Onyx, 1900
Type: Submarine Depot Ship WWI ; Late Torpedo Gun Boat ; Armament 2 x 4" ; 4 x 3 pdr ; 3 x TT
Launched : 7 Sep 1892 ; Displacement: 810 tons
Propulsion: Complement: 120
Machinery notes: 2500 ihp ; Speed ; 19.2 knots ;
Notes:
26 Jun 1897 Present at the Naval Review at Spithead in celebration of the Diamond Jubilee.
1900 See below for incident
1907 Converted for use as a Submarine Depot Ship 1919 Renamed Vulcan II -----------------
News of the World 18 Nov 1900
Coast Guard Tender Sunk

The sailing cutter Hind, of 181 tons, tender to the coastguard ship Severn, at Harwich, went on shore on the Shipwash Sands, about a quarter of a mile south-east of the South Middle Shipwash buoy. The vessel soon filled, her crew being rescued by the pilot boat and landed at Harwich.

The torpedo gunboat Alarm was despatched from Sheerness to the assistance of the Hind, which however is expected to become a total wreck. The gunboat Onyx visited the scene of the accident, and subsequently reported that the Hind was totally submerged. The crew of the cutter state it is impossible to give the cause of grounding, but they attribute it to the extreme darkness of the morning, combined with a heavy sea and the stiff gale which was blowing. The vessel speedily filled, six feet of water being shipped in five minutes. The crew worked for about two hours at the pumps, firing rockets meanwhile. They were ultimately rescued by the pilot-cutter Alpha, the water at that time washing over the gunwale. The Hind, which has been for many years stationed at Harwich, was recently refitted at Sheerness, and departed a few days since for Harwich.
Aug 1914 Devonport. Depot for Submarines. Tender to Forth 1919 Anti-Submarine: Experiments and Training