Preserved Warships of the Royal Navy

For images of the ships shown here, click on the appropriate link.

HMS Warrior

HMS Warrior and her sister ship, HMS Black Prince, were the world's first ocean-going iron armoured ships.

HMS Warrior is now preserved at Portsmouth, Hampshire.

Statistics:

Displacement:

9173 tons

Dimensions:

420' x 58' 4" x 26'
(128 m x 17.78 m x 7.92 m)

Machinery:

1-shaft Penn horizontal single expansion trunk engine
10 rectangular boilers
5267 ihp
14.08 knots
850 tons of coal

Armour:

4½" Iron Belt with 18" wood backing
4½" Iron bulkheads

Armament when built:

4 x 8" MLR
28 x 7" MLR
4 x 20 pdr. RBL

Crew:

707
HMS Warrior in her preserved state. Part of HMS Warrior's upper deck armament. This particular weapon is a 40 pdr. 32 cwt. Armstrong Rifled Breech Loading Gun on a Common Wooden Naval Upper Deck Carriage. Part of HMS Warrior's upper deck armament. This particular weapon is a 20 pdr. Armstrong Rifled Breech Loading Gun on a Common Wooden Naval Upper Deck carriage.
HMS Warrior - view forward from the port side of the bridge. HMS Warrior - view aft from the port side of the bridge. HMS Warrior - view forward from the starboard side of the stern.
HMS Warrior - view aft from the port side of the bow. HMS Warrior - view forward from the port side of the stern. HMS Warrior - view forward from the port side of the stern. Note the rails on the deck for manoeuvring the upper deck armament.
HMS Warrior - view forward from the starboard side of the stern. Note the rails on the deck for manoeuvring the upper deck armament. HMS Warrior - one of the 4½" thick Iron doors in one of the armoured bulkheads. Note the rack of rifles and bayonets ready to hand to repel boarders or to arm members of the ship's Naval Brigade. HMS Warrior - a view of part of the gundeck. The closer gun is a 68 pdr. Smooth Bore Muzzle Loading Gun whereas the further gun is a 110 pdr. Armstrong Rifled Breech Loading Gun. Note the rack of rifles and bayonets ready to hand to repel boarders or to arm members of the ship's Naval Brigade.

HMS Gannet

HMS Gannet and her sister ships (HMS Osprey, HMS Cormorant, HMS Pelican, HMS Wild Swan, HMS Penguin, HMS Doterel, HMS Dragon, HMS Espiegle, HMS Kingfisher, HMS Miranda, HMS Mutine, HMS Pegasus, and HMS Phoenix) were typical examples the steam screw sloops operated by the Royal Navy during the last 30 years of the Queen Victoria's reign. They were designed by Sir Nathaniel Barnaby and were of composite construction (i.e. they were built  with wrought iron keels, frames, stern and stem posts, with wooden planking).

HMS Gannet was built at Sheerness Naval Dockyard, and launched on 31st August 1878. During one of her periods of active duty she helped suppress the Slave Trade in the Red Sea as well as support the British enclave at Suakin.

HMS Gannet is preserved at Chatham, Kent.

Statistics:

Displacement:

1130 tons

Dimensions:

170' x 36' x 15' 9"
(58.81 m x 10.97 m x 4.8 m)

Machinery:

1-shaft Humphreys & Tennant horizontal compound expansion engine
3 cylindrical boilers
1107 ihp
11.53 knots
150 tons of coal

Armament when built:

2 x 7" MLR
4 x 64 pdr. MLR

Armament (1892):

2 x 7" MLR
2 x 5" BLR
4 x Machine Guns

Crew:

150

Armed Steam Launch

Steam Launches of this type were carried by Battleships and Cruisers, and could be armed as required.

For images of the ships shown here, click on the appropriate link.

© Robert George Cordery (2005)