Nathaniel Barnaby

Sir Nathaniel Barnaby

Sir Nathaniel Barnaby , KCB (born February 25, 1829 in Chatham , Great Britain, † June 15, 1915 in Lewisham , Great Britain) was from 1872 to 1885 as "Director of Naval Construction" the chief designer of the Royal Navy .

Barnaby began his training in Sheerness in 1843 . In 1848 he won a scholarship from the Portsmouth Naval School . In 1852 he was employed as a draftsman in the Woolwich naval shipyard . In 1854 he joined the Department of Naval Construction upon invitation and was involved in the construction of the first British Ironclad warship , the HMS Warrior .

His brother-in-law, Sir Edward James Reed , was appointed chief designer in 1863 and made Barnaby chief of his staff. In this post Barnaby was involved in the construction of the majority of all British warships up to the HMS Monarch . In 1872, Reed resigned his post and Barnaby was named President of the Council of Construction and Chief Naval Architect. Commonly named as chief designer, this post was renamed Director of Naval Construction in 1875 .

Nathaniel Barnaby became Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1876 and Knight Commander of that Order in 1885. In the same year he retired for health reasons.

During his thirteen-year tenure, there were more and more varied upheavals in the design of warships than before or after. The main armament of the battleships changed from 12 inch caliber muzzle loaders to 16.25 inch caliber breech-loading cannons, the secondary armament, combined in central armored citadels, was introduced, the armament built into barbeds and armored turrets. During his tenure, the torpedo was introduced as a weapon, at the same time the rigging of the warships disappeared .

Barnaby's successor as chief designer was Sir William White .

literature

• EHH Archibald, Ray Woodward (Ill.): The Metal Fighting Ship in the Royal Navy 1860-1970 . Arco Publishing Co., New York 1971, ISBN 0-668-02509-3
• David K. Brown: Warship 2007. Sir Nathaniel Barnaby, KCB . Conway, London 2007, ISBN 978-1-84486-041-8
• Oscar Parkes: British Battleships . ISBN 0-85052-604-3