Racer-class sloop
The Racer-class sloop was an 11-gun wooden screw sloop class of five ships built for the Royal Navy between 1855 and 1860.
.jpg.webp) HMS Icarus | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Racer class |
| Preceded by: | Swallow class |
| Succeeded by: | Greyhound class |
| Built: | 1855 - 1860 |
| In commission: | 1856 - 1877 |
| Completed: | 5 |
| Scrapped: | 5 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Sloop |
| Displacement: | 861 tons |
| Tons burthen: | 577 30/94 bm |
| Length: |
|
| Beam: | 29 ft 1 in (8.9 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 15 ft 10 in (4.8 m) |
| Installed power: | |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Sail plan: | Barque rig |
| Speed: | Approximately 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Complement: | 120 |
| Armament: |
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Design
Built of a traditional wooden construction, the Racer class were a lengthened version of the Swallow-class sloop, which in turn had been intended as "type of screw vessel below the Cruizer". The extra length gave greater speed, and combined with a considerable increase in power, this gave a speed of about 10 knots (19 km/h), rather more than the 7 knots (13 km/h) of the previous class.[1]
The class were armed with a single 32-pounder gun (58 cwt) gun on a pivot mount and ten 32-pounder (25 cwt) carronades on the broadside. These guns were all smoothbore muzzle-loading, and were little changed from the standard guns of Nelson's era.[2]
Propulsion was provided by a two-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine developing 461 indicated horsepower (344 kW) and driving a single screw. At maximum power under steam, top speed was about 10 knots (19 km/h). A barque rig of sails was carried, which meant the ships of the class had three masts with a square rig on the fore and main masts.[1]
Ships
The first three ships were ordered on 3 April 1854, although both Cordelia and Gannet were ordered as Swallow-class sloops, with the design being changed before construction. Icarus was ordered on 3 February 1855 and Pantaloon was ordered on 1 April 1857.[1]
| Name | Ship Builder[1] | Laid down[1] | Launched[1] | Fate[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cordelia | Pembroke Dockyard | October 1855 | 3 July 1856 | Sold for breaking on 12 May 1870 |
| Racer | Deptford Dockyard | 1 October 1856 | 4 November 1857 | Broken up in 1876 |
| Gannet | Pembroke Dockyard | December 1856 | 29 December 1857 | Broken up in February 1877 |
| Icarus | Deptford Dockyard | 7 April 1857 | 22 October 1858 | Sold for breaking on 23 January 1875 |
| Pantaloon | Devonport Dockyard | 2 November 1857 | 26 September 1860 | Sold for breaking on 18 September 1867 |
Citations
- Winfield (2004) p.216
- Bastock, p.29.
References
- Bastock, John (1988), Ships on the Australia Station, Child & Associates Publishing Pty Ltd; Frenchs Forest, Australia. ISBN 0-86777-348-0
- Jones, Colin (1996). "Entente Cordiale, 1865". In McLean, David & Preston, Antony (eds.). Warship 1996. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-685-X.
- Winfield, R.; Lyon, D. (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6.