Sharpshooter Class Torpedo Gunboat (1888)

The thirteen vessels of the Sharpshooter Class set the pattern for the remainder of the Royal Navy's torpedo gunboats. Of the thirteen Sharpshooters, four were built by Armstrong Mitchell for duties on colonial stations, with Boomerang and Karakatta for the Australian Station, and Assaye and Plassey being built for the Royal Indian Marine. Five survived long enough to serve as minesweepers in the First World War.

Overview of thirteen vessels
Citations for this data available on individual ship pages
Name	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Completed	Fate
Boomerang	Armstrong Mitchell	17 August, 1888	24 July, 1889	14 February, 1890	Sold 11 July, 1905
Gleaner	Sheerness Dockyard	21 January, 1889	9 January, 1890	21 December, 1891	4 April, 1905
Gossamer	Sheerness Dockyard	21 January, 1889	9 January, 1890	16 June, 1891	Sold 30 March, 1920
Karakatta	Armstrong Mitchell	17 August, 1888	27 August, 1889	February 1891	Sold 11 January, 1905
Salamander	Chatham Dockyard	23 April, 1888	31 May, 1889	8 July, 1891	Sold 15 May, 1906
Seagull	Chatham Dockyard	23 April, 1888	31 May, 1889	1 December, 1890	Collision 30 September 1918
Sharpshooter	Devonport Dockyard	13 January, 1888	30 November, 1888	August, 1889	Hulked c. 1904
Sheldrake	Chatham Dockyard	4 July, 1888	30 March, 1889	8 July, 1890	Sold 9 July, 1906
Skipjack	Chatham Dockyard	4 July, 1888	30 April, 1889	8 July, 1891	Sold 23 April, 1920
Spanker	Devonport Dockyard	12 April, 1888	22 February, 1889	17 October, 1890	Sold 20 March, 1920
Speedwell	Devonport Dockyard	18 April, 1888	15 March, 1889	1 July, 1890	Sold 20 March, 1920
Assaye	Armstrong Mitchell	19 November, 1888	11 February, 1890	January 1892	Sold May 1904
Plassey	Armstrong Mitchell	19 November, 1888	5 July, 1890	February 1890	Sold 17 May, 1905

Construction

Machinery

This class was reviled for its problematic propulsion systems. When Antelope was being worked up in 1891, The Times referred to the entire class as "notoriously unsuccessful."^[1]

Toward the end the Annual Manoeuvres of 1892, Sharpshooter's fires were extinguished and she shipped fully seventy tons of water. A similar fate had nearly befallen Skipjack, and it was reported that "it is the univeral opinion amongst naval officers who have had experience of the Sharpshooter class [in The Times, this generally also meant the Alarm class as well] that the vessels are unfit for active service owing to the weakness of their engines and boilers."^[2]

Armament

The Sharpshooters were meant to carry the same gun armament as the previous Grasshoppers, viz:

One 4-inch BL gun
Six 3-pounder guns
Five 14-inch torpedo tubes and eight torpedoes

During construction, however, tests at Elswick of a new 4.7-inch quick-firing gun showed it was markedly superior to the old 4-inch breach-loader, being able to fire ten rounds in a minute instead of only twice. The new gun was promptly introduced into the design, with a second 4.7-incher being added for good measure in place of two 3-pounders. Torpedo armament remained unchanged.^[3] Thus the Sharpshooter's armament as built was:

Two 4.7-inch quick-firing guns
Four 3-pounder guns
Five 14-inch torpedo tubes and eight torpedoes

Conversions

Sharpshooter was hulked in 1904 for instructional duties and renamed Northampton. In 1908 the five survivors (Gossamer, Seagull, Skipjack, Spanker, and Speedwell) were taken in hand for conversion to minesweepers.^[4]

Footnotes

↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Friday, Aug 14, 1891; pg. 8; Issue 33403.
↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Friday, Aug 19, 1892; pg. 9; Issue 33721.
↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 89.
↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 89.

Bibliography

Brown, David K, RCNC (2003). Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860 — 1905. London: Chatham Publishing. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
Chesneau, Robert; Kolesnik, Eugene (editors) (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781591140818 (on Amazon.com).
Lyon, David; Winfield, Rif (2004). The Sail & Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy, 1815-1889. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1861760329. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).