| Name | Rainbow (1856) | Explanation | |
| Type | Gunboat | ||
| Launched | 8 March 1856 | ||
| Hull | Wooden | ||
| Propulsion | Screw | ||
| Builders measure | 232 tons | ||
| Displacement | |||
| Guns | 4 | ||
| Fate | 1888 | ||
| Class | Albacore | ||
| Ships book | ADM 135/383 | ||
| Note | 1857 survey vessel. 1872 drill ship | ||
| Snippets concerning this vessels career | |||
| Date | Event | ||
| 23 March 1856 - 19 July 1856 | Commanded (until paying off at Portsmouth) by Lieutenant James Blair Grove | ||
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