Redbreast class gunboat
Encyclopedia
The Redbreast class comprised nine first-class screw-driven composite gunboats built for the Royal Navy
in 1889, mounting 6 guns.
, the Royal Navy Director of Naval Construction
in 1888. The hull was of composite construction, that is, iron keel, frames, stem and stern posts with wooden planking. These were the last class of composite-hulled gunboats built for the Royal Navy - the next class of gunboat, the Bramble-class gunboat of 1898, was of steel construction.
guns and four machine guns. The last five had an additional pair of 3-pounder quickfiring guns in place of two of the machine guns.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1889, mounting 6 guns.
Design
The Redbreast class were designed by Sir William Henry WhiteWilliam Henry White
Sir William Henry White was a prolific British warship designer and Chief Constructor at the Admiralty....
, the Royal Navy Director of Naval Construction
Director of Naval Construction
The Director of Naval Construction was a senior British civil servant post in the Admiralty, that part of the British Civil Service that oversaw the Royal Navy. The post existed from 1860 to 1966....
in 1888. The hull was of composite construction, that is, iron keel, frames, stem and stern posts with wooden planking. These were the last class of composite-hulled gunboats built for the Royal Navy - the next class of gunboat, the Bramble-class gunboat of 1898, was of steel construction.
Propulsion
The class was fitted with a triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine developing 1,200 indicated horsepower, sufficient to propel them at 13 kn (25.5 km/h) through a single screw.Armament
The first four ships were armed with six 4-inch/25-pounder (25cwt) quickfiringQF
QF may stand for:* Qantas, the oldest and largest airline of Australia* Qatar Foundation, a private, chartered, non-profit organization in the state of Qatar* Quick-firing gun, a sort of artillery piece...
guns and four machine guns. The last five had an additional pair of 3-pounder quickfiring guns in place of two of the machine guns.
Ships
| Name | Ship Builder | |Launched | |Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pembroke Dockyard | 15 March 1889 | Boom defence vessel in 1902. Gunboat in 1915, depot ship in October 1915. Sold to Duguid & Stewart on 29 December 1921 | |
| Pembroke Dockyard | 25 April 1889 | Sold in 1910 | |
| Pembroke Dockyard | 13 June 1889 | Sold to Cox for breaking at Falmouth on 15 May 1906 | |
| Devonport Dockyard | 30 April 1889 | Became a salvage vessel on 7 December 1915, renamed Melita. Sold to Ship Salvage Corporation on 22 January 1920, and renamed Telima, she was broken up in the second quarter of 1926. | |
| Devonport Dockyard | 12 April 1889 | Sold at Bombay on 10 November 1910 | |
| Sheerness Dockyard | 18 May 1889 | Survey vessel in February 1902. Sold for breaking on 14 May 1907 | |
| Scott’s, Greenock | 22 June 1889 | Coastguard in 1906, cable ship in 1915, salvage vessel in 1916. Wrecked off Glenarm, Northern Ireland on 11 April 1917 | |
| Pembroke Dockyard | 9 August 1889 | Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton on 15 May 1906 | |
| Scott’s, Greenock | 26 September 1889 | Transferred to New Zealand as a training ship on 10 July 1906, renamed Amokura. Sold as a coal hulk in February 1922. Broken up in 1955 |