HMS Sepoy (1856)

HMS Sepoy was a 4-gun Albacore-class gunboat of the Royal Navy launched in 1856 and broken up in 1868.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Sepoy.

HMS Raven
Sepoy's sister ship, Raven
History
Royal Navy EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Sepoy
Ordered4 October 1855
BuilderT & W Smith, North Shields
Cost£10,725[1]
Laid down8 October 1855
Launched13 February 1856
Commissioned5 April 1856[1]
FateBroken up 1868[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeAlbacore-class gunboat of 1855
Displacement284 tons
Tons burthen232 68/94 bm
Length
  • 106 ft (32 m) (gundeck)
  • 93 ft 2+1⁄2 in (28.410 m) (keel)
Beam22 ft 0 in (6.7 m)
Draught6 ft 6 in (2.0 m)
Depth of hold8 ft (2.4 m)[1]
Propulsion
  • Horizontal single-expansion, direct-acting steam engine
  • Three cylindrical boilers
  • Single screw[1]
Speed7+1⁄2 kn (13.9 km/h)
Complement36 - 40
Armament
  • 1 × 68-pounder 95 cwt muzzle-loading smooth-bore gun aft
  • 1 × 32-pounder muzzle-loading smooth-bore gun fwd
  • 2 × 24-pounder howitzers on broadside trucks[1]

Construction

The Albacore class was ordered to meet the sudden need for shallow-draft vessels in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea during the Crimean War. Many of them were built of unseasoned timber, and their lives were consequently short. Sepoy was launched on 13 February 1856 at the North Shields yard of T & W Smith, and commissioned seven weeks later under Lieutenant-in-command Henry Needham Knox.[2]

Career

According to The Times of 12 March 1856, the gunboats Sepoy and Erne left the Tyne in tow of the Cock-o'-the-North, for Woolwich.[3] She was present at the Fleet Review, Spithead on 23 April the same year, as part of the White Squadron,[4] and paid off at Sheerness on 28 May 1856.[2]

In company with HM gunboats Bullfrog, Carnation and Spanker, from the 1st Division of Steam Reserve at Sheerness, she went to Gravesend on 5 March 1863 to take on board the RN Volunteers of the London division. They were embarked to fire a Royal salute on the arrival of the Princess Alexandra.[5]

On 10 October 1865, Sepoy was driven ashore and severely damaged at the mouth of the River Tweed.[6][7]

Disposal

Sepoy was broken up in 1868.

References
  1. Winfield, R.; Lyon, D. (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6. OCLC 52620555.
  2. "HMS Sepoy at William Loney website". Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  3. The Times (London), Wednesday, 12 March 1856, p.9
  4. The Times (London), Thursday, 24 April 1856, p.7
  5. The Times (London), Wednesday, 4 March 1863, p.12
  6. "Fearful Gale on the North-East Coast". Newcastle Courant. No. 9953. Newcastle upon Tyne. 6 October 1865.
  7. "Shipping". Belfast News-Letter. No. 33193. Belfast. 14 October 1865.
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