Racer-class sloop

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:
  • 151 ft (46.0 m) (gundeck)
  • 131 ft 3.75 in (40.0 m) (keel)
Beam: 29 ft 1 in (8.9 m)
Depth of hold: 15 ft 10 in (4.8 m)
Installed power:
  • 150 nhp
  • 461–617 ihp (344–460 kW)
Propulsion:
  • 2-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine
  • Single screw
Sail plan: Barque rig
Speed: Approximately 10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement: 120
Armament:
  • 1 × 32-pdr gun (58cwt) on pivot
  • 10 × 32-pdr (25cwt) carronades

The Racer-class sloop was an 11-gun wooden screw sloop class of five ships built for the Royal Navy between 1855 and 1860.

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]

NameShip Builder[1]Laid down[1]Launched[1]Fate[1]
CordeliaPembroke DockyardOctober 18553 July 1856Sold for breaking on 12 May 1870
RacerDeptford Dockyard1 October 18564 November 1857Broken up in 1876
GannetPembroke DockyardDecember 185629 December 1857Broken up in February 1877
IcarusDeptford Dockyard7 April 185722 October 1858Sold for breaking on 23 January 1875
PantaloonDevonport Dockyard2 November 185726 September 1860Sold for breaking on 18 September 1867

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Winfield (2004) p.216
  2. ↑ 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
  • Winfield, Rif & Lyon, David (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. OCLC 52620555.
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