The
Hydra class were a
class of three
paddlewheel steam sloops of the British
Royal Navy. They saw active service variously in the Baltic during the
Crimean War, against Ottoman forces in Syria and against slavers in West Africa. Latterly
Hydra and
Hecate were used for survey in the Mediterranean, the Pacific, Australia and the Atlantic, and thus their names were re-used for the s in the late 20th century. Two of the class were broken up after more than twenty-five years of service, and
Hecla was sold for commercial use in 1863.