HMS Garnet was an Emerald-class composite screw corvette that served in the Victorian Royal Navy.

The additional longitudinal strength of the metal frames were designed to afford the opportunity to build in finer lines, and thus higher speeds.

The ships did not deliver this better performance, partly due to poor underwater design, and also were prone to oscillate in heavy weather.

[7] The ship was equipped with six cylindrical boilers feeding a compound engine consisting of two cylinders, working on low and high pressure respectively, rated at 2,000 indicated horsepower (1,500 kW).

Five were mounted to each side to provide a broadside, the remainder being fitted in pairs firing through embrasures at each end of the ship.

While retaining the five allocated to each broadside, the new arrangement had the advantage of providing four chase guns between the poop deck and the topgallant forecastle.

[1] Laid down at Chatham Dockyard on 16 March 1875, Garnet was launched on 30 June 1877 and was completed on 31 October 1878.

[11] In 1882, the vessel was sent to Sheerness and paid off, but returned to service in the same area of Atlantic coast in September that year under the command of Victor Montagu.

[10] Garnet was sent to the Mediterranean Sea on anti-slavery patrols against slaving ships operating off the Barbary Coast.

For example, after a confrontation, a crew in one of the ship's boats dispatched to destroy the crippled dhow was attacked, three were wounded and the lieutenant was killed.