HMS Lily (1874)

HMS Lily was an Arab-class composite gunvessel built for the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1874, saw service in Chinese and North American waters, and was wrecked on the coast of Labrador on 16 September 1888.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Lily.

A postcard of HMS Lily
History
UK
Name: HMS Lily
Ordered: 1873
Builder: Robert Napier and Sons, Govan, Glasgow
Cost: £34,108[1]
Yard number: 334
Laid down: 1873
Launched: 27 October 1874
Commissioned: August 1875
Decommissioned: 1885
Fate: Wrecked, 16 September 1889
General characteristics (as built)[1]
Class and type: Arab-class composite gunvessel
Displacement: 720 long tons (730 t)
Length:
  • 167 ft 0 in (50.9 m) (oa)
  • 150 ft 2 in (45.8 m) (p/p)
Beam: 28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)
Draught: 13 ft 6 in (4.1 m)
Depth of hold: 17 ft 6 in (5.3 m)
Installed power:
Propulsion:
Sail plan: Barque rig
Speed: 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Range: 790 nmi (1,460 km; 910 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement: 90
Armament:

Design and construction

Designed by Nathaniel Barnaby, the Royal Navy's Chief Constructor, Lily was ordered from the Govan yard of Robert Napier and Sons in 1873 and laid down the same year as yard number 334. She was launched on 27 October 1874[1] and commissioned at Devonport in August 1875.[2]

Her hull was built of iron frames and ribs, and planked in wood.[1] This "composite" construction was both cheap and easy to repair and allowed the wooden planking to be coppered, reducing marine growth. On far-flung colonial stations, the benefits of both simple repair and reduced marine growth were particularly positive, due to a lack of substantial ship repair and careening facilities. For this reason, smaller vessels like the Arab class continued to use composite construction until long after larger vessels had transitioned to iron or steel construction.

Propulsion

Steam was provided at 60 pounds per square inch (410 kPa) by 3 boilers to a single 2-cylinder horizontal compound-expansion steam engine generating 829 indicated horsepower (618 kW). A single screw was provided, which could be hoisted clear of the water to improve the ship's hull lines when sailing. She achieved a trials speed of 10.7 knots (19.8 km/h; 12.3 mph) under power.[1] A sailing rig was provided, with square rig on the fore and main masts, and fore-and-aft rigging only on the mizzen, giving her a "barque" rig.[1]

Armament

A single 7-inch rifled muzzle-loading gun amidships and 2 6.3-inch 64-pounder rifled muzzle-loading guns, one forward and one aft, and both fitted on traversing slides, constituted her main armament. Two machine guns and a light gun were also fitted.[1]

Service

Lily served on the China station and was recommissioned at Hong Kong in 1879. By April 1886 she was serving on the North America and West Indies station.[2]

Fate

Lily was wrecked off Point Amour Lighthouse, Labrador in thick fog[3] on 16 September 1888.[1] A capsized boat caused the death of seven of her ship's company.[2]

Footnotes
  1. Winfield (2004), p.295
  2. "HMS Lily at the Naval Database". Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  3. "HMS Lily at the Clyde-built database". Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

Bibliography
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