HMS Colossus (1882)
HMS Colossus, painted in 1891, Malta?
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Builder | Portsmouth Dockyard |
Laid down | 6 June 1879 |
Launched | 21 March 1882 |
Commissioned | 31 October 1886 |
Fate | Sold 1908 to Thos. W. Ward and broken up |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | ironclad |
Displacement | 9,420 long tons (9,570 t) |
Length | 325 feet (99.1 m) lpp |
Beam | 68 ft (21 m) |
Draught | 25 ft 9 in (7.85 m) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
Complement | 396 |
Armament |
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Armour |
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The fourth HMS Colossus was a
She was one of the first, if not the first, modern battleship. She had several features which would be standard for all gun warships up to the Second World War including all steel construction, a main battery of breech loading major caliber guns (ie. 10 inches or greater) mounted in turrets and was propelled only by steam engines instead of a combination of steam and sails - as was common in the mid-19th century.
Design
The design for the Colossus class was based on the earlier
Colossus was 325 feet (99.1 m)
The ship was armed with a
Colossus's
Service history
Colossus was
In August 1895, Colossus was again reactivated to take part in the annual fleet manoeuvres as part of the Reserve Fleet. At that time, the capital ships assigned to the fleet included Edinburg, Alexandra, Benbow, and the ironclad Dreadnought. The ships were mobilised at Torbay in early August, went to sea on the 8th, and carried out various training exercises, including shooting practice and tactical manoeuvres, before returning to port on 20 August.[7] During the 1896 fleet manoeuvres, Colossus, Edinburgh, Alexandra, and Benbow were joined by the old ironclad Sultan in Fleet C, one of four organized for the exercises. Fleet C operated in concert with Fleet D, again commanded by Seymour. He was given the objective to combine his fleets and either defeat the strong A and B fleets in detail or to reach the fortified port of Lough Swilly. The ships went to sea on 24 July and by the morning of 30 July, Seymour had succeeded in uniting his fleets but failed to bring Fleet A to battle, and therefore took his ships to Lough Swilly.[8]
Captain Samuel Arthur Johnson was in command from March 1897 to March 1900, and at that point, she was still serving as a coastguard ship at Holyhead.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lyon & Roberts, p. 27.
- ^ Brassey 1886, p. 183.
- ^ Brassey 1886, p. 178.
- ^ Brassey 1886, pp. 178–180.
- ^ Brassey 1888, pp. 281–282.
- ^ Thursfield 1895, pp. 60–77.
- ^ Gleig, pp. 176–177.
- ^ Thursfield 1897, pp. 147–159.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36066. London. 15 February 1900. p. 8.
- ^ Brassey 1898, pp. 12–15.
- ^ Thursfield 1898, pp. 128–129.
- ^ Thursfield 1900, pp. 101–128.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36101. London. 28 March 1900. p. 7.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36615. London. 18 November 1901. p. 3.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36690. London. 13 February 1902. p. 6.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36853. London. 22 August 1902. p. 4.
References
- OCLC 496786828.
- Brassey, Thomas, ed. (1888). "The Imperieuse and Warspite". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 279–283. OCLC 496786828.
- Brassey, Thomas A. (1898). "The Progress of the British Navy". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 1–18. OCLC 496786828.
- Gleig, Charles (1896). Brassey, Thomas A. (ed.). "Chapter XI: British Manoeuvres in 1895". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 175–194. OCLC 496786828.
- Lyon, David & Roberts, John (1979). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 1–113. ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5.
- Thursfield, J. R. (1895). Brassey, Thomas A. (ed.). "Chapter IV: British Manoeuvres in 1894". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 60–89. OCLC 496786828.
- Thursfield, J. R. (1897). Brassey, Thomas A. (ed.). "Naval Manoeuvres in 1896". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 140–188. OCLC 496786828.
- Thursfield, J. R. (1898). Brassey, Thomas A. (ed.). "Naval Manoeuvres". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 118–151. OCLC 496786828.
- Thursfield, J. R. (1900). Brassey, Thomas A. (ed.). "Naval Manoeuvres". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 101–135. OCLC 496786828.
Further reading
- Brown, D. K. (1997). Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development, 1860–1905. London: Chatham Pub. ISBN 978-1-86176-022-7.
- Parkes, Oscar (1990). British Battleships. Cooper. ISBN 978-0-85052-604-2.
External links
- Media related to HMS Colossus (ship, 1882) at Wikimedia Commons
- Brassington, Rob. "An Animated Technical Study of HMS Colossus". dreadnoughtproject.org. Retrieved 21 March 2022.