Redbreast-class gunboat

HMS Sparrow

Class overview
Name| Redbreast-class gunboats
Builders|

* Pembroke Dockyard
* Sheerness Dockyard
* Devonport Dockyard
* Scotts of Greenock

Operators|

* Royal Navy
* New Zealand Government
* British Merchant Navy

Cost|

* Between £38,000 (Widgeon)
* and £39,300 (Ringdove)[1]

Built| 1889
In commission| 1889-1921
Completed| 9
Lost| 1
General characteristics [1]
Class and type| Redbreast-class first-class gunvessel
Displacement| 805 tons
Length| 165 ft 0 in (50.3 m) pp
Beam| 31 ft 0 in (9.4 m)
Draught| 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) min, 13 ft 9 in (4.19 m) max
Installed power| 1,200 ihp (890 kW)
Propulsion|

* Triple expansion steam engine
* 2 × boilers
* Single screw

Sail plan| Barquentine-rigged
Speed| 13 kn (24 km/h)
Range| 2,500 nmi (4,600 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h)[1]
Complement| 76
Armament|

* Magpie, Redbreast, Redpole & Ringdove:
* 6 × BL 4-inch (101.6 mm) 25-pounder guns
* 4 × machine guns
* Lapwing, Goldfinch, Thrush, Widgeon & Sparrow:
* 6 × 4-inch/25-pounder QF guns
* 2 × 3-pounder QF guns
* 2 × machine guns

The Redbreast class comprised nine first-class screw-driven composite gunboats built for the Royal Navy in 1889, mounting six guns.

## Construction

[edit]

### Design

[edit]

The Redbreast class were designed by Sir William Henry White, the Royal Navy Director of Naval Construction in 1888.[1] 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

[edit]

The class was fitted with a triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine developing 1,200 indicated horsepower, sufficient to propel them at 13 kn (24 km/h) through a single screw.

### Sail plan

[edit]

The class was given a barquentine rig.

### Armament

[edit]

The first four ships were armed with six 4-inch/25-pounder (25cwt) quick firing guns and four machine guns. The last five had an additional pair of 3-pounder quick firing guns in place of two of the machine guns.[1]

## Ships

[edit]

Name | Ship builder | Launched | Fate

|
|
|

Magpie | 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[1]
Redbreast | Pembroke Dockyard | 25 April 1889[2] | Sold in 1910[1]
Redpole | Pembroke Dockyard | 13 June 1889 | Served on the China Station. Sold to Cox for breaking at Falmouth on 15 May 1906[1]
Ringdove | Devonport Dockyard | 30 April 1889 | Became a salvage vessel on 7 December 1915, renamed Melita. Sold to Ship Salvage Corporation on 22 January 1920,[1] and renamed Telima, she was broken up in the second quarter of 1926.[3]
Lapwing | Devonport Dockyard | 12 April 1889 | Sold at Bombay on 10 November 1910[1]
Goldfinch | Sheerness Dockyard | 18 May 1889 | Survey vessel in February 1902. Sold for breaking on 14 May 1907[1]
Thrush | 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[1]
Widgeon | Pembroke Dockyard | 9 August 1889 | Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton on 15 May 1906[1]
Sparrow | 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. Abandoned in St Omer Bay.
HMS Ringdove dressed overall at Melbourne in 1896

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Lyon, David; Winfield, Rif (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. pp. 299–300. ISBN 9781861760326. OCLC 52620555.
2. ^ "Search Results: launch of the redbreast". Welsh Newspapers Online. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
3. ^ "1132764". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 8 July 2009.

* Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Redbreast class gunboat.

* v
* t
* e

Redbreast-class gunboats

* Magpie
* Redbreast
* Redpole
* Ringdove
* Lapwing
* Goldfinch
* Thrush
* Widgeon
* Sparrow

* Preceded by: Pygmy class
* Followed by: Bramble class

* List of gunboat and gunvessel classes of the Royal Navy

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template