HMS Orlando was the lead ship of the Orlando-class

Orlando class cruiser

The Orlando-class was a seven ship class of Royal Navy armoured cruisers completed between 1888 and 1889.- Building Programme :On 2 December 1884, the Secretary to the Admiralty stated, "The present Board have been gradually developing, and, as I would venture to say, in an effective manner, our...

 of first-class cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...

s built in the yards of Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company

Palmers 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....

, 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...

 and 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...

 on 3 August 1886.

She was commanded by Charles Ramsay Arbuthnot

Charles Ramsay Arbuthnot

Charles Ramsay Arbuthnot was a British Admiral in the Royal Navy.Born in Liverpool in England, he was son of George Clerk Arbuthnot and Caroline Ramsay Hay, and grandson of Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet. His first post was aboard HMS Britannia. Later he served aboard the Arctic yacht...

 on the Australia Station

Australia Station

The Australia Station was the British—and later Australian—naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent.-History:In the early years following the establishment of the colony of New South Wales, ships based in Australian waters came under the control of the East Indies...

 from 1892 to 1895. In 1899 she was assigned to the China Station

China Station

The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....

. During the Boxer Rebellion

Boxer Rebellion

The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...

 in 1900, sailors from HMS Orlando formed part of the force led by Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Seymour

Edward Hobart Seymour

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Hobart Seymour, GCB, OM, GCVO , was a Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief, China Station.- Early life :...

 attempting to relieve the British Legation in Beijing. A replica of a bell captured from the Taku Forts

Taku Forts

The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing...

 forms part of a memorial to HMS Orlando in Victoria Park

Victoria Park, Portsmouth

Victoria Park is a public park located just to the north of Portsmouth Guildhall, adjacent to Portsmouth and Southsea railway station and close to the city centre in Portsmouth, Hampshire. It was officially opened on 25 May 1878 and was the first public park to be opened in Portsmouth. It was...

, Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

.

HMS Orlando was sold for scrapping on 11 July 1905 to Ward of Morecambe

Morecambe

Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...

for £10,000.

External links

• http://www.memorials.inportsmouth.co.uk/city-centre/orlando.htm
• http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/hms_orlando.htm