HMS ''Wallaroo'' was a built for the

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 ...

, originally named HMS ''Persian'', built by Armstrong, Mitchell,

Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne Elswick ( ) is a district and electoral ward of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 1.9 miles west of the city centre, bordering the River Tyne. Historically in Northumberland, Elswick became part of Newcastle ...

and launched on 5 February 1890.Bastock 1988, pp. 103–104. Renamed on 2 April 1890, as ''Wallaroo'' as part of the Auxiliary Squadron of 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, ...

. She arrived in Sydney with the squadron on 5 September 1891. She was placed into reserve upon arrival until 9 May 1894. She was sent to serve in China during the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, b ...

in 1900. On 6 January 1904 while sailing off Montague Island, one of her boilers exploded killing four and wounding three. She left the Australia Station on 11 January 1906. She was attached to as a training ship for mechanics at Devonport. She became a

guard ship A guard ship is a warship assigned as a stationary guard in a port or harbour, as opposed to a coastal patrol boat, which serves its protective role at sea. Royal Navy In the Royal Navy of the eighteenth century, peacetime guard ships were usual ...

at Chatham in November 1914. She was then stationed off Brightlingsea, Essex, as the base ship for the boom and net-protected Swin Anchorage, returning to Chatham in 1916. Her captains between late 1914 and 1916 included Commanders Calderon, Ingham, and West, with Rear-Admiral Charles Napier as overall commander of the Brightlingsea naval base also named "Wallaroo". The ship was often overflown by raiding Zeppelins and once fired on one. She was renamed HMS ''Wallington'' in March 1919.''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921''
p. 14
/ref> She was sold in 1920, as ''Wallaroo'' to G. Sharpe for breaking up. Pearl class cruiser diagram Brasseys 1897

Pearl class cruiser diagram Brasseys 1897

Notes

References

* * *Gardiner, Robert, ed. ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985. . * 1890 ships Ships built by Armstrong Whitworth Ships built on the River Tyne Pearl-class cruisers Victorian-era cruisers of the United Kingdom {{UK-mil-ship-stub