Bellona 1895
| Name | No | Yard No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Barham | Portsmouth DYd | 22.10.1888 | 11.9.1889 | 7.1891 | sold for BU 2.1914 | ||
| Bellona | 290 | Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn-on-Tyne | 16.10.1888 | 29.8.1890 | 7.1891 | sold 7.1906 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
1830 |
|
Displacement full, t |
|
|
Length, m |
85.3 pp |
|
Breadth, m |
10.7 |
|
Draught, m |
4.04 |
|
No of shafts |
2 |
|
Machinery |
2 3-cyl VTE, 6 locomotive boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
natural draught: 3600, forced draught: 6000 |
|
Max speed, kts |
natural draught: 16.5, forced draught: 19.5 |
|
Fuel, t |
coal 140 |
|
Endurance, nm(kts) |
2600(10) |
| Armour, mm | steel; deck: 51-25, gunshields: 51 |
|
Armament |
6 x 1 - 120/40 QF Mk I/II/III/IV, 4 x 1 - 47/40 3pdr Hotchkiss Mk I, 2 x 1 - 11.4/78, 2 - 356 TT (beam, aw) |
|
Complement |
169 |
Project history: These two ships were high
speed versions of the Barracouta class intended for service with the
fleet in home waters and the Mediterranean, and were not sheathed. They had the
same armament and protection as their half-sisters but were 18.3m longer to
accommodate machinery of double the power for a designed speed of 19.5kts. They
were fitted with locomotive boilers of a type similar to those fitted in torpedo
gunboats, but in order to achieve the designed power it was necessary to specify
a very high rate of forcing. This proved to be a mistake as it was soon
discovered that the excessive use of forced draught caused major problems with
the boilers whose output and efficiency rapidly deteriorated when run at high
power. After a number of breakdowns and expensive repairs during their first
commissions they were run at natural draught power only and employed mainly as
16kt despatch vessels. During 1898-1899 both vessels were refitted with
Thornycroft water tube boilers which gave them a designed power of 4700ihp for a
speed of 18kts.
The engine room was placed amidships between the two boiler
rooms, which necessitated widely spaced funnels and gave them an ungainly
profile. Apart from this, and the fitting of three masts, the upperworks were
arranged similarly to those of the Barracouta class. When they were
reboilered the rig was reduced to two masts.
Ship protection: Protective deck extended to the full length of the ships, being 25mm on the flat and 51mm on the slope amidships and uniform 25mm at the ends.
Modernizations: 1898-1899, both: were reboilered with 6 Thornycroft boilers (4700hp, 18kts)
Naval service: Barham was laid up in January 1905 but recommissioned in January 1909, again in April 1911 and paid off in 1913.
Many thanks to Wolfgang Stöhr for additional information on this page.
© Ivan Gogin, 2008-09