HMS Dreadnought

HMS Dreadnought (1875)

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Name	Dreadnought (1875)	Explanation
Type	Turret ship
Launched	8 March 1875
Hull	Iron
Propulsion	Screw
Builders measure
Displacement	10820 tons
Guns	4
Fate	1908
Class
Ships book
Note	Laid down as Fury. 1903 hulk
Snippets concerning this vessels career
Date	Event
14 October 1884 - 28 April 1885	Commanded by Captain Hon. Edmund Robert Fremantle, Mediterranean
18 April 1885 - 16 September 1886	Commanded by Captain Frederick George Denham Bedford, Mediterranean
17 September 1886 - 21 December 1887	Commanded by Captain Henry Frederick Stephenson, Mediterranean
12 December 1887 - 9 August 1889	Commanded by Captain Noel Stephen Fox Digby, Mediterranean
*Extracts from the Times* newspaper**
Date	Extract
Ma 8 August 1870	The Reports of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Matthew Charles Symonds upon the Trials of Her Majesty’s ships Monarch and Captain, to which so many people have been looking forward with interest, have at length been published, and will well repay perusal. No such terse and practical Reports, so far as we can remember, have for a long time been laid before Parliament. Admiral Symonds points out drawbacks in either vessel, but is quick to recognize the superiority of both to all the broadsides under his command. Both ships, he says, are "very easy in a seaway, and can use their guns in any sea in which an action is likely to be fought." Instructed to watch carefully "the effect of a sea combined with force of double reefed topsail breeze on the ship with low freeboard, whether there would be a liability of the height of the wave interfering with the efficiency of the fire of the 12-inch guns of the Captain," he reports that "the ship of low freeboard has shown no failing on this point; . . . they hit a target (a small cask and flag) distant 1,000 yards to windward (at the third shot); and in a treble-reefed topsail breeze and sea, shot were dropped 1,000 yards to windward, the sea not interfering in any way." After a heavy gale on the night of the 29th of May "both ships were very steady;" on the 2d of June, in a long heavy swell from N.W., when the greatest rolling of the Warrior was 10 degrees, the greatest rolling of the Monarch was five, and of the Captain less than four degrees. On the 25th of May, when "the Minotaur's main deck was wet throughout by the sea entering the weather ports, and a great spray wet the poop" of the flagship, the turrets of the Captain were not in any way inconvenienced. Her hurricane deck was dry, although the sea washed freely over her main deck, "but in a far less degree than I anticipated." The Admiral recommends the Monarch to be altered by the removal of the forecastle, the bow guns, and their protecting ironplated bulkhead — on which, by the by, Mr. Reed, in his letter published by us to-day, particularly plumes himself — and then "the Monarch would have no equal among present ships of war;" and his verdict on the other vessel, as she now floats, without alteration, is, — "The Captain is a most formidable ship, and could, I believe, by her superior armament, destroy all the broadside ships of this squadron in detail." This sentence of the Admiral, who has never been known as a partisan of turret-ships, — whatever Mr. Reed may now think fit to assert in this respect, completely confirms the opinion of our Special Correspondent, who last year accompanied the combined squadrons under the Admiralty flag and startled the public mind by writing, — "There can be no manner of doubt that had the Monarch been an enemy, with her turret and four 25-ton guns in working order, she could have steamed down on the fleet from her windward position, and have sunk fully one-half of the ships before her own fire could have been silenced by her being sunk or blown up in turn.” Such is the pith and substance of the Reports which have just been published. The reflections to which they give rise are very mixed, but we are sure the public, who are often puzzled by the disputes of rival inventors, but always ready to do justice to perseverance and successful ingenuity, will be prompt to recognize the merits of Captain Cowper Coles, whose efforts have at length been crowned with such indisputable success. In October, 1861, when we were commencing our broadside ironclad fleet, Captain Coles wrote to the Admiralty as follows: — "I will undertake to prove that on my principle a vessel shall be built nearly 100 feet shorter than the Warrior, and in all respects equal to her, with one exception — that I will guarantee to disable and capture her in an hour. She shall draw four feet less water, require only half her crew, and cost the country for building at least 100,000l. less." In season and out of season he has ever since maintained the same pretensions. In 1865 he obtained an Admiralty Committee to consider his challenge, and it was in consequence of the Report of that Committee that it was determined to build the Monarch. Captain Coles protested against the lofty freeboard which the Admiralty Constructors designed for her. He declared that it was of the essence of his invention that by concentrating the armament in turrets amidships a high freeboard might be dispensed with, to the great advantage of the ship, both offensively and defensively. He obtained at the close of 1866 permission to design a ship after his own idea, in conjunction with Messrs. Laird, of Birkenhead, and the Captain is the offspring of their united ingenuity. Every one at Whitehall declared that a ship with so low a freeboard would be swamped by the sea and unable to use her guns. The Captain was tried under all the disadvantages of a raw crew within a fortnight after she was commissioned, was tested by a most experienced Admiral in rougher weather than most actions have been fought in, and the result is given in the Reports from which we have quoted above. Seldom has it been given to an inventor to reap in his lifetime so gratifying and complete a success. The two ships which carry off the palm in our Navy are the two which represent the invention of Captain Coles; and it is easy to gather from the Reports of Admiral Symonds which of them, as he thinks, embodies the preferable type. There have been two eminent naval designers in Europe during the last ten years — M. Dupuy de Lôme, the advocate of broadsides, an eminent French engineer but no sailor, and Captain Coles, of our own Navy, the advocate of a rival system. The Controller of our Navy proclaimed himself in 1865 a follower of the French designer. and he and Mr. Reed, in more than official antagonism, have for years opposed Captain Coles with an animus which is signally shown in the letter which we publish to-day. If it were wise or patriotic, we could point out hundreds of weak points in all the ships which Mr. Reed, with unlimited scope and skilled assistance, has added to the British Navy. We prefer to listen to the Admirals who command our squadrons — whether "sailing Admirals" or not, as Mr. Reed politely terms them — and rejoice that at length Mr. Reed, who is no sailor, is prohibited, as he tells us, from publishing controversial Minutes in defence of his own ships against the strictures of the recognized professional judges. He trumps up the old story that a shot fired with depression might stop the revolution of the turret. The experiment was tried with the guns of the Bellerophon at short range against the turrets of the Royal Sovereign, and the fear was shown to be groundless. Moreover, in action, when ships are moving and rolling from one side to another, it is no such safe or easy matter, as any artillerist will tell us, to fire a large gun with anything like the requisite depression. Mr. Reed exhibits in his letter all the disappointment of defeat. It is, indeed, no very pleasing reflection at the present moment that of the 40 ironclads which Mr. Childers lately mentioned only four are of the English type, which is now confessed to be the stronger and the better. There is one point of great importance upon which the Admiral in command expresses himself with some doubt and hesitation. Are not the advantages of masts and sails too dearly purchased by the impediments they offer to an all-round fire from the turrets, and by the risks of accident or burning which attach to them in action? He admits that with the Captain as she is "he has never seen such a range of training before, and that the perfect clearance of her 600-pounder guns for action from a training of 60 degrees forward to 60 degrees aft is very satisfactory, particularly when compared with the 30 degrees of the 9-inch 250-pounder guns of the broadside ships." She has since extended her range of firing from 82 degrees forward to 80 degrees aft; but even so she does not meet the ideal of the Admiral, who is anxious to be able to fire right ahead with the turret guns, seeing that "attack in future actions will generally be end-on right ahead, the exposure of broadside or quarter to ramming being suicidal." The class of ships introduced by Mr. Childers, of the Devastation and Fury [renamed Dreadnought prior to launch] type, carrying on a low freeboard without masts or sails the heaviest ordnance invented, will undoubtedly for heavy fighting in line of battle have advantages to which no sea-going cruiser like the Captain or Monarch can pretend. But the British Navy will always require sea-going cruisers, and for that purpose it seems to be now admitted that both the Monarch and the Captain are far preferable to the Hercules or the Sultan. To us it appears that the Captain, which in all other respects is the equal of the Monarch, and which carries more and thicker armour, and can be cleared for action in five minutes, while the Monarch takes an hour and a half, is a ship unequalled up to the present date for the purposes of war by anything afloat, and well deserves to be repeated, with such improvements as can be suggested by the ingenuity of Captain Coles.
Tu 22 April 1873	Five vessels for the Royal Navy have been completed during the past quarter, and there are 22 others in course of construction at the various Government dockyards and private firms. The vessels completed are the Encounter, screw corvette of 1,890 (1,405) tons, 2,149 (350) horse-power, which has been built at Sheerness; the iron-screw frigate Raleigh of 22 guns, of 4,653 (3,210) tons, 4,000 (800) horse-power, sheathed with wood, which has been completed at Chatham; the Seaflower, a brig for two guns of 454 (425) tons, built at Pembroke; and two four-guns composite gun-boats, the Ariel and Zephyr, of 408 (303) tons, 360 (60) horse-power, launched at Chatham. The new vessels ordered or under construction consist of the composite steam sloop Flying Fish, of four guns, 727 (879) tons, 120 (720) horse-power, building at Chatham; a 14-gun iron screw corvette of 3,451 tons, and 4,750-horse power, and to be named the Rover, building by the Thames Shipbuilding Company at Blackwall; the Superb, a double screw iron armour-plated ship, for 12 guns, of 9,400 tons, and 9,000-horse-power, under construction at Chatham; and four one-gun double screw iron gunboats, of 245 (254) tons, 28 (168) horse-power, to be named the Gadfly, Griper, Pincher, and Tickler, all building at Pembroke. The other vessels under construction are four composite screw sloops of four guns, 804 (727) tons, and 720 (120) horse-power engines — viz., the Albatross, building at Chatham; the Egeria and Fantome, building at Pembroke, and the Daring at Messrs. Money Wigram and Co.'s, Blackwall; two 14-gun screw corvettes, the Amethyst and Modeste, both building at Devonport; the Assistance, an iron steam troopship, of 2,038 tons, and 1,409-horse power, ordered of Messrs. Green, of Blackwall; two iron screw corvettes, of 14 guns each, cased with wood, 3,912 (2,679) tons, 5,250 (700) horse-power, both under construction at Portsmouth, and to he named the Bacchante and Boadicea; the Blonde, of 26 guns, an iron screw frigate, cased with wood, of 5,696 (4,039) tons, and 1,000-horse power, also building at Portsmouth; the armour-plated turret-ship Fury [renamed Dreadnought prior to launch], to carry four guns, 10,464 (5,030) tons, 7,000 (1,000) hone-power, being built at Pembroke; a composite steam sloop, of four guns, 894 (727) tons, 720 (120) horse-power, to be named the Sappho, building at Blackball by Messrs. Money Wigram and Co.; and three double screw iron gunboats, carrying one gun each, of 254 (245) tons, 168 (28) horse-power, named the Cuckoo, Hyæna, and Weasel, all being built by Messrs. Laird, of Birkenhead.
Th 28 August 1873	In addition to the ships lately ordered to be constructed for Her Majesty's Navy, which appeared in The Times on Thursday last, the following are at present under construction at the various Government dockyards and by private firms:— Three composite screw sloops of 894 (727) tons and 720 (120)-horse power engines, to carry four guns each, to be named the Albatross, just launched at Chatham Dockyard; the Daring, building at Messrs. Money Wjgram and Sons', Blackwall; and the Egeria, under construction at Pembroke Dockyard. An iron steam troopship of two guns, 2,038 tons and 130-horse power engines, being built by Messrs. R. and H. Green, of Blackwall, to be named the Assistance. Two 14-gun iron screw corvettes, cased with wood, of 3,906 (2,679) tons, and 5,230 (700)-horse power engines, both being built in Portsmouth Dockyard, and to be called the Bacchante and the Boadicea; an iron screw frigate, cased with wood, of 5,696 (4,039) tons and 4,500 (l,000)-horse power engines, designed to carry 26 guns, to be named the Shah, and to be launched at Portsmouth early next month; the Flying Fish, a composite screw sloop, for four guns, of 727 (879) tons and 120 (720)-horse power engines, building at Chatham; an armour-plated turret ship, of 10,886 (5,030) tons and 7,000 (l,000)-horse power engines, to be named the Fury [renamed Dreadnought prior to launch], and designed to carry four "Woolwich Infants," 35-ton guns, being built at Pembroke Dockyard; a 14-gun iron screw corvette, of 3.451 tons and 4.750-horse power engines, to be named the Rover, and building by the Thames Shipbuilding Company, at Blackwall; a composite steam sloop for 4 guns, of 894 (727) tons, and 720 (120)-horse power engines, building by Messrs. Money Wigram and Sons, at Blackwall, to be named the Sappho; a double screw iron armour-plated ship for 12 guns, to be called the Superb, of 9,400 tuns, and 9,000-horse power engines, under construction at Chatham Dockyard; and eight double-screw iron gunboats, to carry one gun each, of 254 (245) tons, and 168 (23)-horse power engines, to be named the Ant, Cuckoo, Gadfly, Griper, Hyaena, Pincher, Tickler, and Weasel, four building at Pembroke Dockyard, and four by Messrs. Laird, of Birkenhead.

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