HMS Sparrowhawk (1856)

Sparrowhawk's sister-ship, Surprise
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Sparrowhawk
Ordered	26 July 1855
Builder	Young, Magnay & Co., Limehouse Engines by Humphrys, Tennant & Dykes
Laid down	6 August 1855
Launched	9 February 1856
Completed	By 7 April 1856
Fate	Sold in 1872
General characteristics
Class and type	Vigilant-class second-class despatch/gunvessel
Displacement	860 tons
Tons burthen	669 79/94 bm
Length	180 ft (54.9 m) (gundeck) 160 ft 7.5 in (49.0 m) (keel)
Beam	28 ft 4 in (8.6 m)
Draught	8 ft (2.4 m) (designed)[1]
Depth of hold	14 ft (4.27 m)
Installed power	200 nominal horsepower 726 ihp (541 kW)
Propulsion	2-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine Single screw
Sail plan	Barque-rigged
Speed	11 kn (20 km/h) under steam
Complement	80
Armament	As designed: 2 × 68-pounder Lancaster guns on pivots 2 × 12-pdr howitzers As completed: 1 × 7-inch/110-pdr breech loader 1 x68-pdr muzzle-loading rifle 2 × 20-pdr breech loaders

HMS Sparrowhawk was a Vigilant-class second-class despatch/gunvessel launched on 9 February 1856 at Limehouse, England and served at various stations in the Far East. By the spring of 1865, her rig was a converted to that of a three-masted barque. She was sold in 1872, converted to a sailing barque in mercantile service, and was later a coal lighter in Australia.