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Cadmus-class sloop
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Cadmus-class sloop
The Cadmus class was a six-ship class of 10-gun screw steel sloops built at Sheerness Dockyard for the Royal Navy between 1900 and 1903. This was the last class of the Victorian Navy's multitude of sloops, gunvessels and gunboats to be constructed, and they followed the traditional pattern for 'colonial' small warships, with a full rig of sails. After them, the "Fisher Reforms" of the Navy ended the construction and deployment of this type of vessel. All of the class survived until the 1920s, remaining on colonial stations during World War I.
The Cadmus class was constructed of copper-sheathed steel to a design by William White, the Royal Navy Director of Naval Construction. Propulsion was provided by a three-cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engine developing 1,400 horsepower (1,000 kW) and driving twin screws. They were an evolution of the Condor-class sloop, carrying more coal, which in turn gave a greater length and displacement. This class comprised the very last screw sloops built for the Royal Navy, and Espiegle was the last Royal Navy ship to sport a figurehead until she was broken up, although photos of the other ships in this class also show them with figureheads. The last ship built with a figurehead was HMS Cadmus
As designed and built the class was fitted with a barquentine-rigged sail plan. After HMS Condor was lost in a gale in 1901, the Admiralty abandoned sails entirely. Espiegle was never fitted with sails, and the rest of the class had their yards removed in 1914. The official attitude to sails and the loss of yards did not completely prevent the use of sails, and log entries show that fore-and-aft sails were being used in Odin as late as April 1920.
The class was armed with six 4-inch/25-pounder (1ton) quick-firing breech loaders and four 3-pounder quick-firing breech loaders, as well as several machine guns. Fantome had her armament reduced to two QF 3-pounders for survey work.
The design of the Cadmus class differed from the screw sloops of the 1860s only in an evolutionary sense. Although constructed of steel and armed with quick-loading guns, they retained the sails and layout of the earlier vessels. By the turn of the twentieth century, they were thoroughly obsolete. The overseas stations of the Royal Navy were responsible for patrolling the maritime British Empire, and these ships were intended for that role. The rapidity with which they were sold or converted to survey ships gives testament to their out-moded design. According to Hansard, it was stated by the Secretary to the Admiralty in Parliament on 6 March 1905 that
they were never designed for fighting purposes but for subsidiary work in peace or war, for which they are still available, and in which they are at the present moment engaged
On commissioning, Espiegle joined the China Station. Due to the threat to British subjects and interests in Yingkou (then known as Niuzhuang) from the Russo-Japanese War, she was sent to the Liao River during 1903–1904, where she wintered in the river in a mud dock dug out for her. Once the ice had melted, she made passage to Weihaiwei, passing Port Arthur at daylight on 13 April 1904, witnessing exchanges of fire between Japanese and Russian ships.
By 1914, Espiegle was on the East Indies Station. She took part in the operations in the Shatt-al-Arab in November 1914 with Odin and Clio, reaching as far as Basra. She was sold at Bombay on 17 September 1923.
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Cadmus-class sloop
The Cadmus class was a six-ship class of 10-gun screw steel sloops built at Sheerness Dockyard for the Royal Navy between 1900 and 1903. This was the last class of the Victorian Navy's multitude of sloops, gunvessels and gunboats to be constructed, and they followed the traditional pattern for 'colonial' small warships, with a full rig of sails. After them, the "Fisher Reforms" of the Navy ended the construction and deployment of this type of vessel. All of the class survived until the 1920s, remaining on colonial stations during World War I.
The Cadmus class was constructed of copper-sheathed steel to a design by William White, the Royal Navy Director of Naval Construction. Propulsion was provided by a three-cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engine developing 1,400 horsepower (1,000 kW) and driving twin screws. They were an evolution of the Condor-class sloop, carrying more coal, which in turn gave a greater length and displacement. This class comprised the very last screw sloops built for the Royal Navy, and Espiegle was the last Royal Navy ship to sport a figurehead until she was broken up, although photos of the other ships in this class also show them with figureheads. The last ship built with a figurehead was HMS Cadmus
As designed and built the class was fitted with a barquentine-rigged sail plan. After HMS Condor was lost in a gale in 1901, the Admiralty abandoned sails entirely. Espiegle was never fitted with sails, and the rest of the class had their yards removed in 1914. The official attitude to sails and the loss of yards did not completely prevent the use of sails, and log entries show that fore-and-aft sails were being used in Odin as late as April 1920.
The class was armed with six 4-inch/25-pounder (1ton) quick-firing breech loaders and four 3-pounder quick-firing breech loaders, as well as several machine guns. Fantome had her armament reduced to two QF 3-pounders for survey work.
The design of the Cadmus class differed from the screw sloops of the 1860s only in an evolutionary sense. Although constructed of steel and armed with quick-loading guns, they retained the sails and layout of the earlier vessels. By the turn of the twentieth century, they were thoroughly obsolete. The overseas stations of the Royal Navy were responsible for patrolling the maritime British Empire, and these ships were intended for that role. The rapidity with which they were sold or converted to survey ships gives testament to their out-moded design. According to Hansard, it was stated by the Secretary to the Admiralty in Parliament on 6 March 1905 that
they were never designed for fighting purposes but for subsidiary work in peace or war, for which they are still available, and in which they are at the present moment engaged
On commissioning, Espiegle joined the China Station. Due to the threat to British subjects and interests in Yingkou (then known as Niuzhuang) from the Russo-Japanese War, she was sent to the Liao River during 1903–1904, where she wintered in the river in a mud dock dug out for her. Once the ice had melted, she made passage to Weihaiwei, passing Port Arthur at daylight on 13 April 1904, witnessing exchanges of fire between Japanese and Russian ships.
By 1914, Espiegle was on the East Indies Station. She took part in the operations in the Shatt-al-Arab in November 1914 with Odin and Clio, reaching as far as Basra. She was sold at Bombay on 17 September 1923.
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