Captain 1870
|
Name |
No |
Yard No |
Builder |
Laid down |
Launched |
Comp |
Fate |
| Captain | Laird Brothers, Birkenhead | 30.1.1867 | 27.3.1869 | 1.1870 | foundered 7.9.1870 |
Displacement normal, t |
7767 |
Displacement full, t |
|
Length, m |
97.5 pp |
Breadth, m |
16.2 |
Draught, m |
7.77 |
No of shafts |
2 |
Machinery |
sails + 2 2-cyl HSE, trunk, 8 rectangular boilers |
Power, h. p. |
5400 |
Max speed, kts |
14.3 |
Fuel, t |
coal 600 |
| Endurance, nm(kts) | |
| Armour, mm | iron; belt: 203-102, turrets: 254-229, CT: 178 |
Armament |
2 x 2 - 305/12 MLR Mk II, 2 x 1 - 178/16 MLR Mk III |
Complement |
500 |
Project history:
Coles was very critical of Monarch and with the assistance of public
opinion gained Admiralty consent to construct a turret ship to his own
specification. The design was entrusted to Lairds, with Coles providing outline
requirements and technical advice. The ship was similar to Monarch but
with turrets one deck lower and further араrt. She had a large forecastle and
poop - reluctantly accepted by Coles as required in a seagoing ship - connected
by a flying deck. The rigging was kept clear of the turrets by employing the
flying deck to work the sails and adopting tripod masts to dispose of most of
the standing rigging. Two 178mm MLRs were mounted in unprotected positions on
the forecastle and poop.
Twin screws gave her good manoeuvrability, this being almost
the only respect in which she was superior to Monarch. She was
ship-rigged, with 2400m² sail area.
Captain was designed as a 6960t vessel with an 2.6m
freeboard, but because of additions and lack of attention to material weights
during construction she was 800t overweight with her freeboard reduced to 2m.
Some concern was expressed by both
the builders and the Admiralty about her level of stability, and calculations
and an inclining experiment, showed she would be unsafe beyond an angle of heel
of 21°. However, this did not create any great concern for the ship's safety.
Trials were very successful and appeared to confound her
detractors, the most important of whom was Reed.
Ship
protection: The belt armour was 178mm amidships, increasing to 203mm abreast
the turrets and reducing to 102mm forward and aft. The turrets had 229mm walls
and 254mm faces.
Modernizations: None.
Naval service: On the night of 6.7 December 1870 Captain was at sea with the Channel Fleet, in a severe gale, carrying double-reefed topsails and a fore topmast staysail. At 12.15 the wind suddenly increased in strength causing her to heel beyond her safe limit and capsize. Only 17 of her crew survived, 472, including Captain Coles, being lost with the ship. Her loss was subsequently attributed to her low level of stability.
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