Phlegethon (1840 ship)
HEICS Phlegethon attacking Bruneian forts during the capture of Brunei in 1846. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Phlegethon |
| Namesake | Phlegethon |
| Owner | East India Company |
| Builder | Lairds, Birkenhead |
| Cost | £24,288 |
| Launched | 30 April 1840 |
| Commissioned | 11 Aug 1840 |
| Fate | Broken up in 1853 at Calcutta |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Paddle frigate |
| Tons burthen | 530 bm |
| Propulsion | 90 hp (67 kW) |
| Armament | 4 x 24 pounder brass cannons + 2 x 6 pounder chaser guns, supplemented by Congreve rockets |
HEIC Phlegethon was an early iron-hulled paddle steamer built for the East India Company (EIC). Launched in 1840, she was one of the "sliding-keel vessels" commissioned by the EIC's Secret Committee for riverine and coastal warfare. She played a significant role in the First Opium War and later served as a primary instrument of anti-piracy operations in the Straits Settlements and Borneo.