The Fly-class river gunboats (or small China gunboats), collectively often referred to as the "Tigris gunboat flotilla", were a class of small well-armed
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
vessels designed to patrol the
Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
river during the
Mesopotamian Campaign during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
(the China name was to disguise their function).
Design
They were fitted with one triple expansion steam engine driving one propeller housed in a tunnel to facilitate a very shallow [] draught. The boats were designed to be dismantled and re-assembled.
Deployment
The vessels were built by Yarrow Shipbuilders at Scotstoun, Glasgow in 1915 and 1916 and shipped to
Abadan in sections where they were assembled. They served with the Royal Navy patrolling the Tigris River until being transferred to the Army during 1918. They were sold off beginning 1923.
The Ottomans captured ''Firefly'' in December 1915 after she grounded and a shell through her boiler disabled her; her crew was evacuated. The Ottomans took her into service as ''Suleiman Pak''. recaptured her at the
Battle of Nahr-al-Kalek on 26 February 1917.
Vessels
Vessels with the prefix "HM Gunboat"
* ''Blackfly''
* ''Butterfly''
* ''Caddisfly''
* ''Cranefly''
* ''Dragonfly''
* ''Firefly''
* ''Gadfly''
* ''Grayfly''
* ''Greenfly''
* ''Hoverfly''
* ''Mayfly''
* ''Sawfly''
* ''Sedgefly''
* ''Snakefly''
* ''Stonefly''
* ''Waterfly''
See also
*
Mesopotamian campaign
*
Tigris River
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
Notes
Citations
References
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External links
British Forces in Mesopotamia not including Kut Al Amara 3 January 1916
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fly class gunboat
Gunboat classes
Gunboats of the United Kingdom
World War I gunboats
Gunboats of the Royal Navy