HMS Black Eagle was an Admiralty

Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

 steam yacht launched in 1831, initially named HMS Firebrand. She was rebuilt in 1834, and renamed HMS Black Eagle in 1843. She was broken up in 1876.

Built at Merchant's Yard, Limehouse

Limehouse

Limehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is on the northern bank of the River Thames opposite Rotherhithe and between Ratcliff to the west and Millwall to the east....

 as a wooden paddle vessel, HMS Firebrand was launched on 11 July 1831. It was rebuilt three years later and finally renamed HMS Black Eagle in 1843. The vessel is notable as one of the first to use an oscillating engine manufactured by John Penn

John Penn (engineer)

John Penn FRS, was a marine engineer, whose firm was pre-eminent in the middle of the nineteenth century due to his innovations in engine and propeller systems, which led his firm to be the major supplier to the Royal Navy as it made the transition from sail to steam power...

, who replaced the existing engines of the yacht doubling the power output without increasing either the weight or space occupied.

It was based at Woolwich

Woolwich

Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...

 in south-east London and was part of the Royal Squadron alongside the Royal Yacht

Royal Yacht

A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...

. The Black Eagle was eventually broken up at Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

 in March 1876. A model of the vessel is in the collection of the National Maritime Museum

National Maritime Museum

The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...

.