HMS Condor was a Condor-class sloop of the Royal Navy, and was the lead ship of her class.[1] She was launched on 17 December 1898, and sunk in a gale on 3 December 1901.[1]

HMS Condor in 1901
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Condor
NamesakeCondor
BuilderSheerness
Launched17 December 1898
Stricken3 December 1901
FateSunk in a gale, 1901
General characteristics (as built)
TypeCondor-class sloop
Displacement980 long tons (1,000 t)
Length204 ft (62.2 m)
Draught11 ft 4 in (3.5 m)
Speed13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)
Crew140

Design and description

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Condor had a displacement of 980 tonnes, a length of 204 feet (62 m), a draught of 11.4 feet (3.5 m), and a speed of 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph).[2][3] She had a crew size of 140 servicemen.[3]

Construction and career

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Condor was laid down on 1 January 1898 in Sheerness, England.[2] She was launched on 17 December 1898, however, the Condor would not be fully completed until 1 November 1900, being commissioned that same day.[1][2][4] On 2 December 1901, she departed from Esquimalt, British Columbia, bound for Honolulu.[3][4] On 3 December, she passed through Cape Flattery, she accidentally entered into a strong gale, and sunk.[1][2][3] After two months, on 3 February 1902, she was listed as missing in action with all hands lost.[3]

Wreckage discovery

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In May 1949, 47 years after the sinking of Condor, the fishing trawler Blanco was fishing about 40 miles (64 km) north of Cape Flattery, when her nets got tangled on a piece of the wreckage.[3] The nets were pulled in, recovering Condor's binnacle and other miscellaneous pieces of the ship's wreckage.[3] The rest of the wreckage was never found.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "HMS Condor - Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk". www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "CONDOR steel screw sloops (6, 1899 - 1900)". www.navypedia.org. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "H.M.S. Condor" (PDF). Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b The Canadian Magazine of Politics, Science, Art and Literature. Ontario Publishing Company, Limited. 1902.