HMS ''Goldfinch'' was a of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, built at

Sheerness Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. Location In the Age of Sail, the Royal Navy would often establish shore ...

and launched on 18 May 1889.Bastock, p.114.

Service

She commenced service on the

Australia Station The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, whose rank varied over t ...

in March 1890. She left the Australia Station in August 1899 and returned to England. She was converted into a survey vessel in January 1902, and commissioned by Commander Frederick Charles Learmonth on 4 February 1902. She left

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

for the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

later that month on surveying duties. In October 1902 she left Malta for the West Coast of Africa, visiting Sierra Leone and

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language, as the Efik people dominate this area. The city is adjac ...

in December.

Fate

''Goldfinch'' returned to

for refitting for continued service in 1906, but was found to be in poor condition and the sloop was refitted as a survey ship to replace her. ''Goldfinch'' was sold on 14 May 1907 for breaking up.

Citations

References

*Bastock, John (1988), ''Ships on the Australia Station'', Child & Associates Publishing Pty Ltd; Frenchs Forest, Australia. * 1889 ships Ships built in Sheerness Victorian-era gunboats of the United Kingdom Redbreast-class gunboats {{UK-mil-ship-stub