Thetis 1873
| Name | No | Yard No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Druid | Deptford DYd | 1868 | 13.3.1869 | 2.1872 | sold 11.1886 | ||
| Briton | Sheerness DYd | 1868 | 6.11.1869 | 11.1871 | sold 1887 | ||
| Thetis | Devonport DYd | 29.8.1870 | 26.10.1871 | 1.2.1873 | sold 11.1887 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
1730 |
|
Displacement full, t |
1860 |
|
Length, m |
67.1 pp |
|
Breadth, m |
11.0 |
|
Draught, m |
4.95 |
|
No of shafts |
1 |
|
Machinery |
Druid: sails + 1 2-cyl HSE, 4 rectangular boilers Briton, Thetis: sails + 1 2-cyl HC, 6 cylindrical boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
Druid: 2272 Briton: 2149 Thetis: 2275 |
|
Max speed, kts |
Druid, Briton: 13.1 Thetis: 13.4 |
|
Fuel, t |
coal 255 |
| Endurance, nm(kts) | |
|
Armament |
Druid, Briton: 2 x 1 - 178/16 MLR Mk III, 8 x 1 - 160/16 64pdr 71cwt MLR Thetis: 14 x 1 - 160/16 64pdr 64cwt MLR Mk III |
|
Complement |
220 |
Project history: Designed by Sir Edward Reed.
These three ram-bowed corvettes were a continuation of the Eclipse class,
the main difference being that they were 2.4m longer and carried a heavier
armament. Thetis, being the last of the class, received the revised
armament of fourteen 64pdr guns. The general construction was similar to the
Eclipse class, with two complete decks, poop and topgallant forecastle, and
a light bridge spanning the bulwarks just forward of the telescopic funnel. A
feature of the upper deck was a long hammock-box positioned on the centreline
between the funnel and the foremast. All three had Griffiths fixed screws with
detachable blades and disconnecting tail shafts.
They were not good under canvas, the steering being sluggish,
and their relatively shallow draught made them poor at keeping the seas. None
logged more than 11kts under plain sail. All three were ship-rigged, on the same
sail plan as similar ships in the previous class, with a total spread of canvas
of 1400m². In the first pair the heaviest guns were slide-mounted, and were
sited beneath the poop and the forecastle, resulting in the heaviest end-on fire
in any cruising ship, with the exception of Inconstant, and not inferior
to contemporary ironclads. When rearmed, Briton and Druid, in
common with Thetis, had the 64pdrs slide-mounted on cross skids, the
slide centring on a rear pivot bolt-fixed to the midships fore and aft line of
the deck. The gun could then be swung round from one side of the ship to the
other, a disadvantage being that the arc of swing necessitated a deck clear of
cowls, ventilators and other obstructions that might otherwise foul the slide.
In 1876-1881 amidship flying bridge was removed, and the compass and engine room
telegraph were remounted on the forward end of the poop, the poop serving as the
bridge. Bullet-proof sponsons were erected on either beam at the break of the
poop. Druid was the last ship to be built in the historic Deptford
Dockyard.
Modernizations: 1876, Briton; 1882, Druid: were armed with 14 x 1 - 160/16 64pdr 64cwt MLR Mk III
Naval service: No significant events.
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