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HMS Opal (1875)

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Opal in Sydney
History
Royal Navy Ensign
NameHMS Opal
BuilderWilliam Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
Laid down13 October 1873
Launched9 March 1875
Fatesold in August 1892 for breaking up at Sheerness
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeEmerald-class corvette
Displacement2,120 tons
Tons burthen1,864 bm
Length220 ft (67 m) pp
Beam40 ft (12 m)
Draughtlist error: <br /> list (help)
16 ft 6 in (5.03 m) forwards
18 ft (5.5 m) aft
Depth of hold21 ft 6 in (6.55 m)
Installed powerlist error: <br /> list (help)
2,187 ihp (1,631 kW)
350 nhp
Propulsion
  • 2-cylinder horizontal compound expansion steam engine
  • 6 × cylindrical boilers
  • Single hoisting screw
Sail planFull-rigged ship (barque from 1880s)
Complement232
Armamentlist error: mixed text and list (help)
As built:

From 1880:

  • 10 × 64-pounder 71-cwt RML guns
  • 2 × 64-pounder 64-cwt RML guns

HMS Opal was an Emerald-class corvette of the Royal Navy, laid down as Magicienne and built by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland and launched on 9 March 1875.[2]

She was completed with an armament of 14 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns (2 on bow and stern chasers, mounted on centre-line swivelling slides, and 12 on broadside slide mountings) and initially commenced service on the Pacific Station, and while on passage in 1876 hit a rock in the Strait of Magellan. She was damaged and repairs were undertaken at Esquimalt.[2] She returned to England in 1880 for refit, in which her broadside armament was reduced by 2 guns and she was re-rigged as a barque. She sailed for service on the Cape of Good Hope and West Africa Station in 1883, before commencing service on the Australia Station in 1885.[2] She returned to England in 1890 and was placed into reserve. She was sold for breaking up at Sheerness in August 1892.[2]

Citations

  1. ^ Winfield (2004), p.288
  2. ^ a b c d Bastock, p.87.

References

  • Bastock, John (1988), Ships on the Australia Station, Child & Associates Publishing Pty Ltd; Frenchs Forest, Australia. ISBN 0-86777-348-0
  • 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.