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. They were the first class of Royal Navy gunboat built of composite construction, that is, with iron keel, stem and stern posts, and iron framing, but planked with wood.
Design and construction Designed by Sir Edward Reed, Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy, the Ariel-class gunboats were the first Royal Navy gunboats of composite construction.Preston (2007) p. 160 They were some of the first vessels to be fitted with compound-expansion engines, allowing the Royal Navy to experiment with new engine designs at little risk in small, cheap vessels.Swinger, uniquely in the class, was engined by Humphrys, Tennant & Co. with a horizontal single-expansion steam engine. These engines were rated 60 nominal horsepower (an indicated horsepower of between and ). They were armed with two 64-pounder (56cwt) muzzle-loading rifles and two 20-pounder Armstrong breech loaders. All 4 guns were mounted on traversing carriages. Some of the class were re-armed in the 1880s with two 5-inch and two 4-inch breech loaders. All the ships of the class carried a three-masted barquentine rig.
Ships NameShip BuilderLaunchedFatePembroke Dockyard5 April 1871Sold in August 1889Pembroke Dockyard29 August 1871Sold in June 1887Pembroke Dockyard12 October 1871Sold in October 1885Pembroke Dockyard24 November 1871Sold on 27 February 1891Pembroke Dockyard9 December 1871Sold in December 1888Pembroke Dockyard23 January 1872Hulk in 1902. Sold c1906Pembroke Dockyard7 February 1872Hulk 1895. Sold to Rogers & Company in June 1924Chatham Dockyard11 February 1873Coastguard 26 November 1877. Sold in August 1889Chatham Dockyard11 February 1873Sold to George Cohen as a salvage vessel in February 1889. Broken up at Briton Ferry in June 1929
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