HMS Dreadnought (1875) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The fifth HMS Dreadnought of the British 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...

was a turret ironclad 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...

built at Pembroke Dockyard, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

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 subsequently launched

Ship naming and launching

The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...

in March 1875, with final completion at Portsmouth in 1879. She carried her four muzzle-loading guns in two twin turrets, and had a very heavily armored hull, low freeboard, and no sailing rig. Her secondary armament was very light, though it varied in detail throughout her career. Despite their obsolescence, she retained her muzzle-loading big guns to the end of her days.

Service history

After completion, Dreadnought remained in reserve until 1884, when she was commissioned for service in the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

. On 9 March 1894, Arthur Forwood

Sir Arthur Forwood, 1st Baronet

Sir Arthur Bower Forwood, 1st Baronet PC MP was an English merchant, shipowner, and politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1885 until his death, and in 1895 he was created a baronet....

, the MP for Ormskirk

Ormskirk (UK Parliament constituency)

Ormskirk was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as a division of the parliamentary county of...

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty to "state the total number of days H.M.S. Amphion

HMS Amphion (1883)

HMS Amphion was a second class cruiser of the Leander Class which served with the Royal Navy. She was built at Pembroke Dockyard, being laid down in 1881, launched in 1883 and completed in financial year 1885-86, and then lay in ordinary at Devonport. She was commissioned for the 1887 and 1888...

, Camperdown

HMS Camperdown (1885)

HMS Camperdown was an Admiral-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan of Camperdown.She was a full sister to , and was an improved version of the earlier and . In comparison to these earlier ships, she had an increased thickness of barbette armour, and a...

, Dreadnought, Edinburgh

HMS Edinburgh (1882)

HMS Edinburgh was an ironclad battleship of the Colossus class which served in the Royal Navy of the Victorian era. She was the sister ship of HMS Colossus, being started before her but being completed after....

, Royal Sovereign

HMS Royal Sovereign (1891)

HMS Royal Sovereign was a Royal Sovereign class battleship of the Royal Navy, the lead ship of the class, and the largest warship in the world at the time of her construction. The ships were designed by Sir William White and were the most potent battleships in the world until HMS Dreadnought...

, and Rodney

HMS Rodney (1884)

HMS Rodney was a battleship of the Victorian Royal Navy, a member of the Admiral class of warships designed by Nathaniel Barnaby.She was a development of the design of Collingwood, but carried 13.5 inch calibre main armament as against 12 inch in the earlier ship...

were each out of harbour and at sea during the 12 months ending the 30th September last, and the total number of knots they traversed, with their aggregate complement of men and officers". The Secretary To The Admiralty Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth

Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baron Shuttleworth

Ughtred James Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baron Shuttleworth PC , known as Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, Bt, between 1872 and 1902, was a British landowner and Liberal politician...

(MP for Clitheroe)

Clitheroe (UK Parliament constituency)

Clitheroe was a parliamentary constituency in Lancashire.The town of Clitheroe was first enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1559, returning two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and finally to the...

agreed to provide the information. The battleship

Battleship

returned to British waters in 1894 and, after refit, served in 1895-1897 as a coast guard ship at Bantry Bay

Bantry Bay

Bantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km wide at the head and wide at the entrance....

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

.

Dreadnought was partially modernized in 1897-1899 and took part in British fleet manoeuvres in 1900 and 1901 as a second-class battleship

Battleship

. From 1902, she served as a tender and depot ship. She was placed out of service in 1905, and sold for scrapping in July 1908.

External links

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