The ''Fantome'' class was a six-ship
class
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...
of 4-gun screw composite
sloop
A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...
s
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 ...
during 1873 and 1874.
Design
Construction
''Fantome'' and her sister ships were constructed of an iron frame sheathed with teak and copper (hence 'composite').
Propulsion
A two-cylinder horizontal compound-expansion steam engine provided by
Humphrys, Tennant & Co. powered an diameter screw. Steam was provided by three cylindrical boilers working at . The
indicated horsepower
Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of Power (physics), power, or the rate at which Work (physics), work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two commo ...
varied from . ''Daring'' was fitted with a trunk engine provided by John Penn & Sons.
[
]
Sailing rig
All the ships of the class were provided with a full barque rig.
Armament
The ''Fantome'' class carried two and two 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifles, all mounted on pivots.
Evaluation
Built at a time of great technological change in naval architecture
Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, and o ...
, these composite sloops were obsolete before they were completed. Nevertheless, they served a useful function on the far-flung stations
Station may refer to:
Agriculture
* Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production
* Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle
** Cattle statio ...
of the British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
, including participation in minor wars, such as the Perak War
The Perak War (1875–76) took place between British and local forces in Perak, a state in northwestern Malaysia. The sultan of Upper Perak and other local chiefs attempted to end foreign influence in the region and remove the British adminis ...
. They were also used for hydrography
Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary p ...
, and for this reason ''Egeria'' was retained until 1911.
Ships
Notes
Bibliography
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*
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{{Fantome class sloop
Sloop classes
Fantome