Racer-class sloop
# Racer-class sloop

The Racer-class sloop also known as the Cordelia class of swift cruisers was an 11-gun wooden screw sloop class of five ships built for the Royal Navy between 1855 and 1860.

## Design

Built of a traditional wooden construction, the Racer class were a lengthened version of the Swallow-class sloop, which in turn had been intended as "type of screw vessel below the Cruizer". The extra length gave greater speed, and combined with a considerable increase in power, this gave a speed of about 10 knots (19 km/h), rather more than the 7 knots (13 km/h) of the previous class.

The class were armed with a single 32-pounder gun (58 cwt) gun on a pivot mount and ten 32-pounder (25 cwt) carronades on the broadside. These guns were all smoothbore muzzle-loading, and were little changed from the standard guns of Nelson's era.

Propulsion was provided by a two-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine developing 461 indicated horsepower (344 kW) and driving a single screw. At maximum power under steam, top speed was about 10 knots (19 km/h). A barque rig of sails was carried, which meant the ships of the class had three masts with a square rig on the fore and main masts.

## Ships

The first three ships were ordered on 3 April 1854, although both Cordelia and Gannet were ordered as Swallow-class sloops, with the design being changed before construction. Icarus was ordered on 3 February 1855 and Pantaloon was ordered on 1 April 1857.

| Name | Ship Builder | Laid down | Launched | Fate |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Cordelia | Pembroke Dockyard | October 1855 | 3 July 1856 | Sold for breaking on 12 May 1870 |
| Racer | Deptford Dockyard | 1 October 1856 | 4 November 1857 | Broken up in 1876 |
| Gannet | Pembroke Dockyard | December 1856 | 29 December 1857 | Broken up in February 1877 |
| Icarus | Deptford Dockyard | 7 April 1857 | 22 October 1858 | Sold for breaking on 23 January 1875 |
| Pantaloon | Devonport Dockyard | 2 November 1857 | 26 September 1860 | Sold for breaking on 18 September 1867 |

## Citations

* ↑ "H M S Imperieuse and some of the newest types of Ships of the British Navy". The Graphic. 22 December 1883. Retrieved 19 December 2021. Cordelia Class of swift cruisers
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Winfield (2004) p.216
* ↑ Bastock, p.29.
