Volage-class corvette: Difference between revisions
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The '''''Volage'' class ''' was a group of two corvettes built for the [[Royal Navy]] in the late 1860s. Launched in 1869, she entered service in 1873, and was the commodore's ship on the [[South Atlantic Station|Cape of Good Hope and West Africa Station]]. Her crew served ashore in both the [[Anglo-Ashanti wars|Third Anglo-Ashanti]] and [[Anglo-Zulu War|Zulu Wars]]. |
The '''''Volage'' class ''' was a group of two corvettes built for the [[Royal Navy]] in the late 1860s. Launched in 1869, she entered service in 1873, and was the commodore's ship on the [[South Atlantic Station|Cape of Good Hope and West Africa Station]]. Her crew served ashore in both the [[Anglo-Ashanti wars|Third Anglo-Ashanti]] and [[Anglo-Zulu War|Zulu Wars]]. |
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==Design and description== |
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==Description== |
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The [[Director of Naval Construction]] was tasked to provide a combination of seaworthiness and speed for these ships. The designers gave the ships a high length-to-[[Beam (nautical)|beam]] ratio to increase their speed, but this made the design less manoeuverable. To offset this, the ends of the ships were narrowed to allow the [[rudder]] as much authority as possible even though this reduced buoyancy at the ends of the ship and caused the weights to be concentrated in the middle of the ship. The compromise proved to be successful and the design did not have a large turning circle. Admiral (Royal Navy) [[George Alexander Ballard|G. A. Ballard]] considered them to be "a definite step forward in the shipbuilder's art."<ref>Ballard, pp. 53–54</ref> He considered their only real defect to be unsteadiness as gun platforms as their [[metacentric height]] was fairly high, which caused them to roll excessively, and they pitched quite a bit in a [[head sea]] due to the lack of buoyancy in the narrow bow.<ref>Ballard, p. 55</ref> |
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| ⚫ | The ''Volage''-class ships were {{convert|270|ft|m|1}} [[Length between perpendiculars|long between perpendiculars]] and had a |
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| ⚫ | The ''Volage''-class ships were {{convert|270|ft|m|1}} [[Length between perpendiculars|long between perpendiculars]] and had a beam of {{convert|42|ft|1|in|m|1}}. Forward, the ships had a [[Draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|16|ft|5|in|m|1}}, but aft they drew {{convert|21|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on|1}}. They displaced {{convert|3078|LT|t}} and had a [[Builder's Old Measurement|burthen]] of 2,322 tons. Their iron hull was covered by a {{convert|3|in|adj=on}} layer of oak that was sheathed with copper from the waterline down to prevent [[biofouling]].<ref name=RW>Winfield, p. 265</ref> Watertight transverse [[Bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]]s subdivided the hull.<ref>Ballard, p. 54</ref> Their crew consisted of 340 officers and enlisted men.<ref name=RW/> |
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The ships had one 2-cylinder [[Marine steam engine|steam engine]] driving a single {{convert|19|ft|m|adj=on}} propeller.<ref name=RW/> Five rectangular [[boiler (steam generator)|boiler]]s provided steam to the engine at a working pressure of {{convert|30|psi|kPa kg/cm2|0|abbr=on|lk=on}}.<ref name=b5>Ballard, pp. 57–58</ref> The engine produced a total of {{convert|4130|-|4530|ihp|lk=in}} which gave them a maximum speed of about {{convert|15|kn|lk=in}}. The ships carried {{convert|410|-|420|LT|t}} of coal, enough to steam {{convert|1850|-|2000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|knots}}.<ref name=RW/> |
The ships had one 2-cylinder [[Marine steam engine|steam engine]] driving a single {{convert|19|ft|m|adj=on}} propeller.<ref name=RW/> Five rectangular [[boiler (steam generator)|boiler]]s provided steam to the engine at a working pressure of {{convert|30|psi|kPa kg/cm2|0|abbr=on|lk=on}}.<ref name=b5>Ballard, pp. 57–58</ref> The engine produced a total of {{convert|4130|-|4530|ihp|lk=in}} which gave them a maximum speed of about {{convert|15|kn|lk=in}}. The ships carried {{convert|410|-|420|LT|t}} of coal, enough to steam {{convert|1850|-|2000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|knots}}.<ref name=RW/> |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Volage-class |
| Builders | Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Blackwall, London |
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Briton class |
| Succeeded by | Amethyst class |
| Built | 1867–1871 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Scrapped | 2 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Iron screw corvette |
| Tonnage | 2,322 bm |
| Displacement | 3,078 long tons (3,127 t) |
| Length | 270 ft (82.3 m) (p/p) |
| Beam | 42 ft 1 in (12.83 m)* |
| Draught | 21 ft 5 in (6.5 m) |
| Installed power | 4,130 ihp (3,080 kW) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 1 × shaft 1 × 2-cylinder steam engine 5 × rectangular boilers |
| Sail plan | Ship rig |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Range | 2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 340 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 6 × 7-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns 4 × 6.3-inch 64-pounder rifled muzzle-loading guns |
The Volage class was a group of two corvettes built for the Royal Navy in the late 1860s. Launched in 1869, she entered service in 1873, and was the commodore's ship on the Cape of Good Hope and West Africa Station. Her crew served ashore in both the Third Anglo-Ashanti and Zulu Wars.
Design and description
The Director of Naval Construction was tasked to provide a combination of seaworthiness and speed for these ships. The designers gave the ships a high length-to-beam ratio to increase their speed, but this made the design less manoeuverable. To offset this, the ends of the ships were narrowed to allow the rudder as much authority as possible even though this reduced buoyancy at the ends of the ship and caused the weights to be concentrated in the middle of the ship. The compromise proved to be successful and the design did not have a large turning circle. Admiral (Royal Navy) G. A. Ballard considered them to be "a definite step forward in the shipbuilder's art."[1] He considered their only real defect to be unsteadiness as gun platforms as their metacentric height was fairly high, which caused them to roll excessively, and they pitched quite a bit in a head sea due to the lack of buoyancy in the narrow bow.[2]
The Volage-class ships were 270 feet (82.3 m) long between perpendiculars and had a beam of 42 feet 1 inch (12.8 m). Forward, the ships had a draught of 16 feet 5 inches (5.0 m), but aft they drew 21 ft 5 in (6.5 m). They displaced 3,078 long tons (3,127 t) and had a burthen of 2,322 tons. Their iron hull was covered by a 3-inch (76 mm) layer of oak that was sheathed with copper from the waterline down to prevent biofouling.[3] Watertight transverse bulkheads subdivided the hull.[4] Their crew consisted of 340 officers and enlisted men.[3]
The ships had one 2-cylinder steam engine driving a single 19-foot (5.8 m) propeller.[3] Five rectangular boilers provided steam to the engine at a working pressure of 30 psi (207 kPa; 2 kgf/cm2).[5] The engine produced a total of 4,130–4,530 indicated horsepower (3,080–3,380 kW) which gave them a maximum speed of about 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ships carried 410–420 long tons (420–430 t) of coal, enough to steam 1,850–2,000 nautical miles (3,430–3,700 km; 2,130–2,300 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[3]
The class was ship rigged and had a sail area of 16,593 square feet (1,542 m2).[3] The lower masts were made of iron, but the other masts were wood. Their best speed under sail alone was 12.5 to 13 knots (23.2 to 24.1 km/h; 14.4 to 15.0 mph). Their funnel was semi-retractable to reduce wind resistance[5] and the propeller could be hoisted up into the stern of the ship to reduce drag while under sail.[3]
The ships were initially armed with a mix of 7-inch and 64-pounder 64 cwt[Note 1] rifled muzzle-loading guns. The six 7-inch (178 mm) guns and two of the four 64-pounders were mounted on the broadside while the other two were mounted on the forecastle and poop deck as chase guns.[6] In 1879, ten BL 6-inch 80-pounder breech-loading guns replaced all the broadside weapons. Two carriages for 14-inch (356 mm) torpedoes were added as well.[3]
Ships
| Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Volage | Thames Ironworks, Blackwall, London[3] | September 1867[3] | 27 February 1869[3] | March 1870[3] | Sold for scrap, 17 May 1904[3] | £132,817[3] |
| HMS Active | Thames Ironworks, Blackwall, London[3] | 1867[3] | 13 March 1869[3] | March 1871[3] | Sold for scrap 10 July 1906[3] | £126,156[3] |
Notes
- ^ "cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 64 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.
Footnotes
Bibliography
- Ballard, G. A. (1937). "British Corvettes of 1875: The Volage, Active and Rover". Mariner's Mirror. 23 (January). Cambridge, UK: Society for Nautical Research: 53–67.
- Winfield, R.; Lyon, D. (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6. OCLC 52620555.