A radical change: the armoured cruiser Dupuy de Lôme

French armoured ship design took a radical turn with the armoured cruiser Dupuy de Lôme. Prior to this, the armouring scheme used for French ships consisted of a thick waterline belt, from stem to stern, with high, unprotected sides. In the Dupuy de Lôme, the sides were now protected by armour, although of only 4 inches in this case. The Dupuy de Lôme was a reaction to the threat of quick firing guns. The previous armour scheme was only protecting against armour piercing shot, not shell fire. The Dupuy de Lôme displaced 6,297 tons, had dimensions of 374ft x 51ft-6in x 23ft-6in. The ship was had three screws, including one on the centerline. The engines produced 14,000 IHP to achieve a 20 knot speed. For 1890, this was fast, at least for a large ship. The armament consisted of 2-7.6in and 6-6.4in guns. By modern standards, the Dupuy de Lôme had excessive upper works. Admiral Fournier considered this type of vessel as the basis for La Jeune École ("the Young School"). The idea was to concentrate on commerce raiding rather than building a battlefleet.

More about the coast defense battleship Furieux

According to my 1894 Brassey's, this photograph seems to reflect the original configuration of the French coast defense battleship Furieux. The Furieux was constructed of a mixture of both iron and steel, so the Furieux was a transitional step. I am sure that the figures given in Brassey's are just nominal, but they are still of interest:

French coast defense battleship Furieux, launched in 1883
Displacement: 6,000 tons
Dimensions:   247ft-10in x 59ft x 21ft-9in  two screws
Belt: 20in  Armament: 17-3/4in
Armament: 2-34cm (13.4in) 48 ton, 5-small QF, 10-mg
Max speed: 14 knots  Range: 1,500nm Coal: 290 tons

The Infanta Maria Teresa

Early in my life, I had studied the Spanish-American War. My copy of the 1894 Brassey's has coverage of many of the ships involved. The Spanish flagship at the Battle of Santiago Bay was the belted cruiser, the Infanta Maria Teresa. This was a ship of nominally 7000 tons, with dimensions of 340ft x 65ft x 21ft-6in, with an armament of 2-11in and 10-5.5in guns. There were additional 6pdr and 2pdr QF guns, as well as the six above water torpedo launchers that were so hazardous. The wooden decks were a terrible fire hazard, as well. The Infanta Maria Teresa was listed with a maximum speed of 20.25 knots. The belt was 10.5 inches and the deck varied between 2in and 3in. The conning tower was 12in, of steel, as was the rest of the armour. The main armament was mounted in 10.5in barbettes with hemispherical shields. Belted cruisers of this sort were obsolescent in 1890 when the Infanta Maria Teresa was completed. The Spanish belted cruisers were destroyed in an hour-and-a-half hour at the Battle of Santiago Bay by shellfire from the American ships, according to William Hovgaard, in the Modern History of Warships. The Infanta Maria Teresa had a narrow 12in belt and a high, unprotected side.

The coast defense battleship Valmy

William Hovgaard desribed the Jemmappes and Valmy as being reduced copies of the battleship Brennus. The Valmy, as you can see, had a very low freeboard but was designed to make 17 knots. If that had been possible, the speed would have kept the bow covered with water. The concept of a small battleship with heavy guns and a good speed always interested me. The Valmy had a complete waterline belt, 18in amidships and 10in at the ends, covered by a 4in deck. The Valmy was armed with 2-13.4in/40 and 4-3.9in QF guns. An old "Jane's" said that the two ships in the class could only "keep station" at a speed of 12.5 knots. On trials, the best that the Valmy could do was to make 15.9 knots.

Another look at the USS Concord gunboat

The USS Concord built in 1891 was another ship that fought in the Battle of Manilla Bay in 1898. I find the Concord interesting because the ship was a substantial unarmoured cruiser of 1,710 tons, despite the gunboat designation. The British classed smaller vessels as sloops and actually built ships designated as cruisers of this approximate size. The Concord was stout enough to fight in the line with the cruisers when they surprised the Spanish at anchor in the bay. My book from 1911 has a different photograph, dating from 1891. The Concord had dimensions of 230ft x 36ft x 14ft and carried 6-4in guns. By 1911, the Concord served with the contemporary equivalent of the naval reserve, the Naval Militia.

The yacht USS Gloucester

When I was young, I still had access to books dating from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries about naval history and ships. I remember reading about the yacht USS Gloucester, which served with the fleet off of Santiago, as I recall. The Gloucester was a 240ft vessel of 786 tons armed with 4-6pdr (57mm) and 4-3pdr (47mm) guns. The Gloucester had a speed of 17 knots, so it was fast enough to be useful.

The Spanish cruiser Castilla

The Spanish cruiser Castilla was one of the ships sunk in the Battle of Manilla Bay in 1898. Captain Donald MacIntyre described the Castilla as a "tub" in his book The Thunder of the Guns. I have heard that the Castilla had a composite hull, but it was apparently just a wooden hull. I have relied on the 1894 Naval Annual for information. The Castilla had a displacement of 3,342 tons and had a ram bow. The dimensions were 246ft x 45ft-11in x 20ft-11in. The machinery developed 4,400 IHP which drove a single screw to achieve a maximum of 14 knots. The coal supply was 470 tons. The Castilla carried 4 Krupp 5.9in guns, 2 Krupp 4.7in guns, 4-75mm guns, and 8-quick firing guns. The Castilla was launched at Cadiz in 1881 and was sunk on 1 May 1898. The Castilla had a crew of 392 men.

The Spanish cruiser Reina Christina

My source of information about the Spanish cruiser Reina Christina is the 1894 edition of The Naval Annual. the Reina Christina was the Spanish flagship at the Battle of Manilla Bay, where ship was wrecked. The nominal displacement was 3,520 tons. The dimensions were 278ft-10in x 42ft-7in x 16ft-5in. The ship could make 17.5 knots on an IHP=3,970 with a bunker capacity of 600 tons of coal. The Reina Christina was launched in 1886. The armament consisted of 6-16cm (6.4in), 2-7cm, 3-57mm QF, and 6-37mm QF guns. The the ship also carried 5-14in TT. There was no armour, but the hull had a French-style "cellular layer".

The French coast defense battleship Furieux

At one point, Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships expected that the French coast defense battleship Furieux would have her freeboard forward raised by a deck. The Furieux had been originally launched in 1883, but was not completed until 1887. Both the British and French often took many years to complete ships in the 1880's. The rebuilt Furieux was given 2-9.4in/40 guns, which were greatly superior to the original 2-13.4in/24 guns. I have seen other photographs which confirm that the Furieux retained the low freeboard forward, which meant that she was very wet when underway.

The old battleship Texas

This is really interesting picture of the old US battleship Texas. You can see that the gray paint was just slopped over the prewar white paint and the gold leaf on the decorations. There is also a lot of detail there, including the small guns in the hull casemate mounts and the sponsons. You will need to click the small picture to see the larger view.

The Akitsushima in 1894

I have a real Brassey's for 1894. I bought it because I wanted good Sino-Japanese War ship data. One ship listed is the Japanese ship Akitsushima, launched in 1892. The Akitsushima was a protected cruiser of 3150 tons with dimensions of 302ft x 42ft-7in x 18ft-5in. The Akitsushima had a top speed of 19 knots with 8400 IHP and Brassey's says it was armed with 1-12.6in BLR, and 12-4.7in QF guns, but that has to be wrong. We think that the correct armament was 4-6in and 6-4.7in guns. The deck armour was 3in steel. There were four above water torpedo tubes.

The rebuilt Messudiyeh

The Ottoman Empire thought that you should be able to modernize old ships so that they could have some of the capability of more modern ships. The old ironclad Messudiyeh was rebuilt in Genoa in 1902. The rebuilt ship had one military mast behind two funnels. The photograph indicates that the hull was black with a thin white stripe over a red lower hull. The upperworks, turrets, and funnels appear to be white. The ship carried 2-9.2in Vickers guns, 12-6in/45 QF guns, 14-14pdr (3in) QF guns, 10-6pdr (57mm) QF guns, and 2-3pdr (47mm) QF guns. The armour was still mostly the original iron. The belt was 12in, but that was useless against modern guns. The turrets and barbettes were Terni steel. The Messudiyeh was 331ft long, so it was about the size of the older British and French battleships. There was a great deal of interest in this sort of rebuilding, but Admiral Fisher disagreed and sold off old the old ships from the British navy, starting in 1904.

Old Jane's Fighting Ships

I have always enjoyed reading the old Jane's, which were actually called Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships. I have a old one from prior to 1904. Reading the listed data is at least as interesting as reading the real data from Conway's or a similar source.

The Danish "torpedo ram" Tordenskjold

The Danish ship Tordenskjold was rated as a "torpedo ram", but was actually a small protected cruiser with a huge gun. An old Jane's reported that the Tordenskjold was launched in 1880. The ship had a very archaic look to it. The main protection was from an arched 3-3/4in steel deck, probably with coal stored above and below it. The main armament consisted of a 14in/25 BLR. There were also 4-4.7in guns. The Tordenskjold also had four above water torpedo tubes and 8-MG. The large gun had an 8in compound barbette with a hemispherical shield. The 4.7in guns were mounted on the upper deck, aft, and had the usual shields. The designed speed was 14 knots, from an IHP of 2,600. There were two screws and cylindrical boilers. The coal capacity was 170 tons. The crew was fairly large at 220 men. The ship was quite small, with a displacement of only 2,530 tons.

The Battle of Manilla Bay

Early in my study of naval history, I had read Donald McIntyre's account of the Battle of Manilla Bay (in The Thunder of the Guns: A Century of Battleships, a Norton book from about 1960). There is a relatively decent Wikipedia page, although the Spanish OOB seems to omit smaller ships that I believe were present.

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The Japanese cruiser Yoshino

The cruiser Yoshino was another Elswick cruiser built for the Japanese navy. The Yoshino was in a long series of fast protected cruisers designed by Sir Phillip Watts, later a distinguished Director of Naval Construction for the British navy. The Yoshino figured prominently at the Battle of the Yalu in the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. The Yoshino was sunk in a collision with the armoured cruiser Kasuga, early in the Russo-Japanese War. The Yoshino could make 23 knots. The protective deck had 115mm slopes and 45mm flat armour. The main armament consisted of 2-6in and 8-4.7in QF guns.

The Takasago

The Japanese cruiser Takasago was what passed for a very fast cruiser in 1904. This is a highly massaged photograph of the Takasago at anchor, in prewar livery. The Takasago had been launched at Elswick in 1897. This was typical of a certain type of Elswick cruiser. The Takasago carried 2-8in large QF guns, 10-4.7in QF guns, and 12-3in QF guns. The Takasago also had 5-18in TT. The deck armour was very thick, at 4.5in of Harvey-Nickel steel. The 8in guns also had 4.5in shields. the 4.7in guns had 2.5in shields. The Takasago was rated at 24 knots. Coal was used to augment the protection, but this type of ship was vulnerable to mines and torpedoes. The Takasago was lost due to a mine off of Port Arthur in December 1904. More than half the crew was lost. The Takasago was designed by a top notch warship designer, Sir Philip Watts:

The Russian scout Novik

I see that William Hovgaard credited the Russian scout Novik, lost in the Russo-Japanese War, with a 26 knot speed. That was achieved, apparently, by using a very light hull structure and destroyer-like machinery. The hull was even shaped like a German torpedo boat, as the ship was built by the German firm Schichau, at Elbing in the Baltic. The ship had some problems, as the steering gear was unprotected and the hull lacked a double bottom to save weight. The unprotected steering gear resulted in the ultimate loss of the ship. The Japanese subsequently raised the wreck and put the Novik back in service. I liked the armament of 6-4.7in QF guns for a small scout.

Russian ships

I had thought that the improved Russian battleship designs originated after the start of the Russo-Japanese War. That is not the case. As far back as 1903, Russia was planning new battleships with a 11in belt, 4-12in/40, 12-8in/45, and 20-12pdr QF guns. The deck armour would have been an impressive 100mm (3.9in). The ships were projected to have a displacement of 16,000 tons. The dimensions were not yet public knowledge, even as rumour.

Jane's Fighting Ships

I am a great fan of the old Jane's Fighting Ships. The volumes form 1899 to 1904 are especially good. The volumes from 1919 to 1921 are also very useful, as were the volumes from 1936 to 1945. A general feature of the older Janes were that they did not actually reflect the ships as they were completed, but were more like intelligence reports or even press reports. They aided and abetted the British navy in the 1905 to 1914 period, when they printed disinformation designed to fool the Germans. They have a different slant, being more graphically oriented than Brassey's, which I also like. For a long time, I didn't appreciate Brassey's, as I was looking for the drawings and photographs, but I came to appreciate how much good information they had. The older volumes, such as from the 1880's up to 1905 are good sources of ship and gun information that go below the level of detail that is the Conway's volumes.

The original sketch design for the Republique class

The original sketch design for the French Republique class battleships looked very impressive. They were described as being "the best protected ships in existence". They were to have a 11in belt and a 10in upper belt, with 2in upper and 3in lower deck armour. The decks would enclose coal, backing up the belt to make them very strong. The guns would be 4-12in/45 and 18-6.4in/45. Of the six ships projected, the Republique was launched in 1902 and the Patrie in 1903. The other four ships were eventually completed to an improved design. The last ship, the Verite, was only launched in 1907, when the class was already obsolescent. The first two were completed in December 1906 asnd t6he last four were completed in 1908. They had already been superceded by more modern designs. The belt actually tapered, and was just 12ft-6in high and tapered from 11in down to 9.5in, not 10in. The original concept appeared to have an armoured height of 16ft, but that was not the case. The speed was better than the apparent 18 knots, as the ships could make 19 knots.

The French battleship Suffren, prior to 1904

This a photograph of the French battleship Suffren, which was a more modern design than the ships the French had been producing with the lozenge arrangement of single turrets. The Suffren still had the complete belt and high, unprotected sides, with considerable tumble home.

The American cruiser Boston

The American cruiser Boston looked like an 1880's design, with a low freeboard and rigging, as built. The Boston relied on 2-8in and 6-6in guns for hitting power. The Boston was a 15 knot ship built in 1884. The protective deck was a thin 1.5 inches. The Boston took part in the Battle of Manilla Bay in 1898, at the start of the Spanish-American War.

The American torpedo boat Porter

The torpedo boat Porter was one of the fastest American ships in service in 1898. The Porter exceeded 28 knots on trials. The photo is from the year 1897, when the Porter was completed. The Porter was a 165 ton vessel that was 175 feet long. The armament consisted of 3-1pdr QF guns and 3-18in torpedo tubes.

The gunboat Concord, from Spanamwar.com

Patrick McSherry has a nice page on spamamwar.com about the American gunboat Concord that fought in the Spanish-American War in 1898. He has a good drawing, as well, which I took the liberty of cleaning up a bit, as it was "dirty":

I have my old photograph of the Concord, which I consider to have actually been a small cruiser, despite her designation as a gunboat:

The American torpedo boat Cushing in 1890

I have this photograph of the American torpedo boat Cushing taken in 1890. The Cushing was nominally 105 tons and could reach 22.5 knots when new. I remember seeing the Cushing listed in an OOB for the Battle of Santiago Bay in 1898, and I believe that was correct.

The American cruiser Raleigh

I have this photograph of the USS Raleigh, a protected cruiser that fought in the Battle of Manilla Bay in 1898. This photograph was taken in 1895. The Raleigh displaced a nominal 3,183 tons, was about 300ft long, and had a maximum speed of about 21 knots.

The gunboat Castine

The gunboats Castine and Machias were built by Bath Iron Works. The Castine was really a small cruiser. The Castine had a maximum speed of 16 knots, displaced 1,177 tons, and carried 8-4in guns. This photograph shows the Castine painted gray for service in the Spanish-American War, in 1898.

The Isla de Luzon

The other small Spanish cruiser captured by the Americans was the Isla de Luzon. The Isla de Cuba and the Isla de Luzon seem to have been built to the same design. The Isla de Luzon was built in 1887, but only made 11 knots on trial.

The small Spanish cruiser Isla de Cuba

Spain had a number of small cruisers built abroad. The Isla de Cuba was built in Great Britain in 1886. The ship was just barely a cruiser, being over the 1,000 ton mark at 1,030 tons. The armament was 2-4in guns and six smaller. The speed was very low at 13 knots. The ship was an unarmoured cruiser. This is a photograph of the Isla de Cuba painted in the Spanish style:

A rather indistinct photo of the Russian cruiser Variag

I have this photograph of the Russian cruiser Variag, sunk early in the Russo-Japanese war. I need to see if I can get a sharper picture, but this is worth posting, as I have not seen this particular picture before.

A better Stiletto picture

I was able to capture a better copy of the photograph of the wooden torpedo boat Stiletto, taken in 1886.

The American gunboat Petrel

I have this photograph of the American gunboat Petrel, taken in 1890. The Petrel took part in the Battle of Manilla Bay in 1898. The British would have classed the Petrel as a sloop, although the Petrel was really just a very small steel cruiser. The Petrel displaced just 890 tons. Her dimensions were 181ft-4in x 31ft x 11ft-6in. The power was only 1000 IHP. The trial speed was only 11.4 knots. The main armament consisted of 4-6in BL guns. The crew was 8 officers and 130 men. The Petrel was "built by Columbian Iron Works, Baltimore, Md., 1889". Fighting in the Battle of Manilla Bay was probably the only notable feature of the Petrel.

I have a nice picture of the USS Concord, rated as a gunboat

The USS Concord took part in the Battle of Manilla Bay in 1898. This is a photograph dating from 1891. The Concord was actually a small cruiser, with a displacement of 1710 tons and with 6-4in guns.

The cruiser Apollo from prior to 1904

I have not seen this photograph before of the cruiser Apollo, the name ship of the class built as part of the Naval Defence Act of 1889.

The USS Stiletto picture from 1886

This is a photograph of the American torpedo boat Stiletto, taken in 1886. The Stiletto was wooden and was the first American torpedo boat. The Stiletto was a fast launch built as a yacht.

The gunboat Concord, really a small cruiser

I have a photograph of the gunboat Concord taken in 1891. In this picture, the Concord resembles the small cruiser that she really was. The Concord had a displacement of 1,710 tons and dimensions of 230ft x 36ft x 14ft. The armament consisted of 6-6in BLR and ten smaller guns. The crew was established at 14 officers and 181 men. In the photograph that I have, the Concord had recently been completed. The speed was on the low side at 16.8 knots, but that was all that could be achieved with 3,404 HP. The Concord took part in the attack on the Spanish fleet at Manilla Bay in 1898. The Concord had one funnel and three masts, with a gaff rig.

The American wooden torpedo boat Stiletto

The Stiletto was a fast wooden launch, built by Herreschoff Mfg. Co. at Bristol, Rhode Island in 1885. The little Stiletto displaced 31 tons and had dimensions of 88ft-6in x 11ft x 3ft. The engine provided 359 HP, enough to reach a nominal 18.22 knots. The Stiletto had a raised forecastle (just about 3ft) and a single funnel. The wheel was situated on the deck at the end of the forecastle. The forecastle was narrow and did not go the full width. There is a good photograph from 1886 that I will post, when I can take a photograph.

The Russian cruiser Novik

The German-built cruiser Novik was the best cruiser that the Russians had, although admittedly, it was just a scout cruiser. Much better photographs are now available than we used to have, since Russia opened up to the west. The best all-around cruiser the Russians had might have been the French-built Bayan. The Novik was a novelty, in that while launched in 1900, the Novik was rated at 25 knots with reciprocating engines. Jane's said that 26 knots had been reached on trials. I tried the ship in Springsharp and was able to make the design work, if I used very lightweight machinery:

Novik, Russia Cruiser laid down 1900 (Engine 1909)

Displacement:
 3,305 t light; 3,405 t standard; 3,682 t normal; 3,903 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
 (354.00 ft / 347.00 ft) x 39.33 ft x (19.00 / 19.85 ft)
 (107.90 m / 105.77 m) x 11.99 m  x (5.79 / 6.05 m)

Armament:
      6 - 4.70" / 119 mm 45.0 cal guns - 46.30lbs / 21.00kg shells, 150 per gun
   Breech loading guns in deck and hoist mounts, 1900 Model
   2 x Single mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
   4 x Single mounts on sides, evenly spread
      Weight of broadside 278 lbs / 126 kg
      4 - 18.0" / 457 mm, 20.00 ft / 6.10 m torpedoes - 0.719 t each, 2.876 t total
 In 4 sets of deck mounted carriage/fixed tubes
      1 - 18.0" / 457 mm, 20.00 ft / 6.10 m torpedo - 0.719 t total
 In a submerged stern tube

Armour:
   - Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
 Main: 3.00" / 76 mm 2.00" / 51 mm  3.00" / 76 mm

   - Protected deck - single deck: 2.00" / 51 mm For and Aft decks
 Forecastle: 2.00" / 51 mm  Quarter deck: 2.00" / 51 mm

   - Conning towers: Forward 1.50" / 38 mm,  Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
 Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines, 
 Direct drive, 3 shafts, 21,362 ihp / 15,936 Kw = 25.00 kts
 Range 2,700nm at 12.00 kts
 Bunker at max displacement = 498 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
 236 - 307

Cost:
 £0.371 million / $1.483 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
 Armament: 89 tons, 2.4 %
    - Guns: 85 tons, 2.3 %
    - Torpedoes: 4 tons, 0.1 %
 Armour: 433 tons, 11.7 %
    - Armament: 87 tons, 2.4 %
    - Armour Deck: 338 tons, 9.2 %
    - Conning Tower: 8 tons, 0.2 %
 Machinery: 1,607 tons, 43.6 %
 Hull, fittings & equipment: 1,176 tons, 32.0 %
 Fuel, ammunition & stores: 377 tons, 10.2 %
 Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
 Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
   1,981 lbs / 898 Kg = 38.2 x 4.7 " / 119 mm shells or 0.5 torpedoes
 Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.19
 Metacentric height 1.7 ft / 0.5 m
 Roll period: 12.6 seconds
 Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 91 %
   - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.37
 Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.81

Hull form characteristics:
 Hull has rise forward of midbreak,
   a ram bow and a cruiser stern
 Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.497 / 0.504
 Length to Beam Ratio: 8.82 : 1
 'Natural speed' for length: 18.63 kts
 Power going to wave formation at top speed: 59 %
 Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
 Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -5.00 degrees
 Stern overhang: -2.00 ft / -0.61 m
 Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
    Fore end,  Aft end
    - Forecastle: 18.00 %,  23.00 ft / 7.01 m,  23.00 ft / 7.01 m
    - Forward deck: 18.00 %,  23.00 ft / 7.01 m,  23.00 ft / 7.01 m
    - Aft deck: 49.00 %,  15.00 ft / 4.57 m,  15.00 ft / 4.57 m
    - Quarter deck: 15.00 %,  15.00 ft / 4.57 m,  15.00 ft / 4.57 m
    - Average freeboard:  17.88 ft / 5.45 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
 Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 149.7 %
  - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 123.9 %
 Waterplane Area: 9,068 Square feet or 842 Square metres
 Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 92 %
 Structure weight / hull surface area: 62 lbs/sq ft or 305 Kg/sq metre
 Hull strength (Relative):
  - Cross-sectional: 0.86
  - Longitudinal: 4.02
  - Overall: 1.00
 Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
 Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
 Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
 Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

French central battery ships

I am still amazed that the French kept their central battery ironclad battleships from the 1870's in service into the 20th Century. They were rebuilt, at least. The Reboutable is listed in Jane's with a date of 1876. They were ships with top speeds, as designed, as low as 13 knots. With a single screw, iron armour no more than 14 thick on a complete belt, I have trouble seeing how they provided any useful service besides training. They did provide a number for strength comparison lists, but by 1903, their value was extremely low. They also had the problem of having a narrow belt, almost submerged, with about a 60mm deck on top of that. They had high, unprotected sides.

Jane's Naval Gun Notation

Fred Jane had devised a notation to describe the power of guns, which was intended partly for use in his wargame and partly for use by naval officers and analysts for comparing ship capabilities. The notation used in 1903 used capital letters, sometimes with numbers appended:

Notation   Gun      Length  Muzzle Velocity   Projectile Weight

A5         16.25in  30      2,087 ft/sec      1,800 lbs
A3         13.5in   30      2,016 ft/sec      1,250 lbs
A4         12in     40      2,750 ft/sec        850 lbs
A3         12in     35      2,367 ft/sec        850 lbs
B          10in     30      2,040 ft/sec        500 lbs
BA          9.2in   45      2,550 ft/sec        380 lbs
B           9.2in   40      2,347 ft/sec        380 lbs

Jane then rated armour with similar letters, so that you could tell what gun could penetrate what armour at close range. The numbers were altered at longer ranges.

More about the Mersey class of 1885

The Mersey class consisted of the Mersey, Severn, Thames, and Forth. They were protected cruisers of nominally 4,050 tons. They were 300ft (between perpendiculars) x 46ft x 19-1/2ft. They had a 3in steel deck. They were originally armed with 2-8in/30 BLR, 10-6in/26 BLR, 3-6pdr QF, and 8-3pdr QF guns. They also had 14in torpedo tubes. The Severn had one submerged bow tube and two above water. The Mersey had two submerged and two above water tubes. The Forth and Thames each had two above water tubes. They ships originally made 17 knots, but by 1903 were only good for 15 knots. They normally carried 500 tons of coal but could carry as much as 900 tons. The engines were horizontal compound.

One question is what would be the best wargame rules for the period from 1870 to 1905?

Perhaps lumping 1870 together with 1905 is inappropriate, but some fairly old ships were still in service, at least up to 1904, when they were finally hulked or scrapped. I would like to find a copy of Fred Jane's naval wargame, as I would like to see what he was doing. I suspect that we could figure out a way to improve on his system for shooting. He was a successful wargame designer in that he sold quite a few sets of his game and some important people played it.

The battleship Royal Oak, rebuilt in 1902

I have this old photograph of the battleship Royal Oak, one of the old Royal Sovereign class ships that was rebuilt in 1902. The photograph shows the Royal Oak still in Victorian livery. The photograph was apparently taken in either 1902 or 1903.

Fred Jane's sketch of the Orlando class

I have a copy of Fred Jane's silhouette sketch of the Orlando class belted cruisers. The sketch was made sometime between 1899 and 1903. The cruiser Narcissus belonged to this class.

Fred Jane's silhouette sketches

The very old Jane's All The World's Fighting Ships, prior to 1905, Jane had these little silhouette ink sketches of ships. They show the steam pipes and he points out differences between ships in the same class. I am not sure about the rights situation, but Jane's ship diagrams that show the armouring scheme are all over the internet, so I will try showing one of his little silhouettes. As an artist, I think that they are little gems. If you have not seen a Jane's from 1899 to 1904, you probably have not seen one of these silhouettes. I have thought that you could make wargame pieces that looked like this.

An old photograph of the battleship Vengeance

The battleship Vengeance was one of the faster battleships that sacrificed some armour for higher speed (battlecruiser-like). This is a photograph dating from prior to 1904 showing the Vengeance in Victorian livery. Other ships in the class included the Ocean, Canopus, Glory, and others.

An old photo of the cruiser Hawke in Victorian livery

This is another old photograph, from some date prior to 1904. This is a photo of the British cruiser Hawke. A distinctive feature is the flush deck and relatively low freeboard.

I have this picture of the belted cruiser Narcissus, painted white for the tropics

This photograph of the belted cruiser Narcissus dates from prior to 1904. The Narcissus is shown painted white for the tropics. In cooler climes the ships were painted in the usual Victorian livery, but that was unsuitable for the tropics.

My attempt at a Hood-like Super Lion photograph

If you read Dreadnought-Cruisers blog, you would see my Hood-like Super Lion design from today. This is my attempt at a photograph of such a ship (click to see the large photo):

An old picture of the cruiser Highflyer in Victorian livery

We usually see pictures of the protected cruiser Highflyer painted gray, with funnel bands. This pic is from prior to 1904 and shows the ship in Victorian livery.

The old French battleship Redoubtable

This is a very old photograph of the French battleship Redoubtable, which had a very archaic design. The photograph is from some time prior to 1904.

My rare picture of the cruiser Mersey

This picture of the cruiser Mersey seems to be a rare picture, dating from prior to 1904:

A Cornwall class cruiser in Victorian livery

I have usually seen the Cornwall class light armoured cruisers painted gray and with funnel markings. This ship is shown prior to 1904 in typical Victorian livery. The ships were rated at higher speeds, but the original trial speeds were only 21 or 22 knots, probably due to propellor problems. They had 4in side armour and carried 14-6in guns.

The cruiser Marathon (1888)

This is a photograph of the British 3rd Class Protected Cruiser Marathon. The Marathon was armed with 6-6in/25 guns. These were originally BL guns, not QF. The Marathon was nominally a 2,950 ton ship with a 2in protective deck. This photograph dates sometime prior to 1904. The ship much must be painted for tropical service.

There is also this nice photograph of a sister ship, the Magicienne.

Mersey class photographs

This page has an interesting selection of photographs of British cruisers. They even have some good photographs of Mersey class cruisers. This is the Forth from before 1896.

British ships painted gray in 1903

I have some Symonds photographs that show definitively that the British navy was painting ships gray in 1903, prior to Admiral Fisher becoming First Sea Lord. The pictures that I have show the 1st Class Cruiser Spartiate, the fast armoured cruiser Good Hope, the battleship Mars with funnel stripes, and the battleship Russell. In the set, there is also a fascinating photograph of the old cruiser Mersey, launched in 1885. That ship is still painted up in the Victorian livery.

The battleship USS Louisiana

I have a good photograph of the pre-dreadnought battleship USS Louisiana. The photograph was taken in 1911, after the Louisiana was modernized with cage masts and painted gray:

I tried a Springsharp design, as well, to see how well Springsharp handled this sort of ship. I found that Springsharp assumed machinery that was too heavy. I had to lighten the machinery to obtain a satisfactory design (Springhsharp reports don't work well with this blog template):

USS Louisiana, United States Battleship laid down 1906 (Engine 1909)

Displacement:
 13,558 t light; 14,464 t standard; 16,167 t normal; 17,529 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
 (459.00 ft / 450.00 ft) x 76.83 ft x (24.50 / 26.27 ft)
 (139.90 m / 137.16 m) x 23.42 m  x (7.47 / 8.01 m)

Armament:
      4 - 12.00" / 305 mm 45.0 cal guns - 850.00lbs / 385.55kg shells, 120 per gun
   Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1906 Model
   2 x Twin mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
      8 - 8.00" / 203 mm 45.0 cal guns - 250.00lbs / 113.40kg shells, 150 per gun
   Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1906 Model
   4 x Twin mounts on sides amidships
      12 - 7.00" / 178 mm 45.0 cal guns - 165.00lbs / 74.84kg shells, 150 per gun
   Breech loading guns in casemate mounts, 1906 Model
   12 x Single mounts on sides amidships
  12 hull mounts in casemates- Limited use in heavy seas
      20 - 3.00" / 76.2 mm 50.0 cal guns - 14.29lbs / 6.48kg shells, 150 per gun
   Quick firing guns in casemate mounts, 1906 Model
   20 x Single mounts on sides amidships
  6 hull mounts in casemates- Limited use in heavy seas
      Weight of broadside 7,666 lbs / 3,477 kg

Armour:
   - Belts:  Width (max) Length (avg)  Height (avg)
 Main: 11.0" / 279 mm 250.00 ft / 76.20 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
 Ends: 7.00" / 178 mm 200.00 ft / 60.96 m 12.00 ft / 3.66 m
 Upper: 6.00" / 152 mm 250.00 ft / 76.20 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
   Main Belt covers 85 % of normal length

   - Torpedo Bulkhead:
  2.00" / 51 mm 250.00 ft / 76.20 m 24.50 ft / 7.47 m

   - Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
 Main: 12.0" / 305 mm 8.00" / 203 mm  10.0" / 254 mm
 2nd: 6.00" / 152 mm 6.00" / 152 mm  6.00" / 152 mm
 3rd: 7.00" / 178 mm 7.00" / 178 mm  7.00" / 178 mm
 4th: 4.00" / 102 mm 4.00" / 102 mm  4.00" / 102 mm

   - Protected deck - single deck: 3.00" / 76 mm For and Aft decks
 Forecastle: 3.00" / 76 mm  Quarter deck: 3.00" / 76 mm

   - Conning towers: Forward 9.00" / 229 mm,  Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
 Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines, 
 Direct drive, 2 shafts, 14,768 ihp / 11,017 Kw = 18.00 kts
 Range 4,800nm at 14.00 kts
 Bunker at max displacement = 3,065 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
 716 - 931

Cost:
 £1.266 million / $5.065 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
 Armament: 1,448 tons, 9.0 %
 Armour: 6,244 tons, 38.6 %
    - Belts: 2,202 tons, 13.6 %
    - Torpedo bulkhead: 453 tons, 2.8 %
    - Armament: 1,959 tons, 12.1 %
    - Armour Deck: 1,506 tons, 9.3 %
    - Conning Tower: 124 tons, 0.8 %
 Machinery: 1,136 tons, 7.0 %
 Hull, fittings & equipment: 4,731 tons, 29.3 %
 Fuel, ammunition & stores: 2,609 tons, 16.1 %
 Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
 Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
   29,601 lbs / 13,427 Kg = 34.3 x 12.0 " / 305 mm shells or 5.3 torpedoes
 Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.27
 Metacentric height 5.2 ft / 1.6 m
 Roll period: 14.2 seconds
 Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 96 %
   - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.78
 Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.93

Hull form characteristics:
 Hull has a flush deck,
   a ram bow and a cruiser stern
 Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.668 / 0.675
 Length to Beam Ratio: 5.86 : 1
 'Natural speed' for length: 21.21 kts
 Power going to wave formation at top speed: 45 %
 Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
 Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -4.00 degrees
 Stern overhang: -3.00 ft / -0.91 m
 Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
    Fore end,  Aft end
    - Forecastle: 20.00 %,  20.00 ft / 6.10 m,  20.00 ft / 6.10 m
    - Forward deck: 30.00 %,  20.00 ft / 6.10 m,  20.00 ft / 6.10 m
    - Aft deck: 35.00 %,  20.00 ft / 6.10 m,  20.00 ft / 6.10 m
    - Quarter deck: 15.00 %,  20.00 ft / 6.10 m,  20.00 ft / 6.10 m
    - Average freeboard:  20.00 ft / 6.10 m
 Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
 Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 81.3 %
  - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 143.3 %
 Waterplane Area: 26,924 Square feet or 2,501 Square metres
 Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 111 %
 Structure weight / hull surface area: 140 lbs/sq ft or 684 Kg/sq metre
 Hull strength (Relative):
  - Cross-sectional: 0.92
  - Longitudinal: 2.17
  - Overall: 1.00
 Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
 Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
 Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
 Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

My latest attempt at a 1903 battleship-cruiser photo

I had some ideas about I needed to do to have a better look to the 1903 battleship-cruiser, so I hacked on the photo and have a new version:

A rare photograph of the battleship Texas, taken in 1899

This rare photograph of the battleship USS Texas was taken in about 1899. The Texas had fought at the Battle of Santiago in 1898. The Texas was at least a second class ship, if not a third class battleship. The Texas carried two 12in guns in single turrets mounted in echelon. There were also 6-6in BLR guns (not QF). On trials, the Texas averaged 17.8 knots.

A photograph a 1903 battleship-cruiser

At Dreadnought Cruisers, I recently posted my design for a 1903 battleship-cruiser that I thought was along the lines of what William Hovgaard had proposed. This is a 24 knot ship with 8-12in/45 and 12-6in QF guns. The armour basis is 10in. This is a photograph of one of the ships:

A rare photograph of USS Albany from the early 1900's

The USS Albany was one of the ships purchased for the Spanish American War. In the event, the Albany was not completed until 1900. The Albany was an "Elwick Cruiser" originally built for the Brazilian navy. The Albany made 20.52 knots on trials. The Albany was a rather small protected cruiser of 3,430 tons. Her dimensions were 354ft-5in x 43ft-9in x 18ft. The armament as completed was 6-6in/50, 4-4.7in/50, 10-6pdr QF, and 8-1pdr QF guns. The Albany also carried three above water 18in torpedo tubes. The Albany had a 3-1/2in Harvey nickel deck (the armour material and processing).

A rare photograph of USS Baltimore, taken in 1890

I have this rare photograph of the cruiser USS Baltimore, taken in 1890. The Baltimore was completed in about 1888. The Baltimore was a protected cruiser that seems to have been built to a British design. The Baltimore originally displaced 4,413 tons and had dimensions of 327ft-6in x 48ft-7-1/2in x 19ft-6in. The armament consisted of 4-8in and 6-6in guns. There were also ten smaller guns.