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 English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

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 The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, troops from Britain, Australia and the vast majority from British India, against the Central Po ...

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 fightin ...

(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''

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * * *

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