HMS Viper was an armoured iron gunboat

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:...

, the only ship of her class, and the fourteenth ship of 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...

 to bear the name.

Design

Designed by the Admiralty, Viper was a half-sister to and , and all three were built mostly as experimental vessels. While Viper and Vixen were twin screw vessels, Waterwitch had a water-pump propulsion system. Vixen was almost identical to Viper, but was of composite construction.

Hull

Viper was an armoured gunboat of the breastwork type. Her hull was of iron construction, with 10 in (25.4 cm) of teak backing. Vertical trunks were provided at the stern to lift the screws clear of the hull, thereby allowing a better hull-form for purely wind-driven sailing.

Propulsion

She was equipped with two sets of 4-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engines, each set powering one of her two-bladed, 9 ft diameter Maudslay & Griffiths screws. In total she developed an indicated 696 horsepower, sufficient for a top speed of 9.5 knots (18.6 km/h). Steam was provided by two Maudslay iron fire-tube boilers with six furnaces.

Sail plan

She was equipped with a barquentine

Barquentine

A barquentine is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts.-Modern barquentine sailing rig:...

 rig, but in 1873 all masts, rigging and upper deck obstructions were removed after the decision for Vixen and Viper to remain permanently in Bermuda.

Armament

Viper was armed with two 7-inch (6½-ton) muzzle-loading rifled guns and two 20-pounder breech-loading

Breech-loading weapon

A breech-loading weapon is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel....

 rifled guns. One of Vixen or Viper's 7-inch guns was displayed on the waterfront at St Georges

St. George's Parish, Bermuda

St. George's Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named after the founder of the Bermuda colony, Admiral Sir George Somers.It is located in the north-easternmost part of the island chain, containing a small part of the main island around Tucker's Town and the Tucker's Town...

 as recently as 1991.

Construction

Viper was ordered from J & W Dudgeon

J & W Dudgeon

J & W Dudgeon was a Victorian shipbuilding and engineering company based in Cubitt Town, London, founded by John and William Dudgeon.John and William Dudgeon had established the Sun Iron Works in Millwall in the 1850s, and had a reputation for advanced marine engines. In 1862 they set up as...

 of Cubitt Town

Cubitt Town

Cubitt Town is an area on the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets in London, England. It is on the east of the Isle, facing Greenwich across the River Thames. To the west is Millwall, to the northwest Canary Wharf and to the north, across the Blue Bridge, Blackwall...

 on 22 March 1864 and laid down the same year. She was launched on 21 December 1865 and commissioned in 1867 for comparative trials. Her total cost was £51,127.

Career

Vixen, Viper and Waterwitch conducted comparative trials at Stokes Bay

Stokes Bay

Stokes Bay is an area of the Solent that lies just south of Gosport, between Portsmouth and Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire. There is a shingle beach that has a great view of Ryde and East Cowes on the Isle of Wight to the south and also Fawley in the south west. The village of Alverstoke is close by...

 in the Solent

Solent

The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...

 during the late 1860s. Although turning ability was impressive, none of the ships attained more than 9.5 kn (18.6 km/h) in an era when could achieve 14.5 kn (28.4 km/h). Furthermore, Vixen was nearly lost in the Irish Channel during a winter gale in 1876, making them unsuitable for the open sea under steam or sail. Vixen and Viper were towed to Bermuda in 1868 where the geography favoured the use of steam-powered rams.

In July 1869 both ships were employed to bring the floating dock Bermuda from The Narrows to the dockyard. 1873 saw the loss of all rigging, masts and upperdeck equipment, and this must have helped her to survive the 1878 hurricane which caused serious damage to the floating dock and other dockyard facilities.

Fate

Viper was reduced to harbour service in 1890, was converted to a tank vessel in 1901 and was sold in 1908.