List of gunboat and gunvessel classes of the Royal Navy

For gun-brigs see List of gun-brigs of the Royal Navy

This is a list of 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:...

and gunvessel classes

Ship class

A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....

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...

Wooden paddle gunboats (Great Lakes)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	USA	1834	Ex-merchantman Sir Charles Adam, built in 1834 in the USA and purchased by the Royal Navy on 7 July 1838. Sold in 1843
	Niagara Dock Company	1838	An ex-sailing ship, purchased on 21 July 1838 and converted to a paddle vessel. Sold in 1847 or 1848
	Niagara Dock Company	1838	Ex-merchant ship, purchased at Niagara on 30 April 1839 and sold in 1844
	Canada	1836	A two-masted schooner (may not have had an engine) purchased for use on Lake Erie on 18 October 1839. Sold 1848
	Chippawa, Ontario Chippawa, Ontario Chippawa is a community located within the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario.The village was founded in 1850, and became part of the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario by amalgamation in 1970. It is located on the Canadian shore of the Niagara River about 2 km upstream from Niagara Falls. It is...	June 1840	Sold to Mr Weston in March 1852
	Montreal	1841	Purchased while building at Montreal in 1841. Served in the Mediterranean as a packet. Refitted and reboilered at Woolwich in 1843-44. Sold at Malta on 11 July 1846
	Kingston Navy Yard, Ontario	22 September 1842	Sold to Messrs. Campbell, Forsyth, Yarwood & Gaskin on 30 October 1851
Magnet	Hamilton, Canada	1846	The British Government made a part payment while during build, retaining the right to assume possession of the vessel on payment of the remaining portion. The right was relinquished in 1864
	Purchased	Unknown	Purchased in 1847

Iron paddle gunboat (Great Lakes)

Mowhawk (1843)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	William Fairbairn & Company, Millwall	21 February 1843	Delivered in pieces to the Kingston Yard, Lake Ontario Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means... . Served on Lake Ontario and later on Lake Huron Lake Huron Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States... . Lengthened by 25 ft (7.6 m) in 1846. Sold to J F Parke on 21 June 1852

Iron paddle despatch vessels/gunboats

Bann class (1855)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	J Scott Russell, Millwall	5 July 1856	Sold for breaking on 18 February 1873
	J Scott Russell, Millwall	30 August 1856	Sold at Lagos on 19 May 1863

Wooden screw gunboats

Gleaner (or Pelter) class (1854)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	28 August 1854	Sold for breaking January 1864, breaking up completed by Tolpult on 1 February 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	5 September 1854	Breaking completed on 17 February 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	23 September 1854	Breaking at Portsmouth in June 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	4 October 1854	Became a coal hulk in 1865, sold in 1906
	Deptford Dockyard	7 October 1854	Sold at Montevideo Montevideo Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento... in April 1868
	Deptford Dockyard	7 October 1854	Broken up October 1868

Dapper class (1854)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Deptford Dockyard	15 March 1855	Sold to Marshall for breaking at Plymouth on 18 July 1878
	Deptford Dockyard	15 March 1855	Wrecked in Galway Bay Galway Bay Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city is located on the northeast side of the bay. It is about long and from to in breadth... on 8 April 1864
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard Blackwall Yard Blackwall Yard was a shipyard on the Thames at Blackwall, London, engaged in ship building and later ship repairs for over 350 years. The yard closed in 1987...	31 March 1855	Training hulk 1885, cooking depot 1897, renamed YC37 in 1909, sold to Perry 10 May 1922
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	31 March 1855	Hulked as part of the St. Vincent training establishment in 1876, being used as a laundry/drying room. Sold at Portsmouth on 11 July 1905
	J & R White, West Cowes	7 March 1855	Broken up at Haslar on 15 July 1864
	J & R White, West Cowes	2 April 1855	Grounded in action at the Siege of Taganrog Siege of Taganrog The Siege of Taganrog during the Crimean War was a series of military actions designed to allow the British and the French access to Rostov-on-Don, which was an important city for Russian military operations in the Caucasus.-Prelude:... on 23 July 1855
	John Jenkins Thompson, Rotherhithe	3 May 1855	Broken up at Devonport in October 1872
	John Jenkins Thompson, Rotherhithe	18 May 1855	Became a cooking depot in 1868 and sold to C Wort in November 1888
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	3 February 1855	Completed breaking at 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... on 11 November 1863
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	1 February 1855	Sold at Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... on 1 December 1871
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	3 February 1855	Sold at Hong Kong in 1868 and then resold to the Japanese as the warship Kaku-ten-shan, then became Snap again in 1872 as a merchantman
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	19 March 1855	Became tender to the training ship Cambridge at Devonport in 1857, sold on 2 December 1878
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	19 March 1855	Sold at Hong Kong on 18 November 1869
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	2 April 1855	Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton on 6 June 1871
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	2 April 1855	Broken up in April 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	7 April 1855	Broken up at Malta in October 1865
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	7 April 1855	Coal hulk in 1874, sold for breaking April 1884
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	3 May 1855	Gunnery tender in 1884, sold to Garnham for breaking on 10 July 1906
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	5 May 1855	Became a coal hulk on 21 April 1865, later renamed C16. Sold to Castle, Woolwich for breaking on 12 April 1904
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	10 May 1855	Broken up on 6 September 1864

Albacore class (1855)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Money Wigram & Son, Northampton	28 November 1855	Broken up at Portsmouth in 1864
	Money Wigram & Son, Northampton	9 January 1856	Broken up in December 1881
	C J Mare & Company Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company The Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Limited was a shipyard and iron works straddling the mouth of Bow Creek at its confluence with the River Thames, at Leamouth Wharf on the west side and at Canning Town on the east side... , Leamouth Leamouth Leamouth is the area to the west of the mouth of the River Lea at the River Thames at . The northern part of the area lies within a meander of the Lea; the southern part is bounded in the west by the former East India Docks, on two sides by the Lea and by the River Thames to the south...	22 December 1855	Sold to W Lethbridge for breaking on 16 July 1867
	C J Mare & Company, Leamouth	9 January 1856	Sold to Marshall for breaking at Plymouth on 7 October 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	4 June 1855	Sold to Marshall for breaking at Plymouth on 7 October 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	4 August 1855	Boilers removed in 1862, became a cooking depot in 1874. Breaking at Devonport completed on 4 February 1879
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	1 September 1855	Sold to W Lethbridge for breaking on 5 November 1867
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	1 September 1855	Sold at Montevideo Montevideo Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento... on 30 June 1865
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	8 September 1855	Sunk in action with the Taku forts Taku Forts The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing... in the Peiho river on 26 June 1859
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	8 September 1855	Breaking at Deptford completed on 21 November 1863
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	29 September 1855	Grounded in action with the Taku forts Taku Forts The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing... in the Peiho river on 25 June 1859, but refloated and sold at Hong Kong on 30 December 1872
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	6 October 1855	Broken up at Sheerness on 8 June 1875
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	20 October 1855	Fitted for foreign service in 1856. Sold to Cheeong Loong at Hong Kong on 18 November 1869
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	20 October 1855	Broken up at Sheerness in 1863
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	13 November 1855	Became a buoy boat at Halifax in June 1866. Later renamed YC3 on 24 June 1866, then YC6 in 1869. Sold in July 1887 as merchant vessel SS Rescue. Broken up in 1921
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	24 November 1855	Fitted for service in China in 1859. Sold to Telge Northing Company at Shanghai in 1872
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	24 November 1855	Sold to the P&O Company at Shanghai on 14 April 1873
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	8 December 1855	Fitted for service in British Columbia in 1859. Sold to Hill & Ready, Esquimault
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	12 January 1856	Sold at Newchang Yingkou Yingkou is located in the northwestern portion of the Liaodong Peninsula, and on the left bank of the Daliao River, which enters the sea in the city. To the west is the Liaodong Bay of the Bohai Gulf, and the city thus looks across to Jinzhou and Huludao... in May 1871
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	10 January 1856	Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton in November 1865
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	10 January 1856	Broken up at Sheerness in August 1865
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	26 January 1856	Lent to the Board of Works for the Maintenance of Lighthouses in 1856 - later returned. Sold at Chefoo in China on 1 May 1869
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	31 January 1856	Became tender to HMS President in 1862. Broken up at Sheerness in the summer of 1867
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	31 January 1856	Fitted for foreign service in September 1856. Between 30 July 1862 and 3 August 1862 she stuck on a rock at Canton Guangzhou Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port... but managed to get off. Sold at Hong Kong in December 1866 and broken up
	Money Wigram & Son, Northampton	2 February 1856	Broken up at Pembroke on 22 June 1869
	Money Wigram & Son, Northampton	9 February 1856	Broken up at Devonport on 18 March 1869
	Fletcher & Fearnall, Limehouse	27 November 1855	Broken up by Marshall at Plymouth in February 1866
	Fletcher & Fearnall, Limehouse	December 1855	Sold to W Lethbridge for breaking on 27 August 1867
	C J Mare & Company, Leamouth	23 February 1856	Sold at Hong Kong on 1 February 1871
	C J Mare & Company, Leamouth	3 April 1856	Sold to W E Joliffe as a salvage vessel on 8 March 1870. Broken up in 1894
	C J Mare & Company, Leamouth	5 May 1856	Became mooring lighter YC3 in 1864. Broken up at Malta in September 1888
	C J Mare & Company, Leamouth	5 July 1856	Completed breaking on 8 July 1864
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	11 December 1855	Became tender to a Coast Guard ship in 1861 and was fitted for Armstrong guns in 1862. Broken up at Devonport on 18 March 1869
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	23 January 1856	Broken up at Devonport in February 1879
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	23 January 1856	Became yard craft YC7 at Hong Kong in 1868 and was lost in a typhoon at Hong Kong on 2 September 1871
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	22 March 1856	Broken up at Chatham in August 1874
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	13 March 1856	Fitted for Armstrong guns in 1861. Completed breaking at Portsmouth on 28 December 1863
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	22 March 1856	Sold by order dated 9 May 1883
	Money Wigram & Son, Northampton	26 February 1856	Became a hospital hulk in 1876, then a mooring vessel in 1891. Renamed Siren in 1895 and sold at Hong Kong in 1896
	Money Wigram & Son, Northampton	29 March 1856	Fitted for reserve, commissioned in 1859 as tender to HMS Royal Albert. Sold to Messrs. Habgood for breaking on 8 September 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	9 February 1856	Broken up by Marshall at Plymouth in October 1865
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	9 February 1856	Sold at Hong Kong on 23 May 1867
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	8 March 1856	Broken up at Portsmouth in October 1867
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	8 March 1856	Breaking completed at Portsmouth on 18 July 1862
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	13 March 1856	Cooking depot ship at Devonport on 30 June 1869. Sold to T Hockling on 31 May 1893 and broken up at Stonehouse
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	13 March 1856	Sold to Marshall for breaking at Plymouth in April 1867
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	29 March 1856	Broken up at Deptford in December 1863
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	29 March 1856	Broken up by Marshall at Plymouth on 2 August 1865
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	12 April 1856	Broken up at Portsmouth on 25 March 1869
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	1 May 1856	Broken up completed at Sheerness on 31 August 1877
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	3 May 1856	Broken up completed on 25 May 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	3 May 1856	Broken up completed on 12 April 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	21 May 1856	Broken up completed on 6 May 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	7 June 1856	Broken up completed on 22 February 1864
	Fletcher & Fearnall, Limehouse	22 March 1856	Sold at Shanghai in 1872
	Fletcher & Fearnall, Limehouse	10 April 1856	Coastal defence in 1868. Hospital ship 1871. Blown ashore during a typhoon at Hong Kong on 22 September 1871 and the wreck then sold
	Fletcher & Fearnall, Limehouse	5 April 1856	Broken up in 1862
	T & Wm Smith, North Shields	13 February 1856	Fitted for Armstrong guns in 1861 and broken up in April 1868
	T & Wm Smith, North Shields	18 February 1856	Broken up at Chatham in 1874
	T & Wm Smith, North Shields	23 February 1856	Fitted for Armstrong guns in 1861. Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton on 12 May 1870
	T & Wm Smith, North Shields	23 February 1856	Wrecked on the Dutch coast on 23 December 1863, later salved and became the German mail steamer Heligolanderin
	T & Wm Smith, North Shields	18 March 1856	Became a tender to the Coast Guard in 1861. Sold to Thomas J Begbie in 1869
	T & Wm Smith, North Shields	12 April 1856	Became a coal hulk in 1869. Sold in 1906
	Wigram & Son, Blackwall Yard	15 March 1856	Sold at Halifax as merchantman M A Starr in November 1867
	Wigram & Son, Blackwall Yard	29 March 1856	Fitted for service in British Columbia in 1859. Sold as a merchant vessel at Esquimault on 6 January 1868. Burnt on 3 May 1883. Broken up in 1884
	Wigram & Son, Blackwall Yard	8 May 1856	Broken up at Malta in August 1864
	Wigram & Son, Blackwall Yard	8 May 1856	Breaking completed on 14 September 1864
	Wigram & Son, Blackwall Yard	2 June 1856	Broken up at Malta in September 1861
	Wigram & Son, Blackwall Yard	2 June 1856	Broken up by Marshall at Plymouth April 1866
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	8 April 1856	Broken up at Sheerness in March 1863
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	30 April 1856	Broken up at Portsmouth on 25 March 1869
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	3 May 1856	Broken up on 30 June 1864
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	9 May 1856	Broken up at Portsmouth on 19 February 1862
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	21 May 1856	Broken up on 4 October 1864
	R & H Green, Blackwall Yard	4 June 1856	Broken up on 27 July 1864
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Dingle	11 February 1856	Broken up on 27 August 1864
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Dingle	11 February 1856	Laid up after completion at Haslar. Broken up at Portsmouth on 25 March 1869
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Dingle	25 February 1856	Broken up in August 1864
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Dingle	11 March 1856	Breaking completed on 24 September 1864
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Dingle	21 April 1856	Fitted for Armstrong guns in 1862. Broken up at Devonport in August 1868
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Dingle	23 February 1856	Became dredger YC29 in June 1868, later YC4 at Gibraltar. Sold at Gibraltar on 4 May 1877
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Dingle	8 March 1856	Survey ship in 1857. RNVR training ship in 1873. Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton in November 1888
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Dingle	23 February 1856	Broken up in August 1864
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Dingle	8 March 1856	Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton on 13 April 1875
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Dingle	21 April 1856	Broken up in October 1864
	Charles Hill & Sons Charles Hill & Sons Charles Hill & Sons was a major shipbuilder based in Bristol, England, during the 19th and 20th centuries. Established in 1845, they specialised mainly in merchant and commercial ships, but also undertook the build of warships and governmental vessels especially during the First and Second World... , Bristol	1 March 1856	Sold at Hong Kong on 9 February 1869
	Charles Hill & Sons, Bristol	20 March 1856	Sold at Yokohama on 31 March 1870
	Charles Hill & Sons, Bristol	29 April 1856	Became dredger YC 51 in 1868. Sold in May 1884.
	J & R White, West Cowes	3 April 1856	Tank vessel in 1874. Hulked in 1882. Broken up at Bermuda in June 1885
	J & R White, West Cowes	19 May 1856	Broken up at Pembroke on 29 September 1865
	Wigram & Son, Northampton	8 May 1856	Hauled up for storage in 1857. Sold for breaking in June 1867
	Wigram & Son, Northampton	25 June 1856	Never completed as a gunboat. Coal hulk in 1869. Hulk, renamed Clinker on 30 December 1882. Sold in 1890
	Briggs & Company, Sunderland	29 January 1856	Broken up at Chatham in 1874
	Briggs & Company, Sunderland	29 January 1856	Broken up at Deptford in January 1864
	Briggs & Company, Sunderland	22 February 1856	Broken up at Deptford in October 1863
	Briggs & Company, Sunderland	22 February 1856	Breaking completed at Sheerness on 28 September 1864
	William Patterson & Son, Bristol	29 March 1856	Placed in storage after completion. Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton on 17 January 1885.
	William Patterson & Son, Bristol	26 May 1856	Broken up at Pembroke in October 1865

Cheerful class (1855)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Deptford Dockyard	6 October 1855	Breaking completed at Haslar on 16 January 1869
	Sheerness Dockyard	15 October 1855	Breaking completed at Haslar on 29 January 1869
	Thomas Westbrook, Blackwall	20 March 1856	Breaking completed at Haslar on 7 January 1869
	Thomas Westbrook, Blackwall	8 April 1856	Broken up at Haslar in 1863
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Birkenhead	21 April 1856	Breaking completed at Haslar on 21 October 1864
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Birkenhead	21 April 1856	Broken up in November 1864
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Birkenhead	10 May 1856	Broken up on 10 August 1864
	John Laird, Sons & Company, Birkenhead	7 May 1856	Broken up in June 1864
	William Joyce, Greenwich	7 April 1856	Broken up at Haslar in 1863
	William Joyce, Greenwich	7 June 1856	Breaking completed at Haslar on 30 April 1864
	Young, Magnay & Company, Limehouse	3 April 1856	Dockyard craft (steam lump) 1869, sold in Jamaica on 8 July 1873
	Young, Magnay & Company, Limehouse	3 April 1856	Breaking completed on 12 March 1864
	Young, Magnay & Company, Limehouse	8 May 1856	Broken up in October 1864
	Young, Magnay & Company, Limehouse	8 May 1856	Completed breaking at Plymouth on 28 January 1864
	Devonport Dockyard	8 March 1856	Breaking completed at Haslar on 21 January 1869
	Devonport Dockyard	22 March 1856	Breaking completed at Haslar on 23 February 1869
	Pembroke Dockyard	9 February 1856	Broken up at Bermuda Bermuda Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida... in October 1867
	Pembroke Dockyard	9 February 1856	Hulked 1865, renamed C17 from c.1900, sold to Castle for breaking on 12 April 1904
	Pembroke Dockyard	21 February 1856	Breaking completed at Haslar on 8 February 1869
	Pembroke Dockyard	21 February 1856	Breaking completed at Haslar on 7 January 1869

Clown class (1855)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	19 May 1856	Became a dredger at Woolwich in March 1867, renamed YC3 in 1868. Broken up on 14 November 1878
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	31 May 1856	Breaking completed 25 May 1864
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	31 May 1856	Sold at Lagos in May 1868
	W & H Pitcher, Northfleet	7 June 1856	Only partially fitted, never completed for sea. On the sale list in June 1869 but not sold till 1884
	Pembroke Dockyard	8 March 1856	Sold at Hong Kong on 9 February 1869
	Pembroke Dockyard	8 March 1856	Coal lighter December 1869, renamed YC6. Sold in 1871
	William Cowley Miller, Toxteth Dock, Liverpool	20 May 1856	Became coal lighter YC1 at Hong Kong in 1867. Renamed YC6 in December 1869. Wrecked at Hong Kong in the typhoon of 2 September 1871
	William Cowley Miller, Toxteth Dock, Liverpool	26 May 1856	Sunk at the Taku Forts Taku Forts The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing... , Peiho river in June 1859, but salved. Sold on 16 March 1866 to Glover & Co., Yokohama then resold to Japanese owners
	Briggs & Company, Sunderland	12 May 1856	Fitted for reserve. Breaking completed on 25 January 1864
	Briggs & Company, Sunderland	12 May 1856	Breaking completed on 14 March 1864
	T & W Smith, North Shields	4 June 1856	Sold at Hong Kong on 1 February 1871
	T & W Smith, North Shields	6 June 1856	Sold at Hong Kong on 1 February 1871

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Britomart class (1859)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	T & W Smith, North Shields	7 May 1860	Sold to Castle on 12 January 1892, and resold to S Williams of Dagenham as a mooring hulk. Broken up in June 1946
	T & W Smith, North Shields	24 May 1860	Became a luggage lighter as YC10 at Malta in 1882. Sold there in 1885.
	T & W Smith, North Shields	3 August 1860	Broken up at Malta in September 1878
	C Lamport, Workington	18 July 1860	Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton in August 1889
	Wm. Cowley Miller, Toxteth Dock, Liverpool	5 July 1860	Sold to Marshall, Plymouth on 6 June 1871
	Wm. Cowley Miller, Toxteth Dock, Liverpool	5 July 1860	Sold in Jamaica in June 1879 and broken up there in 1881
	Briggs & Co., Sunderland	7 June 1860	Broken up at Devonport on 29 September 1876
	Briggs & Co., Sunderland	7 June 1860	Breaking completed at Chatham on 15 July 1872
	Courtenay, Newhaven	7 September 1861	Tug in 1883 at Jamaica and sold there in 1891
	Joseph Banks, Plymouth	15 September 1860	Wrecked after collision with SS Moratin off Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region... on 5 September 1870
	Portsmouth Dockyard	29 March 1865	Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton 5 May 1890
	Portsmouth Dockyard	22 July 1866	Sold at Portsmouth to Castle for breaking at Charlton in September 1885
	Portsmouth Dockyard	16 February 1865	Coal hulk at Bermuda in 1874 and sold in 1903
	Portsmouth Dockyard	27 December 1866	Sold to the Customs Board on 20 December 1890
	Portsmouth Dockyard	20 November 1867	Sold on 24 August 1886 for breaking
(or Bruizer)	Portsmouth Dockyard	23 April 1867	Broken up at Devonport in May 1886
	Portsmouth Dockyard		Cancelled 12 December 1863
	Portsmouth Dockyard		Cancelled 12 December 1863
	Portsmouth Dockyard		Cancelled 12 December 1863
	Portsmouth Dockyard		Cancelled 12 December 1863 (never started)

Composite screw gunboats

The gunboats designed from 1870 onwards were of composite construction, i.e. they had an iron keel, stem and stern posts, and iron framing, with wooden planking retained over the iron frames.

Ariel class
Ariel class gunboat
The Ariel-class gunboat was a class of nine 4-gun composite gunboats built for the Royal Navy between 1871 and 1873. Although most were sold by 1890, one of them survived into the 1920s as a salvage vessel in private ownership...

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Forester class (1874)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	William Doxford, Sunderland	30 May 1874	Broken up in 1889
	William Doxford, Sunderland	16 July 1874	Sold in August 1889
	William Doxford, Sunderland	29 August 1874	Broken up at Devonport in 1889
	Robert Napier & Sons, Govan	3 July 1875	Drill ship, renamed Drake on 13 March 1888. Coastguard watch vessel, renamed WV29 in 1893. Renamed Drake in 1906. Sold to Meyer Isaacs on 3 April 1906
	Earle’s Shipbuilding, Hull	4 August 1875	Sold in August 1889
	Robert Napier & Sons, Govan	13 September 1875	Sold in November 1888
	Barrow Iron Shipbuilding	29 January 1877	Coastguard in 1886. Coal tug in 1897, renamed YC20. Sold as hulk Arabel in 1920, and remained in Blackwall Reach on the River Thames for 55 years. Broken up in 1975
	Barrow Iron Shipbuilding	29 January 1877	Coal hulk in 1892. Sold in 1904
	Earle’s Shipbuilding, Hull	14 February 1877	Sold to Cox for breaking up at Falmouth on 14 May 1907
	Earle’s Shipbuilding, Hull	26 February 1877	Coal hulk in 1894. Sold in 1904
	J & G Thomson, Govan	30 April 1877	Sold in 1905, became mercantile Hoi Sin
	J & G Thomson, Govan	28 June 1877	Boom defence in 1904. Base ship on 3 April 1914, renamed Egmont. Renamed Firefly 1 in March 1923. Sold in May 1931

Banterer class (1880)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Pembroke Dockyard	25 May 1880	Sold at Chatham on 4 April 1905
	Barrow Iron Shipbuilding	5 October 1880	Boom defence vessel in 1904. Sold to King,Garston for breaking on 14 May 1907
	Barrow Iron Shipbuilding	5 October 1880	Coastguard in 1891. Boom defence vessel in 1903. Sold for breaking at Dover on 2 December 1919
	Barrow Iron Shipbuilding	5 October 1880	Wrecked off Tory Island, Ireland with loss of 52 lives on 22 September 1884, and the wreck sold in November 1910
	Barrow Iron Shipbuilding	2 November 1880	Sold to Harris, Bristol on 14 May 1907
	Barrow Iron Shipbuilding	2 November 1880	Tug in 1895. Yard craft in 1903. Sold in 1904
	Pembroke Dockyard	3 February 1881	Hulk in 1905. Renamed Egmont in March 1923, St. Angelo on 1 July 1933 and sold in 1933
	Pembroke Dockyard	19 February 1881	Sold on 6 December 1905
	Samuda Brothers, Poplar	19 April 1882	Coastguard in 1893. Sold as merchantman on 4 April 1905, renamed Stella Maris
	Samuda Brothers, Poplar	18 May 1882	Survey ship in 1887. Lent to Navy League as a training ship for boys at Hammersmith on 28 March 1893. Sold to Shaws of Kent, Rainham for breaking in 1950
	Samuda Brothers, Poplar	18 May 1882	Diving tender in 1904. Lent as training ship in March 1913. Sold for breaking on 13 March 1925

Albacore class (1883)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Laird Brothers, Birkenhead	13 January 1883	Sold on 18 May 1906
	Laird Brothers, Birkenhead	7 February 1883	Boom defence in 1903. Sold to Shipbreaking Company, London on 14 May 1907
	Laird Brothers, Birkenhead	13 February 1883	Boom defence in 1903. Sold to Shipbreaking Company, London on 14 May 1907

Bramble class (1886)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Armstrong Mitchell, Elswick	4 August 1886	Harbour service in 1910. Navigation school ship in September 1919, renamed Dryad. Sold for breaking in October 1924
	Armstrong Mitchell, Elswick	13 September 1886	Believed foundered with all hands after leaving Singapore for Shanghai on 10 September 1887
	Harland & Wolff, Belfast	27 November 1886	Sold at Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... for breaking in 1905
	Harland & Wolff, Belfast	11 December 1886	Renamed Cockatrice in June 1896 and sold at Chatham on 3 April 1906

Pygmy class (1888)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Devonport Dockyard	10 April 1888	Sold to Cox for breaking at Falmouth on 15 May 1906
	Devonport Dockyard	10 May 1888	Sold in 1909 at Simonstown to Ward of Preston; arrived Preston for breaking on 6 May 1913
	Pembroke Dockyard	22 June 1888	Sold to Ellis, Chepstow for breaking on 15 May 1906
	Sheerness Dockyard	27 July 1888	Sold to Cox for breaking at Falmouth on 4 April 1905
	Pembroke Dockyard	5 September 1888	Sold to V Grech for commercial use on 15 May 1906
	Pembroke Dockyard	18 October 1888	Boom defence vessel in 1904. Sold at Gibraltar on 27 April 1927

Redbreast class
Redbreast class gunboat
The Redbreast class comprised nine first-class screw-driven composite gunboats built for the Royal Navy in 1889, mounting 6 guns.-Design:...

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Armoured gunboats

The only ironclads of gunboat size were three largely experimental (and unsuccessful) vessels ordered in 1864. The first two were towed to Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

(being considered unsatisfactory to sail under their own power) where they served as harbour vessels. Vixen was the first twin-screw vessel built for the Royal Navy, and Waterwitch employed a form of water pump propulsion.

Iron coastal gunboats

Staunch class (1867)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Charles Mitchell & Co, Walker	\|17 June 1867	\|Sold for use as a fuel barge in 1904

Plucky class (1870)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Portsmouth Dockyard HMNB Portsmouth Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...	\|13 July 1870	\|Renamed Banterer in June 1915, sold for commercial use in 1928 and finally broken up at Inverkeithing Inverkeithing Inverkeithing is a town and a royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. According to population estimates , the town has a population of 5,265. The port town was given burgh status by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century and is situated about 9 miles north from... in 1969

Ant class
Ant class gunboat
The Ant-class gunboat was a class of twenty-four Royal Navy flat-iron gunboats mounting a single 10-inch gun, built between 1870 and 1880. They carried no masts or sails, being among the first Royal Navy vessels not to do so. The last four vessels were ordered separately and are sometimes known as...

- Gadfly, Pincher, Griper and Tickler are sometimes referred to as the Gadfly class.

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Medina class
Medina class gunboat
The Medina-class gunboat was a class of 12 Royal Navy Rendel gunboats mounting three 6.3-inch guns, built between 1876 and 1877. Flat-iron gunboats were normally built without masts or rigging, but the Medinas carried a full barquentine rig...

(or "River" class) (1876)

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Bouncer class (1881)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Pembroke Dockyard	15 March 1881	Ordered to be converted to a tank vessel in October 1904, but instead sold at Sheerness on 4 April 1905
	Pembroke Dockyard	15 March 1881	Gate vessel in January 1918. Foundered in Portsmouth Harbour on 1 July 1922; the wreck was sold to J H Pounds, Portsmouth, on 18 June 1925

Handy class (1882)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Charles Mitchell and Company, Walker	30 December 1882	Renamed Excellent in May 1891 as a training ship, then Calcutta on 1 November 1916, and finally Snapper in August 1917. Sold on 27 April 1924. She was sold again to Pounds shipbreakers in the 1970s but not broken up. She was finally scrapped in 2008.

Drudge class (1882)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Armstrong Whitworth	15 June 1887	Built for the Ordnance Department and transferred to the Royal Navy in 1901. Renamed Excellent on 21 November 1916 and Dryad on 26 January 1919. Renamed back to Drudge later in 1919 and sold on 27 March 1920

Torpedo ram

Polyphemus class (1881)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Chatham Dockyard	23 October 1885	Sold for breaking on 7 July 1903
Hull 2	Chatham Dockyard
Cancelled 10 November 1882 before being named
HMS Adventure	Chatham
Cancelled 12 August 1885

Torpedo gunboats

Grasshopper class (1887)

Name	Ship Builder	Launched	Fate
	Devonport Dockyard	20 August 1887	Sold at Malta on 17 March 1905
	Sheerness Dockyard	30 August 1887	Sold on 11 July 1905
	Devonport Dockyard	17 October 1887	Sold at Malta on 13 May 1903

Sharpshooter class
Sharpshooter class torpedo gunboat
The Sharpshooter-class torpedo gunboat was a class of torpedo gunboat built for the Royal Navy in the late 19th century. One of the class was hulked in 1904, seven were scrapped before World War I and five were converted to minesweepers...

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Alarm class
Alarm class torpedo gunboat
The Alarm-class torpedo gunboat was the penultimate class of torpedo gunboat built for the Royal Navy. The class was contemporary with the early torpedo boat destroyers, which were faster and better suited to accompanting the battlefleet. By World War I the class had either been sold, converted...

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Dryad class
Dryad class torpedo gunboat
The Dryad-class torpedo gunboat was the last class of torpedo gunboat built for the Royal Navy. This type of vessel was rapidly replaced by the faster torpedo boat destroyer, and all of the class were converted to minesweepers during World War I, with the exception of Hazard, which became a...

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Steel gunboats

Bramble Class (1898)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	London & Glasgow, Govan Govan Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....	\|15 November 1898	\|Sold to Ward, Pembroke Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard... on 13 July 1926
	Potter, Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...	\|26 November 1898	\|Sold at Bombay on 26 January 1920
	Potter, Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...	\|28 March 1899	\|Sold at Bombay on 10 June 1920 and renamed Sakuntala
	London & Glasgow, Govan Govan Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....	\|22 June 1899	\|Sold to Ward, Pembroke Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard... on 13 July 1926

Wooden paddle gunvessels

Pluto class (1831) - steam vessel rated from 1837 as a first-class steam gunvessel

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....	28 April 1831	Breaking completed at Sheerness on 26 March 1861

Firebrand class (1831) - steam vessels reclassified in 1844 as first-class steam gunvessels

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Curling, Young & Company, Limehouse	11 July 1831	Re-engined in 1833 and renamed Black Eagle on 5 February 1842, lengthened in 1843 and re-rated as a paddle yacht, completing service as Admiralty yacht until 1857. Broken up at Portsmouth in March 1876
	Fletcher & Fearnall, Limehouse	11 August 1831	Refitted for the Holyhead Station in 1848-49. Lost on the coast of West Africa off Monrovia Monrovia Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately... on 22 November 1850

Firefly class (1832) - steam vessels reclassified in 1844 as first-class steam gunvessels

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....	29 September 1832	Re-engined in 1844 and became a survey ship. Broken up at Malta in 1866
	Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....	26 March 1834	Wrecked whilst working as a troop ship on Half Moon Cay lighthouse reef, Belize in 1842

Tartarus class (1834) - steam vessels reclassified in 1844 as first-class steam gunvessels

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Pembroke Dockyard	23 June 1834	Re-engined in 1837-38. Breaking completed at Malta on 6 November 1860
	Chatham Dockyard	5.1834	Became a survey ship in January 1843. Breaking up completed at Portsmouth in August 1853

Lizard class (1840) - steam vessels reclassified in 1844 as second class steam gunvessels

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....	7 January 1840	Initially fitted for surveying. Lost in collision with the French armed steamer Veloce between Gibraltar and Cadiz on 26 July 1843
	Woolwich Dockyard	18 April 1840	Became a tug in 1869. Sold at Sheerness in 1895

Porcupine class (1844) - steam vessel reclassified in 1844 as a first-class steam gunvessel

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Deptford Dockyard	17 June 1844	Became a survey ship in 1862. Sold in 1883

Spitfire class (1845) - steam vessel reclassified in 1844 as a first-class steam gunvessel

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Deptford Dockyard	26 March 1845	Became a survey ship in 1851 and a tug in 1861. Broken up at Bermuda in 1888

Iron paddle gunvessels

Jackall class (1844)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Robert Napier & Sons, Govan	28 October 1844	Sold for breaking in November 1887
	Robert Napier & Sons, Govan	28 November 1844	Broken up at Chatham in April 1869

Torch class (1845)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Ditchburn & Mare Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company The Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Limited was a shipyard and iron works straddling the mouth of Bow Creek at its confluence with the River Thames, at Leamouth Wharf on the west side and at Canning Town on the east side... , Leamouth	25 February 1845	Sold at Sydney on 15 May 1856
	Ditchburn & Mare, Leamouth	4 March 1845	Transferred to the War Office as a target on 26 October 1892 and sold as a wreck in 1909

Bloodhound class (1845)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Robert Napier & Sons, Govan	9 January 1845	Tender to Sampson in Portsmouth 1849-1851, broken up in 1866

Myrmidon class (1845)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Ditchburn & Mare, Leamouth	February 1845	Sold at Fernando Po Bioko Bioko is an island 32 km off the west coast of Africa, specifically Cameroon, in the Gulf of Guinea. It is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea with a population of 124,000 and an area of . It is volcanic with its highest peak the Pico Basile at .-Geography:Bioko has a total area of... on 1 December 1858

Grappler class (1845)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	William Fairbairn & Company, Millwall	30 December 1845	Sold to W P Beach for breaking on 2 February 1850

Recruit class (1850)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	J Scott Russell & Robinson, Millwall	1850	Ex-Prussian Salamander, commissioned into the Royal Navy on 22 December 1854. Sold to E Bates on 23 September 1869
	J Scott Russell & Robinson, Millwall	1850	Ex-Prussian Nix, commissioned into the Royal Navy on 22 December 1854. Harbour service in 1866. Sold at Malta on 29 October 1873

NB. A third vessel of the class was retained by Prussia.

Wooden screw gunvessels

This section includes two early iron-hulled screw gunvessels ordered in May 1845, which in other respects were half-sisters to two wooden-hulled gunvessels ordered at the same time. The four vessels comprised the first-class gunvessels Rifleman (wooden hulled) and Sharpshooter (iron hulled), and the second-class gunvessels Teazer (wooden hulled) and Minx (iron hulled). Further vessels ordered later to the same design were either cancelled or built to very different concepts. Rifleman and Sharpshooter were re-classed as sloops in 1854.

Rifleman class (1845)

(wooden half-sisters to iron-hulled Sharpshooter)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Portsmouth Dockyard	10 August 1846	Survey ship in 1862. Sold at Hong Kong on 18 November 1869
HMS Sepoy	Portsmouth Dockyard		Suspended 9 September 1846. Cancelled 22 May 1849
HMS Cossack	Portsmouth Dockyard		Suspended 9 September 1846. Cancelled 22 May 1849

Sharpshooter class (1845)

(Iron half-sister to wooden Rifleman)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Ditchburn & Mare	25 July 1846	Sold on 2 December 1869 for commercial service

Teazer class (1845)

(Wooden-hulled half-sisters to iron-hulled Minx)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Chatham Dockyard	25 June 1846	Sold to Castle & Son for breaking up at Charlton on 20 June 1862
HMS Boxer	Chatham Dockyard		Suspended on 6 October 1846 and cancelled on 22 May 1849
HMS Biter	Chatham Dockyard		Suspended on 6 October 1846 and cancelled on 22 May 1849

Minx class (1846)

(Iron half-sister to wooden Teazer)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Miller, Ravenhill & Company Blackwall	5 September 1846	Water tanker in 1859. Sold on 15 December 1899

Swallow class
Swallow class sloop
The Swallow-class sloop was an 9-gun wooden screw sloop class of four ships built for the Royal Navy between 1854 and 1857.-Design:Built of a traditional wooden construction, the Swallow class were intended as "type of screw vessel below the Cruizer".The class were armed with a single 32-pounder...

Four first-class gunvessels were ordered in 1852-53; while still building, they were re-rated as third-class sloops in 1854 and will be found under the list of corvette and sloop classes of the Royal Navy.

Arrow class
Arrow class gunvessel
The Arrow class comprised six second-class screw-driven vessels built as despatch vessels for the Royal Navy in 1854, mounting 6 guns. In 1856 they were redesignated as second-class gunvessels.-Design:...

- Originally rated as "despatch vessels", these six ships were re-classed as second-class gunvessels in 1856.

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Vigilant class
Vigilant class gunvessel
The Vigilant-class gunvessel of the Royal Navy was an enlarged version of the Arrow-class gunvessel of 1854. Both classes were designed for shallow-water operations in the Baltic and Black Seas during the Crimean War. Fourteen of the class were completed, but were ready too late to take part in...

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Intrepid class
Intrepid class gunvessel
Intrepid-class gunvessels were a class of six Royal Navy first-class wooden gunvessels built in 1855-56. They were rated as sloops from 1859 to 1862,Except Victor, which remained a gunvessel throughout the period and were scrapped by 1865...

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Philomel (or Ranger) class
Philomel class gunvessel
The Philomel-class gunvessel was a class of wooden-hulled screw-driven second-class gunvessels built for the Royal Navy between 1859 and 1867, of which 26 were ordered but only 20 completed. They had a mixed history, with some serving for as little as 5 years, and others surviving into the 1880s...

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- Alban (cancelled)

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- Humber (cancelled)
- Undine (cancelled)
- Rye (cancelled)
- Portia (cancelled)
- Discovery (cancelled)

Cormorant (or Eclipse) class (1860)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Money Wigram & Son, Blackwall Yard	9 February 1860	Sold on7 June 1870 at Hong Kong
	Money Wigram & Son, Blackwall Yard	19 March 1860	Wrecked near Chefoo, China, on 4 November 1864
	C J Mare & Company, Leamouth	23 June 1860	Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton on 13 April 1875
	C J Mare & Company, Leamouth	15 December 1860	Completed breaking at Plymouth on 14 March 1877
	J Scott Russell, Millwall	18 September 1860	Broken up at Sheerness in July 1867
	J Scott Russell, Millwall	27 February 1861	Broken up at Sheerness in October 1867
	Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....	20 March 1866	Survey ship in October 1866. Sold to George Cohen for breaking in August 1889
	Pembroke Dockyard	20 February 1866	Survey ship in July 1866. Broken up at Sheerness April 1880
	Chatham Dockyard	5 June 1867	Survey ship in 1884. Sold at Hong Kong in April 1889
	Pembroke Dockyard		Cancelled on 16 December 1864 and broken up on 4 November 1865
	Woolwich Dockyard		Cancelled on 12 December 1863
	Chatham Dockyard		Cancelled on 12 December 1863
	Pembroke Dockyard		Cancelled on 12 December 1863 (never laid down)

Plover class (1867)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Deptford Dockyard	20 February 1867	Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton in August 1885
	Portsmouth Dockyard	4 September 1867	Sold on 17 May 1882 for breaking in 1883
	Deptford Dockyard	29 October 1867	Sold at Bombay on 14 April 1886
	Devonport Dockyard	8 November 1867	Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton on 15 April 1885
	Portsmouth Dockyard	12 February 1868	Survey vessel in 1878. Sold in September 1885
	Sheerness Dockyard	13 February 1868	Sold for breaking in June 1885
	Devonport Dockyard	6 March 1868	Sold in November 1887 for breaking
	Deptford Dockyard	20 August 1868	Sold on 7 November 1882 for breaking in 1883
	Portsmouth Dockyard	16 November 1868	Sold to A Tobin on 18 October 1882
	Pembroke Dockyard	20 September 1869	Sold for breaking in November 1887
	Sheerness Dockyard	6 November 1869	Sold to Castle for breaking at Charlton in September 1885
	Chatham Dockyard	9 March 1871	Sold at Bombay on 9 March 1887

Composite screw gunvessels

The gunvessels designed from 1867 onwards were of composite construction, i.e. they had an iron keel, stem and stern posts, and iron framing, with wooden planking retained over the iron frames.

Beacon class (1867)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Chatham Dockyard	17 August 1867	Sold in December 1888
	Portsmouth Dockyard	2 October 1867	Sold for breaking at Charlton on 26 April 1890
	Pembroke Dockyard	26 November 1867	Wrecked on Balabac Island Balabac Island Balabac Island is the southern-most island of the Palawan province in the Philippines, only about north from Sabah, Malaysia, across the Balabac Strait.Administratively, the island forms the main part of Balabac Municipality and is divided into 14 barangays:... in the China Seas on 15 November 1868
	Portsmouth Dockyard	27 November 1867	Broken up at Portsmouth in 1889
	Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....	28 November 1867	Broken up at Devonport in April 1886
	Devonport Dockyard	20 December 1867	Sold to George Cohen for breaking in November 1888
	Devonport Dockyard	20 December 1867	Sold to Castle for breaking in November 1887
	Portsmouth Dockyard	10 January 1868	To the coastguard in 1887. Tug in 1890. Sold for service as a dredger in 1905
	Deptford Dockyard	25 January 1868	Sold for breaking in June 1887
	Deptford Dockyard	25 January 1868	Sold to Read, Portsmouth for breaking in November 1888
	Pearse, Lockwood & Company, Stockton-on-Tees	10 March 1868	Sold in1889
	London Eng. Company, Poplar	8 April 1868	Sold in December 1888
	Harland & Wolff, Belfast	25 April 1868	Sold in December 1888
	Laird Brothers, Birkenhead	28 April 1868	Broken up at Chatham in December 1887
	Randolph & Elder, Govan	21 May 1868	Sold on 15 March 1907
	Reid & Company, Port Glasgow	22 June 1868	Sold in December 1888
	J. & G. Thomson, Glasgow	20 August 1868	Sold in December 1888
	James Lawrie, Whiteinch, Glasgow	1 December 1868	Sold in November 1887

Frolic class (1872)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Chatham Dockyard	29 February 1872	Drill ship in 1888. Coastguard watch vessel WV30 in 1893, renamed WV.41 in 1897 and sold on 7 April 1908
	Chatham Dockyard	29 February 1872	Sold in November 1888
	Chatham Dockyard	24 September 1872	Became tank vessel in 1894, renamed Drudge in October 1916. Sold in Bermuda on 25 February 1920
	Chatham Dockyard	20 November 1872	Sold on 26 April 1890

Arab class (1874)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Robert Napier & Sons, Govan	13 October 1874	Sold in 1889
	Robert Napier & Sons, Govan	27 October 1874	Wrecked off Cape d’Amour, Labrador on 16 September 1889

Condor class
Condor class gunvessel
The Condor-class gunvessel was a class of four Royal Navy composite gunvessels of 3 guns, built between 1876 and 1877. They were all hulked or sold before 1893, giving them an active life of less than 15 years.-Design:...

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Linnet class (1879)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Thames Ironworks & Shipbuilding Company, Leamouth	29 November 1879	Sold at Hong Kong in 1920 for mercantile use, renamed Hoi Ching
	Thames Ironworks & Shipbuilding Company, Leamouth	30 January 1880	Sold as a salvage vessel on 27 April 1904

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Dolphin class (1882)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	William Raylton Dixon Sir Raylton Dixon Sir Raylton Dixon , was a shipbuilder at Middlesbrough on the River Tees. He was one of the seven children of Jeremiah Dixon and Mary Frank of Cockfield, County Durham who were married on 21 July 1833 in St. Cuthberts, Darlington... , Middlesbrough	9 December 1882	Sailing training ship in 1899. Hulked as accommodation for submarines in 1907. Submarine depot ship in 1912. Sold on 13 March 1925, but foundered under tow on 19 April 1925, then raised and beached; and used as an accommodation school ship until broken up in 1977 at Bo'ness Bo'ness Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a coastal town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth within the Falkirk council area, north-west of Edinburgh and east of Falkirk. At the 2001 census, Bo'ness had a resident population of 13,961...
	William Raylton Dixon, Middlesbrough	8 February 1883	Sailing training ship (brig-rigged) in 1894. Sold to Ward, Preston for breaking in February 1907

Mariner class
Mariner class gunvessel
The Mariner class was a class of 8-gun gunvessels built for the Royal Navy between 1883 and 1888.-Design:...

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Steel torpedo-and-gunvessels

Curlew Class (1885)

Name	Ship Builder	\|Launched	\|Fate
	Devonport Dockyard HMNB Devonport Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...	\|23 October 1885	\|Sold for breaking on 10 July 1906
	Devonport Dockyard HMNB Devonport Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...	\|19 January 1886	\|Sunk as target in Lyme Bay Lyme Bay Lyme Bay is an area of the English Channel situated in the southwest of England between Torbay in the west and Portland in the east. The counties of Devon and Dorset front onto the bay,-Geology:... on 4 October 1906

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