HMS Reynard was a paddle sloop of the Royal Navy launched in 1848, constructed at Deptford Dockyard. Her keel was laid in August 1847, and she was officially launched on 21 March 1848. The vessel measured approximately 147 feet in length on her gundeck, with a keel length of about 128 feet for tonnage calculation. She had a maximum breadth of 27 feet 10 inches and a depth of hold of 14 feet 6 inches. The ship's builder’s measure tonnage was 516 tons, with a displacement of 656 tons. Her light draught was 10 feet 1.5 inches forward and 11 feet 8 inches aft, indicating a design suitable for shallow waters. Reynard’s machinery, supplied by George & John Rennie, featured two rectangular fire tube boilers powering a 2-cylinder horizontal single expansion steam engine rated at 60 nominal horsepower, producing around 165 indicated horsepower for a speed of approximately 8.24 knots. She was equipped with a single screw propeller measuring 8 feet 3 inches in diameter. Her armament comprised two 32-pounder 56 cwt muzzle-loading smoothbore guns and six 32-pounder 25 cwt guns, all firing solid shot. The guns had bore diameters around 6.3 to 6.41 inches and were mounted on broadside trucks. Commissioned on 4 July 1848 under Commander Peter Cracroft, Reynard served initially in the Woolwich-based Western Squadron and participated in anti-piracy operations in Chinese waters. Her service included recapturing junks and apprehending pirates, notably on 23 March 1850. She departed from Hong Kong to return to Woolwich but was diverted to assist the crew of the grounded brig Velocipede near Pratas Island. On 31 May 1851, Reynard was wrecked near Pratas Island during this rescue mission. The entire crew survived, and the vessel was lost with no casualties. She was officially paid off as a total loss on 27 February 1852. Reynard’s short service history underscores her role in anti-piracy efforts during the mid-19th century and her eventual loss in the South China Sea.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.