HMS ''Goldfinch'' was a of 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 ...

, built at

Sheerness Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard also known as the Sheerness Station was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. Location In the Age of Sail, the R ...

and launched on 18 May 1889.Bastock, p.114.

Service

HMS Goldfinch officers at Halifax 1900s LAC 3332950

She commenced service on the

Australia Station The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent.Dennis et al. 2008, p.53. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, ...

in March 1890. She left the Australia Station in August 1899 and returned to England. She was converted into a survey vessel in January 1902, and commissioned by Commander Frederick Charles Learmonth on 4 February 1902. She left

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

for the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

later that month on surveying duties. In October 1902 she left Malta for the West Coast of Africa, visiting Sierra Leone and

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and cre ...

in December.

Fate

''Goldfinch'' returned to

for refitting for continued service in 1906, but was found to be in poor condition and the sloop was refitted as a survey ship to replace her. ''Goldfinch'' was sold on 14 May 1907 for breaking up.

Citations

References

*Bastock, John (1988), ''Ships on the Australia Station'', Child & Associates Publishing Pty Ltd; Frenchs Forest, Australia. * 1889 ships Ships built in Sheerness Victorian-era gunboats of the United Kingdom Redbreast-class gunboats {{UK-mil-ship-stub