Iris Cristata

by | Mar 12, 2018 | Iris

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For other ships with the same name, see HMS Hecate.

HMS Hecate was the last ship completed of the four Cyclops-class breastwork monitors built for the Royal Navy during the 1870s.

Design and description

The Cyclops-class ships were modified versions of the Cerberus class.[1] The ships had a length between perpendiculars of 225 feet (68.6 m), a beam of 45 feet (13.7 m), and a draught of 16 feet 3 inches (4.95 m) at deep load. They displaced 3,480 long tons (3,540 t). Their crew consisted of 156 officers and men.[2] Hydra had two 4-cylinder inverted compound steam engines, each driving a single propeller shaft. The engines produced a total of 1,472 indicated horsepower (1,098 kW) during the ship's sea trials which gave her a maximum speed of 11.2 knots (20.7 km/h; 12.9 mph). The ships carried 250 long tons (250 t) of coal,[3] enough to steam 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[4]

The ships mounted four 10-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns in twin-gun turrets fore and aft of the superstructure. The guns could fire both solid shot and explosive shells.[5] They were mounted on carriages that used hydraulic jacks to elevate and depress the guns.[1]

The Cyclops class had a complete waterline belt of wrought iron that was 8 inches (203 mm) thick amidships and thinned to 6 inches (152 mm) at the ends. The superstructure and conning tower was fully armoured, the reason it was called a breastwork, with 8–9 inches (203–229 mm) of wrought iron. The gun turrets had 10 inches on their faces and 9 inches on the sides and rear. All of the vertical armour was backed by 9–11 inches (229–279 mm) of teak. The decks were 1.5 inches (38.1 mm) thick.[6]

Construction

Together with her sister ships, Cyclops and Gorgon, she was placed on the non-effective list of ships in January 1902,[7] and sold for scrap the following year.

Citations

  1. ^ a b Parkes, p. 212
  2. ^ Parkes, p. 213
  3. ^ Ballard, pp. 246–49
  4. ^ Silverstone, p. 169
  5. ^ Gardiner, p. 6
  6. ^ Parkes, pp. 213–14
  7. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36657. London. 6 January 1902. p. 8.

References

  • Ballard, G. A., Admiral (1980). The Black Battlefleet. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-924-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
  • Parkes, Oscar (1990). British Battleships (reprint of the 1957 ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-075-4.
  • Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0.
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