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HMS Howe (1885)
Encyclopedia
HMS Howe was an Admiral-class
battleship
of the Royal Navy
, the last of the Admiral-class to be completed.
Along with her sister
s, , and , she was a progressive development of the design of . She carried a main armament of four 13.5 in (342.9 mm) guns, compared to the 12 in (304.8 mm) guns carried in the earlier ship. While the above-water dimensions of Collingwood were retained in Howe, it was found necessary to increase the draught
from 26 in 4 in (8.03 m) to 27 in 10 in (8.48 m), with a commensurate increase in displacement of some 800 LT (812.8 t). This meant that when the ship was fully loaded and with full fuel bunkers the armour belt
would be virtually completely submerged; it was assumed that combat would not take place until some significant part of the fuel had been consumed, allowing the belt to rise above the waterline.
s, one forward and one aft of the superstructure
, and each one carrying a pair of guns. The barbettes were open, without hoods or gunshields, and the guns were fully exposed. The shells fired by these guns weighed 1250 lb (567 kg), and when fired with a charge of 630 lb (285.8 kg) of gunpowder
would penetrate 27 in (68.6 cm) of iron at 1000 yd (914.4 m). In later years, a charge of 187 lb (84.8 kg) of cordite
was substituted for the gunpowder. There were significant delays in the production of the heavy guns for this ship and her sisters, leading to excessively prolonged building times. Even as late as early 1890, Howe only had two of her guns installed.
was regarded as such a serious threat that many doubted if battleships were a good investment. Exceptional advances during the seven years she was building included the triple expansion steam engine which came into RN use in 1886, improvements in the structure of armour in 1886 and the appearance of nickel-steel armour, and the development of a quick firing gun which removed the threat from torpedo boats. Howe unfortunately lacked these developments and like her Second World War successor, she was — when commissioned — hardly the ultimate naval weapon hoped for when ordered.
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...
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...
, the last of the Admiral-class to be completed.
Along with her sister
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...
s, , and , she was a progressive development of the design of . She carried a main armament of four 13.5 in (342.9 mm) guns, compared to the 12 in (304.8 mm) guns carried in the earlier ship. While the above-water dimensions of Collingwood were retained in Howe, it was found necessary to increase the 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...
from 26 in 4 in (8.03 m) to 27 in 10 in (8.48 m), with a commensurate increase in displacement of some 800 LT (812.8 t). This meant that when the ship was fully loaded and with full fuel bunkers the 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....
would be virtually completely submerged; it was assumed that combat would not take place until some significant part of the fuel had been consumed, allowing the belt to rise above the waterline.
Guns
The guns of the main armament were mounted in two barbetteBarbette
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, one forward and one aft of the superstructure
Superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
, and each one carrying a pair of guns. The barbettes were open, without hoods or gunshields, and the guns were fully exposed. The shells fired by these guns weighed 1250 lb (567 kg), and when fired with a charge of 630 lb (285.8 kg) of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
would penetrate 27 in (68.6 cm) of iron at 1000 yd (914.4 m). In later years, a charge of 187 lb (84.8 kg) of cordite
Cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom from 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. Like gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates and consequently low brisance...
was substituted for the gunpowder. There were significant delays in the production of the heavy guns for this ship and her sisters, leading to excessively prolonged building times. Even as late as early 1890, Howe only had two of her guns installed.
Improvements
When laid down, the torpedo boatTorpedo 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...
was regarded as such a serious threat that many doubted if battleships were a good investment. Exceptional advances during the seven years she was building included the triple expansion steam engine which came into RN use in 1886, improvements in the structure of armour in 1886 and the appearance of nickel-steel armour, and the development of a quick firing gun which removed the threat from torpedo boats. Howe unfortunately lacked these developments and like her Second World War successor, she was — when commissioned — hardly the ultimate naval weapon hoped for when ordered.