Alarm-class torpedo gunboat

Jason
Class overview
Name	Alarm-class torpedo gunboat
Builders	Naval Construction & Armament, Barrow Laird Brothers, Birkenhead Devonport Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard Thornycroft, Chiswick
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Sharpshooter-class torpedo gunboat
Succeeded by	Dryad-class torpedo gunboat
Built	1892–1893
In commission	1893–1924
Completed	11
Lost	3
Scrapped	8
General characteristics
Type	Torpedo gunboat
Displacement	810 tons
Length	242 ft (74 m)
Beam	27 ft (8.2 m)
Draught	12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) maximum
Installed power	3,500 ihp (2,600 kW) (except Speedy - 5,000ihp)
Propulsion	Twin 3-cylinder vertical triple-expansion steam engines Locomotive boilers Twin screws (except Speedy - water-tube boilers)
Speed	18.7 kn (34.6 km/h)
Complement	91
Armament	Jason, Hebe, Circe, Onyx, Leda: 1 × fixed bow 14-inch (360 mm) torpedo tube 2 × revolving 14-inch torpedo tubes 2 × fixed 14-inch torpedo tubes 2 × QF 4.7-inch (12 cm) guns 4 × 3-pounder guns 1 × Gardner machine gun Alarm, Jaseur, Niger, Reynard, Speedy, Antelope: 1 × fixed bow 18-inch (450mm) torpedo tube 2 × revolving 18-inch torpedo tubes 2 × QF 4.7-inch (12 cm) guns 4 × 3-pounder guns 1 × Gardner machine gun

The Alarm-class torpedo gunboat was the penultimate class of torpedo gunboat built for the Royal Navy. The class was contemporary with the early torpedo boat destroyers, which were faster and thus better suited to pursuit of enemy torpedo boats. By World War I the class had either been sold, converted to submarine depot ships or minesweepers, or reduced to harbour service. Three of the class were lost during World War I while serving in the minesweeping role.