HMS Penguin was an Osprey-class sloop of war, constructed with a composite hull design. Laid down on 14 July 1876 by Robert Napier and Sons of Govan, Scotland, she was launched on 25 March 1876 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 23 August 1877. Her construction costs totaled approximately £52,111, with £39,611 allocated for the hull and £12,500 for her steam machinery. She measured 170 feet (52 meters) in length, with a beam of 36 feet (11 meters) and a draught of 15 feet 9 inches (4.80 meters). Displacing 1,130 tons, her standard crew numbered between 140 and 150 sailors. Penguin was powered initially by an R & W Hawthorn two-cylinder horizontal returning-rod steam engine fed by three cylindrical boilers, producing 666 indicated horsepower and giving her a top speed of 9.9 knots—below the contracted requirements. After her first commission, her engine was replaced with a Devonport Dockyard two-cylinder horizontal compound-expansion steam engine, boosting power to 951 indicated horsepower. She had a maximum range of 1,480 nautical miles at 10 knots and was also rigged with barque sails, reflecting her dual steam and sail propulsion. Her armament comprised two 7-inch (90 cwt) muzzle-loading rifled guns, four 64-pounder guns, four machine guns, and a light gun. After initial service in the Pacific Station (1877–1881) and later on the East Indies Station (1886–1889), where she participated in anti-slavery operations and the blockade of Zanzibar, she was paid off in 1889. Following a refit as a survey vessel, she was recommissioned in 1890 and served on the Australia Station. During her survey work around the Western Pacific, New Zealand, and Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, her crew achieved notable success despite her unwieldy design—most famously, making a record sounding of 5,155 fathoms (9,427 meters) in the Kermadec Trench. In 1896, under Captain Arthur Mostyn Field, Penguin supported the Funafuti Coral Reef Boring Expedition, visiting the Ellice Islands and conducting further scientific voyages to Funafuti and New Zealand. Her masts were removed in 1908, and she was transferred for harbor service in Sydney. She was later commissioned as HMAS Penguin in 1913, serving as a depot ship for the Royal Australian Navy until 1924. Subsequently, her hull was sold and converted into a floating crane, remaining afloat until she was broken up and burnt in 1960. Penguin’s long service life highlights her versatility and significance in naval survey, scientific, and training roles across several decades.

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