.jpg) HMSCormorant | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cormorant class |
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Philomel class |
| Succeeded by | Plover class |
| Built | 1860-1867 |
| In service | 1860-1890 |
| Completed | 9 |
| Lost | 1 |
| Scrapped | 8 |
| General characteristics[1][2] | |
| Type | First-classgunvessel |
| Displacement | 877 tons |
| Tons burthen | 69466/94bm |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 28 ft 4 in (8.6 m) |
| Draught | 11–12 ft (3.4–3.7 m) |
| Depth of hold | 14 ft 0 in (4.3 m) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion |
|
| Sail plan | Barque[3] |
| Speed | c. 11knots (20 km/h) (under steam) |
| Complement | 90 |
| Armament | |
TheCormorant-class gunvessels (sometimes known asEclipse-class gunvessels) were a class of 4-gun first-classgunvessels built for the Royal Navy in the 1860s. They were somewhat unsuccessful; intended for shore bombardment in shallow water, they exceeded their design draft by 50%. Seven of the 13 ships ordered were suspended, with 3 finished or converted as survey ships and the other 4 cancelled.Racehorse was wrecked after only 4 years, and those ships that were completed as planned had short operational lives, in some cases less than 10 years. The survey vessels (Myrmidon,Sylvia andNassau) lasted longest, with the last ship of the class,Sylvia, being broken up in 1890.
The first 6 ships had a 2-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine provided byRobert Napier and Sons and rated at 200nominal horsepower, driving a single screw. On trials these units developed between 689indicated horsepower (514 kW) and 689 indicated horsepower (514 kW), giving speeds of about 11knots (20 km/h).[2]Sylvia andNassau were completed as survey ships and were powered by 150 nhpHumphreys and Tennant engines.[2]Myrmidon received a more powerful 200 nhp Humphreys and Tennant engine.[2]
The main armament, which was principally intended for shore bombardment,[3] was originally designed with two68-pounder and two 32-pounder muzzle-loading smoothbore guns.[1][2] They were finished, however, with a single7-inch/110-pounder Armstrong breech-loading gun and a68-pounder muzzle-loading smoothbore gun. A pair of broadside20-pounder Armstrong breech-loading guns were also fitted.[2] The 68-pounders were later replaced by a pair of 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns.[1][2]
In common with all other Royal Navy wooden screw gunvessels, theCormorants were rigged asbarques, that is with three masts, with the fore and main masts square rigged, and the mizzen fore-and-aft rigged.[3]
The first 6 ships were ordered from commercial yards (Money Wigram & Sons,C J Mare & Co andJ Scott Russell), with fitting out to be done in the Royal Dockyards at Chatham (first pair) and Woolwich (last 4). A further batch of 4 ships (Sylvia -Myrmidon) were ordered on 5 March 1860 and another batch of 3 (Pegasus -Guernsey) on 25 March 1862. The first completed ships had a draught of 11–12 feet (3.4–3.7 m), exceeding the intended 8 feet (2.4 m) by a considerable margin. Since gunvessels were intended to work in shallow water while bombarding the shore, work on the later two batches was suspended.[2]Sylvia,Nassau andMyrmidon were suspended in 1862 or 1863, but were resumed, withSylvia andNassau being finished as survey vessels.[2]Tartarus was broken up on the slipway in 1865, having cost £6,268 and work toPegasus cost only £339.Guernsey was never laid down.[2]
| Name | Ship Builder | Launched | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cormorant | Money Wigram & Sons, Blackwall Yard | 9 February 1860 | Sold on 7 June 1870 at Hong Kong |
| Racehorse | Money Wigram & Sons, Blackwall Yard | 19 March 1860 | Wrecked nearChefoo, China, on 4 November 1864 |
| Serpent | C J Mare & Company, Leamouth | 23 June 1860 | Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton on 13 April 1875 |
| Star | C J Mare & Company, Leamouth | 15 December 1860 | Completed breaking at Plymouth on 14 March 1877 |
| Eclipse | J Scott Russell, Millwall | 18 September 1860 | Broken up at Sheerness in July 1867 |
| Lily | J Scott Russell, Millwall | 27 February 1861 | Broken up at Sheerness in October 1867 |
| Sylvia | Woolwich Dockyard | 20 March 1866 | Survey ship in October 1866. Sold to George Cohen for breaking in August 1889 |
| Nassau | Pembroke Dockyard | 20 February 1866 | Survey ship in July 1866. Broken up at Sheerness April 1880 |
| Myrmidon | Chatham Dockyard | 5 June 1867 | Survey ship in 1884. Sold at Hong Kong in April 1889 |
| Tartarus | Pembroke Dockyard | Cancelled on 16 December 1864 and broken up on 4 November 1865 | |
| Pegasus | Woolwich Dockyard | Cancelled on 12 December 1863 | |
| Albatross | Chatham Dockyard | Cancelled on 12 December 1863 | |
| Guernsey | Pembroke Dockyard | Cancelled on 12 December 1863 (never laid down) |