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HMS Collingwood (1882)
Encyclopedia
HMS Collingwood was an ironclad
battleship
of the Royal Navy
. She was the first example of the Admiral-class
and was named after Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood
, Horatio Nelson's second-in-command in the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar
.
At the time of her design, she was not considered as being the forerunner of any class; she was designed by Barnaby as a one-off as an answer to the French Formidable-class, which carried three heavy guns on the centre line and a number of smaller pieces on the broadside. He made several proposals to the Board of Admiralty, including an improved Inflexible
, an improved Dreadnought
, and an improved Italia
, all of which were rejected.
His final submission, which became HMS Collingwood, was a return to the configuration of , but with the centerline-mounted breech-loading main armament mounted in barbette
s, which allowed them to be sited 10 ft (3 m) further above the waterline than Devastations guns. It set the pattern for every British battleship designed thereafter until the revolutionary .
She was built to a requirement that she should not exceed 10000 LT (10,160.5 t) displacement. She was also built with sufficient engine power to achieve—with forced draught—a speed of over 16 kn (19.5 mph; 31.4 km/h). In order to achieve this speed on the displacement it was found necessary to give her a low freeboard, which meant that when steaming into wind she would bury her bow in the sea and take green water onto her forecastle, negating the extra power of her engines.
The mounting of the main armament in barbettes allowed the guns to be deployed at a height above water of 22 ft (6.7 m), some 10 ft (3 m) higher than in Colossus. This gave them a better overall command, and increased their ability to deliver plunging fire onto the decks of enemy ships. As the two pairs of guns were contained in individual, widely-spaced armoured redoubts, there was no possibility of a single incoming shell disabling all of the main armament. Each barbette was a roughly pear-shaped 11-sided polygon, 60 by 45 ft (18.3 by 13.7 m). The guns—mounted on a turntable—could only be loaded when pointed fore and aft with an elevation of 13°. The 6 in (152.4 mm) secondary armament was grouped in a central broadside battery, and the quick-firing tertiary armament was positioned over the broadside battery on the hurricane deck
.
Collingwood was the first Royal Navy battleship to be equipped with forced draught. This was a system in which air was forced into the furnaces at above atmospheric pressure to increase the rate of fuel combustion and hence the amount of steam produced.
Authorized in 1880, Collingwoods hull was launched in 1882, and she was completed in 1887, being commissioned the same year.
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
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...
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...
. She was the first example 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...
and was named after Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood
Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood was an admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as Nelson's successor in commands.-Early years:Collingwood was born in Newcastle upon Tyne...
, Horatio Nelson's second-in-command in the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
.
Design
HMS Inflexible (1876)
HMS Inflexible was a Victorian ironclad battleship carrying her main armament in centrally placed turrets. The ship was constructed in the 1870s for the Royal Navy to oppose the perceived growing threat from the Italian Regia Marina in the Mediterranean.The Italian Navy had started constructing a...
, an improved Dreadnought
HMS Dreadnought (1875)
The fifth HMS Dreadnought of the British Royal Navy was a turret ironclad battleship built at Pembroke Dockyard, Wales.-Construction:Begun as Fury in 1870, the original design was recast for heavier armour and higher speed. The renamed ship was laid down in 1872 at Pembroke Dockyard and was...
, and an improved Italia
Italian battleship Italia (1880)
Italia was an Italian battleship launched in 1880, the lead ship of the Italia class. She served in the Regia Marina during the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
, all of which were rejected.
His final submission, which became HMS Collingwood, was a return to the configuration of , but with the centerline-mounted breech-loading main armament mounted in 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, which allowed them to be sited 10 ft (3 m) further above the waterline than Devastations guns. It set the pattern for every British battleship designed thereafter until the revolutionary .
She was built to a requirement that she should not exceed 10000 LT (10,160.5 t) displacement. She was also built with sufficient engine power to achieve—with forced draught—a speed of over 16 kn (19.5 mph; 31.4 km/h). In order to achieve this speed on the displacement it was found necessary to give her a low freeboard, which meant that when steaming into wind she would bury her bow in the sea and take green water onto her forecastle, negating the extra power of her engines.
The mounting of the main armament in barbettes allowed the guns to be deployed at a height above water of 22 ft (6.7 m), some 10 ft (3 m) higher than in Colossus. This gave them a better overall command, and increased their ability to deliver plunging fire onto the decks of enemy ships. As the two pairs of guns were contained in individual, widely-spaced armoured redoubts, there was no possibility of a single incoming shell disabling all of the main armament. Each barbette was a roughly pear-shaped 11-sided polygon, 60 by 45 ft (18.3 by 13.7 m). The guns—mounted on a turntable—could only be loaded when pointed fore and aft with an elevation of 13°. The 6 in (152.4 mm) secondary armament was grouped in a central broadside battery, and the quick-firing tertiary armament was positioned over the broadside battery on the hurricane deck
Hurricane deck
Hurricane deck or Hurricane Deck can refer to:*An upper deck on certain types of ships*Hurricane Deck, Missouri, USA**Hurricane Deck Bridge, located nearby*A ridge in California's San Rafael Wilderness...
.
Collingwood was the first Royal Navy battleship to be equipped with forced draught. This was a system in which air was forced into the furnaces at above atmospheric pressure to increase the rate of fuel combustion and hence the amount of steam produced.
Authorized in 1880, Collingwoods hull was launched in 1882, and she was completed in 1887, being commissioned the same year.