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{{Short description|Naval watercraft designed to carry and utilize firepower}}
{{About||the boxer|Gunboat Smith|the video game|Gunboat (video game)}}
{{Distinguish|Gunship}}
{{Redirect|Canonnière|the French frigate|French frigate Minerve (1794)}}
[[Image:William Frederick Mitchell - H.M.S. Bramble, 1st class gunboat.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A {{sclass|Bramble|gunboat|0||1886}} gunboat, built for the [[Royal Navy]] in 1886]]

A '''gunboat''' is a naval [[watercraft]] designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to [[shore bombardment|bombard coastal targets]], as opposed to those military craft designed for [[naval warfare]], or for [[troopship|ferrying troops]] or [[auxiliary ship|supplies]].

==History==
===Pre-steam era===
{{See also|Fuerzas sutiles}}
In the [[age of sail]], a gunboat was usually a small undecked vessel carrying a single [[smoothbore]] [[cannon]] in the [[Bow (watercraft)|bow]], or just two or three such cannons. A gunboat could carry one or two [[Mast (sailing)|masts]] or be oar-powered only, but the single-masted version of about {{cvt|15|m|ft}} length was most typical. Some types of gunboats carried two cannon, or else mounted a number of [[swivel gun]]s on the railings.

The small gunboat had advantages: if it only carried a single cannon, the boat could manoeuvre in shallow or restricted areas – such as rivers or lakes – where larger ships could sail only with difficulty. The gun that such boats carried could be quite heavy; a 32-pounder for instance. As such boats were cheap and quick to build, naval forces favoured swarm tactics: while a single hit from a [[sailing frigate|frigate's]] [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]] would destroy a gunboat, a frigate facing a large [[Squadron (naval)|squadron]] of gunboats could suffer serious damage before it could manage to sink them all. For example: during the 1808 [[Battle of Alvøen]] of the [[Gunboat War]], five Dano-Norwegian gunboats disabled the British frigate {{HMS|Tartar|1801|6}}. Gunboats used in the [[Battle of Valcour Island]] (1776) on [[Lake Champlain]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]] were mostly built on the spot, attesting to the speed of their construction.

[[File:Decked kanonjolle1.jpg|thumb|right|A model of a type of decked "gun [[yawl]]" designed by [[Fredrik Henrik af Chapman]] and used by the Swedish [[archipelago fleet]]]]
Spanish admiral [[Antonio Barceló]], experienced in the usage of small vessels in the conflicts against [[Barbary pirates]], unveiled in 1781 a kind of small armored gunboat equipped with a heavy, long-range artillery piece. This originated the Spanish [[Spanish Navy|Royal Armada]]'s doctrine of ''[[fuerzas sutiles]]'', which emphasized the usage of ships equipped with significant firepower but small enough to be difficult to hit back. His gunboats were first employed during the [[Great Siege of Gibraltar]], obtaining great success in the otherwise failed siege, after which they were adopted by the Royal Armada.<ref>Guimerá Ravina, p. 84.</ref>

All navies of the sailing era kept a number of gunboats on hand. Gunboats saw extensive use in the [[Baltic Sea]] during the late 18th century as they were well-suited for the extensive coastal [[skerry|skerries]] and [[archipelago]]es of Sweden, Finland and Russia. The rivalry between Sweden and Russia, in particular, led to an intense expansion of gunboat fleets and the development of new gunboat types. The two countries clashed during the [[Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)|Russo-Swedish war of 1788–1790]], a conflict that culminated in the massive [[Battle of Svensksund]] in 1790, in which over 30,000 men and hundreds of gunboats, [[galley]]s and other oared craft took part. The majority of these were vessels developed from the 1770s and onwards by the naval architect [[Fredrik Henrik af Chapman]] for the Swedish [[archipelago fleet]]. The designs, copied and refined by the rival Danish and Russian navies, spread to the Mediterranean and to the Black Sea.<ref>See Glete (1993), pp. 710–711, for lists of European navies that employed rowed gunboats.</ref>

Two variants occurred most commonly:
* a larger {{convert|20|m|ft|abbr=on}} "gun sloop" (from the Swedish ''kanonslup'') with two 24-pounder cannon, one in the [[stern]] and one in the bow
* a smaller {{convert|15|m|ft|abbr=on}} "gun yawl" (''kanonjolle'') with a single 24-pounder cannon

Many of the Baltic navies kept gunboats in service well into the second half of the 19th century.<ref>Anderson (1962), pp. 97–99.</ref> British ships engaged larger {{convert|22|m|ft|abbr=on}} Russian gunboats off [[Turku]] in southeast Finland in 1854 during the [[Crimean War]]. The Russian vessels had the distinction of being the last oared vessels of war in history to fire their guns in anger.<ref>Anderson (1962), p. 98.</ref>

Gunboats played a key role in [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]'s plan for the [[Napoleon's invasion of England|invasion of England]] in 1804. Denmark-Norway used them heavily in the Gunboat War. Between 1803 and 1812 the [[United States Navy]] had a policy of basing its navy on coastal gunboats, experimenting with a variety of designs. President [[Thomas Jefferson]] (in office: 1801–1809) and his [[Democratic-Republican Party]] opposed a strong navy, regarding gunboats as adequate to defend the United States' major harbors. They performed well when properly supported with larger ships during battle, but were of little use on their own against the British blockade during the [[War of 1812]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=David Stephen Heidler |author2=Jeanne T. Heidler |title=Encyclopedia of the War of 1812 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_c09EJgek50C&pg=PA218 |year=2004 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |page=218 |isbn=9781591143628}}</ref>

===Steam era===
[[File:USS Alliance screw gunboat.jpg|right|thumb|The screw gunboat {{USS|Alliance|1877|6}}, circa 1880]]
With the introduction of steam power in the early 19th century, the [[Royal Navy]] and other navies built considerable numbers of small vessels propelled by side paddles and later by [[propeller|screws]]. Initially, these vessels retained full sailing rigs and used steam engines for auxiliary propulsion.

The British Royal Navy deployed two wooden paddle-gunboats in the Lower [[Great Lakes]] and [[St. Lawrence River]] during the [[Rebellions of 1837]] in [[Upper Canada|Upper]] and [[Lower Canada]]. The United States Navy deployed an iron-hulled paddle gunboat, {{USS|Michigan|1843|6}}, to the Great Lakes in 1844.

{{ship||Von der Tann|gunboat|2}} became the first propeller-driven gunboat in the world. [[Conradi shipyards]] in [[Kiel]] built the steam-powered {{convert|120|LT|t|lk= on|abbr= on}} gunboat in 1849 for the small navy of [[Schleswig-Holstein]]. Initially called ''"Gunboat No. 1"'', ''Von der Tann'' was the most modern ship in the navy. She participated successfully in the [[First Schleswig War]] of 1848–1851.

Britain built a large number of wooden screw-gunboats during the 1850s, some of which participated in the Crimean War (1853–1856), [[Second Opium War]] (1856–1860) and [[Indian Mutiny]] (1857–1859). The requirement for gunboats in the Crimean War was formulated in 1854 to allow the Royal Navy to bombard shore facilities in the Baltic.<ref name=sag19/> The first ships the Royal Navy built that met this requirement were the {{sclass|Arrow|gunvessel|1}}s.<ref name=sag19/> Then in mid-1854 the Royal Navy ordered six {{sclass|Gleaner|gunboat|1}}s followed later in the year by an order for 20 {{sclass|Dapper|gunboat|1}}s.<ref name=sag19>Preston (2007), pp. 19–22.</ref> In May 1855 the Royal Navy deployed six ''Dapper''-class gunboats in the [[Sea of Azov]], where they repeatedly raided and destroyed stores around its coast.<ref>Preston (2007), pp. 26–27.</ref> In June 1855 the Royal Navy reentered the Baltic with a total of 18 gunboats as part of a larger fleet.<ref name=sag28/> The gunboats attacked various coastal facilities, operating alongside larger British warships from which they drew supplies such as coal.<ref name=sag28>Preston (2007), p. 28.</ref>

[[File:Gunboats at Fort Donelson.png|thumb|right|[[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] ironclad river gunboats assault the [[Confederate States of America|Confederates]] at [[Fort Donelson]] in February 1862, during the [[American Civil War]]]]
Gunboats experienced a revival during the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865). [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] and [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] forces quickly converted existing passenger-carrying boats into armed [[Paddle steamer|sidewheel steamers]]. Later, some purpose-built boats, such as {{USS|Miami|1861|6}}, joined the fray. They frequently mounted 12 or more guns, sometimes of rather large caliber, and usually carried some armor. At the same time, Britain's gunboats from the Crimean War period were starting to wear out,{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} so a new series of classes was ordered. Construction shifted from a purely wooden hull to an iron–teak composite.<ref>Preston (2007), pp. 68–69.</ref>

[[File:SMS Panther.gif|thumb|right|{{SMS|Panther|1901|6}}, a [[gunboat diplomacy|gunboat diplomat]] in the [[Agadir Crisis]] of 1911]]
In the later 19th century and early 20th century, "gunboat" was the common name for smaller armed vessels. These could be classified, from the smallest to the largest, into [[river gunboat]]s, [[river monitor]]s, coastal-defense gunboats (such as {{SMS|Panther|1901|6}}), and full-fledged [[Monitor (warship)|monitors]] for coastal bombardments. In the 1870s and 1880s, Britain took to building so-called [[Flat-iron gunboat|"flat-iron" (or Rendel) gunboats]] for coastal defence.<ref>Preston (2007), pp. 162–163.</ref> When there would be few opportunities to re-coal, vessels carrying a full sailing rig continued in use as gunboats; {{HMS|Gannet|1878|6}}, a [[sloop]] preserved at Chatham Historic Dockyard in the United Kingdom, exemplifies this type of gunboat.

In the United States Navy, these boats had the [[hull classification symbol]] "PG", which led to their being referred to as "patrol gunboats". They usually displaced under {{convert|2000|LT|t|abbr=on}}, were about {{convert|200|ft|m|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|10|-|15|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Draft (hull)|draught]] and sometimes much less, and mounted several guns of calibers up to {{convert|5|-|6|in|mm|abbr=on}}. An important characteristic of these was the ability to operate in rivers, enabling them to reach inland targets in a way not otherwise possible before the development of [[aircraft]]. In this period the naval powers used gunboats for [[police action]]s in colonies or in weaker countries, for example in [[China]] (see e.g. [[Yangtze Patrol]]). This category of gunboat inspired the term "[[gunboat diplomacy]]". With the addition of torpedoes, they became "[[torpedo gunboat]]s", designated by the hull classification symbol "PTG" (Patrol Torpedo Gunboat).

In Britain, [[John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher|Admiral Fisher]]'s reforms in the 1900s saw the disposal of much of the gunboat fleet.<ref>Preston (2007), pp. 122–124.</ref> A handful remained in service in various roles at the start of World War I in 1914.<ref>Preston (2007), pp. 128–129.</ref> The last in active service were two of the second {{sclass|Bramble|gunboat|4||1898}} which survived until 1926, carrying out river patrols in west Africa.<ref>Preston (2007), p. 131.</ref>

[[File:HMS Ladybird 31-12-1940 Bardia AWM 005012.jpeg|thumb|{{sclass2|Insect|gunboat|0}} HMS ''Ladybird'' (with larger-calibre guns installed in 1939)]]
In the circumstances of World War I (1914–1918), however, the Royal Navy re-equipped with small {{convert|625|LT|t|adj=on}}, shallow-draught gunboats (12 ships of the {{sclass2|Insect|gunboat|4}}) with sufficient speed to operate in fast-flowing rivers and with relatively heavy armament. During the war and in the post-war period, these were deployed in Romania on the [[Danube]], in [[Mesopotamia]] on the [[Euphrates]] and [[Tigris]], in northern [[Russian Empire|Russia]] on the [[Northern Dvina]], and in China on the [[Yangtze]]. In China, during anarchic and war conditions, they continued to protect British interests until World War II; other western Powers acted similarly.

More and larger gunboats were built in the late 1930s for the Far East. Some sailed there; others were transported in sections and reassembled at [[Shanghai]].

===World War II===

====United Kingdom====
Most British gunboats were based initially in East Asia. When war with Japan broke out, many of these vessels withdrew to the Indian Ocean. Others were given to the [[Republic of China Navy]] (such as {{HMS|Sandpiper}}, which was renamed ''Ying Hao'') and some were captured by the Japanese.

Some were later redeployed to the [[Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II|Mediterranean theatre]] and supported land operations during the [[North African campaign]], as well as in parts of [[Southern Europe]].

====United States====
In late 1941, the US Navy's [[Yangtze Patrol]] boats based in China were withdrawn to the Philippines or scuttled. Following the [[Philippines campaign (1941–1942)|US defeat in the Philippines]], most of the remaining craft were [[Scuttling|scuttled]]. However, {{USS|Asheville|PG-21|6}} survived until being sunk in action during the [[Battle of Java]] in 1942.

====Soviet Union====
{{multiple image
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| image1 = Катер слева.jpg
| caption1 = The ex-Soviet Project 1124 armoured boat {{Transliteration|ru|{{nowrap|BK-162}} Yeysky Patriot}} is now a memorial ship in [[Yeysk]], 2017
| image2 = 224.03.10 Приморско-Ахтарск, набережная, Бронекатер.jpg
| caption2 = The ex-Soviet Project 1125 armoured boat {{Transliteration|ru|{{nowrap|BK-124}} Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza Golubets}} is now a memorial ship in [[Primorsko-Akhtarsk]], 2024
}}
During the 1930s, the Soviet Navy began developing small armoured riverboats or "riverine tanks": vessels displacing 26 to 48 tonnes, on which the [[Gun turret|turrets]] of [[tank]]s were mounted.<ref>[https://www.wio.ru/fleet/ww2armorb.htm ''War Is Over'' (website), n.d., "Soviet WWII armored boats"] (3 August 2016).</ref>

Three classes, numbering 210 vessels, saw service between 1934 and 1945:
* {{ill|Project 1124 armoured boat|lt=Project 1124|ru|Бронекатера проекта 1124}}: their standard armament was initially two {{nowrap|[[T-28 (medium tank)|T-28]]}} (later {{nowrap|[[T-34]]}}) tank turrets, each mounting a {{cvt|76.2|mm|1}} gun and a coaxial 7.62&nbsp;mm [[DT machine gun]], as well as up to four 7.62&nbsp;mm or 12.7&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft machine guns – in some cases the rear turret was replaced with a [[Katyusha rocket launcher]]
* {{ill|Project 1125 armoured boat|lt=Project 1125|ru|Малые речные бронекатера проекта 1125|zh|BK-1125炮艇}}: one T-28 (later T-34) tank turret with a 76.2&nbsp;mm gun and a coaxial 7.62&nbsp;mm DT machine gun, as well as up to four 7.62&nbsp;mm or 12.7&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft machine guns
* ''S-40'' (Project 1125 version with [[Kharkiv model V-2|Kharkiv model {{nowrap|V-2}}]] diesel engines): one {{nowrap|T-34}} tank turret with a 76.2&nbsp;mm gun and a coaxial 7.62&nbsp;mm DT machine gun, as well as up to four 7.62&nbsp;mm or 12.7&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft machine guns

With crews of 10 to 20 personnel, ''riverine tanks'' displaced {{convert|26|to|48|t}}, had armour {{cvt|4|-|14|mm}} thick, and were {{cvt|23|to|25|m|ftin}} long. They saw significant action in the Baltic and [[Black Sea|Black]] Seas between 1941 and 1945.

===Vietnam War===
[[File:VTN 82 Paint.jpg|thumb|''Point Gammon'' gets a camouflage coat of dark grey paint at [[Da Nang]], October 1965, for its conversion from Coast Guard use to Vietnam War river patrol duties]]
US riverine gunboats in the [[Vietnam War]], included [[Patrol Boat, River|Patrol Boats River]] (PBR), constructed of [[fiberglass]]; [[Patrol Craft Fast]] (PCF), commonly known as [[Swift Boats]], built of aluminum; and [[Assault Support Patrol Boat]]s (ASPB) built of steel. [[U.S. Coast Guard]] {{convert|82|ft|adj=on}} {{sclass2|Point|cutter|1}}s supplemented these US Navy vessels. The ASPBs were commonly referred to as "Alpha" boats and primarily carried out mine-sweeping duties along the waterways, due to their all-steel construction. The ASPBs were the only US Navy riverine craft specifically designed and built for the Vietnam War.<ref>Friedman (1987).</ref> All of these boats were assigned to the US Navy's "[[Brownwater Navy]]".<ref>
{{Citation
 |url          = http://hnsa.org/class.htm#PT
 |publisher    = Historic Naval Ships
 |title        = Visitors Guide
 |contribution = Escort and Patrol Vessels
 |access-date  = 2010-11-23
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101123184016/http://hnsa.org/class.htm#PT
 |archive-date = 2010-11-23
 |url-status   = dead
 }}
</ref>

==Surviving vessels (incomplete)==
* (1776) - {{USS|Philadelphia|1776|6}} resides at the [[National Museum of American History]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]
* (1861) - {{USS|Cairo}} is on display at the [[Vicksburg National Military Park]] in [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]].
* (1863) - The remains of {{ship|CSS|Chattahoochee}} are currently on display at the [[National Civil War Naval Museum]] in [[Columbus, Georgia]].
* (1905) - {{ship|BAP|América|1905|6}} resides in [[Iquitos]], Peru.
* (1912) - [[Chinese gunboat Zhongshan|SS ''Zhongshan'']] is currently preserved in [[Wuhan]], China.
* (1930) - {{ship|ARP|Humaitá}}, museum ship as of 1992 located in [[Asunción]], Paraguay.

==See also==
* [[Torpedo gunboat]]
* [[List of gunboat and gunvessel classes of the Royal Navy]]
* {{Ship|Japanese gunboat|Chiyodagata}}
* {{Ship|Japanese gunboat|Seta}}
* {{Ship|Japanese gunboat|Un'yō}}
* {{Ship|Russian gunboat|Korietz}}
* {{Ship|Soviet gunboat|Krasnoye Znamya}}
* {{Ship|Spanish gunboat|Callao}}
* {{Ship|Spanish gunboat|General Concha}}
* {{Ship|Spanish gunboat|Marques del Duero}}
* {{sclass|Yorktown|gunboat|1}}
* [[TT-400TP gunboat]]
* {{ship|NMS|Grivița}}
* {{ship|NMS|Sublocotenent Ghiculescu}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* Anderson, Roger Charles, ''Oared Fighting Ships: From classical times to the coming of steam.'' London. 1962.
* [[Howard Chapelle|Chapelle, Howard]], ''The History of the American Sailing Navy'' Norton. 1949.
* Friedman, Norman. ''US Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History.'' 1987; Naval Institute Press. {{ISBN|0-87021-713-5}}.
* Glete, Jan, ''Navies and Nations: Warships, Navies and State Building in Europe and America 1500–1860'' (vol 2) Almqvist & Wiksell International, Stockholm. 1993. {{ISBN|91-22-01565-5}}
* {{cite book |title=Guerra naval en la Revolución y el Imperio: Bloqueos y operaciones anfibias, 1793-1815 |last1=Guimerá Ravina |first1=Agustín |year=2008 |publisher=Marcial Pons Historia |isbn=978-8496467804}}
* [[Antony Preston|Preston, John Antony]], ''Send a Gunboat! The Victorian Navy and Supremacy at Sea, 1854–1904.'' Conway Maritime, London. 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-85177-923-2}}.
* {{cite book |title=Breve historia de las batallas navales de las fragatas |last=San Juan |first=Víctor |year=2019 |publisher=Nowtilus |isbn=978-8413050768}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Gunboats}}
* [http://www.chdt.org.uk/Historic_Warships/HMS_Gannet/hms_gannet.html HMS Gannet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719164324/http://www.chdt.org.uk/Historic_Warships/HMS_Gannet/hms_gannet.html |date=2008-07-19 }}

{{Rating system of the Royal Navy}}
{{Sailing vessels and rigs}}
{{Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries}}
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[[Category:Gunboats| ]]
[[Category:Ship types]]
[[Category:Naval ships]]