The gunboat was one of the first purpose-built warship designs to exploit the potential of the screw steam machinery. The new propeller allowed designers to create a small, shallow-draft warship that could operate effectively close inshore. From the start the gunboat was designed for offensive operations . . . A small, steam-powered warship could attack a naval base at any state of wind or tide, exploiting the limited arcs of fire provided for batteries that were only intended to engage large sailing ships in the main navigable channel . . . If they were small, and could fire at very long range, the chance of being hit by return fire was minimal. All the gunboat needed to be effective in this role was a long-range, heavy calibre gun.

¿ Andrew Lambert, "Foreword" in Anthony Preston and John Major, Send a Gunboat: the Victorian Navy and Supremacy at Sea, 1854-1904

The Age of Steam wrought revolutionary changes in the world order of the mid-1800s, especially at sea, where wind propulsion of ships gave way, if reluctantly, to vessels propelled by steam-driven machinery. The great warships of the Age of Sail were designed to be floating fortresses, the mobile, offensive military force at sea that complimented the defensive, fixed batteries of the coasts.

The Age of Steam made it possible to develop new sea weapons that changed the nature of warfare. One such invention was a small vessel, which might be considered the tank of the sea, being like the later land vehicle, a small, highly mobile unit, often with a single gun of considerable calibre. This was the gunboat, now of considerable fame in the expression "gunboat diplomacy", and demonstrated here in the photograph of HMS Kite.

The Royal Navy built several hundred gunboats of various designs and the "Medina Class" was "totally unlike any other British gunboat, before or since". HMS Medina had her forward gun in a fixed position and so a bow rudder was added to improve its mobility.

To use the gunboats overseas, masts were added and "to give greater stability they were designed with a marked 'tumble-home', i.e. their sides sloped inwards above the waterline, giving the hull a bulged appearance. This in conjunction with a vestigial poop and forecastle and three-masted rig made them the most grotesque craft ever seen."

These unseemly characteristics can be seen in the photograph of HMS Medway, which, with the Medina, was sent to Bermuda in the late 1800s and sold out of service about 1904. Recently, archaeologists Calvin Mires and Joseph Clayton Hoyt of the Program in Maritime Studies at East Carolina University examined a sunken vessel in St. George's Harbour, considered to be the remains of the Medway, for the Government, in a project sponsored by Mr. William Lawrence.

Now certainly identified as a member of the Medina Class, the ship may be the last known survivor of what became known as "flat-iron" gunboats. It therefore joins another unique Royal Navy vessel in Bermuda waters, the armoured gunboat of the Vixen Class, HMS Vixen, sunk off Daniel's Island in the 1890s. Thus two gunboats now join the coterie of Bermuda's very considerable holdings of military heritage, both land and naval.

Dr. Phillipe Max Rouja, the Custodian of Wrecks, has commented on the wider significance of the sunken gunboat at St. George's:

"The discovery of the significance of the Medway wreck is a fabulous example of how legislation to protect shipwrecks can work to safeguard our unique maritime heritage, even, and perhaps especially, when we are unaware or unsure of the significance of such entities. It is very easy to decide to protect signature shipwrecks such as the Sea Venture or the North Carolina, because of their cultural and historic relevance to the island, or to keep safe wrecks that are visually and aesthetically appealing as dive sites or foreshore features. It is also evident that it is important to protect wrecks that have not been yet discovered, so that new generations can take part in the incredible journey of exploration, discovery, science and history in the future.

"What is perhaps more difficult to communicate is the rationale for the protection of wrecks and sites that might be considered a nuisance to navigation or industrial rubbish. The current discovery of the identity and uniqueness of the wreck at the old Meyers slip reinforces the importance of the work the Wrecks Authority does and the broad protection afforded by the Act for historic shipwrecks. The case of the Medway emphasizes the idea that shipwrecks be given the chance to tell their story, that wrecks get to present their case.

"Thanks to the Historic Wrecks Act 2001, wrecks are now given specific consideration in planning applications that may impact them. The Wrecks Authority, chaired by Dame Jennifer Smith, is a diversified advisory management group, providing a storehouse of knowledge from which we can learn important information about wrecks, derive sound recommendations and build strong collaborations.

"It is quite possible that the discovery of the full significance of the Medway would not have been brought to public attention without the desire to develop the site. Certainly a full analysis of the site by the Custodian of Wrecks would not have been prioritised without the prospect of this development and the funding provided by the developers for the survey.

"The Wrecks Authority and the Minister of Environment and Sport, the Hon. El James, await the full report of the Medway survey from the East Carolina University archaeological team. Due to its distinct shape, we are already certain of what class of ship the wreck represents and have some understanding of its historic and naval significance. All parties are working together to ensure its management and protection. We expect that as the only known example of this unique class of vessel, it will attract international attention and study. In fact it is my expectation that what may have been viewed by many as a wreck of little value, perhaps even a dangerous marine hazard, will now be considered an heritage asset to all."

The Medina and Medway were still in service after the turn of the century, when on July 24, 1901, the New York Times reported that "the Boer prisoners of war confined on Darrell's Island make almost nightly attempts to avoid the patrolling gunboats Medina and Medway and to gain the mainland by swimming. The water between Darrell's Island and the beach is calm, and all night long the gunboats sweep it with their searchlights".

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Dr. Edward Harris, MBE, JP, FSA, Bermudian, is the Executive Director of the Bermuda Maritime Museum. This article represents his opinions and not necessarily those of persons associated with the Museum. Comments can be sent to drharrislogic.bm or by telephone to 799-5480.