HMS ''Trent'' was a launched in 1877. She was the fifth ship 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 ...

to be named after the

River Trent The Trent is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midland ...

. She was renamed HMS ''Pembroke'' in 1905, and served off the coast of Tanganyika in 1915. She was renamed HMS ''Gannet'' in 1917 while serving as a diving tender. She was scrapped in 1923.

Design

The ''Medina'' class were a development of the Rendel (or "flat-iron") gunboat, a series of small vessels with low freeboards which mounted a small number of relatively large guns. Although the ''Medina''s were exceptionally provided with masts to extend their range and independence, in essence they were available for similar operations to their un-masted sisters; offensive action against shore defences. Their ungainly appearance led them to be described by the naval historian

Antony Preston Antony Preston (26 February 1938 – 25 December 2004) was an England, English naval history, naval historian and editor, specialising in the area of 19th and 20th-century naval history and warship design. Life Antony Preston was born in 19 ...

as "the most grotesque craft ever seen".Gunboat (2007) p.167 All 12 vessels of the class were named after rivers. They were constructed entirely of iron and were fitted with an unusual bow rudder.

Armament

As built, ships of the class mounted three 6.3-inch (160-mm) 64-pdr 64-cwt muzzle-loading rifles. By 1892 ''Trent'' had been fitted with a pair of 4.7-inch quick-firing guns.

Propulsion

All the ships of the class were fitted with a pair of

R and W Hawthorn R and W Hawthorn Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, from 1817 until 1885. Locomotive building Robert Hawthorn first began business at Forth Bank Works in 1817, building marine and stationary steam engines. In 1820, ...

2-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engines of 60

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 ...

. They developed , giving a speed of about .

Sail plan

All ships of the class were built with three masts and a

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 ...

rig of sails. ''Trent'' had her rig reduced to a pair of pole masts in 1892.

Construction

''Trent'' was launched from the

Jarrow Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne ...

yard of

Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Limited, often referred to simply as "Palmers", was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British shipbuilder, shipbuilding company. The Company was based in Jarrow, County Durham, in north-eastern ...

on 23 August 1877. Brassey Medina class gunboat

Operational career

HMS ''Trent'' served as gunnery tender to HMS ''Wildfire'', flagship at

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 ...

, and was paid off into the Medway fleet reserve in June 1901. She was re-commissioned at

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

21 December 1901 by Boatswain A. S. Robinson for service in the river

Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...

. On 11 September 1907 ''Pembroke'', based at

as a depot ship, was rammed by the collier ''Walton'', requiring ''Pembroke'' to be docked for repair.

Fate

''Trent'' was sold for breaking to the Dover Shipbreaking Company on 21 February 1923.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trent (1877) 1877 ships Medina-class gunboats Ships built on the River Tyne Victorian-era gunboats of the United Kingdom