| Name: | THETA |
| Type: | Gunboat |
| Keel: | 09/09/1878 |
| Launched: | 27/03/1879 |
| Completed: | 10/07/1879 |
| Builder: | C Mitchell & Co |
| Yard: | Low Walker |
| Yard Number: | 377 |
| Dimensions: | 491disp, 126.0 x 29.2 x 11.5ft |
| Engines: | 2 x C2cyl (16 & 28 x 18ins), 70nhp, 472ihp |
| Engines by: | R & W Hawthorn, Newcastle |
| Propulsion: | 2 x Screws, 10.2knots |
| Construction: | Iron |
| Armament: | 1 x 11.0ins, 2 x 1 x 12pdr guns |
| History: | |
| 14/07/1879 | George Wightwick Rendel, Newcastle |
| 15/07/1879 | James Duncan Campbell, London |
| 16/07/1879 | Robert Hart & Charles Hannen, Peking, China |
| 1879 | Imperial Chinese Government; renamed as CHEN PEI |
| 1895 | Government of Japan; renamed CHINHOKU |
| 1906 | Broken up |
| Comments: | This was an Armstrong contract built using the facilities of the Mitchell yard |
| Armament was supplied by the Armstrong company at Elswick | |
| The gun could only elevate, so direction was provided by aligning the hull | |
| The purchase was financed by the Chinese Customs Service | |
| Robert Hart was the Inspector General of the Chinese Customs Service | |
| Charles Hannen was Commissioner of Chinese Maritime Customs | |
| James Campbell was the London Agent of Robert Hart | |
| George Rendel was the designer of Armstrong's gunboats | |
| Rendel was in charge of the relationship between Armstrong & Mitchell | |
| 1895: Captured by the Japanese at Wei Hai Wei |
Above photo of sister EPSILON is copyright of Maritime Photo Library