The ''Algerine''-class gunboats were a class of six 3-gun wooden gunboats (reclassified as gunvessels from 1859) built for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in 1857. A further pair were built in India for the

Bombay Marine The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India. Fr ...

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 The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

. 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

as an enlarged version of W. H. Walker's , the ''Algerine''s 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

Armament

As built, they were armed with one 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 Maudslay, Sons and Field was an engineering company based in Lambeth, London. History The company was founded by Henry Maudslay as Henry Maudslay and Company in 1798 and was later reorganised into Maudslay, Sons and Field in 1833 after his sons ...

. 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 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 ...

and produced on

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

. The design speed under steam was .

Rig

Fitted at first with a simple

schooner rig A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

(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

barquentine A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts. Modern barquentine sailing r ...

s.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, having spent the whole of her short career on the North America and West Indies station, mostly in deterring the slave trade. ''Jasper'' also served on the West Indies station before being sold to the Chinese in 1863 to form part of

Sherard Osborn Sherard Osborn (25 April 1822 – 6 May 1875) was a Royal Navy admiral and Arctic explorer. Biography Born in Madras, he was the son of an Indian army officer. Osborn entered the navy as a first-class volunteer in 1837, serving until 18 ...

's Vampire Fleet. When the venture was called off, she was sold to Egypt to prevent her purchase by the Confederate Navy. ''Algerine'' spent her entire career on the China station, and was present at the capture of Canton in 1857. ''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''.Preston (2007), p.155 ''Slaney'' served with ''Algerine'' at the capture of Canton and with ''Leven'' at the first battle of the Taku Forts.

Ships

Bombay Marine versions

Having proved their worth in the Royal Navy, two copies were built of teak at Bombay for the

Notes

References

* * {{Algerine class gunboats Algerine Gunboat classes