HMS Wild Swan (1876)

HMS Wild Swan was an Osprey-class sloop built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1870s. She was launched in 1877 and became a base ship in 1904, being renamed Clyde. She was renamed Columbine in 1913 and was sold for breaking in 1920.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Wild Swan.
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Wild Swan
Namesake: Swan
Builder: Robert Napier and Sons, Govan, Glasgow
Cost: Hull £39,643, machinery £11,853
Laid down: 14 September 1874
Launched: 28 January 1876
Completed: 23 August 1876
Decommissioned: Hulked, 1 May 1904
Renamed: HMS Clyde, 1 May 1904; HMS Columbine, July 1913
Fate: Sold for scrap, 4 May 1920
General characteristics
Class and type: Osprey-class screw composite sloop
Displacement: 1,130 long tons (1,150 t)
Length: 170 ft (51.8 m) (p/p)
Beam: 36 ft (11.0 m)
Draught: 15 ft 9 in (4.8 m)
Depth: 19 ft 6 in (5.9 m)
Installed power:
  • 797 ihp (594 kW)
  • (later c. 950 ihp (709kW))
Propulsion:
Sail plan: Barque rig
Speed: 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Range: 1,120 nmi (2,070 km; 1,290 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement: 140
Armament:
  • 2 × 7-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns
  • 4 × 6.3-inch 64-pounder rifled muzzle-loading guns
  • 4 × machine guns
  • 1 × light gun
  • Later re-armed:
  • 2 × 6-inch (81cwt) BL guns
  • 6 × 5-inch (35cwt) BL guns
  • 4 × machine guns
  • 1 × light gun

Design and construction

Wild Swan was an Osprey-class sloop-of-war, with a composite hull design.[1] The ship had a displacement of 1,130 tons, was 170 feet (52 m) long, had a beam of 36 feet (11 m), and a draught of 15 feet 9 inches (4.80 m).[2][1] An R & W Hawthorn two-cylinder horizontal returning-rod steam engine fed by three cylindrical boilers provided 797 indicated horsepower to the single 13 ft (4.0 m) propeller screw.[1] This gave Wild Swan a top speed of 10.3 knots (19.1 km/h; 11.9 mph), which failed to meet the required contract speed. After the first commission the engine was replaced by a Devonport Dockyard two-cylinder horizontal compound-expansion steam engine. She had a maximum range of 1,480 nautical miles (2,740 km; 1,700 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph).[1] In addition to the steam-driven propeller, the vessel was also barque rigged.[1] The standard ship's company was between 140 and 150.[1]

Armament consisted of two 7-inch (90cwt) muzzle-loading rifled guns, four 64-pound guns, four machine guns, and one light gun.[1] Wild Swan and her sister-ship Pelican were re-armed later with two 6-inch (81cwt) BL guns and six 5-inch (35cwt) BL guns.[1]

Wild Swan was built by Robert Napier and Sons, of Govan, Scotland. The vessel was laid down on 14 September 1874 as yard number 341.[1] She was launched on 28 January 1876, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 23 August 1876.[1] Construction costs included £39,643 for the hull, and £11,853 for machinery and equipment.[1]

Service history

Wild Swan patrolled off the coast of Mozambique in 1880, operating against the slave trade.[3] In early 1881, she operated together with Portuguese forces against slavers, landing a Portuguese force at Conducia Bay on 12 February 1881 and supporting them with gun and rocket fire.[4]

Wild Swan was decommissioned and placed on the list of Admiralty vessels for sale in 1900. She was withdrawn from the list and re-fitted in late 1901 as a training ship in Kingstown Harbour for men of the Royal Navy Reserve and coastguards of the North of Ireland stations.[5] She also served as tender to HMS Melampus, coast guard ship at Kingstown.[6]

Fate

Wild Swan became a base ship on 1 May 1904 and was renamed Clyde. She was renamed again in July 1913, becoming Columbine. She was sold for breaking to the Forth Shipbreaking company on 4 May 1920.[1]

Notes
  1. The horizontal returning-rod steam engine by R & W Hawthorn failed to meet the contract speed and was replaced after the first commission by a Devonport Dockyard 2-cylinder horizontal compound-expansion steam engine[1]
gollark: ++exec```pythonprint(("<@241757436720054273>" * -3)[:1999])```
gollark: ++exec```pythonprint(("<@241757436720054273>" * 200)[:1999])```
gollark: ++exec```pythonprint("<@241757436720054273>")```
gollark: ++exec```pythonprint("<@&706093475665281054>")```
gollark: ++exec```pythonprint("<@706093475665281054>")```

References
  1. Winfield, pp.291-292
  2. "Naval Sloops at battleships-cruisers.co.uk". Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  3. "A Wild Dash Among Sharks". The Bathurst Post. 15 October 1894. p. 6.
  4. Clowes 1903, p. 314.
  5. "Naval & military intelligence". The Times (36562). London. 17 September 1901. p. 9.
  6. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36642). London. 19 December 1901. p. 7.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.