[1] The Bramble class was designed by William White.

The ships were of composite construction, meaning that the iron keel, frames, stem and stern posts were of iron, while the hull was planked with timber.

This had the advantage of allowing the vessels to be coppered, thus keeping marine growth under control, a problem that caused iron-hulled ships to be frequently docked.

[1] Triple-expansion steam engines built by Hawthorn Leslie (Rattler), North East Marine Engineering (Wasp) and Harland & Wolff (Lizard and Bramble) provided 1,000 indicated horsepower (750 kW) (Rattler 1,200 ihp (890 kW)) through a single screw, sufficient for 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

[1] Ships of the class were armed with six 4-inch 25-pounder quick-firing guns.