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HMS Defence (1861)
Encyclopedia
HMS Defence was the lead ship
of the armoured frigates ordered by the Royal Navy
in 1859. Upon completion in 1862 she was assigned to the Channel Fleet
. The ship was paid off in 1866 to refit and be re-armed and was briefly reassigned to the Channel Fleet again when she recommissioned in 1868. Defence had brief tours on the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Stations, relieving other ironclads, from 1869 to 1872 before she was refitted again from 1872 to 1874. She became guard ship
on the Shannon
when she recommissioned. The ship was transferred to the Channel Fleet again in 1876 and then became guard ship on the Mersey
until 1885. Defence was placed in reserve until 1890 when she was assigned to the mechanical training school in Devonport
in 1890. She was renamed Indus when the school adopted that name and served there until sold in 1935.
, a future Constructor of the Navy
, considered that in terms of combat a Defence-class ship was worth one quarter of a Warrior.
HMS Defence was 280 feet (85.3 m) long between perpendiculars and 291 inch long overall. She had a beam
of 54 in 2 in (16.51 m) and a draft
of 26 in 2 in (7.98 m). The ship displaced 6070 long tons (6,167.4 t) and had a ram
in the shape of a plough
. The hull was subdivided by watertight transverse bulkhead
s into 92 compartments and had a double bottom
underneath the engine
and boiler rooms. Defence was 128 inch shorter overall and displaced over 3000 long tons (3,048.2 t) less than the Warrior-class ironclads.
driving a single 21 feet (6.4 m) propeller. Four rectangular boiler
s provided steam to the engine at a working pressure of 20 pound per square inch. The engine produced a total of 2343 ihp. During sea trial
s on 10 February 1868 Defence had a maximum speed of 11.23 knots (6.1 m/s). The ship carried 450 long tons (457.2 t) of coal, enough to steam 1670 nautical miles (3,092.8 km) at 10 knots.
The ironclads were ship rigged and had a sail area of 24500 square foot. The lower masts and bowsprit
were made of iron to withstand the shock of ramming. Defence could make about 10.5 knots (5.7 m/s) under sail and the funnel was semi-retractable to reduce wind resistance while under sail alone. The ship's propeller could be hoisted up into the stern of the ship to reduce drag while under sail. She was re-rigged as a barque
from September 1864 to April 1866 before returning to her original ship rig.
s, eight on each side on the main deck and one each fore and aft as chase gun
s on the upper deck, plus four rifled breech-loading 40-pounder
guns as saluting guns. This was modified during construction to eight rifled 110-pounder breech-loading guns, ten 68-pounders and four breech-loading 5 inches (13 cm) guns. Both breech-loading guns were new designs from Armstrong
and much was hoped of them. Six of the 110-pounder guns were installed on the main deck amidships and the other two became chase guns; all of the 68-pounder guns were mounted on the main deck. Firing tests carried out in September 1861 against an armoured target, however, proved that the 110-pounder was inferior to the 68-pounder smoothbore gun in armour penetration and repeated incidents of breech explosions during the Battles for Shimonoseki and the Bombardment of Kagoshima
in 1863–64 caused the navy to begin to withdraw the gun from service shortly afterwards.
The 7.9 inches (200.7 mm) solid shot of the 68-pounder gun weighed approximately 68 pounds (30.8 kg) while the gun itself weighed 10640 pounds (4,826.2 kg). The gun had a muzzle velocity
of 1579 ft/s (481.3 m/s) and had a range of 3200 yards (2,926.1 m) at an elevation of 12°. The 7 inches (177.8 mm) shell of the 110-pounder Armstrong breech-loader weighed 107–110 lb (48.5–49.9 ). It had a muzzle velocity of 1150 ft/s (350.5 m/s) and, at an elevation of 11.25°, a maximum range of 4000 yards (3,657.6 m). The 110-pounder gun weighed 9520 pounds (4,318.2 kg) while the 40-pounder weighed 3584 pounds (1,625.7 kg). All of the guns could fire both solid shot
and explosive shells
.
Defence was rearmed during her 1867–68 refit with fourteen 7-inch and two 8 inches (20 cm) rifled muzzle-loading guns. Ballard, p. 165 The new guns were heavier so fewer could be carried. The shell of the 15-calibre
8-inch gun
weighed 175 pounds (79.4 kg) while the gun itself weighed 9 long tons (9.1 t). It had a muzzle velocity
of 1410 ft/s (429.8 m/s) and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal 9.6 inches (244 mm) of wrought iron
armour at the muzzle. The 16-calibre 7-inch gun
weighed 6.5 long tons (6.6 t) and fired a 112 pounds (50.8 kg) shell. It was credited with the nominal ability to penetrate 7.7 inches (196 mm) armour.
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The Defence-class ships had a wrought iron
armour belt
, 4.5 inches (114 mm) thick, that covered 140 feet (42.7 m) amidships. The armour extended from upper deck level to 6 feet (1.8 m) below it. 4.5-inch transverse bulkheads protected the guns on the main deck. The armour was backed by 18 inches (45.7 cm) of teak
. The ends of the ship were left entirely unprotected which meant that the steering gear was very vulnerable. They were, however, sub-divided into many watertight compartments to minimize any flooding.
in Jarrow
. She was launched on 24 April 1861, commissioned on 4 December 1861 and completed on 12 February 1862. After completion she served in the Channel Fleet until 1866, when she paid off in Plymouth
for refit and re-armament. The ship returned to the Channel Fleet in 1868, and in 1869 she was sent to the North America station to relieve . She served with the Mediterranean Fleet from 1871 to 1872 under the command of Captain
Nowell Salmon
, who had earned the Victoria Cross
during the Indian Mutiny in 1857. While recovering items lost when the ironclad grounded off Pantelleria
, Defence damaged her propeller and rudder
when she briefly grounded in the trough
of a wave, and was nearly blown ashore herself in March 1872. She was paid off again for a lengthy refit in Plymouth between 1872 and 1874 and became the guard ship on the Shannon until 1876. The ship then rejoined the Channel Fleet until 1879 and was transferred with most of that fleet to the Mediterranean while the Mediterranean Fleet patrolled the Dardanelles
during the Russo-Turkish War of 1878. Defence replaced her sister ship
as guard ship in the Mersey until 1885, after which she saw no further sea-going service. On 20 July 1884 the ship collided with in Lough Swilly
, damaging her bow and flooding some compartments. In 1890 she was converted into a floating workshop at Devonport, and was renamed Indus in 1898. She was sold for scrap at Devonport in August 1935.
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 armoured frigates ordered by 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 1859. Upon completion in 1862 she was assigned to the 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...
. The ship was paid off in 1866 to refit and be re-armed and was briefly reassigned to the Channel Fleet again when she recommissioned in 1868. Defence had brief tours on the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Stations, relieving other ironclads, from 1869 to 1872 before she was refitted again from 1872 to 1874. 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...
on the Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
when she recommissioned. The ship was transferred to the Channel Fleet again in 1876 and then became guard ship on the Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
until 1885. Defence was placed in reserve until 1890 when she was assigned to the mechanical training school in Devonport
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
in 1890. She was renamed Indus when the school adopted that name and served there until sold in 1935.
Design and description
The Defence-class ironcladsIronclad is the all-encompassing term for armored warships of this period. Armoured frigates were basically designed for the same role as traditional wooden frigates, but this later changed as the size and expense of these ships forced them to be used in the line of battle. were designed as smaller and cheaper versions of the armoured frigates. This meant that they could not fit the same powerful engines of the Warrior-class ships and were therefore 2 knots (1.1 m/s) slower and had far fewer guns. The naval architect Sir Nathaniel BarnabyNathaniel Barnaby
Sir Nathaniel Barnaby, KCB was Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy from 1872 to 1885....
, a future Constructor of the Navy
Director of Naval Construction
The Director of Naval Construction was a senior British civil servant post in the Admiralty, that part of the British Civil Service that oversaw the Royal Navy. The post existed from 1860 to 1966....
, considered that in terms of combat a Defence-class ship was worth one quarter of a Warrior.
HMS Defence was 280 feet (85.3 m) long between perpendiculars and 291 inch long overall. 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 in 2 in (16.51 m) and a draft
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 26 in 2 in (7.98 m). The ship displaced 6070 long tons (6,167.4 t) and had a 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...
in the shape of a plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
. The hull was subdivided by watertight 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:...
s into 92 compartments and had a double bottom
Double bottom
A double bottom is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom of the ship has two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is somewhat higher in the ship, perhaps a few feet, which forms a...
underneath the engine
Engine room
On a ship, the engine room, or ER, commonly refers to the machinery spaces of a vessel. To increase the safety and damage survivability of a vessel, the machinery necessary for operations may be segregated into various spaces, the engine room is one of these spaces, and is generally the largest...
and boiler rooms. Defence was 128 inch shorter overall and displaced over 3000 long tons (3,048.2 t) less than the Warrior-class ironclads.
Propulsion
The Defence-class ships had one 2-cylinder trunk steam engine made by John Penn and SonsJohn Penn (engineer)
John Penn FRS, was a marine engineer, whose firm was pre-eminent in the middle of the nineteenth century due to his innovations in engine and propeller systems, which led his firm to be the major supplier to the Royal Navy as it made the transition from sail to steam power...
driving a single 21 feet (6.4 m) propeller. Four 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 20 pound per square inch. The engine produced a total of 2343 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 10 February 1868 Defence had a maximum speed of 11.23 knots (6.1 m/s). The ship carried 450 long tons (457.2 t) of coal, enough to steam 1670 nautical miles (3,092.8 km) at 10 knots.
The ironclads were ship rigged and had a sail area of 24500 square foot. The lower masts and bowsprit
Bowsprit
The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a pole extending forward from the vessel's prow. It provides an anchor point for the forestay, allowing the fore-mast to be stepped farther forward on the hull.-Origin:...
were made of iron to withstand the shock of ramming. Defence could make about 10.5 knots (5.7 m/s) under sail and the funnel was semi-retractable to reduce wind resistance while under sail alone. The ship's propeller could be hoisted up into the stern of the ship to reduce drag while under sail. She was re-rigged as 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...
from September 1864 to April 1866 before returning to her original ship rig.
Armament
The armament of the Defence-class ships was intended to be 18 smoothbore, muzzle-loading 68-pounder gun68-pounder gun
The 68-pounder cannon was an artillery piece designed and used by the British Armed Forces in the mid-19th century. The cannon was a smoothbore muzzle-loading gun manufactured in several weights, the most common being , and fired projectiles of . Colonel William Dundas designed the 112 cwt version...
s, eight on each side on the main deck and one each fore and aft 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 on the upper deck, plus four rifled breech-loading 40-pounder
RBL 40 pounder Armstrong gun
The Armstrong RBL 40 pounder gun was an early attempt to use William Armstrong's new and innovative breechloading mechanism for medium artillery.-Design history:...
guns as saluting guns. This was modified during construction to eight rifled 110-pounder breech-loading guns, ten 68-pounders and four breech-loading 5 inches (13 cm) guns. Both breech-loading guns were new designs from Armstrong
Armstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
and much was hoped of them. Six of the 110-pounder guns were installed on the main deck amidships and the other two became chase guns; all of the 68-pounder guns were mounted on the main deck. Firing tests carried out in September 1861 against an armoured target, however, proved that the 110-pounder was inferior to the 68-pounder smoothbore gun in armour penetration and repeated incidents of breech explosions during the Battles for Shimonoseki and the Bombardment of Kagoshima
Bombardment of Kagoshima
The Bombardment of Kagoshima, also known as the , took place on 15–17 August 1863 during the Late Tokugawa shogunate. The British Royal Navy was fired on from the coastal batteries near town of Kagoshima and in retaliation bombarded the town...
in 1863–64 caused the navy to begin to withdraw the gun from service shortly afterwards.
The 7.9 inches (200.7 mm) solid shot of the 68-pounder gun weighed approximately 68 pounds (30.8 kg) while the gun itself weighed 10640 pounds (4,826.2 kg). The gun 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 1579 ft/s (481.3 m/s) and had a range of 3200 yards (2,926.1 m) at an elevation of 12°. The 7 inches (177.8 mm) shell of the 110-pounder Armstrong breech-loader weighed 107–110 lb (48.5–49.9 ). It had a muzzle velocity of 1150 ft/s (350.5 m/s) and, at an elevation of 11.25°, a maximum range of 4000 yards (3,657.6 m). The 110-pounder gun weighed 9520 pounds (4,318.2 kg) while the 40-pounder weighed 3584 pounds (1,625.7 kg). All of the guns could fire both solid shot
Round shot
Round shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
and explosive shells
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
.
Defence was rearmed during her 1867–68 refit with fourteen 7-inch and two 8 inches (20 cm) rifled muzzle-loading guns. Ballard, p. 165 The new guns were heavier so fewer could be carried. The shell of the 15-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....
8-inch gun
RML 8 inch 9 ton gun
The British RML 8 inch 9 ton guns Mark I - Mark III were medium rifled muzzle-loading guns used to arm smaller ironclad warships and coast defence batteries in the later 19th century.-Design:...
weighed 175 pounds (79.4 kg) while the gun itself weighed 9 long tons (9.1 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 1410 ft/s (429.8 m/s) and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal 9.6 inches (244 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 7-inch gun
RML 7 inch gun
The RML 7 inch guns were various designs of medium-sized rifled muzzle-loading guns used to arm small-medium sized British warships in the late 19th century, and some were used ashore for coast defence.-Design and history:...
weighed 6.5 long tons (6.6 t) and fired a 112 pounds (50.8 kg) shell. It was credited with the nominal ability to penetrate 7.7 inches (196 mm) armour.
Armour
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 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....
, 4.5 inches (114 mm) thick, that covered 140 feet (42.7 m) amidships. The armour extended from upper deck level to 6 feet (1.8 m) below it. 4.5-inch transverse bulkheads protected the guns on the main deck. The armour was backed by 18 inches (45.7 cm) 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 ends of the ship were left entirely unprotected which meant that the steering gear was very vulnerable. They were, however, sub-divided into many watertight compartments to minimize any flooding.
Service
HMS Defence was laid down on 14 December 1859 by the Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron CompanyPalmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company
Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Limited, often referred to simply as Palmers, was a British shipbuilding company. The Company was based in Jarrow, in Northeast England and also had operations in Hebburn and Willington Quay on the River Tyne....
in Jarrow
Jarrow
Jarrow is a town in Tyne and Wear, England, located on the River Tyne, with a population of 27,526. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936.-Foundation:The Angles re-occupied...
. She was launched on 24 April 1861, commissioned on 4 December 1861 and completed on 12 February 1862. After completion she served in the Channel Fleet until 1866, when she paid off 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...
for refit and re-armament. The ship returned to the Channel Fleet in 1868, and in 1869 she was sent to the North America station to relieve . She served with the Mediterranean Fleet from 1871 to 1872 under the command of Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
Nowell Salmon
Nowell Salmon
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Nowell Salmon VC, GCB was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Naval career:Salmon was the son of Reverend H...
, who had earned the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
during the Indian Mutiny in 1857. While recovering items lost when the ironclad grounded off Pantelleria
Pantelleria
Pantelleria , the ancient Cossyra, is an Italian island in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, southwest of Sicily and just east of the Tunisian coast. Administratively Pantelleria is a comune belonging to the Sicilian province of Trapani...
, Defence damaged her propeller and 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...
when she briefly grounded in the trough
Crest (physics)
A crest is the point on a wave with the maximum value or upward displacement within a cycle. A trough is the opposite of a crest, so the minimum or lowest point in a cycle.-Interference:...
of a wave, and was nearly blown ashore herself in March 1872. She was paid off again for a lengthy refit in Plymouth between 1872 and 1874 and became the guard ship on the Shannon until 1876. The ship then rejoined the Channel Fleet until 1879 and was transferred with most of that fleet to the Mediterranean while the Mediterranean Fleet patrolled the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
during the Russo-Turkish War of 1878. Defence replaced her 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...
as guard ship in the Mersey until 1885, after which she saw no further sea-going service. On 20 July 1884 the ship collided with in Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three known glacial fjords in Ireland....
, damaging her bow and flooding some compartments. In 1890 she was converted into a floating workshop at Devonport, and was renamed Indus in 1898. She was sold for scrap at Devonport in August 1935.