An item referred to the Army and Navy Gazette reporting the launching of HMS Melampus by Naval Construction and Armaments Company, Barrow on 2 August. She was one of the 29 cruisers 2nd class to be built under the Naval Defence Act a year later. With a displacement of 3.400 tons were the dimensions 300 x 22.9 feet. The armament consisted of 2-15,2cm/6” guns mounted on pivots, 6x1-12cm/4.7” quick firing guns mounted on pivots (each broadside 3), 8-6pd quick firing guns, 1-3pd Hotchkiss and 4-5barreled Nordenfelt guns.(1)
Note
1. Laid down at the shipyard of Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, England on 30 August 1889, launched on 2 August 1890, completed in December 1891. Withdrawn as guard ship serving at Kingstown, Ireland in 1903 and finally sold to be broken up on 1 January 1910. Part of the Apollo-class, designed by William Henry White, preceded by the Pearl-class and succeeded by the Astrea-class, consisting of the Andromache, Apollo, Latona, Melampus, Naiad, Sappho, Scylla, Sybille, Terpsichore, Thetis, Tribune, Aeolus, Brilliant, Indefatigable, Intrepid, Iphigenia, Pique, Rainbow, Retribution, Sirius and Spartan and which were built under the 1889 Naval Defence Act. Torpedo armament consisted of 4-36cm/14” torpedo tubes.
