HMS Cyclops (1871)

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For other ships with the same name, see HMS Cyclops.
Right elevation plan from Brassey's Naval Annual 1888–1889
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Cyclops
NamesakeCyclops
BuilderThames Ironworks, London
Cost£156,782
Laid down10 September 1870
Launched18 July 1871
Completed4 May 1877
CommissionedJanuary 1872
Out of service1901
Refit1887–89
FateSold for scrap 1903
General characteristics
Class and typeCyclops-class breastwork monitor
Displacement3,480 long tons (3,540 t)
Length225 ft (68.6 m) (p/p)
Beam45 ft (13.7 m)
Draught16 ft 3 in (5.0 m) (deep load)
Installed power1,528 ihp (1,139 kW)
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 steam engines
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Range3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement156
Armament2 × 2 - 10-inch rifled muzzle loaders
Armourlist error: <br /> list (help)
Belt: 6–8 in (152–203 mm)
Deck: 1.5 in (38 mm)
Superstructure: 8–9 in (203–229 mm)
Conning tower: 8–9 in (203–229 mm)
Gun turret: 9–10 in (229–254 mm)

HMS Cyclops was the lead ship of the Cyclops-class breastwork monitors built for the Royal Navy during the 1870s. The ships were ordered to satisfy demands for local defence during the war scare of 1870, but the pace of construction slowed down tremendously as the perceived threat of war declined. The ship spent most of her career in reserve; her only sustained period in commission was four months in Portland Harbour, during the Russo-Turkish War in 1878 when the British were trying to force the Russians to end the war without allowing them to seize Constantinople. Cyclops was sold for scrap in 1903.

Design and description

The ostensible reason why these ships were ordered was for local coast defence during the war scare during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, but they were chosen for several other reasons. They were small and cheap, and their shallow draft was thought to limit them to defensive operations, which appealed to economy and defence-minded Members of Parliament. The Admiralty, however, envisioned them attacking shallow-water ports that larger ironclads could not enter and operating in the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea.[1]

The ships used the basic design of the Cerberus-class breastwork monitors to reduce design and construction time. Their hulls were completed very quickly, but the pace of building reduced as the likelihood of their immediate use diminished. They were delivered to the Royal dockyards in 1872 and commissioned for fitting out, but a number of years elapsed before that process was completed as little sense of urgency remained.[2]

The ships had a length between perpendiculars of 225 feet (68.6 m), a beam of 45 feet (13.7 m), and a draught of 16 feet 3 inches (4.95 m) at deep load. They displaced 3,480 long tons (3,540 t). Their crew consisted of 156 officers and men.[3]

The Cyclops-class ships and other ships of her type were described by Admiral George Alexander Ballard as being like "full-armoured knights riding on donkeys, easy to avoid but bad to close with."[4] While not unfit to face heavy weather their decks were frequently awash in even a moderate sea. Their accommodations were rated the worst in the fleet, referred to by ordinary seamen as "ratholes with tinned air".[5]

Propulsion

Cyclops had two 4-cylinder inverted compound steam engines made by John Elder, each driving a single 12-foot (3.7 m) propeller. The ship's boilers had a working pressure of 60 psi (414 kPa; 4 kgf/cm2). The engines produced a total of 1,528 indicated horsepower (1,139 kW) on 30 December 1871 during the ship's sea trials which gave her a maximum speed of 10.79 knots (19.98 km/h; 12.42 mph). Cyclops carried 250 long tons (250 t) of coal,[6] enough to steam 3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph).[7]

Armament

The ships mounted a pair of 10-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns in each turret. The shell of the 10-inch (254 mm) gun weighed 407 pounds (184.6 kg) while the gun itself weighed 18 long tons (18 t). The gun had a muzzle velocity of 1,365 ft/s (416 m/s) and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal 12.9 inches (330 mm) of wrought iron armour at 100 yards (91 m). The guns could fire both solid shot and explosive shells.[8] They were mounted on carriages that used hydraulic jacks to elevate and depress the guns.[9]

Armour

The Cyclops-class ships had a complete waterline belt of wrought iron that was 8 inches (203 mm) thick amidships and thinned to 6 inches (152 mm) at the ends. The superstructure and conning tower was fully armoured, the reason it was called a breastwork, with 8–9 inches (203–229 mm) of wrought iron. The gun turrets had 10 inches on their faces and 9 inches on the sides and rear. All of the vertical armour was backed by 9–11 inches (229–279 mm) of teak. The decks were 1.5 inches (38.1 mm) thick.[10]

Construction

HMS Cyclops was laid down on 10 September 1870 by the Thames Ironworks in London. She was launched on 18 July 1871 and commissioned in January 1872. The ship was towed to Devenport that same month for what proved to be a very lengthy fitting out period that was not completed until 4 May 1877.[11] Cyclops cost £156,782 to build.[3][Note 1]

Refit

Although a recommendation had been made while the ships were still under construction to extend the superstructure out to the sides of the ship to improve their stability and habitability, this was not acted upon until they were refitted during the 1880s. This refit also strengthened the breastwork and upper decks, added another watertight bulkhead as well as a false keel. Four quick-firing 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns were added on the breastwork for torpedo boat defence as well as five machine guns and several searchlights.[12] This increased their crew to approximately 191 men[3] and added 80 long tons (81 t) to their displacement.[13]

Service

HMS Cyclops was the third ship to be completed, although she was the lead ship of the class. She was placed in 1st Class Reserve after her completion. The ship, along with her sisters, was commissioned between April and August 1878 during the Russo-Turkish War for service with Admiral Sir Cooper Key's Particular Service Squadron in Portland Harbour. Cyclops was paid off at Chatham in August 1878 and refitted in 1887–89. All four ships of the class participated in the annual fleet manoeuvers in 1887, 1889–90 and 1892; in between times they were in Fleet Reserve. HMS Cyclops, like all of her sisters, was placed on the non-effective list in 1901[11] and sold on 7 July 1903[14] for £8,400.[11][Note 2]

Notes

  1. ^ Adjusted for inflation, the ship cost £22,021,548 in current pounds.
  2. ^ Adjusted for inflation, the ship sold for £1,139,347 in current pounds.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Beeler, pp. 101–02
  2. ^ Parkes, p. 212
  3. ^ a b c Parkes, p. 213
  4. ^ Ballard, p. 219
  5. ^ Ballard, pp. 218
  6. ^ Ballard, pp. 246–49
  7. ^ Silverstone, p. 169
  8. ^ Gardiner, p. 6
  9. ^ Parkes, p. 212
  10. ^ Parkes, pp. 213–14
  11. ^ a b c Parkes, p. 215
  12. ^ Parkes, pp. 212, 214
  13. ^ Gardiner, p. 25
  14. ^ Silverstone, p. 224

References

  • Ballard, G. A., Admiral (1980). The Black Battlefleet. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-924-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Beeler, John (2001). Birth of the Battleship: British Capital Ship Design 1870-1881. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-213-7.
  • Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
  • Parkes, Oscar (1990). British Battleships (reprint of the 1957 ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-075-4.
  • Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0.

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