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HMS Anson (1886)
Encyclopedia
HMS Anson was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the British Royal Navy
, and was the last member of the Admiral-class
to be laid down.
In common with , , and , she was a progressive development of the design of and was an exact sister ship
of Camperdown.
naval architects were shipping in their Formidable and Amiral Baudin. It was a much more powerful weapon than the 12 in (304.8 mm) gun mounted in Collingwood and in some earlier ships, and would in theory penetrate the thickest armour carried on any warship then afloat. Tests indicated that a charge of 630 lb (285.8 kg) of gunpowder
or 187 lb (84.8 kg) of cordite
would fire a 1250 lb (567 kg) shell through an iron plate 27 in (68.6 cm) thick at a range of 1000 yd (914.4 m). Because of delays in the manufacture of these weapons the completion of Anson, and of all of her sisters, was vastly prolonged. Delays spanned six or seven years between laying-down and commissioning.
s was increased, as compared to Howe and Rodney, as was the length of the armour belt
. To accommodate these changes without an increase in displacement, these later two ships were lengthened by 5 ft (1.5 m), and had their beam
increased by 6 in (15.2 cm) over their earlier sisters.
of the Rear-Admiral
, Channel Fleet
. On 17 March 1891 passenger steamer SS Utopia
accidentally collided with stationary Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar
. 562 of Utopias passengers and crew and two rescuers from HMS Immortalité
were killed in the accident. Anson did not report any injuries or damage.
In September 1893, Anson was transferred to the Mediterranean, where she served until January 1900, with a refit at Malta
in 1896. She returned home and paid off at Devonport in January 1901, re-commissioning for the newly-formed Home Fleet in March of the same year. In May 1904, Anson finally paid off into reserve, where she remained until sold on 13 July 1909.
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...
, and was the last member of the Admiral-class
Admiral class battleship
The British Royal Navy's pre-dreadnought Admiral class battleships of the 1880s followed the pattern of the Devastation class in having the main armament on centre-line mounts with the superstructure in between. This pattern was followed by most following British designs until in 1906...
to be laid down.
In common with , , and , she was a progressive development of the design of and was an exact sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
of Camperdown.
Guns
She was armed with 13.5 in (342.9 mm) guns, which was a significant advance on earlier ships; this gun was chosen because it was of virtually the same weight and power as the guns which the FrenchFrench Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
naval architects were shipping in their Formidable and Amiral Baudin. It was a much more powerful weapon than the 12 in (304.8 mm) gun mounted in Collingwood and in some earlier ships, and would in theory penetrate the thickest armour carried on any warship then afloat. Tests indicated that a charge of 630 lb (285.8 kg) of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
or 187 lb (84.8 kg) of cordite
Cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom from 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. Like gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates and consequently low brisance...
would fire a 1250 lb (567 kg) shell through an iron plate 27 in (68.6 cm) thick at a range of 1000 yd (914.4 m). Because of delays in the manufacture of these weapons the completion of Anson, and of all of her sisters, was vastly prolonged. Delays spanned six or seven years between laying-down and commissioning.
Armour
In Anson and Camperdown, the thickness of the armour plate on the barbetteBarbette
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 was increased, as compared to Howe and Rodney, as was the length of the armour belt
Belt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
. To accommodate these changes without an increase in displacement, these later two ships were lengthened by 5 ft (1.5 m), and had their beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
increased by 6 in (15.2 cm) over their earlier sisters.
History
Anson arrived at Portsmouth from the builder's yard in Pembroke in March 1887, and lay at anchor for two years, slowly completing for sea while waiting for her guns to be manufactured. She finally commissioned on 28 May 1889 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 Rear-Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
, Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
. On 17 March 1891 passenger steamer SS Utopia
SS Utopia
SS Utopia was a transatlantic passenger steamship built in 1874 by Robert Duncan & Co of Glasgow. From 1874 to 1882 she operated on Anchor Line routes from Glasgow to New York City, from Glasgow to Bombay and from London to New York City...
accidentally collided with stationary Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar
Bay of Gibraltar
The Bay of Gibraltar is a bay at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. It is around long by wide, covering an area of some , with a depth of up to in the centre of the bay...
. 562 of Utopias passengers and crew and two rescuers from HMS Immortalité
HMS Immortalité (1887)
HMS Immortalité was a ship of the Orlando-class of armored cruisers of the British Royal Navy built in the yards of Earle of Hull and launched on 7 July 1887. She was sold for scrapping on 1 January 1907 to S. Breaking Company of Blackwall....
were killed in the accident. Anson did not report any injuries or damage.
In September 1893, Anson was transferred to the Mediterranean, where she served until January 1900, with a refit at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in 1896. She returned home and paid off at Devonport in January 1901, re-commissioning for the newly-formed Home Fleet in March of the same year. In May 1904, Anson finally paid off into reserve, where she remained until sold on 13 July 1909.