HMS Prometheus (1839)

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Prometheus
Ordered	25 February 1839
Builder	Royal Dockyard, Sheerness
Cost	£29,433
Laid down	July 1839
Launched	21 September 1839
Completed	20 February 1840
Commissioned	21 November 1839
Honours and awards	Crimea/Black Sea 1855
Fate	Sold for breaking 5 March 1863
General characteristics
Type	Steam Vessels (SV3) Third Class Sloop
Displacement	1,283 tons
Tons burthen	795+87⁄94 bm
Length	164 ft 0 in (50.0 m) gundeck 141 ft 8 in (43.2 m) keel for tonnage
Beam	32 ft 8 in (10.0 m) maximum 32 ft 6 in (9.9 m) for tonnage
Draught	6 ft 0 in (1.8 m)forward 7 ft 7 in (2.3 m) forward
Depth of hold	18 ft 7 in (5.7 m)
Installed power	200 nominal horsepower
Propulsion	2-cylinder VSE direct acting steam engine Paddles
Armament	2 × 32-pdr (42 cwt) MLSB guns on pivot mounts 2 × 32-pdr (25 cwt) MLSB guns on broadside trucks

HMS Prometheus was an Alecto-class sloop designed by Sir William Symonds, Surveyor of the Navy. Originally classed as a steam vessel (SV3), her classification would be changed to a Third Class Sloop.^[1] She initially served mainly on the west coast of Africa on the anti-slavery patrol except for a brief period on particular service in the Black Sea in late 1855. She was sold on 5 March 1863 for breaking.^[2]

Prometheus was the second named vessel since it was used for an 18-gun fireship, Launched by Thompson of Southampton on 27 March 1807, assigned to harbour service in May 1819, then renamed Veteran on 2 May 1839 and broken in August 1852.^[3]