gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-ste ...
,Canadian Military Heritage site /ref> the third ship of the name to serve in 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 ...
.
Design
The ''Redbreast'' class were designed by Sir
William Henry White
Sir William Henry White, (2 February 1845 – 27 February 1913) was a prolific British warship designer and Chief Constructor at the Admiralty.
Biography
White was born in Devonport, the son of Robert White, a currier, and his wife, Jane ...
, the Royal Navy
Director of Naval Construction
The Director of Naval Construction (DNC) also known as the Department of the Director of Naval Construction and Directorate of Naval Construction and originally known as the Chief Constructor of the Navy was a senior principal civil officer resp ...
in 1888.
Construction
''Thrush'' was launched on 22 June 1889 at Greenock.Entry in Clydebuilt database /ref> Her triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine was built by the Greenock Foundry, and developed , sufficient to propel her at through her single screw.
Career
Her first station was the
North America and West Indies Station
The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the ...
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, where, under the command of Prince George, later to become King George V of the United Kingdom. ''Thrush'' arrived at Bermuda with Prince George in command on 18 July 1890, with a torpedo boat in tow, and later proceeded to Halifax. In 1896 ''Thrush'', along with , played a part in the 40-minute
Anglo-Zanzibar War
The Anglo-Zanzibar War was a military conflict fought between the United Kingdom and the Zanzibar Sultanate on 27 August 1896. The conflict lasted between 38 and 45 minutes, marking it as the shortest recorded war in history. The immediate c ...
. She was also on active service during the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
, which lasted between October 1899 and June 1902 where she was commanded by Lieutenant Warren Hastings D'Oyly. In early 1902 she helped a British force in Nigeria re-open trade routes on the Lower Niger, closed by piracy of some locals. Lieutenant Hector Lloyd Watts-Jones was appointed in command on 5 July 1902.
From 1906 ''Thrush'' worked for
HM Coastguard
His Majesty's Coastguard (HMCG) is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible, through the Secretary of State for Transport to Parliament, for the initiation and co-ordination of all maritime search and rescue (SAR) within the ...
before becoming a
cable ship
A cable layer or cable ship is a deep-sea vessel designed and used to lay underwater cables for telecommunications, electric power transmission, military, or other purposes. Cable ships are distinguished by large cable sheaves for guiding cabl ...
in 1915. She then became a
salvage ship
A salvage tug, known also historically as a wrecking tug, is a specialized type of tugboat that is used to rescue ships that are in distress or in danger of sinking, or to salvage ships that have already sunk or run aground.
Overview
Few tugbo ...
in 1916 before being wrecked off
Glenarm
Glenarm () is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies on the North Channel coast north of the town of Larne and the village of Ballygalley, and south of the village of Carnlough. It is situated in the civil parish of Tickmacreva ...
in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
on 11 April 1917.
In January 1917, ''Thrush'' was involved in the dramatic rescue of 46 submariners and shipyard officials, from the sunken . The unusual 'steam-powered', and newly built submarine suffered an uncontrolled descent to the bottom of the Gareloch, on the
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
, during sea trials. ''Thrush'' was called in from a nearby mooring. Along with ''Gossamer'' and ''Ranger'', they were able to partially raise the stricken vessel with cables, just enough to allow rescue of more than half the people on board.