coastguard watch vessel, renamed WV29 in 1893. Renamed Drake in 1906. Sold to Meyer Isaacs on 3 April 1906
HMS Mallard
Earle’s Shipbuilding, Hull
4 August 1875
Sold in August 1889
HMS Moorhen
Robert Napier & Sons, Govan
13 September 1875
Sold in November 1888
HMS Foxhound
Barrow Iron Shipbuilding
29 January 1877
Coastguard in 1886. Coal tug in 1897, renamed YC20. Sold as hulk Arabel in 1920, and remained in Blackwall Reach on the River Thames for 55 years. Broken up in 1975
HMS Forward
Barrow Iron Shipbuilding
29 January 1877
Coal hulk in 1892. Sold in 1904
HMS Firm
Earle’s Shipbuilding, Hull
14 February 1877
Sold to Cox for breaking up at Falmouth on 14 May 1907
HMS Forester
Earle’s Shipbuilding, Hull
26 February 1877
Coal hulk in 1894. Sold in 1904
HMS Firebrand
J & G Thomson, Govan
30 April 1877
Sold in 1905, became mercantile Hoi Sin
HMS Firefly
J & G Thomson, Govan
28 June 1877
Boom defence in 1904. Base ship on 3 April 1914, renamed Egmont. Renamed Firefly 1 in March 1923. Sold in May 1931
The only ironclads of gunboat size were three largely experimental (and unsuccessful) vessels ordered in 1864. The first two were towed to Bermuda (being considered unsatisfactory to sail under their own power) where they served as harbour vessels. Vixen was the first twin-screw vessel built for the Royal Navy, and Waterwitch employed a form of water pump propulsion.
Ordered to be converted to a tank vessel in October 1904, but instead sold at Sheerness on 4 April 1905
HMS Insolent
Pembroke Dockyard
15 March 1881
Gate vessel in January 1918. Foundered in Portsmouth Harbour on 1 July 1922; the wreck was sold to J H Pounds, Portsmouth, on 18 June 1925
Handy class (1882)
Name
Ship Builder
Launched
Fate
HMS Handy
Charles Mitchell and Company, Walker
30 December 1882
Renamed Excellent in May 1891 as a training ship, then Calcutta on 1 November 1916, and finally Snapper in August 1917. Sold on 27 April 1924. She was sold again to Pounds shipbreakers in the 1970s but not broken up. She was finally scrapped in 2008.[1]
Drudge class (1882)
Name
Ship Builder
Launched
Fate
HMS Drudge
Armstrong Whitworth
15 June 1887
Built for the Ordnance Department and transferred to the Royal Navy in 1901. Renamed Excellent on 21 November 1916 and Dryad on 26 January 1919. Renamed back to Drudge later in 1919 and sold on 27 March 1920
Re-engined in 1833 and renamed Black Eagle on 5 February 1842, lengthened in 1843 and re-rated as a paddle yacht, completing service as Admiralty yacht until 1857. Broken up at Portsmouth in March 1876
HMS Flamer
Fletcher & Fearnall, Limehouse
11 August 1831
Refitted for the Holyhead Station in 1848-49. Lost on the coast of West Africa off Monrovia on 22 November 1850
Firefly class (1832) - steam vessels reclassified in 1844 as first-class steam gunvessels
Tender to Sampson in Portsmouth 1849-1851, broken up in 1866
Myrmidon class (1845)
Name
Ship Builder
Launched
Fate
HMS Myrmidon
Ditchburn & Mare, Leamouth
February 1845
Sold at Fernando Po on 1 December 1858
Grappler class (1845)
Name
Ship Builder
Launched
Fate
HMS Grappler
William Fairbairn & Company, Millwall
30 December 1845
Sold to W P Beach for breaking on 2 February 1850
Recruit class (1850)
Name
Ship Builder
Launched
Fate
HMS Recruit
J Scott Russell & Robinson, Millwall
1850
Ex-Prussian Salamander, commissioned into the Royal Navy on 22 December 1854. Sold to E Bates on 23 September 1869
HMS Weser
J Scott Russell & Robinson, Millwall
1850
Ex-Prussian Nix, commissioned into the Royal Navy on 22 December 1854. Harbour service in 1866. Sold at Malta on 29 October 1873
NB. A third vessel of the class was retained by Prussia.
Wooden screw gunvessels[]
This section includes two early iron-hulled screw gunvessels ordered in May 1845, which in other respects were half-sisters to two wooden-hulled gunvessels ordered at the same time. The four vessels comprised the first-class gunvessels Rifleman (wooden hulled) and Sharpshooter (iron hulled), and the second-class gunvessels Teazer (wooden hulled) and Minx (iron hulled). Further vessels ordered later to the same design were either cancelled or built to very different concepts. Rifleman and Sharpshooter were re-classed as sloops in 1854.
Rifleman class (1845)
(wooden half-sisters to iron-hulled Sharpshooter)
Name
Ship Builder
Launched
Fate
HMS Rifleman
Portsmouth Dockyard
10 August 1846
Survey ship in 1862. Sold at Hong Kong on 18 November 1869
HMS Sepoy
Portsmouth Dockyard
Suspended 9 September 1846. Cancelled 22 May 1849
HMS Cossack
Portsmouth Dockyard
Suspended 9 September 1846. Cancelled 22 May 1849
Sharpshooter class (1845)
(Iron half-sister to wooden Rifleman)
Name
Ship Builder
Launched
Fate
HMS Sharpshooter
Ditchburn & Mare
25 July 1846
Sold on 2 December 1869 for commercial service
Teazer class (1845)
(Wooden-hulled half-sisters to iron-hulled Minx)
Name
Ship Builder
Launched
Fate
HMS Teazer
Chatham Dockyard
25 June 1846
Sold to Castle & Son for breaking up at Charlton on 20 June 1862
HMS Boxer
Chatham Dockyard
Suspended on 6 October 1846 and cancelled on 22 May 1849
HMS Biter
Chatham Dockyard
Suspended on 6 October 1846 and cancelled on 22 May 1849
The gunvessels designed from 1867 onwards were of composite construction, i.e. they had an iron keel, stem and stern posts, and iron framing, with wooden planking retained over the iron frames.
Sailing training ship in 1899. Hulked as accommodation for submarines in 1907. Submarine depot ship in 1912. Sold on 13 March 1925, but foundered under tow on 19 April 1925, then raised and beached; and used as an accommodation school ship until broken up in 1977 at Bo'ness
HMS Wanderer
William Raylton Dixon, Middlesbrough
8 February 1883
Sailing training ship (brig-rigged) in 1894. Sold to Ward, Preston for breaking in February 1907
