The ''Phoenix'' class was a two-ship

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

of 6-gun screw steel sloops built for 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 ...

in 1895. Both ships participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion, but ''Phoenix'' was destroyed in a typhoon while alongside in Hong Kong in 1906. ''Algerine'' became a depot ship at Esquimalt, was sold in 1919, and was finally wrecked in 1923.

Design

''Phoenix'' and ''Algerine'' were constructed of steel and powered by both

barquentine A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts. Modern barquentine sailing ...

-rigged sails and a twin-screw steam engine developing 1,400

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

. They were essentially a twin-screw version of the ''Alert''-class sloop.

Operational lives

Screw sloops like ''Phoenix'' had been obsolete for many years, but they remained ideal for patrolling Britain's far flung maritime empire, and both ''Phoenix'' and ''Algerine'' were deployed to the

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China, was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 1 ...

. Both ships recommissioned at

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and served in Chinese waters during the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

. In June 1900 ''Algerine'' was involved in an attack on the

Taku Forts The Taku Forts or Dagukou Forts (大沽口炮台), also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River (Peiho River) estuary in the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in northeastern China. They are located southeast of the Tianjin urban ...

, including contributing to a multi-national landing party, and had 6 men wounded. She also landed a 4-inch gun, and this was used in the capture of

Tientsin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the 2020 Chinese census. Its metropoli ...

. ''Phoenix'' had the misfortune to be alongside a coaling pier in

on 18 September 1906 when a

typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

struck the colony. She foundered and became a total loss. ''Algerine'' continued to serve, including time at

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt () is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Jua ...

and the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the Contiguous United States, contig ...

. In 1914 her crew was sent to man , and in 1917 she was lent to the Royal Canadian Navy to serve as a depot ship at Esquimalt. She was sold in 1919 and converted to a salvage vessel. In her new guise she was wrecked on 13 October 1923 in the

Principe Channel Principe Channel is a strait on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada, located between Banks Island (W) and Pitt Island (E). "Principe" means "prince" in Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Design

Operational lives

Ships

Citations

References

External links