Summary
The Swallow-class sloop was a 9-gun wooden screw sloop class of four ships built for the Royal Navy between 1854 and 1857.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Swallow class |
| Preceded by | Cruizer class |
| Succeeded by | Racer class |
| Built | 1854–1857 |
| In commission | 1856–1876 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Scrapped | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Sloop-of-war |
| Displacement | 625 tons |
| Tons burthen | 484+68⁄94 bm |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 27 ft 10 in (8.5 m) |
| Depth of hold | 13 ft 5 in (4.1 m) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion |
|
| Sail plan | Barque rig |
| Speed | Approximately 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) |
| Complement | 120 |
| Armament |
|
Design edit
Built of a traditional wooden construction, the Swallow class were intended as "type of screw vessel below the Cruizer".[1]
The class were armed with a single 32-pounder gun (58 cwt) gun on a pivot mount and eight 32-pounder (25 cwt) carronades on the broadside. These guns were all smoothbore muzzle-loading, and were little changed from the standard guns of Nelson's era.[1]
Propulsion was provided by a two-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine developing 60 nominal horsepower and an indicated horsepower of between 182 indicated horsepower (136 kW) and 224 indicated horsepower (167 kW). Propulsion was applied through a single screw and at maximum power under steam, top speed was about 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). A barque rig of sails was carried, which meant the ships of the class had three masts with a square rig on the fore and main masts.[1]
Ships edit
The first two ships were ordered on 5 July 1852, Ariel on 2 April 1853 and Lyra on 3 April 1854.[1]
| Name | Ship Builder[1] | Laid down[1] | Launched[1] | Fate[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curlew | Deptford Dockyard | 19 October 1852 | 31 May 1854 | Sold for breaking on 39 August 1865 |
| Swallow | Pembroke Dockyard | 30 August 1853 | 12 June 1854 | Became a survey ship in 1861. Sold for breaking in December 1866 |
| Ariel | Pembroke Dockyard | November 1853 | 11 July 1854 | Sold for breaking 23 May 1865 |
| Lyra | Deptford Dockyard | 8 July 1854 | 26 March 1857 | Broken up in 1876 |