Philomel-class gunvessel

Jeanette (the former HMS Pandora) at Le Havre in 1878
Class overview
Operators Royal Navy
Preceded byIntrepid-class gunvessel
Succeeded byCormorant-class gunvessel
Built1859 - 1867
In commission1860 - 1906
Completed20
Cancelled6
General characteristics
TypeWooden screw gunvessel
Displacement570 tons
Length
  • 145 ft (44.2 m) oa
  • 127 ft 10.25 in (39.0 m) pp
Beam25 ft 4 in (7.7 m)
Depth of hold13 ft (3.96 m)
Installed powerAbout 325 ihp (242 kW)
Propulsion
  • Single 2-cyl. horizontal single-expansion steam engine
  • Single screw
Sail plan
SpeedAbout 9.5 knots (18 km/h)
Complement60
Armament
  • One 68-pdr muzzle-loading smooth-bore gun
  • Two 24-pdr howitzers
  • Two 20-pdr breech-loading guns

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. Two of the class were sold and used as Arctic exploration vessels, both eventually being lost in the ice.