HMS Viper (1831)
HMS Viper was a six-gun Cockatrice-class schooner built for the Royal Navy during the 1830s. She was sold for scrap in 1851.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name: | Viper |
| Namesake: | Viper |
| Ordered: | 11 September 1828 |
| Builder: | Pembroke Dockyard |
| Laid down: | June 1830 |
| Launched: | 12 May 1831 |
| Completed: | 31 August 1831 |
| Reclassified: | As packet boat, 1831 |
| Fate: | Broken up, May 1851 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Cockatrice-class schooner |
| Tons burthen: | 18135/94 bm |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 23 ft 3 in (7.1 m) |
| Draught: | 9 ft 5 in (2.9 m) |
| Depth: | 9 ft 11 in (3.0 m) |
| Sail plan: | brigantine rig |
| Complement: | 33–42 |
| Armament: | 2 × 6-pdr cannon; 4 × 12-pdr carronades |
Description
Viper had a length at the gundeck of 80 feet (24.4 m) and 64 feet 6 inches (19.7 m) at the keel. She had a beam of 23 feet 3 inches (7.1 m), a draught of about 9 feet 5 inches (2.9 m) and a depth of hold of 9 feet 11 inches (3.0 m). The ship's tonnage was 181 35/94 tons burthen.[1] The Cockatrice class was armed with two 6-pounder cannon and four 12-pounder carronades. The ships had a crew of 33–42 officers and ratings.[2]
Construction and career
Viper, the twelfth ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy,[3] was ordered on 11 September 1828, laid down in June 1820 at Pembroke Dockyard, Wales, and launched on 12 May 1831.[2] She was completed on 31 August 1831 at Plymouth Dockyard.[1]
Notes
- Winfield, pp. 1202–03
- Winfield & Lyon, p. 138
- Colledge, pp. 375–76
References
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Phillips, Lawrie; Lieutenant Commander (2014). Pembroke Dockyard and the Old Navy: A Bicentennial History. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-5214-9.
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1793-1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates (epub). Barnsley, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.
- 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.