RN Corvettes: Calypso Class

[Brian James]

Calypso Class Corvette (later classified as a Third-Class Cruiser) HMS Calliope pictured c 1887...Exemplifying the transitional nature of the late Victorian navy, Calliope was a Sailing Corvette—the last such ship built for the Royal Navy—but supplemented the full sail rig with a powerful engine. Steel was used for the hull, and like the earlier iron-hulled Corvettes, Calliope was cased with timber and coppered below the waterline, in the same manner as wooden ships...Calliope was known for one of the most famous episodes of seamanship in the 19th century, when she was the only ship present to avoid being sunk or stranded in the tropical cyclone that struck Apia, Samoa in 1889. After retirement from active service, Calliope served as a Training Ship until 1951, when the old Cruiser was sold for breaking...She was the first ship to use the Calliope Graving Dock at HMNB Devonport, NZ in 1888.

[Brian James]

Calypso Class Corvette HMS Calliope pictured during gun drills whilst at Port Chalmers, NZ in 1887, she was the first vessel to enter the newly completed Calliope Graving Dock at HMNB Devonport in late 1887.