HMS Archer (1849)

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Archer
Ordered	26 March 1846 Re-ordered 25 April 1847
Builder	Deptford dockyard
Cost	£41,404
Laid down	18 October 1847
Launched	27 March 1849
Commissioned	2 April 1850
Honours and awards	Baltic 1854 = 55
Fate	Broken up 15 March 1866
General characteristics
Type	Screw sloop
Displacement	1,337 tons
Tons burthen	97040/94 bm
Length	186 ft 4 in (56.8 m) gundeck 162 ft 6+1⁄4 in (49.5 m) keel reported for tonnage
Beam	33 ft 10 in (10.3 m) maximum, 33 ft 6 in (10.2 m) reported for tonnage
Draught	14 ft 3⁄4 in (4.3 m) mean
Depth of hold	19 ft 0 in (5.8 m)
Installed power	202 nhp, 347 ihp (259 kW)
Propulsion	2-cylinder horizontal geared single-expansion steam engine Single screw
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	170
Armament	2 × 68-pounder (87 cwt) guns 10 × 32-pounder (42cwt) guns

HMS Archer was initially ordered as one of two Rifleman type gunvessels on 25 April 1846. With her construction suspended in September 1846,^[1] she was reordered on as a sloop on 25 April 1847 to be constructed to a design of John Edye as approved on 25 August.^[2] With the exception of two years on Baltic service during the Russian War of 1854 to 1855 she spent the majority on the West Coast of Africa on the anti-slavery patrol. This service involved anti-slavery work on the coasts of the Bight of Benin, and was notoriously unhealthy, with tropical diseases taking a heavy toll of British seamen. One of her commanders died and three others were invalided.^[3] Archer was reclassified as a corvette in 1862.^[1] She finally returned to Home waters, being sold for breaking in January 1866

Archer was the second named vessel since its introduction for a 12-gun gun brig launched by Perry at Blackwall on 2 April 1801 and sold on 14 December 1815.^[4]