List of gun-brigs of the Royal Navy

A gun-brig was a small brig-rigged warship that enjoyed popularity in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, during which large numbers were purchased or built. In general these were vessels of under 200 tons burthen, and thus smaller than the more common s or the even larger s. The gun-brigs generally carried 12 guns, comprising two long guns in the chase position and ten carronades on the broadsides.
For brig-rigged sloops, see List of corvette and sloop classes of the Royal Navy. For gunboats, see List of gunboat and gunvessel classes of the Royal Navy.

Development

The earliest gun-brigs were shallow-draught vessels. Initially they were not brigs at all, but were classed as 'gunvessels' and carried a schooner or brigantine rig. They were re-rigged as brigs about 1796 and re-classed under the new term 'gun-brig'. They were designed as much to row as to sail, and carried their primary armament firing forward - a pair of long 18-pounders or 24-pounders, weapons which in any practical sense could only be trained and fired with the vessel under oars.
The 1797 batch introduced means to improve their sailing ability. Each was fitted with a Schank drop keel, and lighter bow chasers replaced the heavy pair of guns firing forward over the bows; in later vessels one of the bow chasers would be moved aft to become a stern chaser, both of these guns then being mounted on the centreline and able to pivot. The broadside weapons consisted of 18-pounder carronades mounted on slides along both sides.
The later gun-brigs developed from this beginning into smaller versions of the brig-sloops with increased draught and seaworthiness, but were less suited for inshore warfare. Compared with the flat-bottomed hulls of the 1794-1800 designs, by the time of the Confounder class the hulls had achieved a relatively sharp cross-section, as performance under sail had become a more important consideration than ease of rowing. By now they were clearly seen as small versions of the brig-sloop rather than enlarged gunboats.

Deployment

The early gun-brigs were seen as inshore and coastal vessels, and saw their first service in coastal operations, notably in the Channel, where they sought out French coastal shipping. As their numbers grew and more seaworthy designs emerged, they were deployed worldwide, notably in the Baltic where many were involved in confrontations with the myriad of Danish gunboats during the Gunboat War, but also on such distant stations as the East Indies.

Complement

The purpose-built gun-brigs were all established with a complement of 50 men, and maintained this level throughout their main period of operation, although the actual number carried varied with availability. The final batch saw the complement raised to 60. Each gun-brig had a lieutenant in command, and while he was the only commissioned officer aboard, he was assisted by a midshipman and a number of warrant officers - a master's mate to share the watches, carpenter's mate, gunner's mate, boatswain's mate and surgeon's mate. Other petty officers included a ropemaker, sailmaker, clerk, quartermaster and quartermaster's mate. There were fifteen marines on board - a sergeant to command, a corporal, and thirteen privates. The rest of the crew were ranked as seamen - able seamen, ordinary seamen or landsmen.

Historical evaluation

The naval historian and novelist C. S. Forester commented in relation to the gun-brigs that:
In this criticism of the gun-brig, Forester was perhaps being a little unfair; the class had been designed largely as convoy escorts for coastal operations and it is little wonder they rolled heavily in the open sea. They performed sterling service in a wide range of conditions not envisaged by their designers, making them analogous in this respect to the of World War II; cheap, uncomfortable, over-crowded, and lightly armed but completely essential.

List of gun-brig classes and their evolution

The following sub-sections describe the sequence of the gun-brigs built to individual designs from the earliest acquisitions of 1793 until the last gun-brigs joined the Navy in 1813.

1793 purchases

Three vessels of about 140 tons each were purchased in 1793, and armed with two 18-pounder long guns and ten 18-pounder carronades. They were numbered GB No. 1, GB No. 2 and GB No. 3. No further details were recorded, but their existence probably explains why the initial numbering of the Acute class below began with GB No. 4.

''Conquest'' class

The first batch of twelve gun-brigs were all built by contract to a design by Surveyor of the Navy Sir John Henslow, and ordered on 6 March 1794; they were all named and registered on 26 May. They were designed to be rowed as well as sailed, for which purpose they carried a brig rig, though it was originally planned to rig them as schooners or brigantines. The initial plan was that they would mount a main armament of 4-pounder long guns, but this was rapidly substituted by a broadside battery of ten 18-pounder carronades, with two 24-pounders as chase guns in the bow and two 4-pounders as chase guns in the stern. The 4-pounders were soon deleted, making them all 12-gun vessels.
From March 1795 all twelve of the class were attached to the Inshore Squadron commanded by Captain Sir Sidney Smith.

Name	Ordered	Builder	Launched	Fate
Aimwell	6 March 1794	Perry & Hankey, Blackwall	12 May 1794	Broken up November 1811
Pelter	6 March 1794	Perry & Hankey, Blackwall	12 May 1794	Sold October 1802
Borer	6 March 1794	Randall & Co., Rotherhithe	17 May 1794	Sold 1810
Plumper	6 March 1794	Randall & Co, Rotherhithe	17 May 1794	Sold January 1802
Teazer	6 March 1794	John Dudman & Co, Deptford	26 May 1794	Sold October 1802
Tickler	6 March 1794	Hill & Mellish, Limehouse	28 May 1794	Sold May 1802
Swinger	6 March 1794	Hill & Mellish, Limehouse	31 May 1794	Sold October 1802
Force	6 March 1794	Thomas Pitcher, Northfleet	May 1794	Sold October 1802
Piercer	6 March 1794	Thomas King, Dover	2 June 1794	Sold June 1802
Attack	6 March 1794	John Wilson & Co, Frindsbury	28 June 1794	Sold September 1802
Fearless	6 March 1794	William Cleverley, Gravesend	June 1794	Wrecked 20 January 1804
Conquest	6 March 1794	Josiah & Thomas Brindley, Frindsbury	29? July 1794	Sold April 1817

''Acute'' class

A further design by John Henslow, to which fifteen vessels were ordered on 7 February 1797. In this design, the breadth was increased by a foot from the Conquest class, and the depth of the hold was increased by eleven inches. All were brig-rigged and received Schank sliding or drop keels.
Initially these were intended to be classed as gunboats, and were given numbers rather than names, but on 7 August they were re-classed as gunbrigs and given names. They carried the same armament as their predecessors.

Name	Ordered	Builder	Launched	Fate
Assault	7 February 1797	John Randall, Rotherhithe	10 April 1797	Sold June 1827
Asp	7 February 1797	John Randall, Rotherhithe	10 April 1797	Sold July? 1803
Acute	7 February 1797	John Randall, Rotherhithe	April 1797	Sold October 1802
Sparkler	7 February 1797	John Randall, Deptford	April 1797	Sold September 1802
Bouncer	7 February 1797	John & William Wells, Deptford	11? April 1797	Sold April 1802
Boxer	7 February 1797	John & William Wells, Deptford	11 April 1797	Sold July 1809
Biter	7 February 1797	John & William Wells, Deptford	13 March 1797	Sold May 1802
Bruiser	7 February 1797	John & William Wells, Deptford	11 April 1797	Sold January 1802
Blazer	7 February 1797	John Dudman & Co, Deptford	14 April 1797	Sold January 1803
Cracker	7 February 1797	John Dudman & Co, Deptford	25 April 1797	Sold December 1802
Clinker	7 February 1797	John Dudman & Co, Deptford	28 April 1797	Sold October 1802
Crash	7 February 1797	Mrs Frances Barnard & Co, Deptford	5 April 1797	Sold September 1802
Contest	7 February 1797	Mrs Frances Barnard & Co, Deptford	11 April 1797	Wrecked 29 August 1799
Adder	7 February 1797	Mrs Frances Barnard & Co, Deptford	22 April 1797	Broken up February 1805
Spiteful	7 February 1797	Mrs Frances Barnard & Co, Deptford	24 April 1797	Broken up July 1823

''Courser'' class

At the same time as John Henslow was designing the Acute class, his colleague, fellow-Surveyor Sir William Rule, was ordered to produce an alternative design. Rule's design too incorporated a Schank drop or sliding keel.
Fifteen vessels to this design - the Courser class - were ordered at the same time as those to the Acute class. A sixteenth unit was added to the order a month later. Originally numbered GB No. 19 to GB No. 33, plus GB No. 45, the following sixteen vessels were all given names on 7 August 1797.

Name	Ordered	Builder	Launched	Fate
Steady	7 February 1797	Hill & Mellish, Limehouse	24 April 1797	Renamed Oroonoko in 1805; sold 1806
Courser	7 February 1797	Hill & Mellish, Limehouse	25 April 1797	Sold August 1803
Defender	7 February 1797	Hill & Mellish, Limehouse	21 May 1797	Sold September 1802
Eclipse	7 February 1797	Perry & Co, Blackwall	29 March 1797	Sold September 1802
Furious	7 February 1797	Perry & Co, Blackwall	31 March 1797	Sold October 1802
Flamer	7 February 1797	Perry & Co, Blackwall	30 March 1797	Sold April 1802
Furnace	7 February 1797	Perry & Co, Blackwall	10 April 1797	Sold October 1802
Growler	7 February 1797	Thomas Pitcher, Northfleet	10 April 1797	Captured by French privateers 21 December 1797
Griper	7 February 1797	Thomas Pitcher, Northfleet	10 April 1797	Sold October 1802
Grappler	7 February 1797	Thomas Pitcher, Northfleet	April 1797	Wrecked on Chausey Islands 30 December 1803
Gallant	7 February 1797	Thomas Pitcher, Northfleet	April 1797	Sold October 1802
Hardy	7 February 1797	William Cleverley, Gravesend	10 April 1797	Sold May 1802
Haughty	7 February 1797	William Cleverley, Gravesend	April 1797	Sold May 1802
Hecate	7 February 1797	John Wilson & Co, Frindsbury	2 May 1797	Sunk as breakwater 1809
Hasty	7 February 1797	John Wilson & Co, Frindsbury	June 1797	Sold December 1802
Tigress	March 1797	Josiah & Thomas Brindley, King's Lynn	11 September 1797	Sold January 1802