View source for Warrior-class ironclad

{{Short description|Class of ironclads of the Royal Navy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMSWarrior.JPG
|Ship caption=''Warrior'' in the 1860s
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Warrior''-class ironclad
|Builders=
|Operators={{navy|United Kingdom}}
|Class before=None
|Class after={{sclass|Defence|ironclad|4}}
|Cost=
|Built range=1859–1862
|In service range=1861–1979
|In commission range=1861–1902
|Total ships completed=2
|Total ships scrapped=1
|Total ships preserved=1
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= (''Warrior'' as built)
|Ship sail plan=[[Ship rig]]
|Ship type=[[Armoured frigate]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|9137|LT|t|lk=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|420|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|58|ft|4|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|26|ft|10|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship power={{cvt|5267|ihp|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=1 shaft, 1 [[Trunk engine|Trunk steam engine]]
|Ship speed={{convert|14|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|2100|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|11|kn}}
|Ship complement=707
|Ship armament=*26 × [[British ordnance terms#SBML|Smoothbore muzzle-loading]] [[68-pounder gun]]s
*10 × [[British ordnance terms#RBL|Rifled breechloading]] [[RBL 7 inch Armstrong gun|110-pounder]] guns
*4 × Rifled breechloading [[RBL 40 pounder Armstrong gun|40-pounder]] guns
|Ship armour=*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|4.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*[[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]s: {{convert|4.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Warrior''-class ironclads''' were a [[ship class|class]] of two warships built for the [[Royal Navy]] between 1859 and 1862, the first ocean-going [[ironclad]]s with iron hulls ever constructed. The ships were designed as [[armoured frigate]]s in response to an invasion scare sparked by the launch of the {{ship|French ironclad|Gloire}} and her three [[sister ship|sisters]] in 1858. They were initially armed with a mix of [[Rifled breech loader|rifled breech-loading]] and [[British ordnance terms#SBML|muzzle-loading smoothbore]] guns, but the [[Armstrong Whitworth|Armstrong]] breech-loading guns proved unreliable and were ultimately withdrawn from service.

The ships spent their first commission with the [[Channel Fleet]] before being rearmed with new [[Muzzle-loading rifle|rifled muzzle-loading guns]] in the late 1860s. {{HMS|Warrior|1860|2}} rejoined the Channel Fleet after her refit while {{HMS|Black Prince|1861|2}} joined the 1st Class Reserve and joined the fleet during its annual manoeuvres. The two ships exchanged roles after another refit in the mid-1870s. Both ships spent most of the last two decades of the 19th century in [[Wikt:mothball|reserve]]. ''Warrior'' was [[hulk (ship)|hulk]]ed in 1902 and survived to be restored in 1979 as a museum ship. ''Black Prince'' became a training ship in 1896 and was hulked in 1910 before being sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]] in 1923.

==Design and description==
The ''Warrior''-class ships have been described as revolutionary, but in truth they were more evolutionary than not as everything except their wrought iron armour had been in use by ocean-going ships for years.<ref name=b12/> The naval architect and historian David K. Brown commented, "What made [Warrior] truly novel was the way in which these individual aspects were blended together, making her the biggest and most powerful warship in the world."<ref name=b12>Brown, p. 12</ref> They were designed in response to ''Gloire'', which started an invasion scare in Britain,<ref>Parkes, p. 6</ref> but they had a very different concept of operation to the French ship which was meant as a replacement for wooden [[ships of the line]]. They were designed by [[Director of Naval Construction|Chief Constructor of the Navy]] [[Isaac Watts (naval architect)|Isaac Watts]] as 40-gun armoured frigates largely based on the fine lines of the large frigate {{HMS|Mersey|1858|2}}. ''Warrior'' and her sister ''Black Prince'' were not intended to stand in the [[line of battle]] as the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] was uncertain about their ability to withstand concentrated fire from wooden two and three-deck ships of the line. Rather they were designed to be fast enough to force battle on a fleeing enemy and to control the range at which a battle was fought for their own advantage.<ref>Lambert, pp. 18, 20–21</ref>

===General characteristics===
The ''Warrior''-class ships were {{convert|380|ft|2|in|m|1}} [[Length between perpendiculars|long between perpendiculars]] and {{convert|420|ft|m|1}} long [[length overall|overall]].<ref name=b1/> This was {{convert|44|ft|m|1}} longer than the ''Mersey'', the longest wooden-hulled ship in the Royal Navy.<ref name=p17>Parkes, p. 17</ref> They had a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|58|ft|4|in|m|1}} and a [[Draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|26|ft|10|in|m|1}}.<ref name=b1>Ballard, p. 241</ref> The ships displaced {{convert|9137|LT|t|lk=on}}. The hull was subdivided by watertight transverse [[Bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]]s into 92 compartments and had a [[double bottom]] underneath the [[engine room|engine]] and [[boiler room (ship)|boiler room]]s.<ref name=p18>Parkes, p. 18</ref>

Two [[bilge keel]]s were fitted (the first used by the Royal Navy), which significantly reduced the roll of the ships. Because of their length the ships proved to be very sluggish while manoeuvring, as ''Warrior'' proved when she collided with {{HMS|Royal Oak|1862|2}} in 1868.<ref>Parkes, pp. 23–24</ref> The ''Warrior''-class ships [[wikt:trim|trimmed]] down by the bow, not least because they were fitted with a {{convert|40|LT|t|adj=on}} iron [[knee (construction)|knee]] placed at the bow to give it a traditionally pleasing shape. This also prevented the ships from ramming any other ships. The [[bowsprit]] was shortened after completion in an effort to reduce the trim, but it was not noticeably successful.<ref>Ballard, pp. 52, 54</ref>

===Propulsion===
[[File:HMS Warrior trunk engine.jpg|thumb|left|Close-up of the ship's trunk steam engine]]
The ''Warrior''-class ships had one 2-cylinder [[Trunk engine|trunk steam engine]] made by [[John Penn (engineer)|John Penn and Sons]] driving a single {{convert|24|ft|6|in|m|1|adj=on}} propeller.<ref>Ballard, p. 246</ref> Ten rectangular [[boiler (steam generator)|boiler]]s<ref>Roberts, p. 7</ref> provided steam to the engine at a working pressure of {{convert|20|psi|kPa kg/cm2|0|abbr=on|lk=on}}. The engine produced a total of {{convert|5267|ihp|lk=on}}<ref>Ballard, pp. 246–247</ref> and was the most powerful thus far built for a warship.<ref name=p19>Parkes, p. 19</ref> On [[sea trial]]s in October 1861 ''Warrior'' had a maximum speed around {{convert|14.3|kn|lk=in}}; ''Black Prince'' was about a half knot slower. The ships carried {{convert|800|LT|t}} of coal, enough to steam {{convert|2100|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|11|knots}}.<ref name=p01>Parkes, pp. 20–21</ref>

The ironclads were [[ship rig]]ged and had a sail area of {{convert|48400|sqft|sqm|0}}. The lower masts were made of wood, but the other masts were iron. ''Warrior'' made {{convert|13|kn}} under sail, but ''Black Prince'' could only do {{convert|11|kn}}. Under both sail and steam ''Warrior'' once logged {{convert|17.5|kn}}. Both funnels were semi-retractable to reduce wind resistance while under sail alone. The ships' propellers could be hoisted up into the stern of the ship to reduce drag while under sail. They were the largest hoistable propellers ever made and required about 600 men to be raised.<ref name=p01/>

===Armament===
[[File:HMS Warrior between decks.jpg|thumb|left|A mess table aboard ''Warrior'' with a 68-pounder cannon in the background]]
The armament of the ''Warrior''-class ships was intended to be 40 [[British ordnance terms#SBML|smoothbore, muzzle-loading]] [[68-pounder gun]]s, 19 on each side on the main deck and one each fore and aft as [[chase gun]]s on the upper deck. This was modified during construction to ten rifled [[RBL 7 inch Armstrong gun|110-pounder]] [[breechloader|breech-loading guns]], twenty-six 68-pounders, and four rifled breech-loading [[RBL 40 pounder Armstrong gun|40-pounder]] guns as [[Salute#Heavy arms: gun salutes|saluting guns]]. The 40-pounder guns were to have been replaced by 70-pounder guns, but these failed their tests and were never issued.<ref>Lambert, p. 85</ref> Both breech-loading guns were new designs from [[Armstrong Whitworth|Armstrong]] and much was hoped for them. Four of the 110-pounder guns were installed on the main deck amidships and the other two became chase guns; all of the 68-pounder guns were mounted on the main deck. Firing tests carried out in September 1861 against an armoured target, however, proved that the 110-pounder was inferior to the 68-pounder smoothbore gun in armour penetration and repeated incidents of breech explosions during the [[Battles for Shimonoseki]] and the [[Bombardment of Kagoshima]] in 1863–1864 forestalled plans to completely equip the ships with the 110-pounder gun.<ref>Parkes, pp. 17–19</ref>

The {{convert|7.9|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} [[roundshot|solid shot]] of the 68-pounder gun weighed approximately {{convert|68|lb|kg|1}} while the gun itself weighed {{convert|10640|lb|kg|1}}. The gun had a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1579|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} and had a range of {{convert|3200|yd}} at an elevation of 12°. The {{convert|7|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} shell of the 110-pounder Armstrong breech-loader weighed {{convert|107|-|110|lb|1}}. It had a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1150|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} and, at an elevation of 11.25°, a maximum range of {{convert|4000|yd}}. The shell of the 40-pounder breech-loading gun was {{convert|4.75|in|0}} in diameter and weighed {{convert|40|lbs|1}}. The gun had a maximum range of {{convert|3800|yd}}<ref>Lambert, pp. 85–87, 89</ref> at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1150|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}.<ref>Textbook of Gunnery</ref> The 110-pounder gun weighed {{convert|9520|lb|1}} while the 40-pounder weighed {{convert|3584|lb|1}}. In 1863–1864 the 40-pounder guns were replaced by a heavier version with the same ballistics. All of the guns could fire both [[Round shot|solid shot]] and [[Shell (projectile)|explosive shells]].<ref>Lambert, pp. 86–87, 89</ref>

Both ships were rearmed during their 1867–1868 refit with a mix of 7- and {{convert|8|in|0|adj=on}} [[Muzzle-loading rifle|rifled muzzle-loading guns]]. ''Warrior'' received twenty-eight 7-inch and four 8-inch guns while ''Black Prince'' received four fewer 7-inch guns. Both ships received four [[RBL 20 pounder Armstrong gun|20-pounder]] breech-loading guns for use as saluting guns.<ref name=p19/> The shell of the 15-[[caliber (artillery)|calibre]] [[RML 8 inch 9 ton gun|8-inch gun]] weighed {{convert|175|lb|kg|1}} while the gun itself weighed {{convert|9|LT|t}}. It had a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1410|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal {{convert|9.6|in|mm|0}} of [[wrought iron]] armour at the [[muzzle (firearms)|muzzle]]. The 16-calibre [[RML 7 inch 6.5 ton gun|7-inch gun]] weighed {{convert|6.5|LT|t}} and fired a {{convert|112|lb|kg|1|adj=on}} shell. It was credited with the nominal ability to penetrate {{convert|7.7|in|mm|adj=on|0}} armour.<ref>Roberts, p. 6</ref>

===Armour===
[[File:HMS Warrior Armour.png|thumb|right|Cross-section of ''Warrior''{{'}}s armour]]
The ''Warrior''-class ships had a wrought-iron armour [[Belt armor|belt]], {{convert|4.5|in|mm|0}} thick, that covered {{convert|213|ft|1}} amidships. The armour extended {{convert|16|ft|1}} above the waterline and {{convert|6|ft|1}} below it. 4.5-inch transverse bulkheads protected the guns on the main deck. The armour was backed by {{convert|16|in}} of [[teak]]. The ends of the ship were left entirely unprotected which meant that the steering gear was very vulnerable.<ref name=p19/>

==Construction==
The [[Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)#gunport|gun ports]] of the ''Warrior''-class ships were built {{convert|46|in|m|1}} wide, which allowed the 68-pounders to traverse 52°. While the ships were being built the directing bar was developed which consisted of an iron bar that fastened to a pivot bolt in the sill of the gun port. After the gun carriages were modified, this allowed them to pivot much closer to the gun port than had previously been possible and meant that the gun ports could be narrowed to a width of {{convert|24|in|m|1}} while retaining the same arc of fire.<ref>Lambert, pp. 90–91</ref> The gun ports were narrowed to the new width by {{convert|7|in|0}} of wrought iron.<ref name=p18/> Another delay was the modification of the armour plates with [[tongue and groove]] joints to lock the plates together and increase their resistance to armour-piercing shells. All together these modifications delayed the completion of ''Warrior'' by a year past her contract completion date.<ref name=p17/>

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
!scope="col"|Ship
!scope="col"|Builder
!scope="col"|[[Laid down]]
!scope="col"|[[Ceremonial ship launching|Launched]]
!scope="col"|Completed
!scope="col"|Fate
!scope="col"|Cost
|-
|scope="row"|{{HMS|Warrior|1860|6}}
|[[Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company|Thames Ironworks]], [[Blackwall, London]]
|align=center|25 May 1859
|align=center|29 December 1860
|align=center|24 October 1861
|Museum ship 1979
|£377,292<ref name=p16>Parkes, p. 16</ref>
|-
|scope="row"|{{HMS|Black Prince|1861|6}}<br>(ex-''Invincible'')
|[[Robert Napier (engineer)|Robert Napier]], [[Govan]], [[Glasgow]]
|align=center|12 October 1859
|align=center|27 February 1861
|align=center|12 September 1862
|Sold for scrap, 21 February 1923<ref>Ballard, p. 59</ref>
|£377,954<ref name=p16/>
|}

==Service==
HMS ''Warrior'' joined the Channel Fleet in July 1862 and was placed [[in ordinary]] from 1864 to 1867, during which time she was refitted. The ship rejoined the Channel Fleet in 1867 and towed a [[Floating drydock#Floating|floating drydock]] to [[Bermuda]] in 1869 with her sister ''Black Prince''.<ref name=p24/> ''Warrior'' was placed in ordinary again from 1872 to 1875 and was modified with a [[poop deck]]. She was recommissioned into the 1st Class Reserve in 1875 and made periodic training cruises until 1883.<ref name=p24>Parkes, p. 24</ref> The ship was formally reclassified as an armoured frigate in 1884,<ref>Silverstone, p. 276</ref> but was disarmed and mastless. ''Warrior'' was [[hulk (ship)|hulk]]ed as a depot ship in [[Portsmouth]] Harbor in 1902 and renamed ''Vernon III'' in 1904 when she became part of {{HMS|Vernon|shore establishment|6}}, the Royal Navy's Torpedo School. The ship regained her original name in 1923 and was converted once more into an oil pipeline pier in 1927. ''Warrior'' was towed to [[Pembroke Dock]] in 1929 and was renamed ''C77'' in 1942 to release her name for the new aircraft carrier {{HMS|Warrior|R31|6}}. In 1979 ''C77'' was moved to [[Hartlepool]] and was restored as HMS ''Warrior (1860)'' as the [[Northwood Headquarters|Fleet Headquarters]] in [[Northwood, London]] had assumed the name of HMS ''Warrior'' in the early 1960s. The ironclad can now be seen near {{HMS|Victory||6}} at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.<ref>Lambert, pp. 42–44</ref>

''Black Prince'' [[Capsizing|capsized]] while in dock at [[Greenock]], damaging her masts. She arrived in [[Spithead]] in November 1861 with only [[jury-rig]]ged fore and mizzenmasts.<ref name=p24/> The ship was assigned to the Channel Fleet upon her completion and in 1867–68 she was rearmed and then assigned to the 1st Class Reserve. She was refitted in 1874 and given a poop deck, and rejoined the Channel Fleet in 1875 as the [[flagship]] of [[Rear Admiral]] Sir [[Sir John Dalrymple-Hay, 3rd Baronet|John Dalrymple-Hay]], second in command of the fleet. ''Black Prince'' was placed in reserve in 1878 in Devonport until she was converted to a training ship in 1896 in [[Queenstown, Ireland]] and renamed ''Emerald'' in 1903. The ship was hulked and renamed ''Impregnable III'' in 1910 when she was assigned to the training school {{HMS|Impregnable|training establishment 1862|6}} before she was sold for scrap on 21 March 1923.<ref>Ballard, pp. 58–59</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Ballard|first=G. A., Admiral|title=The Black Battlefleet|year=1980|publisher= Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-924-3 |author-link=George Alexander Ballard}}
*{{cite book|last=Brown|first=David K.|title=Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860–1905 |year=1997|publisher=Chatham Publishing|location= London|isbn=1-86176-022-1|author-link=David K. Brown}}
*{{cite book|title=Warship 1996|editor-last1=McLean|editor-first1= David|editor-last2 =Preston|editor-first2=Antony|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|year=1996 |isbn=0-85177-685-X|name-list-style=amp|editor-link2=Antony Preston|last=Jones|first=Colin |chapter=Entente Cordiale, 1865}}
*{{cite book|last=Lambert|first=Andrew|title=Warrior: Restoring the World's First Ironclad|year=1987|publisher=Conway, London|isbn=0-85177-411-3}}
*{{cite book|last=Parkes|first=Oscar|title=British Battleships|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location= Annapolis, Maryland|year=1990|orig-year=1957|isbn=1-55750-075-4}}
*{{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|editor2-last=Kolesnik|editor2-first=Eugene M.|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|chapter=Great Britain and Empire Forces|author-last=Roberts|author-first=John|location=Greenwich, UK|date=1979|isbn=0-8317-0302-4|name-list-style=amp|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2}}
*{{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships |year=1984|publisher=Hippocrene Books|location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}
*{{cite book|title=Text Book of Gunnery|url=http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/u?/p4013coll11,222 |year=1887 |publisher=Harrison and Sons for His Majesty's Stationery Office, London|access-date=22 November 2021|archive-date=4 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121204140418/http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/u?/p4013coll11,222|url-status=dead}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Warrior class ironclad}}
* [http://www.flagship.org.uk/welcome.html Portsmouth Historic Dockyard]

{{Warrior class ironclad}}
{{British ironclads}}
{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warrior Class Ironclad}}
[[Category:Ironclad classes]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Warrior-class ironclads| ]]