Comus-class corvette

HMS Curacoa at Sydney circa. 1890
Class overview
Name	Comus class
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Bacchante class
Succeeded by	Calypso class
Built	1876–1887
In commission	1879–1904
Completed	9
Scrapped	9
General characteristics
Displacement	2,380 tons
Length	225 ft (69 m)
Beam	44 ft (13 m)
Draught	19 ft (6 m)
Propulsion	Single screw driven by compound engines of 2,590 ihp ( MW)
Sail plan	Barque or ship rig
Speed	13.75 kt (25.5 km/h) powered; 14.75 kt (27.3 km/h)
Armament	(As built) Comus:[1] 2 × 7-inch (178 mm) muzzle-loading rifles 4 × BL 6-inch (152 mm) 80-pounder guns 8 × 64-pounder (160 mm) muzzle-loading rifles 2 × light guns 8 × QF Nordenfelt guns 2 × torpedo carriages Curacoa to Constance:[1] 2 × 7-inch muzzle-loading rifles 12 × 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifles 2 × light guns 8 × QF Nordenfelt guns 2 × torpedo carriages Canada & Cordelia:[1] 10 × BL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk II guns 2 × light guns 6-10 × QF Nordenfelt guns 2 × torpedo carriages
Armour	Deck: 1.5 in (38 mm) over engines

The Comus class was a class of Royal Navy steam corvettes, re-classified as third-class cruisers in 1888. All were built between 1878 and 1881. The class exemplifies the transitional nature of the late Victorian navy. In design, materials, armament, and propulsion the class members resemble their wooden sailing antecedents, but blended with characteristics of the all-metal mastless steam cruisers which followed.

Despite their qualities they had relatively short commissions, as they soon were rendered superfluous by the "flood of warships" built under the Naval Defence Act of 1889. By the turn of the century all were in reserve, relegated to subsidiary duties, or being scrapped.^[2]