HMS Raleigh (1874)

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HMS Raleigh was an unarmoured iron frigate completed in 1874. She was one of a series of three designed by Sir Edward Reed. Her sisters were HMS Inconstant and HMS Shah.

Raleigh displaced 5,200 tons and was 298' long by 49' wide and drew 24' 7". She was designed as a sailing vessel with an auxiliary steam engine. Under favourable sailing conditions she could make 13 knots. With 9 boilers operating at 30 pounds per square inch, her 1-shaft horizontal single expansion engine developed 5,640 horsepower and moved her along at 16.2 knots, an unprecedented speed at the time.

Two 9" muzzle-loading rifle{MLR} guns and fourteen 7" MLR guns formed the main armament, supplemented by six 64 pounder MLRs. The 9" guns were chase weapons, mounted at front and back. The 14 7" guns were the main deck broadside battery.

These ships were constructed in response to the American Wampanoag class and their iron hulls were clad from keel to bulwarks with a double layer of 3" timber. Raleigh was copper bottomed. All three had a great range and were designed for use in far seas.

Raleigh had a normal crew of 530 men. In 1884, she was partially rearmed, retaining eight 7" MLR guns on broadside, but gaining eight more modern 6" breech loading rifled (BLR) guns and eight 5" BLR guns. Four modern light guns were added as well as 12 machine guns and two torpedo carriages.

Roger Keyes served aboard her as a young midshipman from 1887 to 1890.

Raleigh was sold in 1905.