Hans Busk wrote a book entitled “Navies of the World” in 1859. This book was reprinted twice, in the 1950’s and as a facsimile of the original in 1974. It provides possibly one of the best discussions and descriptions of early modern navies, covering as it does the navies in transition from the wooden wall, the ship of the line with a number of broadside cannons to the turreted vessels of the 20th Century. Angus McLellan has provided a summary of the contents of the book and this summary is presented across a number of parts. Note that the Downloads Section of Thomo’s Hole has ALL the parts combined into two PDF files.

This part then is the first part that deals with the Navy of Great Britain circa 1859. The Queen of the Seas. A second part deals with the rest of the vessels.
Hans Busk’s “Navies of the World” was based on the world naval situation in 1859, or on those parts of it that Busk thought would help his case for an even bigger Royal Navy, official support for the volunteer movement and an enlarged Militia. The first two did happen, but it’s unlikely that Busk deserves blame or credit for this turn of events.

If there are any obvious errors, or things that don’t make any sense, please don’t hesitate to ask or to let me know and I’ll pass your comments and questions on to Angus.

According to a statement made to Parliament, on the first day of 1863 the Royal Navy had some 1,014 ships in total of which 790 had fewer than 20 guns. As at 1st January, 1859, Busk gives the number of ships in commission, their crews and guns as follows.

Station	Ships	Guns	Men
East Indies, China & Australia	49	389	5051
Cape of Good Hope	8	104	1239
West Coast of Africa	18	100	1885
Brazil	9	146	1672
Pacific	12	281	2845
North America & West Indies	21	320	3470
Mediterranean	22	532	5876
Subtotal	139	1872	21948
Plymouth, Portsmouth, Sheerness, Woolwich, Cork & Pembroke Dock	45	979	7958
Coast Guard Service	26	623	3612
Channel Squadron	7	498	4697
Particular Service	12	86	1496
Surveying Service, Packet Service, Yachts, Fitting Out, Ordered Home	21	458	5265
Flag Officers & Retinue, Supernumaries & Kroomen			1244
Marines in China			1813
Marines on Shore in England			6282
Grand Total	267	4649	56048

The East Indies station was much larger than usual as a result of the war with China. Under normal circumstances the main fleet was deployed on the Mediterranean station. The Channel Squadron, although not large in numbers of ships, was relatively powerful as it was usually limited to battleships, frigates and corvettes.

All tonnages are tons burthen (builders old measurement) unless noted otherwise, all horse power nominal. The Admiralty did not adopt displacement tonnage until 1873 after considering the adoption of Moorsom Rule (Gross Register) tonnage instead. The original order of ships in Busk’s lists has been changed so an attempt to group ships of the same class together and to include ships under construction or converting at the appropriate place. The list is quite long enough without having to look in multiple places.

The Royal Navy as at April 1859

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Steam Vessels
Screw Ships of the Line Three-deckers (* building or converting)
*Victoria	1859	1000	121	4116	11.797
*Howe	1860	1000	121	4236	–
Duke of Wellington	1852	700	131	3771	10.130	Portsmouth
Royal Sovereign	1857	800	131	3760	–	Portsmouth
Marlborough	1855	800	131	3853	11.060	Mediterranean
*Prince of Wales	1860	800	131	3994	–
Royal Albert	1854	500	121	3726	10.000	Channel Sqdn
Windsor Castle	1858	500	102	3099	–	Devonport

All except Victoria and Howe were laid down as sailing ships.

All ships are in Lambert’s “Battleships in Transition” while his “Last Sailing Battlefleet” gives a great deal of information on the development of the battlefleet before steam, most of which is relevant through the early 1860s. These ships required large crews, 1000 men and more, and were expensive, Victoria cost over 150,000 pounds (about 750,000 dollars). The advantages of battery height and concentrated firepower in battle were felt to be worth the cost by all three Surveyors after the Napoleonic Wars and by the great majority of sea officers.

Details from Lambert for the pre-ironclad steam battlefleet are on Bob Cordery’s website under Victorian & Edwardian Military Miscellany at http://www.colonialwargames.org.uk/. This includes all three- and two-decker battleships, all blockships and the frigates Mersey & Orlando. It seems pointless to repeat them here.

Royal Sovereign was ordered converted to a turret ship based on Captain Coles’ ideas, modified by Isaac Watts to make them practicable, in April 1862. A number of senior officers favoured carrying out many more such conversions. But converting Royal Sovereign had been expensive at £180,000 (900,000 gold US dollars) and the experiment was not repeated.

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Two-deckers (* building or converting)
Conqueror	1855	800	101	3224	10.806	Mediterranean
Donegal	1859	800	101	3200	11.912	Devonport
St Jean d’Acre	1853	600	101	3200	11.190	Channel Sqdn
*Gibraltar	1859	800	101	3715	13.338
*Duncan	1860	800	101	3715	–
James Watt	1853	600	91	3083	9.361	Devonport
Victor Emmanuel	1855	600	91	3208	11.922	Mediterranean
Edgar	1858	600	91	3094	11.371	Sheerness
Hero	1858	600	91	3148	11.707	Sheerness
Agamemnon	1852	600	91	3074	11.243	Portsmouth
Renown	1857	800	91	3317	10.870	Channel Sqdn
*Revenge	1859	800	91	3318	11.530
*Atlas	1860	800	91	3318	–
*Anson	1860	800	91	3318	–
*Defiance	1861	800	91	3475	–
*Bulwark	never	800	91	3715
Orion	1854	600	91	3281	12.500	Mediterranean
*Hood	1859	600	91	3232	–
Caesar	1853	400	90	2767	10.274	North America
Algiers	1854	600	91	3168	–	Channel Sqdn
Princess Royal	1853	400	91	3129	11.031	Mediterranean
Hannibal	1854	450	91	3136	–	Portsmouth
Nile	1839	500	91	2622	8.200	Queenstown
*London	1840	500	91	2626	–	Devonport
*Rodney	1833	500	91	2770	–	Chatham
*Nelson	1814	500	91	2736	–
Royal George	1827	500	89	2616	9.375	Sheerness
*Prince Regent	1823	500	89	2672	–
*St George	1840	500	89	2830	10.933	Devonport
*Royal William	1833	500	89	2849	–
*Neptune	1832	500	89	2830	–	Portsmouth
*Waterloo	1833	500	89	2830	9.934
*Trafalgar	1841	500	89	2830	10.908
Exmouth	1854	400	91	3083	9.100	Devonport
Aboukir	1848	400	91	3109	–	Devonport
*Albion	1842	400	91	3109		Devonport
*Queen	1839	500	86	unk	–	Sheerness
*Frederick William	1860	500	86	unk	–
Cressy	1853	400	80	2540	7.200	Sheerness
*Lion	1847	400	80	2580	–
*Collingwood	1841	400	80	2589		Portsmouth
Majestic	1853	400	80	2566	–	Sheerness
Mars	1853	400	80	2576	–	Sheerness
Meeanee	1849	400	80	2600	–	Sheerness
Centurion	1844	400	80	2590	8.500	Mediterranean
Brunswick	1855	400	80	2484	7.742	Channel Sqdn
Goliath	1842	400	80	2599	–	Chatham
*Irresistible	1859	400	80	2500	10.010
Colossus	1848	400	80	2590	9.152	Sheerness
Sans Pareil	1851	400	70	2339	9.300	Devonport
*Powerful	see below
*Bombay	1828	400	81	2783	10.157

Ships from Orion downwards on the list were converted from sailing ships after launch or while under construction. Tonnages of 3249 for Queen and 3241 for Frederick William, ex Royal William, are as 110 gun sailing 1st rates, post conversion tonnages would likely be 2700 to 2900 tons burthen.

HMS Waterloo was renamed Conqueror after the original Conqueror was wrecked at the end of 1861. Many of these ships were never commissioned. HMS Nile, later Conway, almost survived into the age of colour TV. She was wrecked when her tow parted in the Menai Strait in April 1953. Bombay was about the last ship converted, rather later than expected. The ship originally selected was HMS Powerful. On being opened up for converion Powerful was found to be in poor condition and

Bombay was substituted. Several other ships might have been converted had the ironclad battlefleet not replaced the wooden one, most obviously the other 84 gun sailing 2-deckers. Bombay was lengthened from 194′ oa, 160′ kl to 234′ oa, 198′ kl gaining around 500 tons burthen in the process.

Bulwark was intended to be the lead ship of a class of twelve based on previous 101 gun ships. Three ships, Pitt, Kent and Blake, were cancelled in 1863 without having been laid down, Bulwark and Robust remained on the stocks until 1872 but were never completed. The remaining ships – Triumph (renamed Prince Consort), Ocean, Caledonia, Royal Oak, Zealous, Royal Alfred & Repulse – were armoured while under construction.

Senior sea officers felt that Walker’s regulation armaments were excessive. The damage to the upperworks of HMS Agamemnon and the French steam battleship Ville de Paris at Sevastopol in particular had convinced many that guns on the upper deck were very vulnerable to shell fire and should be reduced. Upper deck armaments were cut during the 1860s so that Bombay carried about 65 guns rather than 81 in 1864 and Victoria carried 102 rather than 121 in 1866.

Armaments before 1862 would be as given by Lambert although many ships mounted two 68-pr pivot guns rather than the one listed. In many ships 2 68-pr and 6 32-pr guns on the upper deck were landed and 2 110-pr and 2 40-pr Armstrongs put in their place. Nile in May 1862 had 78 guns of which 16 were Armstrongs, 2 110-pr, 4 70-pr and 10 40-pr. The other 62 guns were a mix of 32-pr 56cwt and 8-inch 65cwt pieces.

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Screw Coast-Guard Block Ships (all converted to steam after launch)
Blenheim	1813	450	60	1832	5.816	Portland Roads
Edinburgh	1811	450	60	1772	8.873	Leith
Hogue	1811	450	60	1846	7.809	Greenock
Ajax	1809	450	60	1761	6.458	Kingstown
Cornwallis	1813	200	60	1809	7.188	The Humber
Russell	1822	200	60	1751	6.680	Falmouth
Hastings	1818	200	60	1763	6.702	Liverpool
Hawke	1820	200	60	1754	6.525	Ireland
Pembroke	1812	200	60	1758	7.602	Harwich

These ships are detailed in Lambert’s “Battleships in Transition”.. The first four ships were extremely cramped. The last five were basic conversions produced during the Crimean War. To leave more room without an expensive conversion, they were fitted with larger versions of the high pressure, compact and light but high maintenance engines used in gun boats. Their masts, spars and ground tackle were provided from whatever second hand material happened to be in store.

These ships were part of the Coast Guard Service dispersed around major ports. Ajax had 28 32-pr 56cwt on the gun deck, 26 8-inch 52cwt on the main deck and 2 68-pr 95cwt and 4 10-inch 67cwt on the upper deck. The later conversions carried 24 32-pr 56cwt and 4 8-inch 65cwt on the gun deck, 26 32-pr 50cwt on the main deck and 2 68-pr 95cwt and 4 10-inch 85cwt on the upper deck. The screw frigates Arrogant and Termagant were probably serving with the Coast Guard at this time. Each of these block ships or frigates had one or more gunboats and a number of cruising and watch vessels as tenders. The gun boats were the screw gun boats described later.

Coast Guard cruisers and watch vessels are rather mysterious. They included old Cherokee class brig sloops, Icarus being a cruiser and Cadmus a watch vessel, of around 235bm, 90′ x 25′, originally armed with 8 18-pr and 2 6-pr. Other Cherokee class sloops were serving with the Excise in 1859, some being passed on to the Coast Guard later. Larger Cruizer class brig sloops such as Pelican were around 385bm, 101′ x 31′, 16 32-pr carronades and 2 6-pr guns. The old frigate Amphritite of the Leda class, see under Sailing Frigates for details, was probably a cruiser. Other ships included the more recent Star class packet brigs Star and Philomel, see sailing brigs for details, the packet brig Pandora and brig Britomart. Britomart was 330bm, 93′ x 29′ x 13′ depth of hold and rated at 8 guns.

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Screw Frigates (* building, **begun after April 1859)
Orlando	1858	1000	50	3700	13.000	Devonport
Mersey	1858	1000	50	3726	13.290	Portsmouth
*Ariadne	1859	800	26	3214	13.100
*Galatea	1859	800	26	3227	11.800
Doris	1857	800	32	2479	11.520	Devonport
Diadem	1856	800	32	2479	12.470	North America
*Immortalite	1859	600	51	3059	12.300
*Newcastle	1860	600	51	3035	10.500
*Undaunted	1861	600	51	3039	12.920
*Bristol	1861	600	51	3027	11.270
*Glasgow	1861	600	51	3037	11.540
*Liverpool	1860	600	51	2656	–
*Aurora	1861	400	51	2558	10.200
*Narcissus	1859	400	51	2665	10.600
**Endymion	1865	500	51	2486	11.250
Emerald	1856	600	51	2913	13.000	Sheerness
*Phoebe	1854	unk	51	2960	–
*Severn	1856	unk	51	2767	–
*Bacchante	1859	600	51	2679	–
Liffey	1856	600	51	2658	–	Channel Sqdn
Topaze	1858	600	51	2651	untried	Devonport
Shannon	1855	600	51	2651	11.807	Portsmouth
*Phaeton	1848	unk	51	2396	–	Converting
Imperieuse	1852	360	51	2355	10.673	Portsmouth
Forte	1858	400	51	2355	untried	Sheerness
Euryalus	1853	400	51	2371	–	Mediterranean
Chesapeake	1855	400	51	2384	10.450	East Indies
Arrogant	1848	360	47	1872	8.646	Southampton
Amphion	1846	300	36	1474	7.140	Chatham
Tribune	1853	300	31	1570	10.410	Pacific
Curacao	1854	350	31	1571	10.700	Partic. Serv.
Dauntless	1848	580	31	1575	10.160	Portsmouth
Termagant	1848	310	25	1547	8.780	Portland
*Sutlej	1855	unk	51	3066	11.800
*Octavia	1849	unk	51	3161	11.530
*Arethusa	1849	unk	51	3141	11.700
*Constance	1846	unk	51	3213	10.80
*Leander	1848	400	51	2760	–	Converted 1861

For other data, as follows:

Mersey & Orlando

displacement 5640 tons, 336′ oa x 52′, 28 10″ & 12 68-pr.

Ariadne & Galatea

displacement 4400-4600 tons, 280′ oa x 50′, 24 10″ & 2 68-pr.

Doris & Diadem

displacement 3700-3900 tons, 280′ oa x 48′, 20 10″ & 10 32-pr.

Immortalite, Newcastle, Undaunted, Bristol & Glasgow

displacement c4000 tons, 250-251′ oa x 50′, 30 8″, 20 32-pr & 1 68-pr.

Aurora & Narcissus

displacement 3500 tons, 227′ oa x 51′, 10 8″, 40 32-pr, 1 68-pr.

Endymion

displacement 3200 tons, 240′ oa x 48′, 10 8″, 40 32-pr & 1 68-pr.

Emerald

displacement 3500 tons, 237′ dk, 202′ kl x c50′ x 16’8″ depth of hold, 30 8″, 20 32-pr & 1 68-pr.

Severn, Bacchante, Liffey, Shannon

displacement 3600-3700 tons, c240′ oa x 48′, 28 8″, 22 32-pr & 1 68-pr.

Topaze, Liffey

displacement 3900 tons, c250′ oa x c50′, 30 8″, 20 32-pr & 1 68-pr.

Imperieuse, Forte, Euryalus & Chesapeake

displacement 3100-3400 tons, c212′ x 50′, 28 8″ & 22 32-pr.

Arrogant

displacement 2565 tons, 200′ x 45′, 32 32-pr, 12 8″ & 2 68-pr.

Amphion

displacement 2025 tons, 177′ x 43′, 6 8″, 14 32-pr, 4 10″ & 2 68-pr.

Tribune & Curacao

displacement c2250 tons, 192′ (dk or wl) x 43′, unknown armament.

Dauntless

displacement 2650 tons, 210′ x 40′, 18 32-pr, 4 10″& 2 68-pr.

Sutlej & Octavia

displacement c3800 tons, 252-254′ oa x 52-54′, 28 10″ & 22 32-pr.

Arethusa & Constance

displacment c3750 tons, 252-254′ oa x 53′, 10 8″ & 40 32-pr.

Leander

no post-conversion data except tonnage.

Termagant

no data except displacement 2400 tons, may have been begun as a paddle frigate.

Phaeton

no data except tonnage.

Leander and Liverpool are missing from Conways. Apart from the frigates Ister, Dartmouth, Blond and Astraea mentioned in Conways as cancelled, at least five more ships of the Immortalite type were ordered, of which Dryad was certainly begun and Belvedira may have been. Those cancelled before laying down included Briton, Bucephalus and Barham.

As with the battlefleet, and for the same reasons, frigate upper deck armaments were reduced in the 1860s. By 1862, Mersey and Orlando were reduced to 40 guns including 4 110-pr and 4 smaller Armstrong guns and Immortalite was reduced to 35 guns, 13 of them Armstrongs.

With the exception of Amphion, cramped and underpowered, and Mersey & Orlando, too expensive to run with a crew of 600 men and without a clear purpose apart from being larger that the USN’s equally flawed Merrimack class frigates, these were generally successful designs. All British screw frigates were essentially auxiliary steamers with lifting screws and sail as the main means of propulsion.

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Screw Corvettes (* building)
*Orestes	1860	400	21	1717	11.150
*Barrosa	1860	400	21	1700	11.510
*Orpheus	1860	400	21	1706	11.150
*Jason	1859	400	21	1711	12.040
*Rattlesnake	1861	400	21		11.660
*Wolverine	1863	400	21		10.210
*Charybdis	1859	400	21	1506	–
Racoon	1857	400	22	1467	10.000	Channel Sqdn
Pearl	1855	400	21	1469	11.313	East Indies
Pelorus	1857	400	21	1464	–	East Indies
Challenger	1858	400	21	1465	–	Sheerness
Satellite	1855	400	21	1462	11.400	Pacific
Scout	1856	400	21	1462	untried	Sheerness
Scylla	1856	400	21	1460	untried	Sheerness
Clio	1854	400	21	1458	untried	Sheerness
Cadmus	1854	400	21	1461	–	Chatham
Pylades	1854	350	21	1278	10.119	Pacific
Esk	1854	250	21	1169	9.250	East Indies
Highflyer	1851	250	21	1153	9.390	East Indies
Tartar	1854	250	20	1389	untried	North America
Cossack	1854	250	20	1296	untried	Sheerness

Tartar and Cossack had been ordered by the Imperial Russian Navy in Britain and were seized on the outbreak of the Crimean War.

The corvettes of the Jason class detailed by Conways were little different from the previous 400 NHP corvettes measuring 2300-2400 tons diplacement, 225′ x 41′ x 19′, armament 20 32-pr and 1 68-pr or 110-pr. As with frigates, there were cancellations of corvettes and Favorite became a small and unsuccessful armoured ship. After the Jasons, few more large wooden corvettes were built, and none before the 1870s. Challenger was 200′ long (presumably on the waterline) and 2290 tons displacement, speed 11 knots. Cadmus was 2216 tons displacement, Pearl 2187, Clio 2350 & Pelorus 2330 tons.

For pre-Cadmus class sloops, the differences were not large. Pylades was armed with 1 10-inch pivot and 20 8-inch guns when new. She measured 1991 displacement tons, 193′ long on deck, 38’5″ beam and 19’7″ draft. Her reported best speed was 12.6 knots. Esk and Highflyer were a foot shorter, displaced 90 tons less and carried the same armament.

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Screw Sloops
Malacca	1853	200	17	1034	9.190	Sheerness
Miranda	1851	250	15	1039	10.750	Sheerness
Brisk	1851	250	16	1087	7.350	Devonport
Niger	1848	400	13	1072	9.906	Australia
Desperate	1849	400	8	1037	9.430	Devonport
Conflict	1846	400	8	1038	9.510	West Africa
*Cameleon	1860	200	17	952	9.360
*Pelican	1860	200	17	952	10.000
*Rinaldo	1860	200	17	951	9.800
*Mutine	1859	200	17	882	–
*Greyhound	1859	200	17	880	–
Hornet	1854	100	17	753	7.750	East Indies
Harrier	1854	100	17	748	–	South America
Fawn	1856	100	17	747	8.320	Sheerness
Falcon	1854	100	17	748	untried	Portsmouth
Cruiser	1852	60	17	753	6.540	South America
Alert	1856	100	17	753	untried	Pacific
Encounter	1846	360	14	953	10.690	Devonport
Archer	1849	292	13	973	–	West Africa
Wasp	1850	100	13	970	6.020	Sheerness
Cordelia	1856	150	11	580	untried	Australia
Gannet	1857	150	11	577	untried	Mediterranean
Icarus	1858	150	11	578	–	Woolwich
*Pantaloon	1860	150	11	574	–
Racer	1858	150	11	579	6.824	North America
Ariel	1854	60	9	486	6.823	Mediterranean
Curlew	1854	60	9	485	untried	Devonport
Lyra	1857	60	9	484	untried	South Africa
Swallow	1854	60	9	486	6.530	Sheerness
Sharpshooter	1846	202	8	503	9.320	West Africa
Phoenix	1832	260	6	809	7.670	Sheerness
Renard	1847	200	4	516	8.230	Sheerness
Rifleman	1846	100	8	486	7.150	Woolwich
Arrow	1854	160	4	477	11.000	Devonport
Wrangler	1854	160	4	477	untried	Sheerness
Viper	1854	160	4	477	11.860	West Africa
Snake	1854	160	4	477	untried	Sheerness
Beagle	1854	160	4	477	untried	Portsmouth
Lynx	1854	160	4	477	untried	South Africa

Malacca, Miranda and Brisk were reclassed as corvettes by 1862 and Conways says Encounter, Archer and Wasp were also reclassed. Malacca was built at Moulmein in Burma and is detailed in Conways as the Japanese Tsukuba, 1947 tons normal displacement, 192’6″ wl, 198′ oa x 34’9″ x 18′.

The Cameleon class are detailed in Conways, 1300-1400 tons displacement, 185′ x 33’2″ x 14’8″ with 12 32-pdr and 5 40-pdr guns. Cameleon was to have been a sister to Greyhound & Mutine but was lengthened by 12 feet. Several ships of the Cameleon class were cancelled including Imogene and Harlequin. Trent and Circassian became small, cramped and unsuccessful ironclads as Research and Enterprise.

An early screw sloop was HMS Cruizer of 160′ long on deck, 1073 tons displacement and armed with 17 32-pr guns. It seems logical to assume that Greyhound, Mutine and, as designed, Cameleon, were also fitted for 17 32-pr guns.

The six 160 NHP sloops of the Arrow class are usually described as gun vessels. These were 160′ x 24’4″ x 11’8″ max and were originally armed with 2 68-pr 95cwt Lancaster guns and 4 12-pr howitzers. The elliptical bore “rifled” Lancaster gun was a failure and these would have been replaced by normal 68-pr 95cwt guns. The 100 NHP Rifleman was about 150′ x 27′ and also classed as a gun vessel.

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Paddle-Wheel Steam Frigates, Corvettes, Sloops and Tugs
Frigates
Retribution	1844	400	28	1641	c10	East Indies
Sidon	1846	560	22	1328	10.47	Portsmouth
Terrible	1845	800	21	1847	11.00	Mediterranean
Leopard	1850	560	18	1435	11.25	North America
Odin	1846	650	16	1616	9.00	Portsmouth
Magicienne	1849	400	16	1255	10.00	East Indies
Furious	1850	400	16	1286	10.00	East Indies
Valorous	1852	400	16	1250	9.00	North America
Penelope	1829	650	12	1616	c11

First class paddle frigates and those second class ones with a main deck battery. In spite of the frigate designation most were barque rigged. Paddle steamers spent more time under steam, or steam and sail, than as sailing ships. In general, they were fairly poor as sailing ships.

As built, Terrible had four funnels and the four boilers produced much more steam than the engines could use. Two funnels and two boilers were removed with no loss of speed. In 1862, Terrible was armed with 5 110-pr 82cwt RBL pivots and 2 68-pr 95cwt guns on the upper deck and 4 110-pr 82cwt RBL and 10 8-inch 65cwt on the main deck. Retribution carried 18 32-pr 50cwt on the main deck and 1 68-pr 95cwt and 9 8-inch 65cwt on the upper deck. Around 1859, Valorous and Magicienne were armed with 10 32-pr 50cwt guns on the main deck and 4 more 32-pr 50cwt and 2 10-inch 84cwt pivots on the upper deck. Other ships were armed in similar fashions.

Penelope was an unusual (unique?) paddle frigate converted from sail. John Edye’s calculations were flawed and she was overweight with the main deck port sills only 5′ above the water but was other than this she was largely successful. She was originally a Leda class sailing frigate (see Sailing Frigates for details) with the midbody lengthened by 65′. Before conversion she displaced 1468 tons, planned to be 2549 tons after conversion but overweight at 2766 tons, 1044 tons of which was coal and machinery and 1293 tons the hull. Her first armament was 2 42-pr 84cwt guns and 10 42-pr 22cwt carronades on the main deck and 10 8″ 65cwt on the upper deck. In 1856 she carried 10 8″ 65cwt on the main deck and 4 8″ 52cwt and 2 10″ 84cwt pivot guns on the upper deck. In the early 1860s she was armed with 8 32-pr 50cwt on the main deck and 2 110-pr 82cwt RBL and 4 64-pr 71cwt RML on the upper deck. Edye proposed converting up to 30 more Leda class and similar frigates to paddle propulsion on the same lines but the development of screw propulsion made this unnecessary.

Name	When Built	HorsePower	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Corvettes
Vulture	1843	470	6	1190	–	Mediterranean
Gladiator	1844	430	6	1210	9.5	Devonport
Centaur	1845	540	6	1279	9.5	Devonport
Sampson	1844	467	6	1297	–	South America
Firebrand	1843	410	6	1190	9.0	Deptford
Dragon	1845	560	6	1295	10.0	Chatham
Cyclops	1839	320	6	1195	10.0	East Indies

Second class paddle frigates without main deck batteries. Armament was usually 2 68-pr 95cwt pivot guns and 4 10-inch 65cwt or 84cwt with 110-pr 82cwt RBL guns replacing 68-pr guns by 1861-1862.

Name	When Built	HorsePower	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Sloops
Inflexible	1847	378	6	1122	9.5	East Indies
Barracouta	1851	300	6	1048	10.5	Woolwich
Basilisk	1848	400	6	980	–	North America
Buzzard	1849	300	6	997	10.0	South America
Virago	1842	300	6	1060	9.5	Devonport
Vesuvius	1840	280	6	1060	9.5	West Africa
Trident	1846	350	6	848	9.0	West Africa
Hydra	1838	220	6	817	8.5	West Africa
Hecate	1839	240	6	816	9.0	Woolwich
Hecla	1839	240	6	817	9.0	Devonport
Geyser	1841	280	6	1060	–	Devonport
Gorgon	1837	320	6	1108	8.5	Woolwich
Hermes	1835	220	6	830	8.5	South Africa
Stromboli	1839	280	6	970	9.0	Portsmouth
Spiteful	1842	280	6	1050	10.0	Woolwich
Styx	1841	280	6	1057	9.5	North America
Vixen	1840	280	6	1054	9.5	Pacific
Sphinx	1842	500	6	1058	10.5	Portsmouth
Bulldog	1845	500	6	1124	10.2	Portsmouth
Fury	1845	515	6	1124	10.5	East Indies
Scourge	1844	420	6	1124	11.0	Mediterranean
Salamander	1832	220	6	818	7.2	Woolwich
Devastation	1841	400	6	1058	10.0	North America
Merlin	1838	312	6	889	9.0	Devonport
Medina	1845	312	4	886	9.5	Mediterranean
Medusa	1839	312	4	880	9.0	West Africa
Medea	1833	350	6	836	9.0	Portsmouth
Rosamond	1844	280	6	1059	9.5	Portsmouth
Driver	1841	280	6	1056	9.0	Sheerness
Argus	1849	300	6	975	10.0	Mediterranean
Alecto	1839	200	5	800	8.2	Woolwich
Ardent	1841	200	5	800	8.5	Wooolwich
Prometheus	1858	200	5	796	8.2	Woolwich
Firefly	1832	220	4	550	–	Woolwich
Spitfire	1845	140	5	432	–	West Africa
Pluto	1831	100	4	365	–	West Africa
Rhadamanthus	1832	220	5	813	–	Partic. Serv.
Alban	1825	100	4	405	–	Portsmouth
Tartarus	1836	136	4	523	–	Mediterranean
Jackal	1844	150	4	340	–	Sheerness
Volcano (fact)	1836	140	3	720	–	East Indies
Triton	1847	260	3	650	–	West Africa
Antelope	1846	260	3	649	–	West Africa
Oberon	1847	260	3	650	–	South America
Avon	1825	160	3	361	–	Devonport
Cuckoo	1831	100	3	234	–	Sheerness
Myrmidon	1846	150	3	374	–	West Africa
Locust	1840	100	3	284	–	Partic. Serv.
Porcupine	1844	132	3	284	–	Partic. Serv.
Otter	1831	120	3	237	–	Sheerness
Bloodhound	1845	150	3	378	–	Woolwich
Lizard	1844	150	1	346	–	Sheerness
Caradoc	1847	350	2	650	16.0	Mediterranean
Dasher	1837	100	4	260	–	Portsmouth
Harpy	1845	200	1	345	–	Woolwich
Princess Alice	1844	120	1	270	–	Woolwich
Coromandel	1854	unk	4	450	–	East Indies
Dover	1843	90	1	294	–	River Gambia
Adder	1827	100	1	241	–	Chatham
Weser	1853	160	6	560	–	Mediterranean
Recruit	1853	100	6	560	–	Mediterranean

The details of all of these vessels are to be found in Brown’s “Paddle Warships”. Some were iron hulled. By the standards applied to sailing ships, many were not effective as warships, nor had they ever been. They were all useful for towing, transporting, scouting and carrying despatches and were important, even vital, to the operation of the navy.

Barracouta was an example of an “effective” sloop armed with 1 68-pr 95cwt pivot and 1 10-inch 84cwt pivot plus 4 32-pr 42cwt guns. Some ships had two 10-inch pivots but none had 2 68-pr guns. Spitfire had a 32-pr 50cwt pivot gun and 4 32-pr 25cwt guns. Lizard had only a single 32-pr 17cwt carronade.

Recruit and Weser were double-ended paddle gun vessels with 8 inches of teak backing behind the iron hull. They were originally ordered by the Prussian Navy and exchanged for a sailing frigate during the Crimean War when the British urgently needed shallow draft vessels. They were armed with 4 32-pr 56cwt guns and 2 12-pr 10cwt field howitzers, although in wartime they might have reverted to their earlier armament of 4 8-inch 65cwt and 2 32-pr 25cwt.

Volcano served as a steam factory ship in the China campaign repairing the temperamental high pressure machinery fitted in gun boats.

The quoted speed of 16 knots for Caradoc is an exagerration. Her half sister Banshee (see Paddle-Wheel Tenders) did make just over 16 knots on the measured mile, but Caradoc was the slower ship. Caradoc, Prince Alice, Dover, Merlin, Medina and Medusa were ex-Post Office packets used as despatch boats and ferries, and their armament would be limited to carronades or small guns.

A new class of six paddle despatch vessels were begun in 1861. The Helicon class were about 835 tons burthen, 985 tons displacement, 220′ x 28’2″ x 10’6″ loaded. Their 250 NHP engines produced between 1300 and 1800 ihp and they had trial speeds of 13 or 14 knots. Their designed armament was 2 20-pr 15cwt guns. At least one other paddle vessel was built in the 1860s, the strange iron turret stern-wheel ship Pioneer, built in Sydney for the Maori Wars. The turrets mounted 12-pr 8cwt RBL guns and some reports say she was armoured. She is reported as 295 tons burthen, 153′ oa x 20′ with a speed of about 9 knots.

Name	When Built	HorsePower	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Tugs
Comet	1822	80	3	238	–	Portsmouth
Kite	1835	170	3	300	–
Pigmy	1827	100	3	227	–	Portsmouth
Lucifer	1825	180	2	380	–	Portsmouth
Redpole	1853	160	1	360	–	Gibraltar
Prospero	1829	144	–	249	–	Devonport
Pike	1837	50	–	111	–	Devonport
Fearless	1831	76	–	165	–	Sheerness
Thais	1854	80	–	–	–	Devonport
Wallace	1854	100	–	128	–	Portsmouth
Widgeon	1837	90	–	164	–	Woolwich
Monkey	1821	130	–	212	–	Woolwich
Echo	1827	140	–	295	–	Woolwich
Confiance	1827	140	–	295	–	Devonport
African	1828	90	–	295	–	Sheerness
Hearty	1854	100	–	295	–	Malta
Bustler	1854	100	–	217	–	Woolwich
Zephyr	–	100	3	237	–	Devonport

Some of these tugs served into the 1860s and 1870s including the very early paddle steamers Comet and Pigmy. Monkey had been a very early packet steamer, older than listed by Busk, originally called Lightning, then Royal Sovereign, then Sovereign and finally Monkey when in naval service.

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Screw Gun Vessels (see also Screw Sloops)
*Philomel	1860	80	5	428	8-11
*Ranger	1859	80	5	428	8-11
Intrepid	1855	350	6	851	–	Devonport
Victor	1855	350	6	851	11.583	Sheerness
Flying Fish	1855	350	6	868	11.58	Portsmouth
Roebuck	1856	350	6	857		East Indies
Pioneer	1856	350	6	868	11.366	Portsmouth
Nimrod	1856	350	6	859	–	East Indies
Vigilant	1856	200	4	680	–	Mediterranean
Wanderer	1855	200	4	670	10.733	Mediterranean
Foxhound	1856	200	4	681	–	Sheerness
Surprise	1856	200	4	670	11.149	West Africa
Sparrowhawk	1856	200	4	670	11.065	East Indies
Assurance	1856	200	4	670	11.142	Portsmouth
Alacrity	1856	200	4	670	10.87	Sheerness
Cormorant	1856	200	4	677	–	East Indies
Coquette	1855	200	4	670	10.853	Mediterranean
Mohawk	1856	200	4	670	9.925	East Indies
Lapwing	1856	200	4	670	11.021	Mediterranean
Ringdove	1856	200	4	670	10.824	Portsmouth
Osprey	1856	200	4	670	–	Mediterranean
Minx	1846	10	3	303	5.441	Woolwich
Teazer	1846	40	2	296	6.315	Woolwich

The Philomel class are listed in Conways as 570 displacement tons, 145′ x 25′ x 11-12′, 1 68-pr or 110-pr, 2 24-pr howitzers and 2 20-pr. Vigilant and her sisters were about 181′ long and 28’6″ beam, displacement around 850 tons, probably armed with 2 68-pr and 2 smaller guns when new, later with 1 110-pr, 1 68-pr and 2 20-pr. The larger Intrepids were reported as 201′ long between perpendiculars, 30’3″ beam, 14’6″ draft and about 1040 tons displacement with 2 pivots and 4 broadside guns.

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Screw Mortar Ships
Forth	1833	200	12	1228	–	Devonport
Seahorse	1830	200	12	1212	9.298	Devonport
Eurotas	1829	200	12	1168	–	Sheerness
Horatio	1807	250	12	1090	8.85	Portsmouth

Originally frigate block ships for Coast Guard service. Reputedly when armed and stored for sea, and with the engines filling the hold, there was no room left for any coal. Apart from the space problem, they were quite well liked in spite of being ugly ships, so their armament was reduced to save weight and space and reduce the crew required. In service as a screw frigate Horatio carried 18 8-inch guns on the main deck and 4 10-inch guns on the upper deck.

When the Crimean War began, the British found they were short of mortar vessels. The frigate block ships and the small screw frigate Fox were proposed as screw mortar frigates. Fox became a transport instead and is listed there. Horatio, the only one to be commissioned as a mortar frigate, carried 2 68-pr 95cwt on the upper deck with 8 32-pr 42cwt guns and 2 13-inch mortars on the main deck.

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Screw Floating Batteries
Thunderbolt	1856	200	16	1973	4	Chatham
Terror	1856	200	16	1971	4	Bermuda
Erebus	1856	200	16	1954	4	Portsmouth
Aetna	1856	200	14	1588	4	Chatham
Trusty	1855	150	14	1539	4	Chatham
Thunder	1855	150	14	1469	–	Sheerness
Glatton	1855	150	14	1535	4.5	Portsmouth
Meteor	1855	150	14	1469	5.77	Portsmouth

Armoured boxes built to attack Russian fortresses like the French batteries. The original design was French.

The first three listed were built with iron hulls, the rest wood. They were armed with 68-pr 95cwt guns. Dimensions were 172’6″ x 45’2″ x 8’8″ for the 1855 ships, 157’10” x 44′ x 6′ for Aetna and 186′ x 48’6″ x 8’10” for the three iron ships. The iron ships were more ship like and seaworthy but all were towed over any distance. The armour on these ships was of poor quality compared to later material, too hard and brittle, and was reported to be thinner than the 4 inches called for.

These ships served as guard ships, floating experimental targets to test armouring schemes and, in the case of HMS Trusty, as test ship for Captain Coles’ armoured cupolas. The cupola differed from later turrets only in having sloped sides. The one tested aboard Trusty in September 1861 had been ordered in 1859 by Scott Russell and was completed at Woolwich. It mounted a 40-pr Armstrong gun. The sides were sloped at around 45 degrees, measuring about 15 feet across at the base and around 6 feet at the roof covered with four and a half inches of iron, tongued and grooved, doubled around the gun port. The turret stood up fairly well to 5 hits from 100-pr shot with 5lb charges and 26 hits (from 34 shots fired, this in a calm against a stationary target) with 12lb charges and finally to 4 68-pr shot with 16lb charges. Two rounds broke in the gun port and would have caused heavy casualties to the crew.

A wooden model of a larger cupola, mounting 2 100-pr Armstrong guns, was tested aboard the old sloop Hazard in February, March and June 1862 and worked well. Between times, in January 1862, £ 120,000 was added to the estimates to cover work on an iron armoured cupola ship which would enter service as HMS Prince Albert.

Name	When Built	Horse Power	Guns	Tonnage	Trial Speed	Station
Steam Transports
Dee	1832	200	4	704	–	Partic. Serv.
Fox	1829	200	42	1080	–	Portsmouth
Simoom	1849	350	8	1980	8.897	Partic. Serv.
Megaera	1849	350	6	1391	–	Partic. Serv.
Vulcan	1849	350	6	1747	8.936	Portsmouth
Perserverance	1854	360	2	1967	–	Partic. Serv.

Dee was a wooden paddle steamer, formerly a 2nd class sloop. Fox was small and cramped screw frigate conversion which had been considered as a mortar frigate but became a transport instead.

The remaining ships were large screw steamers. Perseverance was a former Russian steamer seized while under construction. Simoom, Megaera and Vulcan had been ordered as iron screw frigates. While they were being built the Admiralty had second thoughts about iron hulls for unarmoured warships. Tests were not favourable so these ships, along with Greenock, sold in 1852, and the iron paddle frigate Birkenhead, wrecked in 1852, became transports.

Simoom displaced 2920 tons and measured 246′ x 41′ x 17’6″, Megaera was 2025 tons displacement and 207′ x 37’10” x 16′, while Vulcan had a displacement of 2474 tons and measured 220′ x 41’5″ x 17’6″. As a frigate, Simoom would have carried 12 long 32-pr guns on the main deck with 4 32-pr and 2 68-pr guns on the upper deck and would have had a speed of about 12 knots. All of the iron frigates had their engines replaced by smaller ones to increase carrying capacity and endurance. After spending some years in store, the original engines were reused, Simoom’s for Duke of Wellington, Vulcan’s for James Watt, Greenock’s for Hannibal and Megaera’s for Algiers