HMS Galatea (1887)

Last updated

HMSGalatea1897.jpg
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Galatea
Builder Robert Napier and Sons, Govan
Laid down21 April 1885
Launched10 March 1887
FateSold for breaking up 4 April 1905
General characteristics
Class and type Orlando-class armoured cruiser
Displacement5,535 long tons (5,624 t)
Length300 ft (91.4 m) (p/p)
Beam56 ft (17.1 m)
Draught24 ft (7.3 m)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed18  kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Range8,000  nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement484
Armament
Armour

HMS Galatea was one of seven Orlando-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1880s. She was sold for scrap on 5 April 1905.

Contents

Design and description

Galatea had a length between perpendiculars of 300 feet (91.4 m), a beam of 56 feet (17.1 m) and a draught of 24 feet (7.3 m). Designed to displace 5,040 long tons (5,120 t), all of the Orlando-class ships proved to be overweight and displaced approximately 5,535 long tons (5,624 t). The ship was powered by a pair of three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, which were designed to produce a total of 8,500 indicated horsepower (6,300 kW) and a maximum speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) using steam provided by four boilers with forced draught. The ship carried a maximum of 900 long tons (910 t) of coal which was designed to give her a range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). The ship's complement was 484 officers and ratings. [1]

Galatea's main armament consisted of two breech-loading (BL) 9.2-inch (234 mm) Mk V guns, one gun fore and aft of the superstructure on pivot mounts. Her secondary armament was ten BL 6-inch (152 mm) guns, five on each broadside. Protection against torpedo boats was provided by six quick-firing (QF) 6-pounder Hotchkiss guns and ten QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns, most of which were mounted on the main deck in broadside positions. The ship was also armed with six 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes: four on the broadside above water and one each in the bow and stern below water. [1]

The ship was protected by a waterline compound armour belt 10 inches (254 mm) thick. It covered the middle 200 feet (61.0 m) of the ship and was 5 feet 6 inches (1.7 m) high. [1] Because the ship was overweight, the top of the armour belt was 2 feet (0.61 m) below the waterline when she was fully loaded. [2] The ends of the armour belt were closed off by transverse bulkheads 16 inches (406 mm). The lower deck was 2–3 inches (51–76 mm) thick over the full length of the hull. The conning tower was protected by 12 inches (305 mm) of armour. [1]

Construction and service

Galatea, named for the eponymous figure from Greek legend, [3] was laid down on 21 April 1885 by Robert Napier and Sons at their shipyard in Govan, Glasgow. The ship was launched on 10 March 1887, and completed in March 1889. [4]

She held a continuous commission as coast guard ship at Humber district based at Hull from 3 May 1893 until February 1903. [5] On 12 May 1894, a six-pounder blank round exploded when Galatea was saluting ships of the German fleet at Firth of Forth. One of the ship's crew was killed and another badly injured, having to have an arm amputated. [6] On the night of 10/11 February 1898, Galatea was at anchor on the Humber when the steamer Marbella, carrying a cargo of racehorses, collided with the cruiser. The steamer sank within ten minutes, but Marbella's crew and the single passenger safely evacuated to Galatea before the steamer sank, although all the racehorses were lost. [7] Captain Charles Henry Cross was appointed in command in September 1898, and was briefly succeeded by Captain Richard William White in March–April 1900, [8] during which she escorted the royal yacht Victoria and Albert with Queen Victoria on a visit to Ireland. [9] From April that year Captain Robert Dalrymple Barwick Bruce was in command. She was under the command of Captain Robert Stevenson Dalton Cuming from February 1902 until February 1903, [10] during which she took part in the fleet review held at Spithead on 16 August 1902 for the coronation of King Edward VII, [11] and visited Copenhagen the following month. [12]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 65
  2. ↑ Friedman, p. 146
  3. ↑ Silverstone, p. 252
  4. ↑ Lyon & Winfield, p. 269
  5. ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36971. London. 7 January 1903. p. 8.
  6. ↑ "Accident on H.M.S. Galatea". The Times . No. 34263. 14 May 1894. p. 6.
  7. ↑ "Collision with H.M.S. Galatea". The Times. No. 35438. 12 February 1898. p. 13.
  8. ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36096. London. 22 March 1900. p. 11.
  9. ↑ "The Queen′s visit to Ireland". The Times. No. 36104. London. 31 March 1900. p. 12.
  10. ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36792. London. 12 June 1902. p. 13.
  11. ↑ "The Coronation - Naval Review". The Times. No. 36845. London. 13 August 1902. p. 4.
  12. ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36881. London. 24 September 1902. p. 4.

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Australia</i> (1886) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Australia was one of seven Orlando-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1880s. She was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1889 and remained there until 1893 when she returned home. The ship was assigned to the Coast Guard Squadron for the next decade before she was placed in reserve in 1903. Australia was sold for scrap in 1905.

HMS <i>Bacchante</i> (1901) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Bacchante was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy around 1900. Upon completion she was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet as flagship of the fleet's cruiser squadron. She was reduced to reserve upon her return home in 1905 before returning to the Mediterranean in 1906. Six years later she returned home and was again placed in reserve. Recommissioned at the start of World War I, Bacchante became flagship of the 7th Cruiser Squadron. She was present at the Battle of Heligoland Bight a few weeks after the war began, but saw no combat.

HMS <i>Aboukir</i> (1900) British Cressy-class armored cruiser

HMS Aboukir was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy around 1900. Upon completion she was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet and spent most of her career there. Upon returning home in 1912, she was placed in reserve. Recommissioned at the start of the First World War, she played a minor role in the Battle of Heligoland Bight a few weeks after the beginning of the war. Aboukir was sunk by the German submarine U-9, together with two of her sister ships, on 22 September 1914; 527 men of her complement died.

HMS <i>Howe</i> (1885) Admiral-class battleship

HMS Howe was an Admiral-class ironclad battleship built for the Royal Navy during the 1880s. The ship was assigned to the Channel Fleet in mid-1890 and was badly damaged when she ran aground in late 1892. After repairs were completed, Howe was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in late 1893. She returned home in late 1896 and became a guardship in Ireland. Howe remained there until late 1901 when she was assigned to the Reserve Fleet. The ship was paid off in three years later and then sold for scrap in 1910.

HMS <i>Anson</i> (1886) Admiral-class battleship

HMS Anson was the last of six Admiral-class ironclad battleships built for the Royal Navy during the 1880s. The ship was completed, except for her armament, in 1887, but had to wait two years for her guns to be installed. She was assigned to the Channel Fleet in mid-1889 as a flagship for the fleet's second-in-command. Two years later, the passenger ship SS Utopia sank with the loss of 562 lives after colliding with Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar. In mid-1893, Anson was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, subsequently returning home in 1900 when she was assigned to the Reserve Fleet. She recommissioned for the Home Fleet in early 1901. Anson was paid off three years later and then sold for scrap in 1909.

HMS <i>Hogue</i> (1900) 1900 Cressy-class armored cruiser

HMS Hogue was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy around 1900. Upon completion she was assigned to the Channel Fleet and the China Station. In 1906 she became a training ship for the North America and West Indies Station before being placed in reserve in 1908. Recommissioned at the start of World War I, she played a minor role in the Battle of Heligoland Bight a few weeks after the beginning of the war. Hogue was sunk by the German submarine U-9, together with two of her sister ships, on 22 September 1914.

HMS <i>Repulse</i> (1892) Royal Sovereign-class battleship

HMS Repulse was one of seven Royal Sovereign-class pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the 1890s. Assigned to the Channel Fleet, where she often served as a flagship, after commissioning in 1894, the ship participated in a series of annual manoeuvres, and the Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Fleet Review during the rest of the decade. Repulse was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1902 and remained there until December 1903, when she returned home for an extensive refit. After its completion in 1905, Repulse was assigned to the Reserve Fleet until she was sold for scrap in 1911.

HMS <i>Endymion</i> (1891) Edgar-class cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Endymion was a first-class protected cruiser of the Edgar class. She served in China during the Boxer Rebellion and later in the First World War, and was sold in 1920.

HMS <i>Sutlej</i> (1899) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Sutlej was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy around 1900. Upon completion she was assigned to the China Station. In 1906 she became a training ship for the North America and West Indies Station before returning home and being assigned as the flagship of the reserve Third Fleet in 1909. Relieved as flagship in 1910, she remained in reserve until the beginning of World War I in August 1914.

HMS <i>King Alfred</i> (1901) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS King Alfred was one of four Drake-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy around 1900. She served as flagship of the China Station from 1906 until relieved in 1910. Upon her return home that year, she was placed in reserve before being recommissioned in mid-1914. She was assigned to the 6th Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet at the beginning of World War I. She was transferred to the 9th Cruiser Squadron in 1915 and assigned to convoy protection duties by the end of the year. King Alfred participated in the unsuccessful searches for the German commerce raider SMS Möwe in 1916–17 before beginning to escort convoys later that year. The ship was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1918, but returned to service. She was sold for scrap in 1920.

HMS <i>Andromeda</i> (1897) British Diadem-class protected cruiser

HMS Andromeda was one of eight Diadem-class protected cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the 1890s. Upon completion in 1899, the ship was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet where she helped to escort a royal yacht during its cruise through the Mediterranean Sea. After a refit, she was assigned to the China Station in 1904 and returned home three years later to be reduced to reserve. Andromeda was converted into a training ship in 1913 and remained in that role under various names until 1956. That year she was sold for scrap and broken up in Belgium, the last Pembroke-built ship still afloat.

HMS <i>Undaunted</i> (1886) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Undaunted was one of seven Orlando-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1880s.

HMS <i>Narcissus</i> (1886) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Narcissus was one of seven Orlando-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1880s. Future Admiral Ernest Gaunt served aboard her in 1896 as First Lieutenant. She was sold for scrapping on 11 September 1906.

HMS <i>Immortalité</i> (1887) Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Immortalité was one of seven Orlando-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1880s. She was sold for scrap on 11 January 1907.

HMS <i>Aurora</i> (1887) British Orlando-class armoured cruisers

HMS Aurora was one of seven Orlando-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1880s. The ship spent a brief time in reserve before she was assigned to the Channel Squadron for two years in 1890. In 1893 Aurora became a coast guard ship in Ireland for two years before she was placed in reserve again. The ship recommissioned in 1899 for service on the China Station and some of her crew participated in the Battle of Tientsin in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. Aurora returned home two years later and was again reduced to reserve. She was taken out of service in 1905 and sold for scrap on 2 October 1907.

HMS <i>Royal Sovereign</i> (1891) Royal Sovereign-class battleship

HMS Royal Sovereign was the lead ship of the seven ships in her class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the 1890s. The ship was commissioned in 1892 and served as the flagship of the Channel Fleet for the next five years. She was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1897 and returned home in 1902, and was briefly assigned as a coast guard ship before she began a lengthy refit in 1903–1904. Royal Sovereign was reduced to reserve in 1905 and was taken out of service in 1909. The ship was sold for scrap four years later and subsequently broken up in Italy.

HMS <i>Empress of India</i> 1893 Royal Sovereign-class battleship

HMS Empress of India was one of seven Royal Sovereign-class pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy during the 1890s. The ship was commissioned in 1893 and served as the flagship of the second-in-command of the Channel Fleet for two years. She was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1897, during which time Empress of India was assigned to the International Squadron blockading Crete during the uprising there. She returned home in 1901 and was briefly assigned as a coast guard ship in Ireland before she became the second flagship of the Home Fleet. The ship was reduced to reserve in 1905 and accidentally collided with the submarine HMS A10 the following year. Empress of India was taken out of service in early 1912 and accidentally struck a German sailing ship while under tow. She was sunk as a target ship in 1913.

HMS <i>Centurion</i> (1892) British lead ship of Centurion-class

HMS Centurion was the lead ship of her class of two pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the 1890s. Intended for service abroad, they exchanged heavy armour and a powerful armament for high speed and long range to counter the foreign armoured cruisers then being built as commerce raiders and were rated as second-class battleships.

HMS <i>Foresight</i> (1904) Royal Navy Forward-class scout cruiser

HMS Foresight was one of two Forward-class scout cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the first decade of the 20th century. The ship was in reserve for most of the first decade of her existence. After the beginning of the First World War in August 1914, she was initially assigned to the Dover Patrol and was then transferred to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla. Foresight was sent to the Mediterranean in mid-1915 and was then assigned to the Aegean Sea a year later, together with her sister ship, Forward, and remained there until the end of the war. After returning home in 1919, she was sold for scrap in 1920.

HMS <i>Dido</i> (1896) Eclipse-class cruiser

HMS Dido was an Eclipse-class protected cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1890s.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.