View source for Hermes-class sloop

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Acheron (1838).jpg
|Ship caption=''Acheron'' in New Zealand
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Hermes''-class paddle sloop 
|Builders=*[[Portsmouth Dockyard]]
*[[Sheerness Dockyard]]
|Operators={{Navy|United Kingdom}}
|Class before={{HMS|Medea|1833|6}}
|Class after={{HMS|Gorgon|1837|6}}
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range= 1834–1839
|In service range=
|In commission range= 1835–1864
|Total ships completed=4
|Total ships lost=1
|Total ships retired=3
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Paddle steamer|Paddle]] [[sloop-of-war|sloop]]
|Ship tons burthen={{frac|715|43|94}} [[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]]
|Ship displacement=1,006 tons
|Ship length=*{{convert|150|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on|1}} gundeck
*{{convert|128|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on|1}} keel for tonnage
|Ship beam=*{{convert|32|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on|1}} maximum
*{{convert|32|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on|1}} for tonnage
|Ship draught=*{{convert|11|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on|1}} (forward)
*{{convert|12|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on|1}} (aft)
|Ship hold depth={{convert|17|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship sail plan=3-masted [[barque|barque rigged]] 
|Ship power=140 [[nominal horsepower]] (160 in ''Acheron'')
|Ship propulsion=
*2-cylinder side lever steam engine
*Paddles
|Ship complement=135
|Ship armament=
*''As built'':
*2 × 9-pounder (13 {{frac|1|2}} cwt) brass guns
*''From 1842'':
*1 × 8-inch (52 cwt) pivot gun
*2 × 32-pounder (17 cwt) [[carronade]]s
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The '''''Hermes'' class''' were a group of four vessels designed by John Edye of the Surveyor's Department to specifications outlined by Captain William Symonds, the Surveyor of the Navy. The design was approved in 1834. The vessels would be powered by a 140 [[nominal horsepower]] engine and carry an armament of two [[brass]] 9-pounder guns. The ships would be built in three Royal Dockyards (Portsmouth, Chatham and Sheerness), however, the Chatham vessel was transferred to Sheerness in 1837 prior to being laid down. ''Hermes'' was re-engined and lengthen in 1842, ''Megaera'' was wrecked in Jamaica in 1843. the remaining vessels served on many different stations of the Empire. ''Acheron'' was sold in 1855, ''Hermes'' went to the Breakers in 1864 and ''Volcano'' lasted until 1894.

''Acheron'' was the second named vessel since it was used for an 8-gun Bomb, purchased in October 1803 then captured by the French in the Mediterranean and burnt on 3 February 1805.<ref>Colledge, Acheron</ref>

''Hermes'' was the sixth named vessel since it was used for a 12-gun brig sloop, captured from the Dutch (''Mercurius'') by ''Sylph'' at Texel on 12 May 1596 and foundered in January 1797.<ref>Colledge, Hermes</ref>

''Megaera'' was the second named vessel since it was used for a 14-gun Fireship, launched by Teague of Ipswich in May 1783 and sold to J. Darkin on 3 April 1817.<ref>Colledge, Megaera</ref>

''Volcano'' was the sixth named vessel since it was used for an 8-gun Fireship, purchased 1778, commissioned 31 July 1778 and sold 7 May 1781.<ref>Colledge, Volcano</ref>

==Design and specifications==
The first three vessels were ordered in 1834 with last one in 1837. the ships were laid down at the rate of one per year between 1834 and 1837 with first pair at Portsmouth and the second pair at Sheerness. The first was launched in 1835 and the last in 1838.<ref>Lyon Winfield, page 158</ref> The gundeck was {{convert|150|ft|0|in|m|abbr=off|2}} with the keel length of {{convert|125|ft|0|in|m|abbr=off|2}} reported for tonnage. The maximum beam was {{convert|32|ft|9|in|m|abbr=off|2}} with {{convert|32|ft|5|in|m|abbr=off|2}} reported for tonnage. The depth of hold was {{convert|17|ft|0|in|m|abbr=off|2}}. The light draught forward was {{convert|11|ft|6|in|m|abbr=off|2}} and {{convert|12|ft|0|in|m|abbr=off|2}} aft. The builder's measure was calculated at 715 <small>43/94</small> tons whereas the vessels displaced 1,006 tons.<ref>Winfield</ref>

In 1842 ''Hermes'' underwent an engine change. During that process her hull was lengthened. Upon completion her gundeck was now {{convert|170|ft|0|in|m|abbr=off|2}} with {{convert|148|ft|1.25|in|m|abbr=off|2}} for keel reported for tonnage. Her breadth remained at {{convert|32|ft|9|in|m|abbr=off|2}} at maximum with {{convert|32|ft|5|in|m|abbr=off|2}} reported for tonnage. Her depth of hold increased to {{convert|18|ft|2|in|m|abbr=off|2}} with her builder's measured tonnage calculated at 827 <small>88/94</small> tons.<ref>Winfield</ref>

The machinery for ''Acheron'', ''Volcano'' and ''Megaera'' was supplied by [[John Seaward|Seaward and Capel]] and ''Hermes'' was supplied by the [[Butterley Company]] of Derbyshire. All vessels were equipped with two fire-tube rectangular boilers. All engines were basically 2-cylinder vertical single expansion (VSE) [[Marine steam engine#Side-lever|side-lever steam engine]]s rated at 140 nominal horsepower (NHP) except ''Acheron'' which was rated at 160 NHP.  ''Hermes'' was originally fitted with Morgan's paddle wheels from the original ''Hermes'' of 1830.<ref>Winfield</ref> In 1838 she was fitted with cycloidal paddle wheels.<ref>Lyon Winfield, page 158</ref> ''Hermes'' had her original engine removed at Woolwich in 1840, and after which she was lengthened, in 1843 a new [[Henry Maudslay|Maudslay]] 220 [[nominal horsepower]] 'Siamese'-type steam engine was fitted.<ref>Lyon Winfield, page 158</ref> This gave her a speed under power of about {{convert|8+1/2|kn|km/h}}.<ref>Lyon Winfield, page 158</ref> Pictures show ''Acheron'' with a [[barque]] rig.

All four ships were initially armed with two 9-pounder (13 <small>1/2</small> hundredweight (cwt)) (muzzle-loading smooth bore MLSB) brass guns. Between 1842 and 1843 they were re-armed with one 8-inch 52 cwt muzzle loading shell gun on a pivot mount and two 32-pounder (17 cwt) [[carronade]]s.<ref group=Note>"cwt", or "[[hundredweight]]" refers to the weight of the gun itself. "32-pounder" refers to the weight of the ball fired</ref><ref>Lyon Winfield, page 158</ref> They had a complement of approximately 135 men.<ref>Winfield</ref>

==Initial cost of vessels==
*''Acheron'': Total Cost £25,509 (Hull - £16,819; Machinery - £8,690)<ref group=Note>A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|25509|1838|r=-2}}}} in today's money for Acheron.</ref>
*''Hermes'': Total Cost £24,452<ref group=Note>A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|24452|1838|r=-2}}}} in today's money for Hermes.</ref>
*''Megaera'' Total Cost: £27,778 (Hull - £15,161; machinery - £8,983; fitting - £3,634)<ref group=Note>A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|27778|1838|r=-2}}}} in today's money for Magaera.</ref>
*''Volcano'' Total Cost: £27,884 (hull - £17,011; machinery - £8,875; fitting - £1,867)<ref group=Note>A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|27884|1838|r=-2}}}} in today's money for Volcano.</ref>

==Ships==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
!Name||Ship builder||Laid down||Launched||Commissioned||Fate
|-
|{{HMS|Hermes|1835|2}}||Portsmouth Dockyard||April 1834||26 June 1835||25 November 1835||Sold for [[ship breaking|breaking]] October 1864
|-
|{{HMS|Volcano|1836|2}}||Portsmouth Dockyard||July 1835||30 June 1836||17 January 1837||Engineers' workshop at Portsmouth from 1854; broken up at Portsmouth in 1894
|-
|{{HMS|Megaera|1837|2}}||Sheerness Dockyard||August 1836||17 August 1837||30 March 1838||Wrecked on Bare Bush Key, 5 miles east of [[Portland Point]], Jamaica, 4 March 1843
|-
|{{HMS|Acheron|1838|2}}||Sheerness Dockyard||October 1837||23 August 1838||8 January 1839||Sold at Sydney in 1855
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* Lyon Winfield, The Sail & Steam Navy List, All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815 to 1889, by David Lyon & Rif Winfield, published by Chatham Publishing, London © 2004, {{ISBN|1-86176-032-9}}
* Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail (1817 – 1863), by Rif Winfield, published by Seaforth Publishing, England © 2014, e{{ISBN|9781473837430}}, Chapter 11 Steam Paddle Vessels, Vessels acquired since November 1830, Hermes Class
* Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, by J.J. Colledge, revised and updated by Lt Cdr Ben Warlow and Steve Bush, published by Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Great Britain, © 2020, e {{ISBN|978-1-5267-9328-7}} (EPUB)
* The Navy List, published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London

{{Royal Navy paddle sloops}}

[[Category:Paddle sloops of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Sloop classes]]