HMS Brisk was a 14-gun wooden-hulled screw sloop designed by the Committee of Reference as part of the 1847 program.

[3] She served in the Russian War of 1854- 55 and as part of the Southern African anti-slavery patrol, with a final commission on the Australian Station.

Brisk was the fourth vessel of the name, since it was introduced for a 16-gun sloop launched by Jacobs of Sandgate on 6 May 1784 and sold in May 1805.

[4] Brisk's keel was laid in January 1849 at Woolwich Dockyard and she was launched on 2 June 1851.

With the Russian War, she returned to Home Waters and joined Captain Sir Erasmus Ommanney's Squadron for service in the White Sea.

[12] On 10 August 1860 she captured the clipper ship Emanuela in the Mozambique Channel with more than 800 slaves aboard.

[1] Brisk's last commission was on 30 August 1864 under Captain Charles W. Hope, RN, for service on the Australia Station.

Her first task was to take 300–400 troops of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Regiment, under Colonel W. C. Trevor from Manukau to Whanganui on 1 March 1865.

After this she left Auckland and sailed around the south sea islands, returning to Sydney on 26 September for a refit.

[3] Anchored at 49°20′N 6°17′W / 49.333°N 6.283°W / 49.333; -6.283 on Admiralty Patch, 49 nautical miles (91 km) south southwest of Land's End in April 1870, Brisk was part of an experimental telegraph service based at Porthcurno, Cornwall.

[19][20][21] Cable breakages and sea-sickness amongst the signallers ended the venture after two months, in June 1870.

[22][23] In August 1870 the telegraph company was bankrupt and Brisk was sold at London by the liquidators.