Powerful-class cruiser
 HMS Terrible
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Powerful |
| Preceded by | Edgar class cruiser |
| Succeeded by | Diadem class cruiser |
| Completed | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | protected cruiser |
| Displacement | 14,200 tons deep load |
| Length | 500 ft (150 m) |
| Beam | 71 ft (22 m) |
| Draught | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 2 shafts 4 cylinder VTE steam engines 48 Bellville type water tube boilers 25,000 hp |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h) |
| Range | list error: <br /> list (help) 7000 nm (13000 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h) 3000 tons coal |
| Complement | 894[1] |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 2 x BL 9.2-inch (234 mm) Mk VIII guns 12 x QF 6 in /40 (152 mm) guns |
| Armour | list error: <br /> list (help) 2-6 in (3-15 cm) deck 6 in (15.2 cm) barbettes 6 in (15.2 cm) gun shields |
The Powerful class were first-class protected cruisers built for the British Royal Navy in the 1890s. There were only two ships in the Powerful class, the lead ship Powerful and the Terrible.
Design
They were designed for hunting down commerce raiders such as the Russian armoured cruiser Rurik and numerous French armoured cruisers of the era.
Both ships were laid down in 1894 and launched in 1895. Powerful was completed first in 1897 and Terrible the following year.
They were large and expensive ships. According to Brassey's Naval Annual 1906, the building costs for the Powerful was £705,335 and for the Terrible £708,619.[3]
They were also criticised for their apparently small armament. However they had excellent sea keeping and proved valuable as troop transports.
Trials
This trial data comes from Janes Fighting Ships 1900.
| Ship | Date | 4 hours forced draught |
30 hours natural draught |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powerful | 1896 | 25,866 ihp 21.8 knots bad weather |
18,433 ihp (13,745 kW) 20.6 knots |
| Terrible | 1895 | 25,572 ihp (19,069 kW) 22.4 knots |
18,493 ihp (13,790 kW) 20.96 knots |
Careers
Both ships served in the China Station and provided landing parties which fought in the relief of the Siege of Ladysmith in the Second Boer War in South Africa. This event inspired the Field gun competition. Crews from the two ships also took part in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion in China. After 1904 they were laid up as an economy measure. During the First World War, they had most of their armament removed and served as troop transports and later accommodation ships.
Notes
- ^ Janes Fighting Ships 1900, p108
- ^ Janes Fighting Ships 1900, p108
- ^ Standard British practice at that time was for these costs to exclude armament and stores. As with the Diadems that followed them Brassey's Naval Annual gave costs for these ships that were on average £34,000 greater in the 1904 edition than in the 1906 and subsequent editions.
References
- Anthony Preston - World's Worst Warships, 2002 Conway's Maritime Press - ISBN 0-85177-754-6
- Chesnau, Roger and Kolesnik, Eugene (Ed.) Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1860-1905. Conway Maritime Press, 1979. ISBN 0-83170-302-4
- Jane, Fred T (Ed.) Jane's Fighting Ships 1900
- Brassey's Naval Annual 1904
- Brassey's Naval Annual 1906
See also
