Marathon-class cruiser

The Marathon class cruiser was a class of second class cruiser of the Royal Navy ordered under the naval programme of 1887. It was a smaller version of the Mersey class (lead ship - HMS Mersey).

Three of the ships, Melpomene, Magicienne and Marathon, were built for foreign (tropical) service, with a sheath of wood and copper - this added weight and made them slightly slower.