HMS Pyramus (1897)

HMS Pyramus was a Pelorus class cruiser of the Royal Navy. There were eleven ""Third class"" protected cruisers in the class, which was designed by Sir William White. While well armed for their size, they were primarily workhorses for the overseas fleet on “police” duties and did not serve with the main battlefleet.

They displaced 2,135 tons, had a crew complement of 224 men and were armed with eight QF 4 inch (102 mm) (25 pounder) guns, eight 3 pounder guns, three machine guns, and two 18 inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes. With reciprocating triple expansion engines and a variety of boilers, the top speed was 20 kn.

HMS Pyramus was laid down at Palmer, Jarrow on May 1896, launched on 15 May 1897.

She served in various colonial posts.

In 1914 she formed part of the escort for the New Zealand Force which occupied German Samoa (now Samoa). In July 1915 she was present at the Rufiji river delta action when the monitors Severn and Mersey destroyed the German cruiser SMS Konigsberg.

She was sold for scrap on 21 April 1920.

Commanding officers

 * Commander John Michael de Robeck - in March 1901