Built as a steel hulled sloop by the Devonport Dockyard for the Royal Navy.
25 July 1894 keel laid down.
06 June 1895 launched as the HMS ALGERINE one of the Phoenix-class, one sister the PHOENIX
Displacement: 1,050 ton, dim. 64.16 x 9.90 x 4.21m., length bpp 56.38m.
Powered by a 3-cyl. inverted vertical triple expansion steam engine, manufactured by shipsbuilder, 1,400 ihp, twin shafts, speed 12 knots.
Armament: 6 – 4 inch QF, 4 – 3 pdr. QF guns and 3 machine guns.
Barquentine rigged, later the sails were removed.
Crew 106.
11 February 1897 commissioned.
After commissioned sailed to the China Station were she replaced HMS SWIFT.
13 April 1900 recommissioned in Hong Kong and was in service during the Boxer Rebellion.
June 1900 was involved in an attack on the Taku Forts, including contributing to a multi-national landing party, she had 6 men wounded.
Landed one 4 inch gun, and this was used in the capture of Tientsin.
From 1905 till 1908 on the sales list at Hong Kong.
05 March 1908 recommissioned for patrol duties in the Bering Sea, and was based in Esquimalt, Canada.
1911 and 1913 she visited Pitcairn Islands. Her second visit was more beneficial to the Pitcairn Islanders when Henderson Island was reviewed, the inhabitants of Pitcairn Island were documented and photographed and the ship’s surgeon checked all for disease. None was found.
1913 Recommissioned in Esquimalt for the last time in the Royal Navy.
08 September 1914 decommissioned.
During World War I laid up in poor condition at Esquimalt.
1917 Lent to the Royal Canadian Navy and used as a depot ship in Esquimalt.
11 April 1919 sold to the British Columbia Salvage Company in Victoria, Canada and used as a salvage vessel, tonnage given as 592 gross.
14 October 1923 was she wrecked on Brodie Rock, Principe Channel, British Columbia and was lost.
She was then towed to Victoria and sold for scrap in January 1924, and in 1925 broken up by Dominion Junk & Machinery, Vancouver.
Pitcairn Islands 2010 $1.00 sg?, scott?
Liberia 2015 $30 sg?, scott?
Source: Wikipedia. Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1860-1905. Devonport Built Warships since 1860 by Lt. Cdr. K.V. Burns. Pitcairn Islands stamp bulletin 114.