Armstrong Rendel cruiser
Armstrong-Rendel cruisers were not a separate class of warship, but the name for a type of ramming cruiser built in the 2nd half of the 19th century . These cruisers are named after their designer George Rendel and the British shipyard Armstrong . The first Armstrong Rendel cruiser was the armored deck ship Esmeralda, built for Chile in 1882 .
Armstrong-Rendel cruisers were the first pile-driving cruisers with a continuous armored deck and side protection made of coal and a cork dam . The coal in the bunkers along the side of the ship served as fuel and as protection against enemy hits. The heavy belt armor of the ship's hull was deliberately avoided, which was thought to be unnecessary with the ramming tactics used and which in any case offered no protection in the event of torpedo hits . By dispensing with belt armor and side armor, weight savings were achieved, which gave the ships greater speed. In addition, a larger number of medium- caliber guns could be deployed .
The first Armstrong Rendel cruiser , the Chilean Esmeralda , proved itself as it was faster than the conventional ironclad ships and was only slightly inferior to them in terms of offensive power. In addition, the construction costs were much lower. Therefore, this type of ship became particularly interesting for economically weak countries, so that more Armstrong-Rendel cruisers were built at the Armstrong shipyard . As a result, smaller ships of this type emerged, but they turned out to be poor seagoing ships. They were overarmed with the large caliber guns and had problems with maneuverability.
In the last decade of the 19th century was Armstrong-Rendel cruiser at Armstrong in Elswick to Elswick cruisers developed.