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HMS Defender (1883)
Encyclopedia
HMS Defender was a second-class colonial-service torpedo boat
built in 1883 for service in New Zealand and abandoned at Lyttelton sometime after 1900. Her remains are today displayed at the Lyttelton Torpedo Boat Museum.
, at a cost of about £3,200 each. All four boats were built and engined by John I. Thornycroft & Company
at Church Wharf, Chiswick on the River Thames
. Defender was launched on 30 July 1883 and was commissioned for trials on 18 September the same year.
, which was designed to be rammed into a vessel and explode beneath the waterline
. A single 2-barrelled Nordenfelt Machine Gun comprised the total gun armament.
to Port Chalmers, NZ
. By December 1884 she had been towed to Lyttelton
and on 1 January 1885 she made a great impression at her first public appearance at the Lyttelton Regatta
.
hull.
In March 1886 Rear Admiral R A E Scott of Dunedin
, honorary Commodore
of the Naval Artillery Volunteers, arrived at Lyttelton in the course of a tour of inspection. Captain McLellan, the harbour master and commanding officer of the Lyttelton unit met him at the station and escorted him to where the torpedo boat was waiting, steamed up at Gladstone Pier. A trip was made round Ripa Island to observe the progress of the defence works and then on to Little Port Cooper. The trip was not a success; The Lyttelton Times describes the vessel's performance as "enough to make a marine engineer weep tears of gall!". Her engine was so rusty that only 12.5 knots (24 km/h) could be got out of her. The steam engines quickly used up all supplies of fresh water and the tanks had to be refilled with salt water, the boat proceeding slowly while this was done. The Lyttelton Times writer did not blame the Volunteers for this dreary performance but rather the inability of the Government to provide a full time engineer to service her.
and little more was heard of the torpedo launch.
The spar torpedoes were replaced with Whitehead mobile torpedoes, which could be launched from the torpedo boats by means of dropping gear amidships. However the narrow hull remained stable only if both torpedoes were dropped simultaneously. There was no question of flotilla tactics, since the four harbours were too far apart. Rather, each boat was a single shot weapon, but integrated into the overall defence plan for each harbour.
was eventually used in a nearby paddock as a watering trough, the steel plating, funnels, and deck fittings long since removed. Her ignominious end was the result of neglect and misuse from the time of her arrival at Lyttelton. In 1909 the Mt. Herbert County Council used a traction engine
to pull the hull further up the shore but the whole thing broke in two during this operation. The rusty remains littered the beach until well after the Second World War. The local Borough Council eventually bulldozed what was left into a pit.
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In 1999 the remains were recovered, and now form part of the exhibition at the Lyttelton Torpedo Boat Museum. Housed in the historic magazine building in Magazine Bay it exhibits the remains of the hull
, an engine and other artefacts.
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...
built in 1883 for service in New Zealand and abandoned at Lyttelton sometime after 1900. Her remains are today displayed at the Lyttelton Torpedo Boat Museum.
Construction
She was acquired, with 3 similar second-class torpedo boats, for the external defence of New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, at a cost of about £3,200 each. All four boats were built and engined by John I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm started by John Isaac Thornycroft in the 19th century.-History:...
at Church Wharf, Chiswick on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. Defender was launched on 30 July 1883 and was commissioned for trials on 18 September the same year.
Armament
As built she was armed with a single McEvoy spar torpedoSpar torpedo
A spar torpedo is a weapon consisting of a bomb placed at the end of a long pole, or spar, and attached to a boat. The weapon is used by running the end of the spar into the enemy ship. Spar torpedoes were often equipped with a barbed spear at the end, so it would stick to wooden hulls...
, which was designed to be rammed into a vessel and explode beneath 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...
. A single 2-barrelled Nordenfelt Machine Gun comprised the total gun armament.
Transport to New Zealand
On 1 February 1884 they were shipped aboard the sailing ship Lyttelton from LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Port Chalmers, NZ
Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers is a suburb and the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, with a population of 3,000. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast from Dunedin's city centre....
. By December 1884 she had been towed to Lyttelton
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....
and on 1 January 1885 she made a great impression at her first public appearance at the Lyttelton Regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
.
Active career
A shed and slipway were built for her in Baker's Bay below Erskine Point, but enthusiasm seems to have been short-lived; she spent most of her time out of the water to preserve her galvanisedGalvanization
Galvanization is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, in order to prevent rusting. The term is derived from the name of Italian scientist Luigi Galvani....
hull.
In March 1886 Rear Admiral R A E Scott of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, honorary Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
of the Naval Artillery Volunteers, arrived at Lyttelton in the course of a tour of inspection. Captain McLellan, the harbour master and commanding officer of the Lyttelton unit met him at the station and escorted him to where the torpedo boat was waiting, steamed up at Gladstone Pier. A trip was made round Ripa Island to observe the progress of the defence works and then on to Little Port Cooper. The trip was not a success; The Lyttelton Times describes the vessel's performance as "enough to make a marine engineer weep tears of gall!". Her engine was so rusty that only 12.5 knots (24 km/h) could be got out of her. The steam engines quickly used up all supplies of fresh water and the tanks had to be refilled with salt water, the boat proceeding slowly while this was done. The Lyttelton Times writer did not blame the Volunteers for this dreary performance but rather the inability of the Government to provide a full time engineer to service her.
Laid up
She was laid up to rust in a shed a mile from the town in an exposed and totally unsuitable position. If there was any kind of swell it was impossible to launch the boat without the certainty of it being smashed. A torpedo corps was formed at Lyttelton soon after this and trained in the use of minesNaval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
and little more was heard of the torpedo launch.
The spar torpedoes were replaced with Whitehead mobile torpedoes, which could be launched from the torpedo boats by means of dropping gear amidships. However the narrow hull remained stable only if both torpedoes were dropped simultaneously. There was no question of flotilla tactics, since the four harbours were too far apart. Rather, each boat was a single shot weapon, but integrated into the overall defence plan for each harbour.
Disposal and neglect
In 1900 the Naval and the Torpedo Corps were merged with the Garrison Artillery. The torpedo boat, by then thoroughly outmoded, was neglected and not replaced. When the Government later offered the vessel for sale it was bought for almost nothing by Mr Mark Thomas, a well-known Lyttelton steam launch proprietor. He removed many parts and dumped the hull on the Purau Beach. Her engines were given to the School of Engineering at Canterbury University. For many years the rusty remains of Defender lay on the beach at Purau Bay. The conning towerConning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
was eventually used in a nearby paddock as a watering trough, the steel plating, funnels, and deck fittings long since removed. Her ignominious end was the result of neglect and misuse from the time of her arrival at Lyttelton. In 1909 the Mt. Herbert County Council used a traction engine
Traction engine
A traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
to pull the hull further up the shore but the whole thing broke in two during this operation. The rusty remains littered the beach until well after the Second World War. The local Borough Council eventually bulldozed what was left into a pit.
Preservation
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
, an engine and other artefacts.