Admiral Class Battleship (1882)

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Overview of 6 vessels
Citations for this data available on individual ship pages
Name Builder Laid Down Launched Completed Fate
Collingwood Pembroke Royal Dockyard 12 Jul, 1880 22 Nov, 1882 Jul, 1887 Sold 1909
Anson Pembroke Royal Dockyard 24 Apr, 1883 17 Feb, 1886 May, 1889 Sold 13 Jul, 1909
Benbow Thames Iron Works 1 Nov, 1882 15 Jun, 1885 14 Jun, 1888 Sold 13 Jul, 1909
Camperdown Portsmouth Royal Dockyard 18 Dec, 1882 24 Nov, 1885 Jul, 1889 Sold 11 Jul, 1911
Howe Pembroke Royal Dockyard 7 Jun, 1882 28 Apr, 1885 Jul, 1889 Sold 11 Oct, 1910
Rodney Chatham Royal Dockyard 6 Feb, 1882 8 Oct, 1884 Jun, 1888 Sold 11 May, 1909


Armament

Main Battery

Secondary Battery

Torpedoes

Five tubes, one forward and four beam. The forward torpedo tube was above water. The aft tubes were angled fully 70 degrees abaft the beam.[1]

Anson, along with both ships of the Trafalgar class lost torpedoes fired from their above-water stem tubes on a single day on 20 November 1895. The issue arose when the mouths of these tubes became submerged above certain speeds, prompting a cessation of practice and a review of whether these tubes should be used in practice, action, or simply abolished. The consensus was that battleships did not require these tubes, but "cruizers" and torpedo boats might yet. The thinking was that these ships were not strong enough for safely ramming, and the bow tubes, when fired at slow to moderate speeds offered, in effect, an extended ram and the only torpedo fire into undisturbed water. The Admiral class was noted as being keenly afflicted by this fault. The decision was made to stop most practice and to leave combat use of these tubes to the discretion of the commanders, probably to be limited to low speeds in mild seas.[2]

Footnotes

  1. Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1883. p 25.
  2. Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1896. pp. 34-6.

Bibliography



Admiral Class Second Class Battleship
  Collingwood Anson Benbow  
  Camperdown Howe Rodney  
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