down at Chatham, in 1870. She was, in substance, merely an enlarged
_Hotspur_, carrying two 18-ton guns in a single revolving turret
forward and two 64-pounders behind the bulwarks aft. Her armour was
slightly inferior to the _Glatton’s_: her speed considerably higher--14
knots being aimed at, though it was never reached. She was one of the
very few ships which had their engines built in a Royal Dockyard, hers
being constructed at Portsmouth Yard.
About the year 1890, when re-construction was very much to the fore,
the _Rupert_ was re-constructed. She was given a couple of 10in.
breech-loaders instead of her old 10in. M.L., a military-top, and a
few other improvements. The net result of this re-construction was
that when, after it, she first proceeded to coal she began to submerge
herself almost at once. Her torpedo tubes were awash before she had
received her normal quota of coal, and she was, generally, the most
futile example of re-construction ever experienced.
The failure was such that thereafter no further attempt to modernise
old ships was ever made; instead, a policy of “scrapping” all such was
introduced. This is probably the best service that the _Rupert_ ever
rendered to the Navy. She demonstrated for all time that--so far as the
British Navy was concerned--modernising was a hopeless task. It took
France and Germany many years to learn a similar lesson. To-day, it is
generally recognised that, as a ship is completed, she represents the
best that can be got out of her; and that any attempt to improve her in
any one direction merely spells reduced efficiency in some other. Hence
the apparently early scrapping of many ships of later date and the
present day proverb, “Re-construction never pays.”
The whole of the series, however, can only be regarded as improvements
on the old _Prince Albert_ idea. Sir E. J. Reed’s real answer to the
_Captain_ was the _Devastation_, designed in 1868, but not completed
till 1873; at which date he had left the Admiralty. The _Devastation_
and the _Thunderer_ (completed four years later than her sister) cost
Sir E. J. Reed his position. In them he introduced all his ideas as to
what the sea-going turret-ship should be. He carried the Admiralty with
him; but before ever the _Devastation_ was set afloat, it was “proved”
to the satisfaction of the general public that she was an “egregious
failure.” The date of her design is about 1868, though, as mentioned
above, she was not completed till 1873. The _Dreadnought_ of more or
less these times was nothing in the way of novelty compared to the
_Devastation_ of the later sixties.
Details of the _Devastation_ (laid down Nov., 1869), were:--
Displacement--9,330 tons.
Length--385ft.
Beam--62ft. 3ins.
Mean Draught--25ft. 6ins.
H. P.--6,650.
Guns--Four 35-ton M.L.R.[108]
Belt Armour--12in. and 10in. (iron).
Turret Armour--14in. (iron).
Coal--1,800 tons.
Speed--13.84 knots (twin-screw).
Where Built--Portsmouth Dockyard.
Builder of Machinery--Humphrys.
Launched--1871; completed, 1873.
Cost--Hull and Machinery, £353,848.
On her trials the _Devastation_ proved completely successful. An
interesting and little known item in connection with her is that as
designed she was to carry two signal masts,[109] one forward of the
turrets, one aft. For these, on completion, a single mast on the
superstructure was substituted.
[Illustration: THE _DEVASTATION_, AS COMPLETED, 1873.]
How the _Devastation_, even after successful completion, was received
by the public can be gleaned from the following extracts from the
contemporary press:--[110]
“It is a weakness with the officers and men of any of Her Majesty’s
ships to ‘crack up’ the vessels to which they belong, and it is
rarely that a bluejacket growls openly against his ship. The warm
confidence expressed in the ill-fated _Captain_ by her unfortunate
crew is well remembered, and is sufficient to prove that even the
first of this necessarily uncomfortable class of monitors was not
met by the seamen of the Fleet in any complaining spirit, but
that they submitted to the discomforts imposed upon them with
characteristic cheerfulness. When, therefore, an unmistakable
feeling of dissatisfaction prevails throughout a ship, and no
hesitation is shown in expressing it, we may be certain that there
is some valid reason for so unusual an occurrence. We hesitated to
give currency to reports which reached us during the cruise of the
_Devastation_ around the coast with the Channel Squadron, as we had
good reason to believe that it was the intention of the Admiralty
to pay her off, and berth her in Portsmouth harbour as a tender
to the _Excellent_, the advantage of so doing being that a very
large number of men passing through the School of Gunnery would
thus be enabled to become acquainted with the latest improvements
in the turret system.... But since the arrival at the Admiralty
of Rear-Admiral Hornby, late in command of the Channel Squadron,
who certainly should be able to form a correct estimate of the
_Devastation’s_ fitness in every respect for sea service, it has
been determined that she shall be ordered to Gibraltar, there
probably to remain during the coming winter as a kind of ‘guardo.’
A cruise across the bay in the month of November is not looked
forward to by the present crew, who have had a little experience
both of being stifled by being battened down and of being nearly
blown out of their hammocks when efforts at ventilation are made
by opening every hatch. Her qualities as a sea-boat have been
fairly tested, and the present notion of filling her up with stores
for six months’ further service, and then stowing her away at
Gibraltar, leads to the conclusion that on this point at least the
value of the counsel of the First Lord’s new Naval adviser is not
altogether apparent.
“... It is needless to comment on the facts. They speak for
themselves. The condensers will be repaired, no doubt, and
strengthened and modified; but no engineer can guarantee that they
will not fail again, or, if they turn out a permanent job, that the
cylinders will not split, or some other of the mishaps to which
marine engines in the Navy are subject may not happen. If the
failure takes place in the day of battle it will constitute little
short of a national calamity. Even as it is, it must be looked on
as a most fortunate circumstance that the sea was perfectly smooth
and the vessel near a port. Had the breakdown occurred during
the six hours’ run of the ship--which was to have been made on
Wednesday--and in a stiff breeze blowing on a lee shore, the ship
might have been lost before an effort could have been made to save
her. Very important improvements in marine engines of large size
must be made before we can reconcile ourselves to the adoption of
mastless sea-going monitors.”
With such labour and travail was the modern British battleship born!
Public opinion decidedly modified naval construction--leading, as
it did, to a considerable delay with the _Thunderer_,[111] the
re-designing of the _Fury_, and the building of some old-type ships
which else had probably never been constructed.
As already mentioned, Sir E. J. Reed left the Admiralty before the
_Devastation_ was completed. None the less the ships which immediately
followed were in all essential particulars “Reed Ships,” and so are
included in this chapter.
The _Devastation_, owing to the Committee on Designs, received certain
minor modifications before completion. These mainly concerned the
hatches. Her sister ship, the _Thunderer_, built at Pembroke and
engined by Humphrys, was held back, pending the _Devastation’s_ trials,
and not completed till 1877.
Save that in one turret she carried a couple of 38 ton (12.5-inch)
instead of 35 ton (12-inch) guns, she was a replica of the
_Devastation_.
A third ship of the same type, named the _Fury_, was in hand, but
criticisms of the _Devastation_ caused her to be re-designed, and she
was eventually completed as the _Dreadnought_. In her the very low
freeboard forward and aft of the _Devastation_ type was done away with
and freeboard maintained at a uniform medium height.
The _Devastation_ and _Thunderer_ had their armour-plates amidships
pierced with square portholes. These with some reason were attacked as
likely to weaken the armour very considerably, and the _Dreadnought_
was built entirely wall-sided and so depended on artificial
ventilation, known in the Navy in those days as “potted air,” even more
than her predecessors.
Particulars of the _Dreadnought_:--
Displacement--10,820 tons.
Length--320ft.
Beam--63ft. 10in.
Draught--26ft. 9in.
Armament--Four 38-ton M.L.R., two 14in. torpedo tubes.
Armour (iron)--Belt 14-11in., Bulkheads 13in., Turrets 14in.
H.P.--8,210 = 12.40 knots.
In the original design of the _Fury_ provision was made for a conning
tower with a heavily-armoured communication tube. She proved a very
successful ship. No sisters were ordered, probably because the
Admiralty wished to see how she did before committing themselves to the
type. Ere she was finished a different fashion in warships had set in.
The cost of the _Dreadnought_ was about £600,000.
The _Alexandra_ was designed long after Reed had left the Admiralty.
That famous constructor had nothing whatever to do with her. None the
less she was the apotheosis of his box-battery ironclad ideas and
for that reason is included in his era. She was simply an “improved
_Sultan_.”
Particulars of her:--
Displacement--9,490 tons.
Length (between perpendiculars)--325ft.
Beam--63⅔ft.
Draught--26½ft.
Armament--Four 25-ton M.L., ten 18-ton M.L., four above-water
torpedo dischargers (14in.)
Armour (iron)--12-6in. belt, flat deck on top of it. Bulkheads
8-5in. Battery 12-6in.
Horse-power--9,810 = 15 knots.
Coal--680 tons = 2,700 knots at 10 knots (nominal).
She was built at Chatham Dockyard; engined by Humphrys; completed for
sea, 1877.
Four of the 18-ton guns were carried in an upper deck battery, and had
end-on training. The other guns were carried in the main-deck battery,
which was some 10ft. high. The 25-ton guns had a right-ahead training.
After completion she served as Mediterranean flagship, though at the
bombardment of Alexandria the flag was transferred to the _Invincible_,
which, being of lighter draught, was able to enter the inner harbour.
At a later date (about 1890) she was “partially reconstructed.” For her
original barque rig a three-masted military rig was substituted, and
six 4-inch Q.F. were mounted on top of her upper deck battery. She has
been described as the apotheosis of Reed broadside ideas, and a very
apotheosis she was. No broadside or central battery ironclad of the
British or any other Navy ever equalled her, and she dropped out of the
first rank only because the big gun rendered broadside ships entirely
obsolete.
_GUNS IN THE ERA._
The principal guns (all M.L.R.) in the Reed Era were as follows:--
======+=======+=========+==========+=========+=======+=========
Weight|Bore in| Length |Weight of | Muzzle |Muzzle | Penet’n
in |inches.| in |Projectile|Velocity.|Energy.| Iron at
tons. | |Calibres.| lbs. | f.s. | f.t. +----+----
| | | | | |yds.|yds.
| | | | | |2000|1000
------+-------+---------+----------+---------+-------+----+----
38 | 12.5 | 16 | 810 | 1575 | 13,930| 16 | 18
35 | 12 | 13½ | 707 | 1390 | 9470| 13 | 15
25 | 12 | 12 | 609 | 1288 | 7006| 11 | 12
25 | 11 | 12 | 544 | 1314 | 6560| 13 | 14
18 | 10 | 14½ | 406 | 1370 | 5360| 10 | 12
12½ | 9 | 14 | 253 | 1440 | 3695| 9 | 10
9 | 8 | 15 | 174 | 1384 | 2391| 7 | 8
6½ | 7 | 16 | 112 | 1325 | 1400| 6 | 7
======+=======+=========+==========+=========+=======+====+====
In the early part of the period Armstrong breech-loaders up to 120
pounders had been in use, but the elementary breech blocks were so
unsatisfactory that the Navy quickly discarded them, and adhered to
muzzle-loaders long after all other Powers had given them up.
The big muzzle loaders tabulated were of a very elementary type also.
They were made by shrinking red hot wrought-iron collars over a steel
tube; and it was never quite certain how far the interior would be
affected. The projectiles never fitted accurately, with the result
that there was considerable leakage of gas and very erratic firing.
The rifling consisted of five or six grooves into which studs in the
projectile fitted.
In 1872 some experiments were carried out, the _Hotspur_ firing at
the _Glatton’s_ turret at a range of 200 yards. The first shot missed
altogether, the other two struck the turret, but not at the point aimed
at. The turret was not appreciably damaged, though theoretically it
should have been completely penetrated. This eventually led to the
invention of an improved gas check--reference to which will be found at
the end of the Barnaby Era.
_UNARMOURED SHIPS OF THE ERA._
Contemporaneously with the _Hercules_ the _Inconstant_ was designed.
She was inspired by the United States _Wampanoag_, a type of large,
fast, unprotected, heavily-gunned frigate, to which the Americans
had always been partial. The _Wampanoag_, as a matter of fact, never
reached expectations, whereas the _Inconstant_ was a decided success so
far as she went. She marked, so far as the British Navy was concerned,
the first appearance of the theory that speed and gun power--in other
words, “the offensive”--might be developed advantageously, at the
cost of defensive arrangements, a theory which still survives in the
“battle-cruisers” of to-day, though of course in a very modified form.
None the less, the _Inconstant_ represents the germ idea of our present
battle-cruisers, and is supremely important on that account.
Particulars of the _Inconstant_ were:--
Displacement--5,780 tons.
Length (between perpendiculars)--337⅓ ft.
Beam--50¼ft.
Draught (mean)--25½ft.
Guns--Ten 12½ ton M.L.R., six 6½ ton M.L.R.
H.P.--7,360 = 16 knots (trial 16.2).
Speed--Sixteen knots (trial 16.2).
Built at Pembroke Dockyard. Completed for sea 1868 at a cost of
£213,324. She had an iron hull, wood-sheathed and coppered. A
coal supply of 750 tons gave a nominal radius of 2780 miles. She
was ship-rigged and sailed well.
She was followed by a couple of variants on her, the _Raleigh_ and
_Shah_, the former 5,200 tons and the latter 6,250 tons.
The _Shah_ was originally named the _Blonde_, but rechristened out of
compliment to the Shah of Persia, who was visiting England at the time
of her launch.
At a later stage in her career (1877) the _Shah_, then flagship on
the S.W. Coast of America, fought a much-criticised action with the
Peruvian turret-ship _Huascar_, a Laird-built monitor, carrying a
couple of 12½ ton guns, launched in 1865, and generally of the same
type (though smaller) as the British _Hotspur_ and _Rupert_.
The _Huascar_ had been seized by the Revolutionists and practically
turned into a pirate ship. In attacking her the British Admiral de
Horsey gave hostages to fortune, seeing that it was an axiom of those
days that an unarmoured ship was helpless against an ironclad monitor.
He had, however, no alternative.
As things turned out, the _Huascar_ never succeeded in hitting either
the _Shah_, or the _Amethyst_ which accompanied her, while the British
flagship, having a speed advantage, the efforts of the _Huascar_ to ram
her were futile. The _Huascar_ was hit about thirty times, and one man
was killed on board her, but the damage done to the turret-ship was
practically nil. The engagement is of further special interest as for
the first time a torpedo was used from a big ship in action. The range,
however, was too great and no hit was secured.
During the night following the action an attempt was made to torpedo
the _Huascar_ from the _Shah’s_ steam pinnace, but the enemy could
not be found. Yet it is probable that the knowledge of the _Shah’s_
torpedoes was the reason why Pierola surrendered the _Huascar_ next
morning to the Peruvian fleet.
It must have been abundantly clear to him that he had next to nothing
to fear from the British gun-fire, while a single water-line hit from
him would probably have put the _Shah_ entirely at his mercy, save in
so far as her torpedoes might make attempts to ram fatal to him.
END OF VOL. I.
A SHORT GLOSSARY OF COMMON NAVAL TERMS.
=ABAFT.=--Behind or towards the stern of the vessel. Thus one would say
that the aftermost turret guns in any ship are “abaft” the mainmast.
=ABEAM.=--On the side of a vessel amidships. To say an object is abeam
(or on the beam) means that its bearing by compass is at right angles
to the vessel’s course.
=ADMIRALTY, BOARD OF.=--That department of State which is responsible
for the proper constitution, maintenance, disposition, and direction of
the Fleet in its material and personal elements, executing the duties
formerly charged upon the Lord High Admiral; it is presided over by the
First Lord (a Cabinet Minister) and consists of Naval Officers--the Sea
Lords--and Civil Officials.
=AHEAD.=--In advance--an object is said to be ahead of the ship when
its compass bearing is nearly the same as the vessel’s course.
=AHEAD FIRE.=--The discharge of guns along the line of the keel
directly ahead of the vessel.
=AMIDSHIPS.=--Generally speaking, in the middle portion of a vessel.
The point of intersection of two lines--one drawn from stem to stern,
the other across the beam (or widest part)--is the actual “midships.”
=ANCHOR.=--A ship carries several distinct kinds of anchor: the bowers,
which are always used for anchoring or mooring the ship; the sheet
anchor, as an auxiliary to the bowers; the stream and kedge anchors,
which can be used for special purposes.
=ANTI-TORPEDO ARMAMENT.=--Those guns in a ship which are specially
mounted for repelling attack by torpedo craft.
=ARC OF FIRE.=--That sector of a circle through which a gun can be
moved or trained for effective practice.
=ARMAMENT.=--The weapons of offence with which a ship is armed,
including guns and torpedo tubes.
=ARMOUR.=--Any effective covering which protects a ship. The following
specify a few main features of armour protection:--
1. =Armour Belt.=--The vertical belt of armour which forms
the citadel or fortress of a ship, and may extend right
forward to the bows and right aft the stern.
2. =Side Armour.=--Vertical armour placed on the exterior of
a ship, being both the belt and additional thereto.
3. =Armoured Deck.=--A curved steel deck protecting the
engine room and other vital portions of a ship inside the
citadel. A ship may have as many as three armoured decks.
4. =Armour Backing.=--A thick layer of teak which acts as a
cushion behind the armour and to which it is secured.
5. =Bulkhead Armour.=--Vertical armour in the interior of
the ship, placed across it from side to side.
=ASTERN.=--The opposite to ahead.
=ASTERN FIRE.=--The discharge of guns along the line of the keel
directly astern of a vessel.
=ATHWARTSHIPS.=--At right angles to the keel.
=AUXILIARY.=--A ship--not necessarily a fighting ship--which forms
a component part of a Fleet. These include Repair vessels, Hospital
ships, Depôt, Submarine and Destroyer Mother-ships, Colliers, etc.
=AUXILIARY ENGINES.=--The machinery employed for boat-hoisting,
pumping, electric lighting, refrigerating, ventilating, and other
purposes on board ships.
=BACKSTAYS.=--Ropes stretched from a mast or topmast head to the sides
of a vessel--some way abaft the mast--to give support to the mast and
prevent it going forward.
=BALLAST.=--Weighty material placed in the bottom of a ship to give her
“stiffness”; that is, to increase her tendency to return to the upright
position when inclined or heeled over by the force of the wind or other
cause.
=BALLISTICS.=--That branch of science particularly devoted to the
theory of gunnery.
=BARBETTE.=--The steel platform or mounting on which a power-worked gun
rests and within which it revolves.
=BARGE.=--A general term given to flat-bottomed boats. The _Admiral’s_
(or _Captain’s_) Barge is usually a special steamboat belonging to a
warship reserved for the use of the Admiral or Captain.
=BATTEN.=--Long strips of wood used for various purposes.
=To batten down.=--To cover up and fix down, usually spoken
of hatches when they are covered over in rough weather.
=BATTERY.=--That portion of a ship’s armament inside the citadel. The
entire armament is frequently spoken of as a “battery.”
=BATTLE CRUISER.=--A vessel combining the speed and other essential
qualities of a cruiser with an armament and protection sufficient
to enable her to take her place in the fighting-line beside the
battleships.
=BATTLE PRACTICE.=--An annual practice carried out in the Navy, to test
the battle or fighting efficiency of the component parts of a ship’s
armament.
=BATTLESHIP.=--A ship specially designed to take and give the hard
knocks of a Fleet action.
=BEAK.=--The extreme fore part of a vessel.
=BEAM.=--The widest measurement across a ship.
=BEARINGS.=--This word properly belongs to the art of navigation, in
which it signifies the direction (by compass) in which an object is
seen.
=BEFORE.=--Forward or in front of; the opposite to abaft.
=BERTHON BOAT.=--A collapsible boat used in destroyers and small craft.
=BETWEEN DECKS.=--In a vessel of more than one deck, to be between the
upper and the lower.
=BINNACLE.=--The fixed case and stand in which the compass in any
vessel is placed.
=BLOCKADE.=--So to besiege a port that no communication can take place
from seaward.
=BLUE PETER.=--A square blue flag with a square white centre, hoisted
to denote that a vessel is about to sail and that all persons concerned
must repair on board immediately (the letter “P” in the international
flag signal code.)
=BOOM.=--A boom is a pole extending outboard--i.e., away from the sides
of a vessel.
=Lower and Quarter Booms.=--Booms, conveniently placed, to
which boats can make fast.
=BORE.=--The interior diameter of a gun at the muzzle; also the name
given to the interior of a gun. Also a word used to express a sudden
rise of the tide in certain estuaries as in the Severn.
=To bore.=--When down by the head a ship is said to “bore.”
=BOTTOMRY.=--The hull of a ship pledged as security for a loan.
=BOWS.=--A term indicating those portions of a vessel immediately on
either side of her stem (q.v.). Differentiated in association with the
terms “Port” or “Starboard.”
=BOWSPRIT.=--A pole of “sprit” projecting forward from the stem of the
ship.
=BOX THE COMPASS.=--To name the points of the compass in regular order,
i.e., in the direction taken by the hands of the clock.
=BREAKWATER.=--An artificial wall or bank, set up either outside a
harbour or along the coast, to break the violence of the sea and so
create a smooth shelter.
=BREECH.=--The end of the gun into which the projectile and cartridge
are inserted when loading.
=BREECH-BLOCK.=--A heavy steel block which seals the breech when the
gun is loaded.
=BREECH-LOADER= (=B.L.=)--Formerly a gun which was loaded at the
breech end as opposed to a muzzle-loader. Now used to denote a gun the
cartridge of which is not contained in a metal cylinder.
=BROADSIDE.=--The number of guns which can be brought to bear on one
side of, or the total weight of metal which can be fired at once from
either side of a ship.
=BULKHEAD.=--A structure, transverse or longitudinal, dividing the
interior of a ship into compartments.
=BURDEN.=--The capacity of a vessel, as 100 tons burden, etc.
=BURGEE.=--Properly a flag ending in a swallow-tail. Yacht clubs’
burgees are frequently “pennants” which are flags ending in a point.
=CADET, NAVAL.=--A youth who is under training to become a commissioned
officer in the Navy.
=CAISSON.=--A hollow, watertight vessel which can be raised or sunk by
compressed air or water, and which is used when building foundations
under water; or, specifically a lock gate used for closing the entrance
to dry docks.
=CAISSON DISEASE.=--A disease to which divers are subject.
=CALIBRE.=--The calibre of a gun is the diameter of the bore (q.v.).
This diameter is used as a unit of measurement. Thus, a 50-calibre
12-in. gun is a 12-in. gun which is 50 ft. long, etc.
=CAMEL.=--A hollow tank or vessel filled with water and placed under
the hull of a stranded ship. When well secured, the water it contains
is pumped out, and the buoyancy thus created helps to lift the ship to
which it is attached.