TYNE BUILT SHIPS
  A history of Tyne shipbuilders and the ships that they built

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Name: THETA
Type: Gunboat
Keel: 09/09/1878
Launched: 27/03/1879
Completed: 10/07/1879
Builder: C Mitchell & Co
Yard: Low Walker
Yard Number: 377
Dimensions: 491disp, 126.0 x 29.2 x 11.5ft
Engines: 2 x C2cyl (16 & 28 x 18ins), 70nhp, 472ihp
Engines by: R & W Hawthorn, Newcastle
Propulsion: 2 x Screws, 10.2knots
Construction: Iron
Armament: 1 x 11.0ins, 2 x 1 x 12pdr guns
History:
14/07/1879 George Wightwick Rendel, Newcastle
15/07/1879 James Duncan Campbell, London
16/07/1879 Robert Hart & Charles Hannen, Peking, China
1879 Imperial Chinese Government; renamed as CHEN PEI
1895 Government of Japan; renamed CHINHOKU
1906 Broken up
Comments: This was an Armstrong contract built using the facilities of the Mitchell yard
Armament was supplied by the Armstrong company at Elswick
The gun could only elevate, so direction was provided by aligning the hull
The purchase was financed by the Chinese Customs Service
Robert Hart was the Inspector General of the Chinese Customs Service
Charles Hannen was Commissioner of Chinese Maritime Customs
James Campbell was the London Agent of Robert Hart
George Rendel was the designer of Armstrong's gunboats
Rendel was in charge of the relationship between Armstrong & Mitchell
1895: Captured by the Japanese at Wei Hai Wei


Above photo of sister EPSILON is copyright of Maritime Photo Library