NAVYPEDIA

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Dolphin		195	Raylton Dixon, Middlesborough	1881	9.12.1882	5.1884	sailing TS 1899, hulk 1907
Wanderer		196	Raylton Dixon, Middlesborough	1881	8.2.1883	5.1884	sailing TS 1894, sold to BU 2.1907

Technical data

Displacement normal, t	925
Displacement full, t
Length, m	47.9 pp
Breadth, m	9.75
Draught, m	4.26
No of shafts	1
Machinery	sails + 1 2-cyl HCE
Power, h. p.	Dolphin: 720 Wanderer: 750
Max speed, kts	11.3
Fuel, t	coal 135
Endurance, nm(kts)	1700(10)
Armament	2 x 1 - 152/26 BL Mk II, 2 x 1 - 127/25 BL Mk I, 1 x 2 - 25/40 Nordenfelt Mk I, 2 x 1 - 11.4/87
Complement	115

Project history

Designed by Nathaniel Barnaby. These were the first sloops to benefit by the Admiralty's rearmament policy of replacing ML guns with modern BLs. The MGs were a mixture of 25mm Nordenfelds and 11.43mm Gardners. Apart from their up-to-date armament, they were a repeat of the Wild Swan class.

Modernizations

1892, Dolphin: - 2 x 1 - 152/26, 2 x 1 - 127/25; + 2 x 1 - 152/26 BL Mk IV, 2 x 1 - 127/25 BL Mk V

Naval service

Dolphin's chief distinction being that she gave her name to the submarine base when she became an accommodation hulk for submarines in 1907. Before that her engines were removed in 1896 and she became sailing training ship in 1899. She was sold in 1925 and foundered under tow to BU 19.4.1925, raised and beached and later used as accommodation school ship until BU in 1977. Wanderer became brig-rigged sailing TS in 1894 and sold for BU in February 1907.

Many thanks to Wolfgang Stöhr for additional information on this page.