View source for Edgar Class Cruiser (1890)

The nine [[Protected Cruiser|protected cruisers]] of the '''''Edgar'' Class''' were completed between 1893 and 1896.  They were occasionally referred to as the '''''Crescent'' Class'''.

<div name=fredbot:ships>
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" border=2 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="margin: 0 0 1em 0.5em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;" align=center;
|-
! colspan=6 align=left|Overview of 9 vessels
|-
| colspan=6 align=left|<small>Citations for this data available on individual ship pages</small>
|-
! align=center | Name 
! align=center | Builder 
! align=center | Laid Down 
! align=center | Launched 
! align=center | Completed 
! align=center | Fate
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-1Crescent}}
|[[Portsmouth Royal Dockyard]]
|13 Oct, 1890
|30 Mar, 1892
|22 Feb, 1894
|Sold 22 Sep, 1921
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-Edgar}}
|[[Devonport Royal Dockyard]]
|3 Jun, 1889
|24 Nov, 1890
|2 Mar, 1893
|Sold 9 May, 1921
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-Endymion}}
|[[Earle's Shipbuilding]], Hull
|21 Nov, 1889
|22 Jul, 1891
|26 May, 1894
|Sold 16 Mar, 1920
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-Gibraltar}}
|[[Robert Napier & Sons]], Glasgow
|2 Dec, 1889
|27 Apr, 1892
|1 Nov, 1894
|Sold Sep, 1923
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-1Grafton}}
|[[Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding and Engineering Company]], Blackwall
|1 Jan, 1890
|30 Jan, 1892
|18 Oct, 1894
|Sold 1 Jul, 1920
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-Hawke}}
|[[Chatham Royal Dockyard]]
|17 Jun, 1889
|11 Mar, 1891
|16 May, 1893
|Torpedoed 15 Oct, 1914
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-RoyalArthur}}
|[[Portsmouth Royal Dockyard]]
|20 Jan, 1890
|26 Feb, 1891
|2 Mar, 1893
|Sold 22 Sep, 1921
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-StGeorge}}
|[[Earle's Shipbuilding]], Hull
|23 Apr, 1890
|23 Jun, 1892
|25 Oct, 1894
|Sold 1 Jul, 1920
|- align=left
| {{Template:UK-Theseus}}
|[[Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding and Engineering Company]], Blackwall
|16 Jul, 1890
|8 Sep, 1892
|14 Jan, 1896
|Sold 1921
|}
</div name=fredbot:ships>

==Service==
At the start of the war, the entire class seemed to embody the {{UK-CS|10}}, operating as the Northern Patrol as part of Third Fleet.<ref>See {{UK-CS|10}} for details.</ref>

==Construction==
{{UK-Edgar}}, {{UK-Hawke}}, {{UK-Theseus}}, {{UK-1Grafton}} and {{UK-Endymion}} were unsheathed.  The others were sheathed.  {{UK-RoyalArthur}} and {{UK-1Crescent}} featured a forecastle absent on the other vessels.{{PQDNO1904|p. 209}}

==Armament==
===Guns===
* two 9.2-in Mark VI guns
* ten Q.F. 6-in guns
* twelve Q.F. 6-pdr guns

In late 1903, there was a lively consideration of altering the armament of the cruisers of the [[Blake Class Cruiser (1889)|''Blake'']] and ''Edgar'' classes, sparked by unfavourable comparisons to French cruisers.  All ships were to have the four 6-in guns on the main deck removed and have the six on the upper deck replaced by Mark VII weapons in 6-inch casemate armour with 0.5-inch tops.  {{UK-RoyalArthur}} and {{UK-1Crescent}} were to further replace their 9.2-in guns with Mark X weapons, mounted as in {{UK-Cressy}}, and to replace the two 6-in Q.F. guns on the forecastle with 6-in Mark VII guns.  However, on Christmas Eve, it was decided that no action was to be taken.{{PQDNO1904|pp. 206-211}}

===Other Weapons===

Prior to [[Small Arms and Edged Weapons (Royal Navy)|reductions in such provisions enacted in mid-1903]], the ships had been allowed 166 cutlasses.{{PQDNO1904|pp. 249-253}}

===Torpedoes===
* two 14-in Mark V D<sub>2</sub> overhead tubes, unprotected, trainable from 10 degrees abaft to 70 degrees ahead of the beam.{{ARTS1891|p. 39}}

Wikipedia claims these ships had four tubes.  This may be because they also had 18-in tubes, as outlined in a 1909 primary source:{{UKTorpM1909III|p. 265}}{{INF}}
* two 18-in submerged tubes on broadside forward, depressed three degrees and bearing abeam;  axis of tube was 6 foot 6 inches below load water line and 1 feet 6 inches above deck.

===Dreyer Table===
These ships had no fire control tables.{{DreyerH|p. 3}}

==Radio==
By the end of 1901 or soon after,{{ARTS1901|pp. 111-112}} 
* {{UK-Edgar}} and {{UK-Hawke}} in reserve were fitted to receive a W/T set
* {{UK-Gibraltar}} at the Cape was fitted to receive a W/T set
* {{UK-Theseus}} had a Jackson set in the Mediterranean 
* {{UK-Endymion}} had a Jackson set with the [[China Squadron(Royal Navy)|China Squadron]]
* {{UK-StGeorge}} had a Marconi in the {{UK-CS}}

==Alterations==
In October 1914, the eight remaining ships were each to be given seven Pattern 1582 Electric Radiators to warm cabins whose stoves could not be used for heating them.{{AWO1914|512 of 16 Oct, 1914}}

==See Also==
{{refbegin}}
{{WP|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_class_cruiser}}
{{refend}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{HFCI1914}}
*{{BrooksDGBJ}}
*{{DirectorH}}
*{{DreyerH}}
{{refend}}

{{Footer Edgar Class Cruiser (1890)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar}}

{{CatClassFirstClassProtectedCruiser|UK}}


<!-- data

nat=UK
cat=FirstClassProtectedCruiser
type=first class protected cruiser

chain=Major Cruisers

{ship
name=Crescent
pend=A4 (1914)<br>N.04 (Sep 1915)<br>N.29 (Jan 1918){{DittColl|p. 38}}
builder=[[Portsmouth Royal Dockyard]]{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
order=
laid=13 Oct, 1890{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
launch=30 Mar, 1892{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
comm=22 Feb, 1894{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
fate=Sold
fate2=Broken up
fatedate=22 9 1921{{DittColl|p. 38}}
}

{ship
name=Edgar
pend=A5 (1914)<br>N.05 (Sep 1915)<br>N.38 (Jan 1918){{DittColl|p. 38}}
builder=[[Devonport Royal Dockyard]]{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
order=
laid=3 Jun, 1889{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
launch=24 Nov, 1890{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
comm=2 Mar, 1893{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
fate=Sold
fate2=to Ward, Morecambe{{DittColl|p. 38}}
fatedate=9 5 1921{{DittColl|p. 38}}
}

{ship
name=Endymion
pend=A6 (1914)<br>N.17 (Sep 1915)<br>N.41 (Jan 1918){{DittColl|p. 38}}
builder=[[Earle's Shipbuilding]], Hull{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
order=
laid=21 Nov, 1889{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
launch=22 Jul, 1891{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
comm=26 May, 1894{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
fate=Sold
fate2=to Evans, Cardiff{{DittColl|p. 38}}
fatedate=16 3 1920{{DittColl|p. 38}}
}

{ship
name=Gibraltar
pend=A7 (1914)<br>N.19 (Sep 1915)<br>N.49 (Jan 1918){{DittColl|p. 38}}
builder=[[Robert Napier & Sons]], Glasgow{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
order=
laid=2 Dec, 1889{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
launch=27 Apr, 1892{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
comm=1 Nov, 1894{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
fate=Sold
fate2=to Cashmore{{DittColl|p. 38}}
fatedate=9 1923{{DittColl|p. 38}}
}

{ship
name=Grafton
pend=A8 (1914)<br>N.23 (Sep 1915)<br>N.53 (Jan 1918){{DittColl|p. 38}}
builder=[[Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding and Engineering Company]], Blackwall{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
order=
laid=1 Jan, 1890{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
launch=30 Jan, 1892{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
comm=18 Oct, 1894{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
fate=Sold
fate2=
fatedate=1 7 1920{{DittColl|p. 38}}
}

{ship
name=Hawke
pend=A9 (1914){{DittColl|p. 38}}
builder=[[Chatham Royal Dockyard]]{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
order=
laid=17 Jun, 1889{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
launch=11 Mar, 1891{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
comm=16 May, 1893{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
fate=Torpedoed
fate2=by U.9 in North Sea{{DittColl|p. 38}}
fatedate=15 Oct, 1914{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
}

{ship
name=Royal Arthur
pend=A0 (1914)<br>N.10 (Sep 1915)<br>N.86 (Jan 1918){{DittColl|p. 38}}
builder=[[Portsmouth Royal Dockyard]]{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
order=
laid=20 Jan, 1890{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
launch=26 Feb, 1891{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
comm=2 Mar, 1893{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
fate=Sold
fate2=to Cohen{{DittColl|p. 38}}
fatedate=22 9 1921{{DittColl|p. 38}}
}

{ship
name=St. George
pend=N.31 (1914)<br>N.88 (Jan 1918){{DittColl|p. 293}}
builder=[[Earle's Shipbuilding]], Hull{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
order=
laid=23 Apr, 1890{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
launch=23 Jun, 1892{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
comm=25 Oct, 1894{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
fate=Sold
fate2=
fatedate=1 7 1920{{DittColl|p. 293}}
}

{ship
name=Theseus
pend=2A (1914)<br>N.14 (Sep 1915)<br>N.98 (Jan 1918){{DittColl|p. 38}}
builder=[[Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding and Engineering Company]], Blackwall{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
order=
laid=16 Jul, 1890{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
launch=8 Sep, 1892{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
comm=14 Jan, 1896{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
fate=Sold
fate2=to Stanlee{{DittColl|p. 38}}
fatedate=1921{{Conways1860|p. 66}}
}



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