HMS Racoon (1887)

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

HMS Racoon, sometimes spelled HMS Raccoon, was an Archer-class torpedo cruiser of the Royal Navy. Racoon was laid down on 1 February 1886 and came into service on 1 March 1888.^[2][3] She served on the East Indies Station where, on 27 August 1896, she was involved in the bombardment of Sultan Khalid's palace during the 40 minute Anglo–Zanzibar War.^[4]

The Crisis at Zanzibar, British War-Ships engaged in the Bombardment of the Sultan's Palace, Racoon (right side, foreground)

Showing 33 slaves captured by the boats of the Racoon in 1901

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Racoon
Ordered	1885[1]
Builder	Devonport Dockyard
Cost	Hull: £60,600 Machinery: £31,000[1]
Laid down	1 February 1886
Launched	6 May 1887
Commissioned	1 March 1888
Decommissioned	1 January 1905
Fate	Sold to G Cohen on 4 April 1905[1]
General characteristics
Class and type	Archer-class torpedo cruiser
Displacement	1770 tons
Length	140 ft (43 m)
Beam	36 ft (11 m)
Draught	13.5 ft (4.1 m)
Installed power	2,500 ihp (1,900 kW) 4,500 ihp (3,400 kW) forced draught
Propulsion	Twin 2-cylinder compound steam engines Four boilers Twin screws
Speed	17.5 kn (32.4 km/h)[1]
Range	7,000 nmi (13,000 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h)
Complement	176 men
Armament	Six 6-inch (152 mm) guns Eight 3-pounder (47 mm) QF guns Two machine guns One light gun One 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tube Four torpedo carriages[1]
Armour	deck: .375 in (9.5 mm) Gunshields: 1 in (25 mm) Conning tower: 3 in (76 mm)[1]

In early May 1901 Racoon returned to the United Kingdom,^[5] and was paid off at Sheerness on 6 July 1901.^[6]

She was decommissioned on 1 January 1905 and sold for scrap.^[2][7]

References

1. Winfield, R.; Lyon, D. (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6. OCLC 52620555.
2. HMS Racoon at Naval History
3. Patience 1994, p. 11.
4. Patience (1994)
5. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36437. London. 24 April 1901. p. 11.
6. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36501. London. 8 July 1901. p. 6.
7. Archer Class at Battleships-Cruisers

Bibliography

Patience, Kevin (1994), Zanzibar and the Shortest War in History, Bahrain: Kevin Patience, p. 23

External links

• Media related to HMS Racoon (ship, 1887) at Wikimedia Commons