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{{short description|Sloop of the Royal Navy}}
{|{{Infobox Ship Begin}}

{{Infobox Ship Image
{{other ships|HMS Research}}
| Ship image = [[Image:No Photo Available.svg|300px|AlternateTextHere]]
{{more citations needed|date=July 2020}}
| Ship caption =
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = HMS Research (1863).jpg
| Ship caption = ''Research'' in 1864
}}
}}
{{Infobox Ship Career
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =
| Hide header =
| Ship country =
| Ship country = United Kingdom
| Ship flag = [[Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|60px|RN Ensign]]
| Ship flag ={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
| Ship name =
| Ship name = HMS ''Research''
| Ship namesake =
| Ship namesake =
| Ship ordered =
| Ship ordered =
| Ship builder = [[Pembroke Dock]]yard
| Ship builder = [[Pembroke Dock]]yard
| Ship original cost=£71,287<ref group=Note>A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|71287|1863|r=-2}}}} in today's money.</ref><ref name=RW/>
| Ship laid down = September 3, 1861
| Ship launched = August 15, 1863
| Ship laid down = 3 September 1861
| Ship completed = April 6, 1864
| Ship launched = 15 August 1863
| Ship acquired =
| Ship completed = 6 April 1864
| Ship commissioned =
| Ship acquired =
| Ship decommissioned =
| Ship commissioned = 6 April 1864
| Ship in service =
| Ship decommissioned =
| Ship out of service =
| Ship in service =
| Ship struck =
| Ship out of service =
| Ship reinstated =
| Ship struck =
| Ship honours =
| Ship reinstated =
| Ship fate = Broken up, 1884
| Ship honours =
| Ship notes =
| Ship fate =*Laid up 1878
*Sold for breaking, 1884
| Ship notes =
}}
}}
{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Hide header =
| Header caption =
| Header caption = as originally designed
| Ship class =
| Ship class=
| Ship type=Wooden {{sclass|Camelion|sloop|1}}
| Ship tonnage=
| Ship displacement=1,200 tons
| Ship tons burthen=
| Ship length={{convert|185|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|2|in|abbr=on}}
| Ship height=
| Ship draught=*{{convert|13|ft|abbr=on}} light,
*{{convert|15|ft|abbr=on}} deep load
}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|-
| Hide header =
|Original displacement:
| Header caption = after conversion
| 1,200 tons
| Ship class=
|-
| Ship type=Ironclad [[sloop-of-war|sloop]]
|Displacement on conversion:
| Ship tonnage=
| 1,743 tons
| Ship displacement=1,743 tons
|-
| Ship tons burthen=1,253 [[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]]
|Original length:
| {{convert|185|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship length={{convert|195|ft|abbr=on}} [[Length between perpendiculars|pp]]
| Ship beam={{convert|38|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}
|-
| Ship height=
|Length on conversion:
| {{convert|195|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship draught=*{{convert|13|ft|abbr=on}} light,
*{{convert|16|ft|4|in|abbr=on}} deep load
|-
| Ship draft=
|Original beam:
| Ship depth=
| {{convert|33|ft|2|in|abbr=on}}
| Ship hold depth=
|-
|Ship propulsion =*[[Boulton and Watt]] horizontal single-expansion direct-acting steam engine
|Beam on conversion:
*2 × tubular boilers
| {{convert|38|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}
*1 × hoisting {{convert|12|ft|m|0|adj=on}} screw
|-
|Ship power=*200 [[nominal horsepower]]
|Original draught:
*{{convert|1040|ihp|kW}}
| {{convert|13|ft|abbr=on}} light,<br/> {{convert|15|ft|abbr=on}} deep load
|Ship sail plan = Barque rig, sail area {{convert|18250|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
|-
|Ship speed =*{{convert|10.3|kn|km/h|0}} under power;
|Draught on conversion:
| {{convert|13|ft|abbr=on}} light,<br/> {{convert|16|ft|4|in|abbr=on}} deep load
*{{convert|6|kn|km/h|0}}, best sailing speed
|Ship range =
|-
|Ship complement = 150
{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
|Ship armament =*'''1864''':
| Hide header = yes
* 4 × [[Somerset cannon|100-pounder smoothbore guns]]
| Ship propulsion = Boulton and Watt one-shaft horizontal direct
*'''1870''':
I.H.P. = 1,040
* 4 × [[RML 7 inch gun#RML 7 inch 6.C2.BD ton gun|7-inch (180-mm) 6½-ton muzzle-loading rifles]]
| Ship sail plan = Barque rig, sail area {{convert|18250|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
|Ship armour =*4.5 inch belt and battery
| Ship speed = {{convert|10.3|kn|km/h|0}} under power;<br/> {{convert|6|kn|km/h|0}}, best sailing speed
*4.5 inch bulkheads
| Ship range =
| Ship complement = 150
|Ship notes =
| Ship sensors =
| Ship EW =
}}
}}
|-
|}
|Armament 1864:
|Four 100-pounder Smoothbore
|-
|Armament 1870:
|Four {{convert|7|in|mm|sing=on}} muzzle-loading rifles
|-
{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
| Hide header = yes
| Ship armour = 4.5 inch belt and battery <br/> 4.5 inch bulkheads
| Ship notes =
}}
|}


'''HMS ''Research''''' was a small ironclad warship, converted from a wooden-hulled sloop and intended as an experimental platform in which to try out new concepts in armament and in armour.
'''HMS ''Research''''' was a small [[ironclad warship]], converted from a wooden-hulled sloop and intended as an experimental platform in which to try out new concepts in armament and in armour. She was launched in 1863, laid up in 1878 and sold for breaking in 1884, having displayed serious limitations as a warship.


==Background==
In the period from 1860 to 1865 the [[Board of Admiralty]] were seriously concerned at the speed with which France was producing ironclad warships. One of the steps taken to counter this perceived threat was the conversion of partially built British wooden ships into ironclads. (See [[Prince Consort class battleship|''Prince Consort'' class]]).
In the period from 1860 to 1865 the [[Board of Admiralty]] were seriously concerned at the speed with which France was producing ironclad warships. One of the steps taken to counter this perceived threat was the conversion of partially built British wooden ships into ironclads, including such large ships as the {{sclass|Prince Consort|ironclad}}s.


==Design==
The 17-gun sloop HMS ''Trent'' had been ordered in November 1860 as one of the ''Perseus'' class. She was selected for conversion to an ironclad, and her name was changed to HMS ''Research''. Although she had been building for a year work was not far advanced, and the necessary changes to her length and beam could easily be made. Her sloop ends were replaced by an oval stern and a ram bow, and the draught altered to give her a trim of {{convert|3.5|ft|m}} by the stern.
===Conversion===
The 17-gun sloop ''Trent'' had been ordered in November 1860 as one of the {{sclass|Camelion|sloop|0}}. She was selected for conversion to an ironclad, and her name was changed to ''Research''. Although she had been building for a year, work was not far advanced, and the necessary changes to her length and beam could easily be made. A new design by the Royal Navy Chief Constructor, [[Edward James Reed|Sir Edward Reed]], saw her sloop ends replaced by an oval stern and a ram bow, and the draught altered to give her a trim of {{convert|3+1/2|ft|m}} by the stern.


===Armament===
Her armament was carried in a midships armoured compartment which, when used in subsequent designs, became known as a box battery. The designed armament of seventeen guns was discarded, and the offensive power of the ship was concentrated into four 100-pounder [[Somerset cannon|Somerset smoothbore cannon]], which were at the time the most powerful guns afloat. While these guns were certainly much more effective against armour than smaller pieces, whether a two-gun broadside would have prevailed against more gernerously armed ironclads is open to question.
Her armament was carried in a midships armoured compartment which, when used in subsequent designs, became known as a box battery. The designed armament of seventeen guns was discarded, and the offensive power of the ship was concentrated into four 100-pounder [[Somerset cannon|Somerset smoothbore cannon]], which were at the time the most powerful guns afloat. While these guns were certainly much more effective against armour than smaller pieces, whether a two-gun broadside would have prevailed against more generously armed ironclads is open to question.


For the first time, in this ship, a degree of axial fire was possible from broadside guns. The hull sides were recessed at either end of the battery, and gunports were constructed facing fore and aft to which the guns could be moved. Moving the guns in anything other than calm weather was a hazardous procedure.
For the first time, in this ship, a degree of axial fire was possible from broadside guns. The hull sides were recessed at either end of the battery, and gunports were constructed facing fore and aft to which the guns could be moved. Moving the guns in anything other than calm weather was a hazardous procedure.


The Somerset smoothbore cannon were replaced in 1870 with four [[RML 7 inch gun#RML 7 inch 6.C2.BD ton gun|7-inch (180-mm) 6½-ton muzzle-loading rifles]],<ref name=RW/> largely because of the difficulty in working and controlling the guns.
''Research'' rolled excessively, and was normally retained in harbour during the winter months. Although [[Edward James Reed|Edward Reed]], her designer, had expected great things of her, the ''Standard'' of October 27, 1865 said "probably the very worst vessel, both as a fighting machine and a sea-boat, that ever yet went out of a dockyard of any nation pretending to a maritime reputation".


===Armour===
She served in the Channel Fleet from 1864 to 1866, and in the Mediterranean from 1871 to 1878. She saw no other service before being sold.
Once completed as an ironclad, she featured a full-length {{convert|4+1/2|in|cm|adj=on}} armour belt to a depth of {{convert|10|ft|m}}. An armoured box battery was provided on the main deck with the same thickness of armour. The iron armour was backed by {{convert|19+1/2|in|cm}} of [[teak]].<ref name=RW/>

===Propulsion===
''Research'' was fitted with a 2-cylinder [[Boulton and Watt]] horizontal single-expansion direct-acting steam engine of 200 [[nominal horsepower]]. Steam was provided by two tubular boilers, and the screw, which was {{convert|12|ft|m|0}} in diameter, could be hoisted clear of the water for better performance under sail. The total power of {{convert|937|ihp|kW}} (after a refit in 1869 this was increased to 1,040 ihp) was sufficient to propel her at just over {{convert|10|kn|km/h|lk=in}}. She carried 130 tons of coal.<ref name=RW/>

==Construction==
Having been laid down on 3 September 1861, approval was given for her conversion to an ironclad on 1 September 1862. She was launched from [[Pembroke Dockyard]] on 15 August 1863 and commissioned on 6 April 1864.<ref name=RW/>

==Assessment==
''Research'' rolled excessively, and was normally retained in harbour during the winter months. Although [[Edward James Reed|Edward Reed]], her designer, had expected great things of her, the ''Standard'' of 27 October 1865 said "probably the very worst vessel, both as a fighting machine and a sea-boat, that ever yet went out of a dockyard of any nation pretending to a maritime reputation".

==Service==
[[File:Battle of Escombrera.jpg|thumb|At the [[Battle of Escombrera]] in 1873]]
She served in the Channel Fleet from 1864 to 1866, and in the Mediterranean from 1871 to 1878.

On 1 December 1865, she ran aground off Harrington Point, [[County Waterford]]. She was refloated the next day and sailed for [[Portsmouth]], [[Hampshire]].<ref name=BNL041265>{{Cite news |title=Shipping Intelligence |newspaper=Belfast News-Letter |location=Belfast |date=4 December 1865 |issue=33236 }}</ref> On 1 January 1868, while on patrol duties at the south coast of Ireland, she grounded near [[Cork Harbour]] while giving chase to an American ship, ''Alaska''. During the subsequent [[court martial]] it was demonstrated that the ship had not in fact grounded on Daunt Rock, but instead on the wreckage of the British steamship {{SS|City of New York|1861|2}}, which had wrecked near the rock a year previously, and the ship's officers were exonerated. Repairs cost £293.<ref name=S060168>{{Cite news |title=Mercantile Ship News |newspaper=The Standard |location=London |date=6 January 1868 |issue=13547 |page=7 }}</ref><ref name=S160168>{{Cite news |title=Ireland |newspaper=The Standard |location=London |date=16 January 1868 |issue=12556 |page=3 }}</ref><ref name=HT100573>{{Cite news |title=Naval Disasters Since 1860 |newspaper=Hampshire Telegraph |location=Portsmouth |date=10 May 1873 |issue=4250 }}</ref>

On 1 September 1873 at Cartagena, Research took part in the Battle of Escombrera Bay as part of a British Squadron, where they attacked and removed the rebel Spanish warships Vitoria and Almansa from the Bay. This was the only time in her short career Research saw action.

==Fate==
She was laid up in 1878 and sold for breaking in 1884.<ref name=RW>Winfield (2004) p.238</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
* Oscar Parkes, ''British Battleships'' ISBN 0-85052-604-3

* Conway, ''All the World's Fighting Ships'' ISBN 0-85177-133-5
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Ballard |first=G. A., Admiral|authorlink=George Alexander Ballard |title=The Black Battlefleet |year=1980 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-924-3}}
* {{cite book |last1=Friedman |first1=Norman |title=British Battleships of the Victorian Era |date=2018 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-68247-329-0|author-link=Norman Friedman}}
*{{cite book|title=Warship 1996|editor-last1=McLean|editor-first1= David|editor-last2 =Preston|editor-first2=Antony|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|year=1996 |isbn=0-85177-685-X|name-list-style=amp|editor-link2=Antony Preston|last=Jones|first=Colin |chapter=Entente Cordiale, 1865}}
*{{cite book |last=Parkes |first=Oscar |title=British Battleships |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |year=1990 |orig-year=1957 |isbn=1-55750-075-4|author-link=Oscar Parkes}}
*{{cite book |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905 |editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |editor2-last=Kolesnik |editor2-first=Eugene M. |publisher=Mayflower Books |location=New York |year=1979 |isbn=0-8317-0302-4 |name-list-style=amp |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2|chapter=Great Britain (including Empire Forces)|author1-last=Roberts|author1-first=John|pages=1–113}}
*{{winfield}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.corkshipwrecks.net/55g%20HMS%20Research.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130703053316/http://www.corkshipwrecks.net/55g%20HMS%20Research.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 July 2013|title=Shipwrecks of Cork Harbour|date=2 February 2010|access-date=29 April 2013}}

== External links ==
* {{Commonscat-inline|HMS Research (ship, 1863)}}

<!-- non-breaking space to keep AWB drones from altering the space before the navbox -->
{{Camelion class sloop}}
{{British ironclads}}
{{1865 shipwrecks}}
{{1868 shipwrecks}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Research}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Research}}
[[Category:Battleships of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Pembroke Dock]]
[[Category:Pembroke-built ships]]
[[Category:1863 ships]]
[[Category:1863 ships]]
[[Category:Victorian era battleships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Sloops of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Unique ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in December 1865]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1868]]

Latest revision as of 08:27, 19 February 2024

Research in 1864
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Research
BuilderPembroke Dockyard
Cost£71,287[Note 1][1]
Laid down3 September 1861
Launched15 August 1863
Completed6 April 1864
Commissioned6 April 1864
Fate
  • Laid up 1878
  • Sold for breaking, 1884
General characteristics as originally designed
TypeWooden Camelion-class sloop
Displacement1,200 tons
Length185 ft (56 m)
Beam33 ft 2 in (10.11 m)
Draught
  • 13 ft (4.0 m) light,
  • 15 ft (4.6 m) deep load
General characteristics after conversion
TypeIronclad sloop
Displacement1,743 tons
Tons burthen1,253 bm
Length195 ft (59 m) pp
Beam38 ft 6 in (11.73 m)
Draught
  • 13 ft (4.0 m) light,
  • 16 ft 4 in (4.98 m) deep load
Installed power
Propulsion
  • Boulton and Watt horizontal single-expansion direct-acting steam engine
  • 2 × tubular boilers
  • 1 × hoisting 12-foot (4 m) screw
Sail planBarque rig, sail area 18,250 sq ft (1,695 m2)
Speed
  • 10.3 knots (19 km/h) under power;
  • 6 knots (11 km/h), best sailing speed
Complement150
Armament
Armour
  • 4.5 inch belt and battery
  • 4.5 inch bulkheads

HMS Research was a small ironclad warship, converted from a wooden-hulled sloop and intended as an experimental platform in which to try out new concepts in armament and in armour. She was launched in 1863, laid up in 1878 and sold for breaking in 1884, having displayed serious limitations as a warship.

Background[edit]

In the period from 1860 to 1865 the Board of Admiralty were seriously concerned at the speed with which France was producing ironclad warships. One of the steps taken to counter this perceived threat was the conversion of partially built British wooden ships into ironclads, including such large ships as the Prince Consort-class ironclads.

Design[edit]

Conversion[edit]

The 17-gun sloop Trent had been ordered in November 1860 as one of the Camelion-class. She was selected for conversion to an ironclad, and her name was changed to Research. Although she had been building for a year, work was not far advanced, and the necessary changes to her length and beam could easily be made. A new design by the Royal Navy Chief Constructor, Sir Edward Reed, saw her sloop ends replaced by an oval stern and a ram bow, and the draught altered to give her a trim of 3+12 feet (1.1 m) by the stern.

Armament[edit]

Her armament was carried in a midships armoured compartment which, when used in subsequent designs, became known as a box battery. The designed armament of seventeen guns was discarded, and the offensive power of the ship was concentrated into four 100-pounder Somerset smoothbore cannon, which were at the time the most powerful guns afloat. While these guns were certainly much more effective against armour than smaller pieces, whether a two-gun broadside would have prevailed against more generously armed ironclads is open to question.

For the first time, in this ship, a degree of axial fire was possible from broadside guns. The hull sides were recessed at either end of the battery, and gunports were constructed facing fore and aft to which the guns could be moved. Moving the guns in anything other than calm weather was a hazardous procedure.

The Somerset smoothbore cannon were replaced in 1870 with four 7-inch (180-mm) 6½-ton muzzle-loading rifles,[1] largely because of the difficulty in working and controlling the guns.

Armour[edit]

Once completed as an ironclad, she featured a full-length 4+12-inch (11 cm) armour belt to a depth of 10 feet (3.0 m). An armoured box battery was provided on the main deck with the same thickness of armour. The iron armour was backed by 19+12 inches (50 cm) of teak.[1]

Propulsion[edit]

Research was fitted with a 2-cylinder Boulton and Watt horizontal single-expansion direct-acting steam engine of 200 nominal horsepower. Steam was provided by two tubular boilers, and the screw, which was 12 feet (4 m) in diameter, could be hoisted clear of the water for better performance under sail. The total power of 937 indicated horsepower (699 kW) (after a refit in 1869 this was increased to 1,040 ihp) was sufficient to propel her at just over 10 knots (19 km/h). She carried 130 tons of coal.[1]

Construction[edit]

Having been laid down on 3 September 1861, approval was given for her conversion to an ironclad on 1 September 1862. She was launched from Pembroke Dockyard on 15 August 1863 and commissioned on 6 April 1864.[1]

Assessment[edit]

Research rolled excessively, and was normally retained in harbour during the winter months. Although Edward Reed, her designer, had expected great things of her, the Standard of 27 October 1865 said "probably the very worst vessel, both as a fighting machine and a sea-boat, that ever yet went out of a dockyard of any nation pretending to a maritime reputation".

Service[edit]

At the Battle of Escombrera in 1873

She served in the Channel Fleet from 1864 to 1866, and in the Mediterranean from 1871 to 1878.

On 1 December 1865, she ran aground off Harrington Point, County Waterford. She was refloated the next day and sailed for Portsmouth, Hampshire.[2] On 1 January 1868, while on patrol duties at the south coast of Ireland, she grounded near Cork Harbour while giving chase to an American ship, Alaska. During the subsequent court martial it was demonstrated that the ship had not in fact grounded on Daunt Rock, but instead on the wreckage of the British steamship City of New York, which had wrecked near the rock a year previously, and the ship's officers were exonerated. Repairs cost £293.[3][4][5]

On 1 September 1873 at Cartagena, Research took part in the Battle of Escombrera Bay as part of a British Squadron, where they attacked and removed the rebel Spanish warships Vitoria and Almansa from the Bay. This was the only time in her short career Research saw action.

Fate[edit]

She was laid up in 1878 and sold for breaking in 1884.[1]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ A total cost accounting for inflation of approximately £8,615,600 in today's money.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Winfield (2004) p.238
  2. ^ "Shipping Intelligence". Belfast News-Letter. No. 33236. Belfast. 4 December 1865.
  3. ^ "Mercantile Ship News". The Standard. No. 13547. London. 6 January 1868. p. 7.
  4. ^ "Ireland". The Standard. No. 12556. London. 16 January 1868. p. 3.
  5. ^ "Naval Disasters Since 1860". Hampshire Telegraph. No. 4250. Portsmouth. 10 May 1873.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]