HOME
*



picture info

Flat-iron Gunboat
Flat-iron gunboats (more formally known as Rendel gunboats) were a number of classes of coastal gunboats generally characterised by small size, low freeboard, the absence of masts,Some Rendel-type gunboats were fitted with masts (the British ''Medina'' class, the Russian ''Sivutch'' class and at least some of the Chinese alphabeticals); they are included in the article for completeness and the mounting of a single non-traversing large gun, aimed by pointing the vessel. They acquired their nickname from the physical similarity with the flat iron used for ironing clothes during the 19th century. The first flat-iron gunboat was launched in 1867, and the last in 1894, with the vast majority being built in the years 1870 - 1880. They were designed as a cheap coastal defence weapon, a role they failed to achieve successfully; they found their greatest utility in offensive coastal bombardment. Strongly built, they lasted in some cases into the late 20th century, and saw action in both W ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




HMS Mastiff (1871)
EIght Royal Navy vessels have borne the name HMS ''Mastiff'', named after the mastiff, a type of dog: * was the mercantile ''Herald'', launched at Hull in 1790 that the Royal Navy purchased in 1797 and fitted as a gun brig (12 guns); she was lost after running aground in 1800. * was a gun brig (12 guns) launched in 1813, converted to a survey vessel in 1824 and sold 1851. * was a mortar vessel launched in 1855 but renamed ''Mortar Vessel 7'' later that year; transferred to HM Coastguard in 1846 and renamed ''Watch Vessel 37''. * was a screw gunboat launched in 1856, originally laid down as ; sold in 1863. * was an iron screw third-class gunboat launched in 1871. Converted to a tender in 1890, renamed in 1914 and was sold in 1931. * was a launched in 1914 and sold in 1921. * was a naval trawler of the launched in 1938, sunk by a mine in 1939. * , pennant FY350, was a 1929 Norwegian whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whal ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Battle Of Fuzhou
The Battle of Fuzhou, or Battle of Foochow, also known as the Battle of the Pagoda Anchorage (French: Combat naval de Fou-Tchéou, Chinese: , 馬江之役 or 馬尾海戰, literally Battle of Mawei), was the opening engagement of the 16-month Sino-French War (December 1883 – April 1885). The battle was fought on 23 August 1884 off the Pagoda Anchorage in Mawei () harbour, to the southeast of the city of Fuzhou (Foochow). During the battle Admiral Amédée Courbet's Far East Squadron virtually destroyed the Fujian Fleet, one of China's four regional fleets. Background On 11 May 1884 French and Chinese negotiators concluded the Tientsin Accord, an agreement designed to end several months of undeclared hostilities between France and China in Tonkin. On 23 June 1884, French troops advancing to occupy Lạng Sơn, in accordance with the terms of this agreement, clashed near the small town of Bắc Lệ with a detachment of the Chinese Guangxi Army. The Chinese opened fire on the ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

George Rennie (engineer)
George Rennie (3 December 1791 – 30 March 1866) was an engineer born in London, England. He was the son of the Scottish engineer John Rennie the Elder and the brother of Sir John Rennie. Early life Born in the parish of Christchurch, Blackfriars Road, Southwark, London, he was educated by Dr. Greenlaw at Isleworth, and was subsequently sent to St. Paul's School and to the University of Edinburgh. In 1811 he entered his father's office, where many great works were in progress. In 1818, on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks and James Watt, he was appointed inspector of machinery and clerk of the irons (i.e. dies) at the Royal Mint, which post he held for nearly eight years. J. & G. Rennie On the death of his father in 1821 he entered into partnership with his younger brother John, as J. and G. Rennie, and for many years they were engaged in completing the vast undertakings originated by the elder Rennie.p. 54 John concentrated on the civil engineering portion of t ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Laird Brothers
Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, when that side of the business was separated and became part of the Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage & Wagon Company. History Formation from merger of Laird Company and Cammell & Co. The Laird Company was founded by William Laird, who had established the Birkenhead Iron Works in 1824. When he was joined by his son, John Laird in 1828, their first ship was an iron barge. John realised that the techniques of making boilers could be applied to making ships. The company soon became pre-eminent in the manufacture of iron ships and also made major advances in propulsion. In 1860, John Laird was joined in the business by his three sons, renaming the company John Laird, Sons & Co. The sons continued the business after their father's death in 187 ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

HMQS Gayundah
HMQS ''Gayundah'' was a flat-iron gunboat operated by the Queensland Maritime Defence Force and later the Royal Australian Navy (as HMAS ''Gayundah''). She entered service in 1884 and was decommissioned and sold to a civilian company in 1921. She then served as sand and gravel barge in Brisbane until the 1950s, when she was scrapped. In 1958, ''Gayundah'' was run aground at Woody Point near Redcliffe, to serve as a breakwater structure. Construction In the 1870s the British military presence in Australia had declined and the individual colonies had begun planning for their own defence, culminating in the Jervois-Scratchley reports. Amidst concerns about Russian influence in the Pacific, in 1884 the Queensland Maritime Defence Force was established. The same year, the colony placed an order for its first vessels: a torpedo boat, HMQS ''Mosquito'', and two gunboats, ''Gayundah'' and HMQS ''Paluma''. Both ''Gayundah'' and ''Paluma'' belonged to a class of vessels that were bu ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]