The British-built cruiser served on the Philippine station, and the ship-specific account gives her four 6-inch guns. The opening class overview instead assigns the British-built pair two 6-inch guns apiece, leaving the exact main-battery count unresolved. A typhoon sank Gravina in July 1884 with the loss of two officers and seven crew members. She had spent only about two years on station. Her sinking illustrates the daily danger of maintaining warships far from home, even when no enemy fleet is present.
Notable Point · 4:57-6:14
Gravina lost in a Philippine typhoon
Gravina's loss in an 1884 typhoon shows how weather constantly threatened ships assigned to distant stations.