HMS Cordelia was a Comus-class corvette of the Royal Navy, built at the Portsmouth Dockyard and launched on 25 October 1881.

Under the lower deck were spaces for water, provisions, coal, and magazines for shell and powder.

These were covered by an armoured deck, 1.5 inches (38 mm) thick and approximately 100 ft (30 m) long.

This armour was about 3 ft (90 cm) below the lower deck, and the space between could be used for additional coal bunkerage.

The tops of the coal bunkers, which projected above deck level, were used for seating at the mess tables.