HMS Defence (1861)
| File:HMS Defence (1861) after 1866.jpg HMS Defence as she appeared after the final conversion of her rig in 1866. | |
| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 14 December 1859 |
| Builder: | Palmer Brothers, Jarrow |
| Laid down: | 14 December 1859 |
| Launched: | 24 April 1861 |
| Completed: | 12 February 1862 |
| Commissioned: | 4 December 1861 |
| Fate: | Broken up, August 1935 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Defence-class battleship |
| Displacement: | 6,150 tons |
| Length: |
280 ft (85 m) pp, 302 ft (92 m) overall |
| Beam: | 54 ft 2 in (16.51 m) |
| Draught: | 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m) forward, 26 ft (7.9 m) aft |
| Propulsion: | Single-shaft Penn trunk engines; I.H.P 2,540 |
| Sail plan: | Barque rig, sail area 24,500 sq ft (2,280 m2). |
| Speed: |
10.75 knots (19.9 km/h) under power 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h) under sail |
| Complement: | 460 |
| Armament: |
4 × 5 inch breech-loaders |
| Armour: |
4.5 inch with 18 inch teak backing 4.5 inch bulkheads |
HMS Defence was the lead ship of the Defence class of 1859, her sister ship being HMS Resistance.
After completion in 1862 she served in the Channel Fleet until 1866, when she paid off in Plymouth for refit and re-armament. She returned to the Channel Fleet in 1868, and in 1869 she was sent to the North America station to relieve HMS Royal Alfred. She served in the Mediterranean from 1871 to 1872, and had a further lengthy refit in Plymouth between 1872 and 1874. She was the guardship on the Shannon from 1874 to 1876, and then served a further three years in the Channel until 1879. She was guardship in the Mersey until 1885, after which she saw no further sea-going service. In 1890 she was converted into a floating workshop, and was renamed Indus I in 1898. She was broken up at Plymouth in August 1935.
References
- Admiral George Ballard, The Black Battlefleet (1980) ISBN 0-245-53030-4
- David Lyon and Rif Winfield, The Sail and Steam Navy List, 1815 to 1889 (2004) ISBN 1-86176-032-9
- Oscar Parkes, British Battleships ISBN 0-85052-604-3
- Conway Maritime Press, All the World's Fighting Ships ISBN 0-85177-133-5
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