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Algerine-class gunboat

Field	Value
section1	{{Infobox ship/image
image	HMS Leven (1857).jpg
image_caption	Leven rigged as a barquentine
section2	{{Infobox ship/class overview
name	Algerine-class gunboat
builders	*R & H Green, Blackwall Yard
operators	*
class_before
class_after
cost	Hull £5,668, machinery £4,350 (Jaseur)A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in today's money.
built_range	1856–1857
in_commission_range	1857–1873
total_ships_completed	6
total_ships_lost	3
total_ships_retired	3
section3	{{Infobox ship/characteristics
type	Wooden screw gunboat (gunvessels from 1859)
displacement	370 tons
tons_burthen	300 bm
length	* 125 ft (gundeck)
* {{convert	110	ft	1.5	in	m	abbr	on	1}} (keel)
beam	23 ft
hold_depth	9 ft
power	* 80 nominal horsepower
* {{convert	294	ihp	kW	lk	in	abbr=on}}
propulsion	* 2-cylinder horizontal direct-acting single-expansion steam engine
sail_plan	As built*:
speed	9 kn
armament	As built*:
* 1 × {{convert	8	in	mm	adj	on}} 68-pounder (87cwt) muzzle-loading smoothbore gun

W. & H. Pitcher, Northfleet
[[File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|24px|Merchant navy Ensign of the UK]] British Merchant Navy
Qing dynasty Chinese Imperial Customs
Ottoman Empire Egyptian Government
110 ft (keel)
294 ihp
Single (hoisting) screw
Schooner (or "gunboat") rig
Later:
Often a barquentine rig
1 × 8 in 68-pounder (87cwt) muzzle-loading smoothbore gun
(in some ships a 10-inch muzzle-loading smoothbore gun instead)
2 × 24-pounder howitzers
By 1863:
1 × 110-pounder Armstrong breech-loading gun
1 × 40-pounder Armstrong breech-loading gun

Design profile for the ''Algerine'' class

The Algerine-class gunboats were a class of six 3-gun wooden gunboats (reclassified as gunvessels from 1859) built for the Royal Navy in 1857. A further pair were built in India for the Bombay Marine in 1859.

An enlarged version of the very numerous , they reflected the change in use from coastal operations towards deep-water cruising, but were delivered too late to see action in the Crimean War. They were the first class of Royal Navy gunboat to incorporate a hoisting screw, which gave them improved performance under sail. The last man hung from the yardarm in the Royal Navy was a Royal Marine executed on 13 July 1860 in Leven.

Design and construction

Developed during the Crimean War as an enlarged version of W. H. Walker's , the Algerines were an acknowledgement that gunboats designed for coastal operations would inevitably be called upon to act in a cruising role, both in shallow and in deeper water. Their increased size gave them much improved accommodation, and in general they were effective vessels, leading to the construction of two identical vessels for the Bombay Marine.

Armament

As built, they were armed with one 8 in 68-pounder (87 cwt) muzzle-loading smoothbore gun and two 24-pounder howitzers. By 1863 the three surviving vessels of the class were armed with one 110-pounder Armstrong breech-loading gun and one 40-pounder Armstrong breech-loading gun.

Propulsion

The class were each fitted with a 2-cylinder horizontal direct-acting single-expansion steam engine manufactured by Maudslay, Sons & Field. This engine drove a single screw, which for the first time in a gunboat was provided with a hoisting mechanism; this ensured a better performance under sail than previous classes. These engines were rated at 80 nominal horsepower and produced on trials 294 ihp. The design speed under steam was 9 kn.

Rig

Fitted at first with a simple schooner rig (often known as a "gunboat rig" in the Royal Navy), the use of these vessels as cruisers encouraged commanding officers on far-flung stations to augment their sail area by fitting topmasts and yards, making them barquentines.The picture of Leven at the head of this article shows a vessel of the class rigged as a barquentine.

Operational lives

Jaseur was lost on the Bajo Nuevo Bank in the Caribbean Sea within two years of her launch, Jasper also served on the West Indies station before being sold to the Chinese in 1863 to form part of Sherard Osborn's Vampire Fleet. Lee was also sent to the China station, but her career was abruptly curtailed on 25 June 1859 when she was sunk at the second battle of the Taku Forts. Leven, like Lee and Algerine served on the China station, and took part in the successful first battle of the Taku Forts. The last man hanged from the yardarm in the Royal Navy was a Royal Marine, executed for attempted murder on 13 July 1860 in Leven. Slaney served with Algerine at the capture of Canton and with Leven at the first battle of the Taku Forts.

Ships

Name		Ship Builder		Launched		Fate

Bombay Marine versions

Name		Ship Builder		Launched		Fate
Clyde
Sir Hugh Rose

Notes

Citations

References

Winfield (2004), p.230
"HMS ''Jaseur'' at the Naval Database website".
"HMS ''Jasper'' at the Naval Database website".
"HMS ''Lee'' at the Naval Database website".
"HMS ''Leven'' at the Naval Database website".
Preston (2007), p.155
"HMS ''Slaney'' at the Naval Database website".
[[Charles Rathbone Low. Low, Charles Rathbone]]. ''History of the Indian Navy (1613–1863)'' (Volume 2), R. Bentley and Son (London). {{ISBN. 978-1-85207-336-7. p. 387

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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