HMS Congo (1816)

Drawing of the Congo, 1816
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Congo
Ordered	13 April 1815
Builder	Deptford Dockyard Engines by Boulton, Watt & Co.
Laid down	October 1815
Launched	11 January 1816
Completed	By 6 February 1816
Reclassified	Survey ship in 1817 Hulked in 1819
Fate	Sold on 15 March 1826
General characteristics
Class and type	wooden paddle sloop 3-masted schooner
Tons burthen	8257⁄94 (bm)
Length	70 ft (21.3 m) (overall) 60 ft 8 in (18.5 m) (keel)
Beam	16 ft (4.9 m)
Draught	4.25 ft (1.30 m)
Depth of hold	8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
Sail plan	3-masted schooner
Complement	240
Armament	1 × 12-pounder carronade 12 × 1⁄2-pdr swivel guns

HMS Congo was the first steam-powered warship built for the Royal Navy. She was classified as a steam sloop and was built in 1816 at Deptford Dockyard specifically for an exploration of the Congo River. Trials with her engine proved disappointing, and it was removed before she embarked on her first voyage.