The ''Jackal''-class gunvessel (alternatively spelled ''Jackall'') was a class of two second-class iron paddle gunvessels built for the Royal Navy in the mid 1840s. They served in the Mediterranean and South Atlantic, and latterly on fishery protection duties off Scotland.
Design
Orders for both ships were placed on 16 January 1844. They were designed by the builder, Robert Napier and Sons and approved on 17 April 1844 by the Surveyor of the Navy,
Sir William Symonds
Sir William Symonds CB FRS (24 September 1782 – 30 March 1856, aboard the French steamship ''Nil'', Strait of Bonifacio, Sardinia)nominal horsepower and on trials developed . Two
gaff-rig
Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the ''gaff''. Because of the size and shape ...
ged masts were provided, making them
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
s. The armament consisted of a single 18-pounder (22 cwt) carronade on a pivot mounting and two 24-pounder (13cwt) carronades.
Construction
Both ships were built at Napier's Govan yard. ''Jackall'' was built as yard number 8, and ''Lizard'' as number 9. ''Jackall'' was launched on 28 November 1844, and ''Lizard'' followed exactly a month later.
Service
''Jackall'' served in the Mediterranean and at Ascension, and by 1864 she was employed on fishery protection duties off the west coast of Scotland.
''Lizard'' also served in the Mediterranean, and took part in an Anglo-French action in Uruguay in 1845, receiving serious damage and losing 4 men. By 1858 she was also engaged in fishery protection duties off Scotland.