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Tuesday 20 February 2018

British torpedo gunboat HMS Spanker 1888-1920

Noord-Hollands Archief. Original url
Visiting IJmuiden, Netherlands April 1911

Of the Sharpshooter-class. Laid down by Devonport Dockyard, England on 12 April 1888, launched on 22 February 1889, commissioned on 17 October 1890, reclassified as minesweeper in 1909 and sold to the Cornish Salvage Company, Ilfracombe to be broken up on 20 March 1920.

Displacement 735 tons and as dimensions 70 (between perpendiculars)-74 (over all) x 8,2 x 2,59 metres or 230-242 x 27 x 8.6 feet. Machinery consisted of 2 tripe expansion steam engines and locomotive boilers (replaced between 1895-1898 by Du Temple boilers) and supplying via 2 screws 2.500ihp (natural draught)-3.600ihp (forced draught) allowing a speed of 19 knots and a range of 2.500 nautical miles with a speed of 10 knots. Her crew numbered. Original armament consisted of 5-36cm/14” torpedo tubes, 2-12cm/4.7” quick firing guns and 4-3pd guns. After her conversion into a minesweepers were the torpedo tubes removed and was she fitted out with minesweeping gear.