Plover-class gunvessel

The Plover-class gunvessels were a class of wooden gunboats built for the Royal Navy in the late 1860s. They mostly served overseas and were retired early as they were regarded as hopelessly obsolete by the late 1880s.

Woodlark in 1880
Class overview
NamePlover class
Operators Royal Navy
Preceded byCormorant class
Succeeded byBeacon class
Built1867–1871
Completed12
Scrapped12
General characteristics (as built)
TypeWooden screw gunvessel
Displacement805 long tons (818 t)
Tons burthen663 bm
Length170 ft (51.8 m) (p/p)
Beam29 ft (8.8 m)
Draught10 ft 6 in (3.2 m)
Depth15 ft (4.6 m)
Installed power857–985 ihp (639–735 kW)
Propulsion
Sail planBarque rig
Speed10–11 knots (19–20 km/h; 12–13 mph)
Complement90
Armament

Ships

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Ship Builder[1] Laid down[2] Launched[2] Completed[2] Fate[2]
Plover Deptford Dockyard NA 20 February 1867 NA Sold for breaking, August 1885
Ringdove Portsmouth Dockyard NA 4 September 1867 NA Sold for breaking, 17 May 1882
Philomel Deptford Dockyard NA 29 October 1867 NA Sold at Bombay, 14 April 1886
Lapwing Devonport Dockyard 21 January 1867 8 November 1867 27 June 1868 Sold for breaking, 15 April 1885
Magpie Portsmouth Dockyard NA 12 February 1868 NA Survey vessel in 1878. Sold, September 1885
Bullfinch Sheerness Dockyard NA 13 February 1868 NA Sold for breaking, June 1885
Seagull Devonport Dockyard 15 April 1867 6 March 1868 19 April 1871 Sold for breaking, November 1887
Curlew Deptford Dockyard NA 20 August 1868 NA Sold for breaking, 7 November 1882
Swallow Portsmouth Dockyard NA 16 November 1868 NA Sold, 18 October 1882
Bittern Pembroke Dockyard NA 20 September 1869 NA Sold for breaking, November 1887
Vulture Sheerness Dockyard NA 6 November 1869 NA Sold for breaking, September 1885
Woodlark Chatham Dockyard NA 9 March 1871 NA Sold at Bombay, 9 March 1887

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 109
  2. ^ a b c d Lyon & Winfield, p. 293

Bibliography

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  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
  • Ballard, G. A. (1940). "British Gunvessels of 1875: The Larger Twin-Screw Type". Mariner's Mirror. 26 (January). Cambridge, UK: Society for Nautical Research: 15–32. doi:10.1080/00253359.1940.10657367.
  • Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
  • 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.