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Further Reading

HMS Warrior

HMS Warrior transformed concepts of naval warfare when she first joined the fleet in 1861 as part of Britain's response to an uneasy peace with France - and concerns over French maritime ambitions. Warrior was revolutionary - at a stroke all existing ships were rendered obsolete. Warrior housed all her main guns, engines and boilers within an armoured iron hull, and could be driven by both steam and sail. The combination of iron hull, armourplate, breechloading guns and powerful steam screw propulsion meant that she could outrun and outgun any ship afloat.

Warrior Class ironclad battleships of the pre dreadnought era. Class included HMS Warrior and HMS Black Prince. They were the first Ocean going iron armoured naval ships. when completed they were the most powerful naval ships afloat. both ships had ship rig. and HMS Warrior could make 13knots under sail and the Black prince 11 Knots. Initially they were classified as frigates and planned to carry forty 68pdr guns. but this was modified while under construction to carry ten 110 pdr and twenty six 68 pdr SB guns and Four 70 pdr. Both ships were refitted in 1867 / 1868 when both were re armed with armament as listed below. and a second refit was carried out in 1872/1875 during this refit a poop and steam capstan were fitted. In 1880 they were re classified as armoured cruisers. and put into the reserve fleet.

Warrior's stern was covered with an elaborate transom -- a dummy gallery containing small cabins and a working space for the ship's steering. The prominent stern windows did not let on the spacious captain's cabin within, as in the windjammers of yore, but were another nod to conventional sailing-ship design. As was the magnificent figurehead of a cavalier warrior of the 1600s.

Contrast HMS VICTORY (wood hull, eighteenth century warship technology) and HMS WARRIOR (iron hull, reflecting 100 years of engineering advances). Vastly different ships except for one minor detail: both ships had boarding weapons on the gun decks to be used when the fighting got up close and personal. Despite 100 years of progress in hull design, propulsion, and weaponry - and 100 years of technological improvements in just about every other facet of ship design, the ships were basically designed to fight by the same tactics. Creatively deployed, a ship like WARRIOR could have forced any ship then floating to surrender without having to draw alongside. Instead, it appears that she was prepared to fight the very sort ofclawing battle her innovative design and features should have rendered unnecessary. Having the newest boarding arms mounted on the gun deck is an example of getting the technology right but failing to grasp its larger significance.

Design specifications Length overall: 420 feet (128m) Deck length: 380 feet (116m) Beam (Width): 58 feet (18m) Displacement: 9,210 Tons Draught: 26 feet (8m) Maximum speed: 13 knots (Sail) 14.3 knots (Steam) 17.5 knots (Sail and Steam) Armament: 26 muzzle loading 68 pdrs (31kg) 10 breech loading 110 pdrs (50kg) 4 40 pdrs (18kg) Cost: £377,000