"Niger" in Dundee Harbour - Ref: WC0871
"H M S Niger" is listed in the 1903 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships as an Alarm Class torpedo gunboat, built in 1892. She measured 230 feet and had a gross tonnage of 810. There were normally 85 crew members.
She visited Dundee in August 1897, but no further information about the trip has been located. Armed with four three-pound guns and two 4.7 inch guns (each weighing two tons), she also had three 18 inch torpedo tubes.
Early seaborne tests showed that the Alarm Class was not capable of the speeds projected, but fitted with new engines, she achieved average top speeds of 18-19 knots.
Alexander Wilson who took this photograph, was a supervisor in a Dundee jute mill for over 20 years. He bequeathed much of his collection and £50, to cover the costs involved, to the Free Library Committee of Dundee in 1923.