The ''Alecto''-class steam vessels (SV3) later reclassed as
Third Class Sloops, were designed by Sir William Symonds, the Surveyor of the Navy. The design was approved on 12 April 1839. Initially four vessels were ordered and completed. A fifth unit was ordered (Rattler), but was reordered as a screw propelled vessel. And a sixth unit had been ordered but was requested to be reordered to a different design. The screw driven ''Rattler'' participated in the first of three 'tug o- wars with the ''Alecto''. The vessels all participated during the Russian War. All had gone to the breakers by the mid-1860s.
''Alecto'' was the second named vessel since it was used for a 12-gun fireship, launched by King of Dover on 26 May 1781 and sold in 1802.
''Ardent'' was the fifth named vessel since it was used for a 64-gun third rate, launched at Blaydes of Hull on 13 August 1764, captured by the French off Plymouth on 17 August 1779, recaptured in April 1782 and renamed ''Tiger'' then sold in June 1794.
''Prometheus'' was the second named vessel since it was used for an 18-gun fireship, Launched by Thompson of Southampton on 27 March 1807, assigned to harbour service in May 1819, then renamed ''Veteran'' on 2 May 1839 and broken in August 1852.
''Polyphemus'' was the second named vessel since it was used for a 64-gun third rate, launched at Sheerness Dockyard on 27 April 1782, converted to a powder hulk in September 1813 and her breaking was completed at Chatham on 15 September 1827.
Design and specifications
The vessels were ordered in February 1839. The first two were
laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one o ...
in July 1839 at Chatham and Sheerness Dockyards. The second pair were laid down at Chatham Dockyard in February 1840. The first two vessels (''Alecto'' and ''Prometheus'') were
launched in July 1839 with ''Polyphemus'' launched in September 1840 and ''Ardent'' in February 1841. The gundeck was with the keel length of reported for tonnage. The maximum beam was with reported for tonnage. The depth of hold was . The builder's measure calculated at tons whereas the vessels displaced 878 tons.
Seaward and Capel of
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
supplied the machinery for all vessels. They were equipped with two fire-tube rectangular boilers. The engines were 2-cylinder vertical single expansion (VSE) direct acting steam engines rated at 200
nominal horsepower
Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...
(NHP).
All four ships were armed with two 32-pounder 42 hundredweight (cwt)
["cwt", or "]hundredweight
The hundredweight (abbreviation: cwt), formerly also known as the centum weight or quintal, is a British imperial and US customary unit of weight or mass. Its value differs between the US and British imperial systems. The two values are distingu ...
" refers to the weight of the gun itself. "32-pounder" refers to the weight of the ball fired muzzle loading smooth bore ( MLSB) guns on pivot mounts and two 32-pounder (25 cwt) MLSB carronades on broadside trucks.
[Lyon Winfield, pages 159-160]
Initial cost of vessels
*''Alecto'': Total Cost £27,268 (including Machinery - £10,700)
[A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in today's money for Alecto.]
*''Ardent'': Total Cost £28,593 (Hull - £13,385; Machinery - £10,700; Fitting - £4,061)
[A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in today's money for Ardent.]
*''Prometheus'': Total Cost £29,433 (including Machinery - £10,700)
[A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in today's money for Prometheus.]
*''Polyphemus'': Total Cost £27,596 (Hull - £13,198; Machinery - £10,700; Fitting - £3,698)
[A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £ in today's money for Polyphemus.]
Notes
Citations
References
* Lyon Winfield, The Sail & Steam Navy List, All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815 to 1889, by David Lyon & Rif Winfield, published by Chatham Publishing, London © 2004,
* Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail (1817 – 1863), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2014, e, Chapter 11 Steam Paddle Vessels, Vessels acquired since November 1830, Stromboli Class
* Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © 2020, e (EPUB)
* The Navy List, published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London
{{Royal Navy paddle sloops
Paddle sloops of the Royal Navy
Sloop classes