The Bramble-class gunboat was a class of four gunboats mounting six 4-inch guns, built for the Royal Navy in 1886. In 1887 the first three were reclassified as gunvessels.
The Bramble class was designed by William White. The ships were of composite construction, meaning that the iron keel, frames, stem and stern posts were of iron, while the hull was planked with timber. This had the advantage of allowing the vessels to be coppered, thus keeping marine growth under control, a problem that caused iron-hulled ships to be frequently docked. They were 165feet in length and displaced 715 tons.
Triple-expansion steam engines built by Hawthorn Leslie (Rattler), North East Marine Engineering (Wasp) and Harland & Wolff (Lizard and Bramble) provided 1000ihp (Rattler 1200ihp) through a single screw, sufficient for 10kn.
Ships of the class were armed with six 4-inch 25-pounder quick-firing guns. Four machine guns were also fitted.
| Name | Ship Builder | Launched | Fate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong Mitchell, Elswick | 4 August 1886 | Harbour service in 1910. Navigation school ship in September 1919, renamed Dryad. Sold for breaking in October 1924 | |||
| Armstrong Mitchell, Elswick | 13 September 1886 | Believed foundered with all hands after leaving Singapore for Shanghai on 10 September 1887 | |||
| Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 27 November 1886 | Sold at Sydney for breaking in 1905 | |||
| Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 11 December 1886 | Renamed Cockatrice in June 1896 and sold at Chatham on 3 April 1906 |