HMS Condor (1898)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Condor.

HMS Condor was a Condor-class sloop of the Royal Navy, and was the lead ship of her class.^[1] She was launched on 17 December 1898, and sunk in a gale on 3 December 1901.^[1]

HMS Condor in 1901
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Condor
Namesake	Condor
Builder	Sheerness
Launched	17 December 1898
Stricken	3 December 1901
Fate	Sunk in a gale, 1901
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Condor-class sloop
Displacement	980 long tons (1,000 t)
Length	204 ft (62.2 m)
Draught	11 ft 4 in (3.5 m)
Speed	13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)
Crew	140

Design and description

Condor had a displacement of 980 tonnes, a length of 204 feet (62 m), a draught of 11.4 feet (3.5 m), and a speed of 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph).^[2][3] She had a crew size of 140 servicemen.^[3]

Construction and career

Condor was laid down on 1 January 1898 in Sheerness, England.^[2] She was launched on 17 December 1898, however, the Condor would not be fully completed until 1 November 1900, being commissioned that same day.^[1][2][4] On 2 December 1901, she departed from Esquimalt, British Columbia, bound for Honolulu.^[3][4] On 3 December, she passed through Cape Flattery, she accidentally entered into a strong gale, and sunk.^[1][2][3] After two months, on 3 February 1902, she was listed as missing in action with all hands lost.^[3]

Wreckage discovery

In May 1949, 47 years after the sinking of Condor, the fishing trawler Blanco was fishing about 40 miles (64 km) north of Cape Flattery, when her nets got tangled on a piece of the wreckage.^[3] The nets were pulled in, recovering Condor's binnacle and other miscellaneous pieces of the ship's wreckage.^[3] The rest of the wreckage was never found.^[3]