Lord Clyde-class ironclad

Last updated

HMS Lord Warden (1865) from Army and Navy Illustrated.jpg
Class overview
Builders
OperatorsNaval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy
Preceded by Royal Oak
Built1863–1867
In commission1866–1889
Completed2
Scrapped2
General characteristics
Displacement
  • Lord Warden : 7,940 long tons (8,070  t)
  • Lord Clyde : 7,942 long tons (8,069 t)
Length280 ft (85 m)
Beam59 ft (18 m)
Draught27 ft 11 in (8.5 m)
Installed power
Propulsion1 shaft; 1 horizontal return connecting rod-steam engine
Sail plan Ship rig
Speed
  • 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) under power
  • 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) under sail
Complement605
Armament
Armour
  • Battery and belt: 5.5 in (140 mm) amidships, 4.5 in (114 mm) fore and aft
  • Backing: 30 in (760 mm) of oak

The Lord Clyde-class ironclads were a pair of wooden-hulled armoured frigates built for the Royal Navy in the 1860s. They were designed by Edward Reed and built to make use of the large stocks of seasoned timber available in the royal shipyards. The ships hold a number of records for the Navy, including being the largest wooden-hulled warships, being equipped with the largest and most powerful engines placed in a wooden hull and being the worst rollers in the force. The lead ship, Lord Clyde, initially had a main armament of 7 in (180 mm) rifled muzzle-loading (RML) guns but had a short career, curtailed by problems with her engine and deterioration of her hull due to the use of unseasoned timber. The second ship of the class, Lord Warden, armed with a mixture of 7 in (180 mm), 8 in (200 mm) and 9 in (230 mm) RML guns, served as the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet and was mobilised during the Russo-Turkish War, although she did not see active service.

Contents

Design and description

The Lord Clyde class were ironclad frigates constructed for the Royal Navy in the 1860s. Unlike other similar ironclad ships that were built for the navy at the time, they were not conversions but rather new wooden hulls that were encased in iron. They were built to use up the stocks of timber at Chatham and Pembroke Dockyards. [1] They were designed by Edward Reed and were the largest wooden-hulled warships in the Royal Navy. [2]

The ships had a very low centre of gravity which meant that they rolled very badly and were said to have had the worst stability in the Victorian fleet. This characteristic was so dramatic that when the rolling propensities of ships were compared, sailors described ships "as bad a roller as the Prince Consort" as the Lord Clyde class ships were in a different league to the remainder of the fleet. Lord Clyde generally performed worse than did her sister ship, Lord Warden. [3] In sea trials in 1867 with HMS Bellerophon, Lord Clyde was rolling her gun ports under, while Bellerophon could have fought her main armament in safety. They were, however, very handy and sailed well in all weathers under sail or steam. [4]

The Lord Clyde class were 280 feet (85.3 m) long between perpendiculars and had a beam of 58 feet 11 inches (18.0 m). The ships had a draught of 23 feet 9 inches (7.2 m) forward and 27 feet 2 inches (8.3 m) aft. Lord Clyde displaced 7,842 long tons (7,968  t ) and had a tonnage of 4,067 tons burthen. Lord Warden displaced 7,842 long tons (7,968 t) and had a tonnage of 4,080 tons burthen. [5] The ships' complement consisted of 605 officers and ratings. [6]

Propulsion

The ships were each powered by a single two-cylinder trunk steam engine that drove a single propeller. The one for Lord Clyde was made by Ravenhill and Hodgson while Maudslay, Sons and Field built the one for Lord Warden. [7] Steam was provided by nine rectangular boilers. They were designed for a maximum speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). [8] Under trials, Lord Clyde achieved 13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) from 6,064 indicated horsepower (4,522  kW ) and Lord Warden achieved 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph) from 6,706 indicated horsepower (5,001 kW). [6] The engines were the largest and most powerful placed in a wooden hull for the Royal Navy. [9] The ships carried a maximum of 600 long tons (610 t) of coal. [10]

They were ship-rigged with three masts and had a sail area of 31,000 square feet (2,900 m2). [11] To reduce drag, the funnels were telescopic and could be lowered. Their best speed under sail alone was 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph), one of the slowest of British ironclads. [4]

Armament and armour

Lord Clyde was initially armed with twenty-four 7 in (178 mm) rifled muzzle-loading (RML) guns. Four pairs of guns were positioned as fore and aft chase guns on the upper and main decks. The remaining sixteen guns were mounted on the broadside amidships. [12] Lord Warden was designed to carry an armament of fourteen 8 in (203 mm) and two 7 in RML guns. [6] The ship was completed with two 9 in (229 mm), fourteen 8 in guns, and two 7 in RML guns. The last guns served as forward chase guns on the main deck where they were very wet and useless in a head sea. One of the 9 in guns was a forward chase gun on the upper deck and the other became the stern chase gun on the main deck. Twelve 8 in guns were mounted on the main deck on the broadside amidships and the remaining pair were positioned on the quarterdeck on the broadside. Lord Clyde's original armament was replaced during her 1870 refit with a similar fit. [13]

The shell of the 9 in gun weighed 254 pounds (115.2 kg) while the gun itself weighed 12 long tons (12 t). It had a muzzle velocity of 1,420 ft/s (430 m/s) and could penetrate 11.3 inches (287 mm) of wrought-iron armour. The 8 in gun weighed nine long tons (9.1 t); it fired a 175-pound (79.4 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1,410 ft/s (430 m/s) and was credited with the ability to penetrate 9.6 inches (244 mm) of armour. The 7 in gun weighed 6.5 long tons (6.6 t) and fired a 112-pound (50.8 kg) shell that was able penetrate 7.7 inches (196 mm) of armour. [14]

The entire side of each ship's hull, except for the side of the upper deck, was protected by wrought-iron armour that tapered from 4.5 inches (114 mm) at the ends to 5.5 inches (140 mm) amidships. It extended 6 feet (1.8 m) below the waterline. The forward chase guns on the upper deck were protected by 4.5-inch armour plates on the sides of the hull and a 4.5-inch transverse bulkhead to their rear protected them from raking fire. The armour was backed by 30-inch (762 mm) of oak and the 1.5-inch (38 mm) iron skin of the ship. [15]

Ships

Construction data
ShipBuilder [16] Laid down [17] Launched [17] Completed [17] Commissioned [17] Fate [8] Cost [16] [18]
Lord Clyde Pembroke Dockyard 29 September 1863115 September 186613 October 1864June 1866Sold to be broken up, 1875£285,750 or £294,481
Lord Warden Chatham Dockyard 24 December 186327 May 186530 August 1867July 1867Sold to be broken up, 1889£328,998 or £322,843

Service

On commissioning, the ships were initially assigned to the Channel Fleet where Lord Clyde spent three months as a temporary flagship. Lord Warden was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1867, Lord Clyde joining her one year later. The latter made one cruise during which she fractured her steel mainyard in a squall. [19] The construction of Lord Clyde faced challenges due to a shortage of seasoned timber at Pembroke Dockyard, leading to the use of green timber. This, combined with the stress caused by her trunk engines, resulted in rapid wear on her engines. [20] Upon reaching Naples, a fleet engineer deemed the engines unsafe, and the ship had to be sailed to Malta Dockyard for temporary repairs. Upon being re-engined and rearmed, she remained in reserve until 1871 when she rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet. In the meantime, [21]

On 30 January 1868, Lord Warden was damaged after she was struck by the wooden steam frigate HMS Endymion and then, on 3 May, she ran aground and had to be refloated. [22] [23] The ship served as flagship for the fleet between 1869 and 1875. On 14 March 1872, Lord Clyde ran aground whilst attempting to rescue a British steamship that was stranded off the island of Pantellaria, [24] Lord Warden was able to pull her off four days later, but, on returning to Plymouth, naval investigators discovered that the unseasoned timber was infected with fungus and Lord Clyde was sold to be broken up. [11] Lord Warden was mobilised during the Russo-Turkish War and was assigned to the Particular Service Squadron but saw no service and was decommissioned in 1885 and broken up in 1889. [11] [8]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Lord Warden and Lord Clyde after 1870
  2. ↑ Lord Clyde as built

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References

Citations

  1. ↑ Archibald 1971, p. 10.
  2. ↑ Sondhaus 2012, p. 88.
  3. ↑ Parkes 1990, pp. 57, 97.
  4. 1 2 Ballard 1980, p. 82.
  5. ↑ Ballard 1980, p. 241.
  6. 1 2 3 Parkes 1990, p. 94.
  7. ↑ Ballard 1980, p. 80.
  8. 1 2 3 Roberts 1979, p. 13.
  9. ↑ Ballard 1980, p. 81.
  10. ↑ Ballard 1980, p. 246.
  11. 1 2 3 Parkes 1990, p. 97.
  12. ↑ Ballard 1980, p. 79.
  13. ↑ Parkes 1990, pp. 93–96.
  14. ↑ Roberts 1979, p. 6.
  15. ↑ Ballard 1980, pp. 77–78.
  16. 1 2 Parkes 1990, p. 93.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Ballard 1980, p. 240.
  18. ↑ Reed 1869, p. 218.
  19. ↑ Ballard 1980, p. 83.
  20. ↑ Archibald 1971, p. 12.
  21. ↑ Ballard 1980, pp. 83–84.
  22. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence". The Times . No. 26041. 7 February 1868. p. 12.
  23. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence". The Times. No. 26041. 7 February 1868. p. 12.
  24. ↑ "News in Brief". The Times. No. 27326. 16 March 1872. p. 11.

Bibliography

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