The Cormorant class were built as a 16-gun class of ship-sloops for the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

, although an extra 2 guns were added soon after completion.

Design

The class was designed jointly by the two Surveyors of the Navy - Sir William Rule and Sir John Henslow - and six vessels to this design were ordered in February 1793; a seventh vessel was ordered in the following year. Twenty-four more were ordered to the same design in 1805 - 1806, although in this new batch 32-pounder carronades were fitted instead of the 6 pounders originally mounted in the earlier batch; of this second batch one ship (Serpent) was cancelled and another (Ranger) completed to a slightly lengthened variant of the design.

Ships

Name	Ordered	Builder	Launched	Notes
Cormorant HMS Cormorant (1794) HMS Cormorant was an 16-gun ship-sloop of the Cormorant class in the Royal Navy, launched in 1794 at Rotherhithe.-Career:The Cormorant was the name-ship of the initial batch of six ship-rigged sloops of the Cormorant Class ordered in February 1793 to a joint design by Sir John Henslow and William...	18 February 1793	Randall & Brent, Rotherhithe Rotherhithe Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...	2 January 1794
Favourite HMS Favourite (1794) HMS Favourite was a 16-gun Cormorant-class sloop of the Royal Navy, launched in 1794 at Rotherhithe. The French captured her in 1806 and renamed her Favorite. However, the British recaptured her in 1807 and renamed her HMS Goree...  (i)	18 February 1793	Randall & Brent, Rotherhithe Rotherhithe Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...	1 February 1794	Captured by the French 6 January 1806; retaken 27 January 1807 and renamed Goree.
Hornet HMS Hornet (1794) HMS Hornet was a 16-gun ship-rigged sloop of the Cormorant class in the Royal Navy, ordered 18 February 1793, built by Marmaduke Stalkart and launched 3 February 1794 at Rotherhithe.There was a second HMS Hornet ; she was a purchased Dutch hoy that was in service for about a year. Hornet saw most...	18 February 1793	Marmaduke Stalkart, Rotherhithe Rotherhithe Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...	3 February 1794
Lynx HMS Lynx (1794) HMS Lynx was a 16-gun ship-rigged sloop of the Cormorant class in the Royal Navy, launched in 1794 at Gravesend. In 1795 she was the cause of an international incident when she fired on the USRC Eagle...	18 February 1793	William Cleverly, Gravesend Gravesend, Kent Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...	14 February 1794	Caused an international incident when she fired on the USRC Eagle USRC Eagle USRC Eagle was one of the first ten cutters operated by the United States' Revenue Cutter Service .The Eagle has been often misidentified as the cutter Pickering, which was in fact not launched until 1798 . Eagle was built in Savannah, Georgia for service in that state's waters...
Lark HMS Lark (1794) HMS Lark was a 16-gun ship sloop of the Cormorant class, built in 1794 at Northfleet. She served primarily in the Caribbean, where she took a number of prizes, some after quite intensive action...	18 February 1793	Thomas Pitcher, Northfleet Northfleet Northfleet is a town in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. Its name is derived from North creek , and the settlement on the shore of the River Thames adjacent to Gravesend was known as Norfluet in the Domesday Book, and Northflet in 1201...	15 February 1794
Hazard HMS Hazard (1794) HMS Hazard was an 16-gun Royal Navy Cormorant class ship-sloop built by Josiah & Thomas Brindley at Frindsbury, Kent, and launched in 1794. She served in the French Revolutionary Wars and throughout the Napoleonic Wars...	18 February 1793	Josiah & Thomas Brindley, Frindsbury Frindsbury Frindsbury is part of the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, southern England. It lies on the opposite side of the River Medway to Rochester, and at various times in its history has been considered fully or partially part of the City of Rochester. Frindsbury refers to both a parish and a manor....	3 March 1794
Stork	6 November 1794	Deptford Deptford Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...  Royal Dockyard	29 November 1794
Hyacinth HMS Hyacinth (1806) HMS Hyacinth was an 18-gun ship-sloop of the Cormorant class in the Royal Navy, launched in 1806 at Great Yarmouth. In 1810 she was reclassed as a 20-gun Post-ship...	12 July 1805	John Preston, Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...	30 August 1806
Sabrina HMS Sabrina (1806) HMS Sabrina was an 18-gun Royal Navy ship-sloop of the Cormorant class, launched in 1806 at Southampton and sold in 1816.-Design:The Cormorant class was designed by Sir William Rule and Sir John Henslow as 16-gun ship-sloops...	12 July 1805	Robert Adams, Chapel, Southampton Southampton Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...	1 September 1806
Herald HMS Herald (1806) HMS Herald was an 18-gun ship-sloop of the Cormorant class in the Royal Navy, launched in 1806 at Littlehampton. In 1810 she was reclassed as a 20-gun sixth rate ship , and again re-rated as 24 guns in 1817, just before she was broken up.-Adriatic:Herald was commissioned in March 1806 under Captain...	12 July 1805	Carver & Corney, Littlehampton Littlehampton Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....	27 December 1806
Anacreon	12 July 1805	Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...  Royal Dockyard	1 May 1813	Initial contractor, Owen of Ringmore, Devon, went bankrupt in 1810, so work was transferred to Plymouth
Rosamund	4 October 1805	Simon Temple, South Shields South Shields South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...	27 January 1807
Fawn	19 October 1805	Thomas Owen, Topsham Topsham, Devon Topsham is a suburb of Exeter in the county of Devon, England, on the east side of the River Exe, immediately north of its confluence with the River Clyst and the former's estuary, between Exeter and Exmouth. Although village-sized, with a current population of around 5,023, it was designated a...	22 April 1806
Acorn	19 October 1805	George Crocker, Bideford Bideford Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...	30 October 1807
Racoon HMS Racoon (1808) HMS Racoon, sometimes spelled HMS Raccoon, was an 18-gun ship sloop of the Cormorant Class of the Royal Navy. She was built by John Preston, of Great Yarmouth, and launched on 30 March 1808.-Service:...	19 October 1805	John Preston, Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...	30 March 1808	Convict prison ship in 1819 & sold in August 1838
North Star	19 October 1805	John Cock, Dartmouth Dartmouth, Devon Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...	21 April 1810	Initial contractor, Benjamin Tanner of Dartmouth went bankrupt in 1807 & contract was transferred to John Cock
Myrtle	19 October 1805	Richard Chapman, Bideford Bideford Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...	2 October 1807
Hesper HMS Hesper (1809) HMS Hesper was a Royal Navy 18-gun ship-sloop of the Cormorant class, launched in 1809 at Dartmouth. Her original builder, Benjamin Tanner, became bankrupt during her construction, so John Cock completed her. In 1810 she was reclassed as a 20-gun sixth rate ship ; in 1817 she was again re-rated,...	19 October 1805	John Cock, Dartmouth Dartmouth, Devon Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...	3 July 1809	Initial contractor, Benjamin Tanner of Dartmouth went bankrupt in 1807 & contract was transferred to John Cock
Cherub HMS Cherub (1806) HMS Cherub was an 18-gun Royal Navy Cormorant-class sloop built in Dover in 1806.-West Indies and Pacific service:Cherub was stationed in the West Indies and took part in the capture of Guadeloupe in 1810 and remained on the Leeward Islands station until 1812. That year she returned to England with...	19 November 1805	John King, Dover Dover Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...	27 December 1806	Sold in 1820
Minstrel	19 November 1805	Nicholas Bools & William Good, Bridport Bridport Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England. Located near the coast at the western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the River Brit and its Asker and Simene tributaries, it originally thrived as a fishing port and rope-making centre...	25 March 1807
Wanderer	19 November 1805	James Betts, Mistleythorn	29 September 1806
Sapphire	19 November 1805	Josiah & Thomas Brindley, Frindsbury Frindsbury Frindsbury is part of the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, southern England. It lies on the opposite side of the River Medway to Rochester, and at various times in its history has been considered fully or partially part of the City of Rochester. Frindsbury refers to both a parish and a manor....	11 November 1806
Blossom HMS Blossom (1806) HMS Blossom was an 18-gun Cormorant-class sloop-of-war. She was built in 1806 and is best known for the 1825–1828 expedition under Captain Beechey to the Pacific Ocean. She explored as far north as Point Barrow, Alaska, the furthest point into the Arctic any non-Inuit had been at the time...	19 November 1805	Robert Guillaume, Northam, Southampton Southampton Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...	10 December 1806	Broken up in August 1848
Partridge	19 November 1805	John Avery, Dartmouth Dartmouth, Devon Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...	15 July 1809
Egeria HMS Egeria (1807) The first HMS Egeria was a Royal Navy 26-gun Cormorant-class ship-sloop launched at Bridport in 1807. During the Gunboat War she captured three privateers and several merchant vessels. After the Napoleonic Wars she continued on active service until 1825, after which she served as a receiving or...	19 November 1805	Nicholas Bools & William Good, Bridport Bridport Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England. Located near the coast at the western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the River Brit and its Asker and Simene tributaries, it originally thrived as a fishing port and rope-making centre...	31 October 1807	Receiving ship at Devonport from 1825 & broken up 1864
Favourite (ii)	30 November 1805	Jabez Bailey, Ipswich Ipswich Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...	13 September 1806
Tweed	30 November 1805	Thomas Iremonger, Littlehampton Littlehampton Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....	10 January 1807
Ranger	30 November 1805	Richard Thorne, Fremington, Barnstaple Barnstaple Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...	5 September 1807	Altered on stocks and completed to a slightly longer design.
Jalouse	15 January 1806	Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...  Royal Dockyard	13 July 1809
Serpent	15 January 1806	Sheerness Sheerness Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....  Royal Dockyard	not laid down	Cancelled 8 September 1810
Dauntless HMS Dauntless (1808) The second HMS Dauntless was a Cormorant-class ship-sloop of the Royal Navy armed with 24 carronades and two 6-pounder guns.-Construction:Dauntless was built in Deptford Dockyard as a Cormorant-class ship-sloop...	25 March 1806	Deptford Deptford Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...  Royal Dockyard	20 December 1808	Sold for breaking in 1825