Centurion class battleship
Encyclopedia
The Centurion class battleships were second-class pre-dreadnought
battleship
s of the Royal Navy
designed for service on distant stations.
The Centurion class comprised three ships, Centurion, Barfleur, and the slightly later Renown, the latter being built to a modified design. The ships were designed by Sir William White
to be lightly armed battleships designed for service on the China Station
and Pacific Station
. Their relative lack of firepower enabled greater quantities of coal to be carried, extending their range, and it was not thought they would face the big guns of an enemy fleet. They were too lightly armed to slug it out with enemy battleships, but they could outrun them, and they were more than capable of dealing with armored cruiser
s that they were far more likely to meet on distant stations.
They were considered good steamers and good seaboats, although the use of forced draft was discontinued because it damaged their boilers. Their draughts were designed to be shallow enough to allow passage through the Suez Canal
and the navigation of rivers in China
. Their hulls were sheathed with wood and copper to allow them to sail longer between docking.
The ships were armed with four 10 inch (254 mm) guns in two barbette
s covered by open-backed armored hoods and capable of all-around loading, a secondary armament of ten 4.7 inch (120 mm) guns, numerous smaller guns, and seven torpedo
tubes. The previous Royal Sovereign-class
battleships had allowed a comparison between high-freeboard ships with their main guns in open barbettes and low-freeboard ships equipped with old-style, heavy, circular turrets and had proven the superiority of the former in the rough waters of the Atlantic; the Centurions were the first barbette-type battleships with armored hoods over their barbettes, giving rise to the armored gunhouses that would be mounted on later ships and which themselves would come to be known as "turrets."
Centurion in 1901–1903 and Barfleur in 1902–1904 underwent a reconstruction in which their 4.7 inch (120 mm) guns were replaced by 6 inch (152 mm) guns in armored casemates, the additional weight being compensated for by reductions in their masts and the removal of all five of their above-water torpedo tubes. They were slightly slower, at about 16.75 knots (32.8 km/h), after these refits.
Renown was an enlarged version of the earlier ships, with better armor, an improved armor layout, greater speed and endurance, and a heavier secondary armament. She also proved to be a good steamer and seaboat, with an easy roll.
Like all pre-dreadnoughts, the Centurions were completely outclassed by the new dreadnought
battleships that began to appear in 1906, and were scrapped a few years later after a period in reserve.
HMS Centurion
HMS Centurion was launched in 1892 and completed in 1894. She served on the China Station
as its flagship
(1894–1901), served there again (1903–1905), then served in the Reserve Fleet (1905–1907) and Home Fleet (1907–1909) before being scrapped in 1910.
HMS Barfleur
HMS Barfleur was launched in 1892 and completed in 1894. She served in the commissioned reserve (1894–1895), Mediterranean Fleet
(1895–1898), China Station
(1898–1901), Reserve Fleet (1904–1906), and Home Fleet (1907–1909) before being scrapped in 1910.
HMS Renown
HMS Renown was launched in 1895 and completed in 1897. She served in various capacities in home waters in 1897, as flagship
of the North America and West Indies Station (1897–1899), in the Mediterranean Fleet
from 1899 to 1902, mostly as flagship, and again in 1903–1904). Upon her completion, she quickly became a favorite as a flagship because her design was especially congenial for entertaining visitors; by late 1902 she had begun to serve as an occasional royal yacht
, and after some time in reserve was converted for that purpose in 1905. She became a stoker's training ship in 1909 and was decommissioned in 1913 and scrapped in 1914.
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
designed for service on distant stations.
Description
William Henry White
Sir William Henry White was a prolific British warship designer and Chief Constructor at the Admiralty....
to be lightly armed battleships designed for service on the China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
and Pacific Station
Pacific Station
The Pacific Station, often referred to as the Pacific Squadron, was one of the geographical divisions into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities...
. Their relative lack of firepower enabled greater quantities of coal to be carried, extending their range, and it was not thought they would face the big guns of an enemy fleet. They were too lightly armed to slug it out with enemy battleships, but they could outrun them, and they were more than capable of dealing with armored cruiser
Armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like other types of cruiser, the armored cruiser was a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship, and fast enough to outrun any battleships it encountered.The first...
s that they were far more likely to meet on distant stations.
They were considered good steamers and good seaboats, although the use of forced draft was discontinued because it damaged their boilers. Their draughts were designed to be shallow enough to allow passage through the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
and the navigation of rivers in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Their hulls were sheathed with wood and copper to allow them to sail longer between docking.
The ships were armed with four 10 inch (254 mm) guns in two barbette
Barbette
A barbette is a protective circular armour feature around a cannon or heavy artillery gun. The name comes from the French phrase en barbette referring to the practice of firing a field gun over a parapet rather than through an opening . The former gives better angles of fire but less protection...
s covered by open-backed armored hoods and capable of all-around loading, a secondary armament of ten 4.7 inch (120 mm) guns, numerous smaller guns, and seven torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
tubes. The previous Royal Sovereign-class
Royal Sovereign class battleship
The Royal Sovereign class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the British Royal Navy. The class comprised seven ships built to the same design: HMS Royal Sovereign, , HMS Ramilles, HMS Repulse, HMS Resolution, HMS Revenge, and HMS Royal Oak, and a half-sister built to a modified design: ....
battleships had allowed a comparison between high-freeboard ships with their main guns in open barbettes and low-freeboard ships equipped with old-style, heavy, circular turrets and had proven the superiority of the former in the rough waters of the Atlantic; the Centurions were the first barbette-type battleships with armored hoods over their barbettes, giving rise to the armored gunhouses that would be mounted on later ships and which themselves would come to be known as "turrets."
Centurion in 1901–1903 and Barfleur in 1902–1904 underwent a reconstruction in which their 4.7 inch (120 mm) guns were replaced by 6 inch (152 mm) guns in armored casemates, the additional weight being compensated for by reductions in their masts and the removal of all five of their above-water torpedo tubes. They were slightly slower, at about 16.75 knots (32.8 km/h), after these refits.
Renown was an enlarged version of the earlier ships, with better armor, an improved armor layout, greater speed and endurance, and a heavier secondary armament. She also proved to be a good steamer and seaboat, with an easy roll.
Like all pre-dreadnoughts, the Centurions were completely outclassed by the new dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
battleships that began to appear in 1906, and were scrapped a few years later after a period in reserve.
HMS CenturionHMS Centurion (1892)HMS Centurion was a predreadnought second-class battleship of the Royal Navy. She was part of the three-ship Centurion class, designed for long-range patrolling of the United Kingdom's far-flung empire.-Technical characteristics:...
HMS Centurion was launched in 1892 and completed in 1894. She served on the China StationChina Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
as its flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
(1894–1901), served there again (1903–1905), then served in the Reserve Fleet (1905–1907) and Home Fleet (1907–1909) before being scrapped in 1910.
HMS BarfleurHMS Barfleur (1892)HMS Barfleur was a predreadnought second-class battleship of the Royal Navy. She was part of the three-ship Centurion class, designed for long-range patrolling of the United Kingdom's far-flung empire. She mainly saw service in the Mediterranean and Home Fleet, along with Service at China Station,...
HMS Barfleur was launched in 1892 and completed in 1894. She served in the commissioned reserve (1894–1895), Mediterranean FleetMediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
(1895–1898), China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
(1898–1901), Reserve Fleet (1904–1906), and Home Fleet (1907–1909) before being scrapped in 1910.
HMS RenownHMS Renown (1895)HMS Renown was a predreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. Third and last of the lightly armed, long-range Centurion class, she had an upgraded design compared to her two sister ships HMS Centurion and HMS Barfleur....
HMS Renown was launched in 1895 and completed in 1897. She served in various capacities in home waters in 1897, as flagshipFlagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the North America and West Indies Station (1897–1899), in the Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
from 1899 to 1902, mostly as flagship, and again in 1903–1904). Upon her completion, she quickly became a favorite as a flagship because her design was especially congenial for entertaining visitors; by late 1902 she had begun to serve as an occasional royal yacht
Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...
, and after some time in reserve was converted for that purpose in 1905. She became a stoker's training ship in 1909 and was decommissioned in 1913 and scrapped in 1914.
External links
- HMS Centurion
- The Dreadnought Project (Centurion and Barfleur)
- The Dreadnought Project (Renown)