HMVS Childers was a first-class torpedo boat that served in the Victorian Naval Forces, the Commonwealth Naval Forces, and later the Royal Australian Navy. Constructed by John I. Thornycroft & Company on the River Thames at Chiswick, England, she was designated Yard No. 172. The vessel measured 113 feet in overall length with a waterline length of 111 feet 8 inches, a beam of 12 feet 6 inches, and a draft of 5 feet 6 inches. She displaced approximately 60.5 tons. Powered by a two-cylinder compound steam engine producing 679 brake horsepower, Childers could reach a service speed of 19 to 20 knots. Her armament consisted of two fixed bow tubes for 15-inch Whitehead torpedoes and two 1-pounder Hotchkiss machine guns. The vessel had a crew complement of 18 personnel. Launched on 18 August 1883, Childers was named after Hugh Childers, a former First Sea Lord and a former Victorian colonial administrator. The ship was ordered in August 1882, with a budget of £10,500, though her final cost was £11,027. For her delivery voyage to Melbourne, she was equipped with three masts and 1,000 square feet of canvas to supplement her limited coal capacity. She left Portsmouth on 3 February 1884 but encountered issues en route, including running short of coal, which required her to be towed into Gibraltar Straits. During her voyage, she briefly considered supporting British forces in the Sudan Campaign but was ultimately directed to proceed independently, reaching Suakin, Sudan, on 19 March 1884. She then participated in a flotilla with the gunboats HMVS Victoria and HMVS Albert, which arrived in Sydney in June 1884 after a journey through the Dutch East Indies and Australian ports. Post-federation, Childers served in the newly formed Australian naval forces, including the Royal Australian Navy from 1911, primarily operating in Victorian waters during World War I as a tender to HMAS Cerberus. She was sold in 1918 to J.J. Savage & Co. for £20 and was eventually hulled on Swan Island in Port Phillip, marking the end of her maritime service.

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