HMS Beagle (1854)

HMS Beagle was a wooden-hulled Arrow-class gunvessel second-class screw gunvessel launched in 1854 and sold in 1863. She was the third vessel of the Royal Navy to use the name.

Design
The Crimean War sparked a sudden need for shallow-draught, manoeuvrable vessels for inshore work in the Baltic and the Black Sea. The Arrow class of six wooden-hulled screw steamers were built during 1854 to a design by the Surveyor's Department. Construction was undertaken at two commercial yards on the Thames, R & H Green and C J Mare & Company, both of Leamouth, London. Two further designs of Crimean War gunvessel were ordered during 1855, the Intrepid-class gunvessel and the Vigilant-class gunvessel. The class was built as despatch vessels, but in 1856 were re-designated as second-class gunvessels.

Propulsion
A two-cylinder horizontal single expansion steam engine supplied by Humphrys, Tennant and Dykes provided 160 hp through a single screw.

Sail plan
All Arrow-class gunvessels were barque-rigged.

Armament
The Arrow class were provided with two 68-pounder Lancaster muzzle-loading rifled guns weighing 95 long cwt on pivot mounts, and four 32-pounder 25 long cwt guns.

Construction and career
Beagle was laid down at the Leamouth yard of C J Mare & Company on 15 April 1854 and launched on 20 July the same year. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy two months later on 3 September.

Beagle took part in the Crimean War from 1854 to 1856. During the Crimean War, two of her ship's company were awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for their actions: Joseph Trewavas was awarded the VC for his actions in the Sea of Azov, and an acting-mate in Beagle, William Hewett, was awarded the VC for his actions in defending a shore battery.

Beagle was sold to the Satsuma Domain (薩摩藩) of Japan at Hong Kong in 1863 to be used as a training vessel, and was renamed Kenko (乾行) in 1865. She was broken up in 1889.