HMS Decoy (1871)

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

HMS Decoy was an Ariel-class composite gunboat of the Royal Navy, built at Pembroke Dockyard and launched on 12 October 1871. She served in both the Third Anglo-Ashanti War in 1873 and the Bombardment of Alexandria in 1882. She rapidly became obsolete and was sold in 1885.

H.M's Gunboat Decoy at sea
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Decoy
Ordered	1871
Builder	Pembroke Dockyard
Launched	12 October 1871
Fate	Sold in 1885
General characteristics
Class & type	Ariel-class gunboat
Displacement	430 tons
Tons burthen	295 bm
Length	125 ft 0 in (38.10 m)
Beam	22 ft 6 in (6.86 m)
Draught	10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) max
Installed power	461 ihp (344 kW) 60 nominal horsepower
Propulsion	2-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine Two boilers Single (hoisting) screw
Sail plan	Three-masted barquentine rig
Speed	9.5 kn (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph)
Armament	2 × 6-inch (150 mm) 64-pounder (56 cwt) muzzle-loading rifles 2 × 4-inch (100 mm) 20-pounder Armstrong breech loaders

Design and construction

Designed by Sir Edward Reed, Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy, the Ariel-class gunboats were the first gunboats of composite construction. She was armed with two 6-inch (150 mm) 64-pounder (56 cwt) muzzle-loading rifles and two 4-inch (100 mm) 20-pounder Armstrong breech loaders. All four guns were mounted on traversing carriages. All the ships of the class carried a three-masted barquentine rig.

Operational service

Decoy at the bombardment of Elmina on 13 June 1873

Decoy was deployed off the coast of West Africa to support the operations on the Gold Coast. She deployed with Druid and Argus.^[1] She also took part in the bombardment of Bootry.

In 1882 she formed part of the Naval and Military forces at the Bombardment of Alexandria.^[2] Argus, Isis, and Beacon blockaded Damietta.^[3]

Fate

She was sold at Malta in 1885.