.gif)
HMS Audacious (1869)
Encyclopedia
HMS Audacious was the lead ship
of the s built for the Royal Navy
in the late 1860s. They were designed as second-class ironclads suitable for use on foreign stations and the ship spent the bulk of her career on the China Station
. She was decommissioned in 1894 and hulk
ed in 1902 for use as a training ship. The ship was towed to Scapa Flow
after the beginning of the First World War to be used as a receiving ship and then to Rosyth
after the war ended. Audacious was sold for scrap
in 1929.
ed out over the sides of the hull. The ships were fitted with a short, plough-shaped ram
and their crew numbered 450 officers and men.
HMS Audacious was 280 feet (85.3 m) long between perpendiculars. She had a beam
of 54 feet (16.5 m) and a draught
of 23 feet (7 m). The ship was first British ironclad to be completed below her designed displacement; this meant that she was top heavy and required 360 long tons (365.8 t) of cement ballast
to raise her metacentric height
. Audacious, and her sisters
, were the steadiest gun platforms among the large British ironclads of their era. Audacious was given an experimental zinc
sheath for her hull in an attempt to reduce biofouling
that proved unsuccessful.
when the ship used her sails. They were later replaced by two-bladed Griffiths propellers. Six rectangular boiler
s provided steam to the engine at a working pressure of 31 pound per square inch. The engines produced a total of 4021 ihp during sea trial
s on 21 October 1870 and Audacious reached a maximum speed of 12.83 knots (7 m/s). The ship carried 460 long tons (467.4 t) of coal, enough to steam 1260 nautical miles (2,333.5 km) at 10 knots (5.4 m/s).
The Audacious-class ironclads were initially ship rigged and had a sail area of 25054 square foot. After the loss of in a storm in 1870, the ships were modified with a barque
rig which reduced their sail area to 23700 square foot. They were slow under sail, only 6.5 knots (3.5 m/s), partly due to the drag of the twin screws, and their shallow draft and flat bottom meant that they were leewardly when close-hauled. The three ships, Audacious, , and , with balanced rudder
s were described as unmanageable under sail alone.
and four 64-pounder rifled muzzle-loading guns. Six of the 9 inches (23 cm) guns were mounted on the main deck, three on each side, while the other four guns were fitted above them on the upper deck. Their gun ports were in each corner of the upper battery and could be worked in all weathers, unlike like the guns on the main deck below them. The 64-pounder guns were mounted on the upper deck, outside the battery, as chase gun
s. The ship also had six 20-pounder Armstrong guns for use as saluting guns.
The shell of the 14-calibre
9-inch gun weighed 254 pounds (115.2 kg) while the gun itself weighed 12 long tons (12.2 t). It had a muzzle velocity
of 1420 ft/s (432.8 m/s) and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal 11.3 inches (287 mm) of wrought iron
armour at the muzzle. The 16-calibre 64-pounder gun weighed 3.2 long tons (3.3 t) and fired a 6.3 inches (16 cm), 64 pounds (29 kg) shell that had a muzzle velocity of 1125 ft/s (342.9 m/s).
In 1878 Audacious received four 14 inches (356 mm) torpedo
launchers that were carried on the main deck, outside the armoured battery. When the ship was refitted in 1889–90 she received eight 4-inch breech-loading guns
as well as four quick-firing
6-pounder Hotchkiss
and six 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns
for defence against torpedo boat
s.
of wrought iron
that was 8 inches (203 mm) thick amidships and tapered to 6 inches (152 mm) thick at the bow and stern. It only protected the main deck and reached 3 foot (0.9144 m) above the waterline
at full load and 5 feet (1.5 m) below. The guns were protected by a section of 8-inch armour, 59 feet (18 m) long, with a 5 inches (127 mm) transverse bulkhead
forward and a 8 inches (203 mm) bulkhead to the rear. The armour was backed by 8–10 in (20.3–25.4 ) of teak
. The total weight of her armour was 924 long tons (938.8 t).
in Govan
, Glasgow
. She was laid down on 26 June 1867 and launched on 27 February 1869 in a gale. The winds caught the rear of the ship as she was about halfway down the slipway
and twisted her enough that some plates and frames of her bottom were damaged. The ship was completed on 10 September 1870 and commissioned the following month. She cost £256,291Adjusted for inflation, the ship cost in current pounds. to build.
Upon completion she became guard ship
of the First Reserve at Kingstown, Ireland (modern Dún Laoghaire
), but was transferred the following year to Hull
where she remained until 1874. The ship was ordered to the Far East
that year to serve as the flagship for the China Station under the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Alfred Phillips Ryder
. Despite the presence of escorting tugs, Audacious grounded twice while she was transiting through the Suez Canal
. She relieved her sister in Singapore
, and later collided with a merchant ship during a typhoon in Yokohama
. Iron Duke relieved her in turn in 1878. Audacious returned to her previous post in Hull in 1879, relieving . She served there until she began a lengthy refit which included new boilers and the addition of a poop deck
.
The ship's refit was complete in March 1883 and she again relieved Iron Duke as flagship of the China Station later that year. Audacious remained there until 1889 when she returned to Chatham
where she was refitted, rearmed and replaced her masts and rigging with simple pole masts fitted with fighting tops
. Upon the completion of her refit in 1890 she returned to Hull for the third time until the ship was decommissioned
in 1894. Audacious was relegated to 4th class reserve until her engines were removed and she was hulked as a boy's training ship in 1902 in Plymouth
. In April 1904 she was renamed Fisgard (after the French translation of the Welsh town Fishguard
). The ship was towed to Scapa Flow in 1914 after the start of the First World War to be used as a receiving ship and was renamed Imperieuse. In 1919 she was towed to Rosyth and renamed Victorious. On 15 March 1929 the ship was sold to Ward of Inverkeithing
for scrap.
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of the s built for 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...
in the late 1860s. They were designed as second-class ironclads suitable for use on foreign stations and the ship spent the bulk of her career 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....
. She was decommissioned in 1894 and hulk
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
ed in 1902 for use as a training ship. The ship was towed to Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
after the beginning of the First World War to be used as a receiving ship and then to Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
after the war ended. Audacious was sold for scrap
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
in 1929.
Design and description
The Audacious-class ironclads were laid out as central battery ironclads with the armament concentrated amidships. They were the first British ironclads to have a two-deck battery with the upper deck guns sponsonSponson
Sponsons are projections from the sides of a watercraft, for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment such as armaments or lifeboats, etc...
ed out over the sides of the hull. The ships were fitted with a short, plough-shaped ram
Naval ram
A naval ram was a weapon carried by varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon consisted of an underwater prolongation of the bow of the ship to form an armoured beak, usually between six and twelve feet in length...
and their crew numbered 450 officers and men.
HMS Audacious was 280 feet (85.3 m) long between perpendiculars. She had a 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...
of 54 feet (16.5 m) and a draught
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of 23 feet (7 m). The ship was first British ironclad to be completed below her designed displacement; this meant that she was top heavy and required 360 long tons (365.8 t) of cement ballast
Sailing ballast
Ballast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail. Insufficiently ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the boat capsizing. If a sailing vessel should need to voyage without cargo then ballast of...
to raise her metacentric height
Metacentric height
The metacentric height is a measurement of the static stability of a floating body. It is calculated as the distance between the centre of gravity of a ship and its metacentre . A larger metacentric height implies greater stability against overturning...
. Audacious, and her sisters
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...
, were the steadiest gun platforms among the large British ironclads of their era. Audacious was given an experimental zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
sheath for her hull in an attempt to reduce biofouling
Biofouling
Biofouling or biological fouling is the undesirable accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, or animals on wetted structures.-Impact:...
that proved unsuccessful.
Propulsion
Audacious had two 2-cylinder horizontal return connecting rod steam engines made by Ravenhill, each driving a single 16 in 2 in (4.93 m) propeller. The bronze four-bladed Mangin propellers were not arranged in the usual radial cross shape, but rather in two pairs, one behind the other, on an elongated boss in an attempt to reduce their drag (physics)Drag (physics)
In fluid dynamics, drag refers to forces which act on a solid object in the direction of the relative fluid flow velocity...
when the ship used her sails. They were later replaced by two-bladed Griffiths propellers. Six rectangular boiler
Boiler (steam generator)
A boiler or steam generator is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. Although the definitions are somewhat flexible, it can be said that older steam generators were commonly termed boilers and worked at low to medium pressure but, at pressures above this, it is more...
s provided steam to the engine at a working pressure of 31 pound per square inch. The engines produced a total of 4021 ihp during sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s on 21 October 1870 and Audacious reached a maximum speed of 12.83 knots (7 m/s). The ship carried 460 long tons (467.4 t) of coal, enough to steam 1260 nautical miles (2,333.5 km) at 10 knots (5.4 m/s).
The Audacious-class ironclads were initially ship rigged and had a sail area of 25054 square foot. After the loss of in a storm in 1870, the ships were modified with a barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
rig which reduced their sail area to 23700 square foot. They were slow under sail, only 6.5 knots (3.5 m/s), partly due to the drag of the twin screws, and their shallow draft and flat bottom meant that they were leewardly when close-hauled. The three ships, Audacious, , and , with balanced rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
s were described as unmanageable under sail alone.
Armament
HMS Audacious was armed with ten 9-inchRML 9 inch 12 ton gun
The RML 9 inch guns Mark I - Mark VI were large rifled muzzle-loading guns used as primary armament on smaller British ironclad battleships and secondary armament on larger battleships, and also ashore for coast defence.-Design:...
and four 64-pounder rifled muzzle-loading guns. Six of the 9 inches (23 cm) guns were mounted on the main deck, three on each side, while the other four guns were fitted above them on the upper deck. Their gun ports were in each corner of the upper battery and could be worked in all weathers, unlike like the guns on the main deck below them. The 64-pounder guns were mounted on the upper deck, outside the battery, as chase gun
Chase gun
The chase guns, usually distinguished as bow chasers and stern chasers were cannons mounted in the bow or stern of a sailing ship...
s. The ship also had six 20-pounder Armstrong guns for use as saluting guns.
The shell of the 14-calibre
Caliber (artillery)
In artillery, caliber or calibredifference in British English and American English spelling is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length....
9-inch gun weighed 254 pounds (115.2 kg) while the gun itself weighed 12 long tons (12.2 t). It had a muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
of 1420 ft/s (432.8 m/s) and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal 11.3 inches (287 mm) of wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
armour at the muzzle. The 16-calibre 64-pounder gun weighed 3.2 long tons (3.3 t) and fired a 6.3 inches (16 cm), 64 pounds (29 kg) shell that had a muzzle velocity of 1125 ft/s (342.9 m/s).
In 1878 Audacious received four 14 inches (356 mm) 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...
launchers that were carried on the main deck, outside the armoured battery. When the ship was refitted in 1889–90 she received eight 4-inch breech-loading guns
Breech-loading weapon
A breech-loading weapon is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel....
as well as four quick-firing
Quick-firing gun
A quick-firing gun is an artillery piece, typically a gun or howitzer, which has several characteristics which taken together mean the weapon can fire at a fast rate...
6-pounder Hotchkiss
QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss
The QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss was a light 57 mm naval gun and coast defence gun of the late 19th century used by many countries, and was adapted for use in the early British tanks in World War I.- Canada History :...
and six 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns
QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss
The QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss was a light 47-mm naval gun introduced in 1886 to defend against new small fast vessels such as torpedo boats, and later submarines...
for defence against torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s.
Armour
Audacious had a complete waterline beltBelt 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....
of wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
that was 8 inches (203 mm) thick amidships and tapered to 6 inches (152 mm) thick at the bow and stern. It only protected the main deck and reached 3 foot (0.9144 m) above the waterline
Waterline
The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship...
at full load and 5 feet (1.5 m) below. The guns were protected by a section of 8-inch armour, 59 feet (18 m) long, with a 5 inches (127 mm) transverse bulkhead
Bulkhead (partition)
A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...
forward and a 8 inches (203 mm) bulkhead to the rear. The armour was backed by 8–10 in (20.3–25.4 ) of teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
. The total weight of her armour was 924 long tons (938.8 t).
Service
HMS Audacious was ordered on 29 April 1867 from Robert NapierRobert Napier (engineer)
Robert Napier was a Scottish engineer, and is often called "The Father of Clyde Shipbuilding."-Early life:Robert Napier was born in Dumbarton at the height of the Industrial Revolution, to James and Jean Napier...
in Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. She was laid down on 26 June 1867 and launched on 27 February 1869 in a gale. The winds caught the rear of the ship as she was about halfway down the slipway
Slipway
A slipway, boat slip or just a slip, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats. They are also used for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers and flying boats on their undercarriage. The...
and twisted her enough that some plates and frames of her bottom were damaged. The ship was completed on 10 September 1870 and commissioned the following month. She cost £256,291Adjusted for inflation, the ship cost in current pounds. to build.
Upon completion she became guard ship
Guard ship
A guard ship is a warship stationed at some port or harbour to act as a guard, and in former times in the Royal Navy to receive the men impressed for service...
of the First Reserve at Kingstown, Ireland (modern Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
), but was transferred the following year to Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
where she remained until 1874. The ship was ordered to the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
that year to serve as the flagship for the China Station under the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Alfred Phillips Ryder
Alfred Phillips Ryder
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Alfred Phillips Ryder KCB was a Royal Navy officer and an active member of the Church of England Purity Society.-Biography:...
. Despite the presence of escorting tugs, Audacious grounded twice while she was transiting 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...
. She relieved her sister in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and later collided with a merchant ship during a typhoon in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
. Iron Duke relieved her in turn in 1878. Audacious returned to her previous post in Hull in 1879, relieving . She served there until she began a lengthy refit which included new boilers and the addition of a poop deck
Poop deck
In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or "aft", part of the superstructure of a ship.The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis...
.
The ship's refit was complete in March 1883 and she again relieved Iron Duke as flagship of the China Station later that year. Audacious remained there until 1889 when she returned to Chatham
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
where she was refitted, rearmed and replaced her masts and rigging with simple pole masts fitted with fighting tops
Top (sailing ship)
On a traditional square rigged ship, the top is the platform at the upper end of each mast. This is not the masthead "crow's nest" of the popular imagination – above the mainmast is the main-topmast, main-topgallant-mast and main-royal-mast, so that the top is actually about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way...
. Upon the completion of her refit in 1890 she returned to Hull for the third time until the ship was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
in 1894. Audacious was relegated to 4th class reserve until her engines were removed and she was hulked as a boy's training ship in 1902 in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. In April 1904 she was renamed Fisgard (after the French translation of the Welsh town Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
). The ship was towed to Scapa Flow in 1914 after the start of the First World War to be used as a receiving ship and was renamed Imperieuse. In 1919 she was towed to Rosyth and renamed Victorious. On 15 March 1929 the ship was sold to Ward of Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing is a town and a royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. According to population estimates , the town has a population of 5,265. The port town was given burgh status by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century and is situated about 9 miles north from...
for scrap.