Design and development
The Admiralty Design Board set forth the requirements for the ocean-going monitors. These included the requirement of two twin 12-inch gun turrets capable of firing 600-pound shells with a 280-degree firing arc. The turrets would require 14-inch armour protection, with the machinery spaces and shell rooms protected by 12-inch-thick armour. Further, to reduce the interference with the main guns, no masts or sails were needed. The ships would need two steam engines for security and a minimum 12-knot speed. The trans-Atlantic concept was changed to a coastal defence ship, so a very lowConstruction and specifications
Both vessels were laid down in 1869 at Portsmouth and at Pembroke. The Portsmouth ship was launched in 1870. Construction on the Pembroke ship was suspended following the loss of and not launched until 1872. They were in length between the perpendiculars with an overall length of . They had a beam of and a maximum draught of . They displaced . HMS ''Devastation'' was completed in 1873 and after a series of stability tests, HMS ''Thunderer'' was not completed until 1877 awaiting stability tests on HMS ''Devastation'' and a boiler explosion in 1876. The machinery was initially supplied by Penn for the Portsmouth ship and Humphry's, Tennant & Company of Depford for the Pembroke ship. The ships were equipped with eight rectangular boilers powering two 2-cylinder trunk direct acting steam engines turning two shafts producing 6,650 indicated horsepower (IHP) under a natural draught (ND) for a designed speed of 13.75 knots. The ships carried 1,800 tons of coal giving a cruising range of 5,980 nautical miles at a nominal speed of 10 knots. The ships could remain at sea for approximately 12 days with fuel available to steam at full speed for a short duration. HMS ''Devastation'' shipped with four 12-inch rifled muzzle-loading (RML) 35-ton Mark I naval guns on sliding carriages, and HMS ''Thunderer'' shipped with two 12.5-inch RML 38-ton Mark I or II naval guns that had been bored to 12 inches (fore turret) and two 12-inch RML 35-ton Mark I naval guns on sliding carriages (aft turret). The guns were housed in two round turrets shipped fore and aft on the centreline. The guns would be reloaded under the cover of the turret thereby not exposing the gun crew to enemy fire. To load the guns, they would be trained to approximately 140 degrees on either side of the centreline then moved to the end of their recoil. The muzzles would be lowered towards the deck; the shell and powder track would be raised from the deck below. On HMS ''Devastation'' they would be manually raised whereas on HMS ''Thunderer'' they would be raised hydraulically. A rammer would ram first the powder and then the shell into the muzzle of the gun. The gun then would be raise and moved to the firing position. The angle of the guns during reloading would be such that, in the event of a premature firing, the shell would exit the hull above the waterline rather than below it. No secondary armament or anti-torpedo boat armament was fitted. In 1879 she was fitted with two Whitehead 14-inch (36 cm) torpedo tubes in fixed mounts, one per broadside below the waterline. For armour protection the ships were provided with wrought iron plating backed with 18 to 19 inches of teak. The sides of the breastwork were plated with 14 inches of armour. This armour extended below the waterline. It was pierced with square portholes to provide ventilation for the crew spaces. The turrets were protected with 14 inches of plate armour on the front and 12 inches on the sides and rear. Ships built previous to HMS ''Devastation'' only had deck armour as part of the structure. HMS ''Devastation'' and the ships that followed her were given increasing weight of deck armour. The armoured deck was 3 inches, tapering to 2 inches at the lower edge. The armour plating only applied to the breastwork portion of the ship, and the bow and stern sections were basically unprotected.1890–1892 reconstruction
After the investigation into the boiler explosion on HMS ''Thunderer'' revealed the hazards of the rectangular boilers, they were 'taken in hand' for a boiler upgrade and armament change in 1890. Their replacement machinery was supplied by Maudslay, Son & Field of Lambeth. The ships had their boilers replaced with eight cylindrical locomotive type boilers powering two Maudslay 3-cylinder vertical triple expansion (VTE) steam engines turning 2 shafts producing 7,000 IHP under a forced draught (FD) for an increase in speed to 14 knots. The 35 and 38 ton MLRs were replaced with four 10-inch 32 calibre (25.4 cm) breech-loading (BL) naval guns mounted in twin Mark II turrets. With the advent of torpedo boats, a secondary armament was fitted consisting of six 6-pounder 8-hundredweight quick-fire Mark I naval gun">.244” 40 calibre (57 mm)quick-fire Mark I naval gun on Mark I* low-angle single mounts and twelve Hotchkiss 3-pounder quick-fire Mark I naval gun">.85” 40 calibre (47 mm)quick-fire Mark I naval gun on Mark I* low-angle single mounts. Seven (''Devastation'') and five (''Thunderer'') Nordenfelt 1-inch multi-barrel guns on single-pedestal mounts were also fitted along with two Gardner light machine guns.Ships
Service and disposition
The ships originally conceived as oceangoing breastwork monitors were redesignated as 2nd Class Turret ships in 1886 and finally as 2nd Class Battleships by the 1900s. Both ships served in Home Waters and the Mediterranean during their careers. The concept of the ships was openly assailed by the British press and cost Sir Edward Reed his position as Chief Constructor. However, the ships were excellent sea boats and well thought of by their crews. Both were modernized in 1891 and spent the next ten years as guard ships or in reserve being activated only for the annual summer manoeuvres. Their age (Devastation was 32 years and Thunderer was 28 years in service) condemned them to being removed from the effective list in 1905. HMS ''Devastation'' went to the breakers in 1908, followed by HMS ''Thunderer'' in 1909. As the first major British warships built without sails, thereby relying solely on steam power, they were the start of modern British battleship design.Notes
* All ship specifications are from ''The Illustrated Guide to the Royal Navy and Foreign Navies'' unless otherwise noted. * Regarding the class name: These vessels are listed on the March 1901 (Monthly) ''Navy List'' as Twin Screw Battle Ship, 2nd Class Armoured. No other class designation has been found on the Royal Navy lists. ''All the World's Fighting Ships'' of 1898 lists no class name. Only ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905'' is known to list them as the ''Devastation'' class.References
Bibliography
* * * * * * * * *External links
1891 rebuild armament nomenclature from: * 10-inch url: http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_10-32_mk1-4.php * 6-pdr url: http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_6pounder_m1.htm * 3-pdr QF url: http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_3pounder_V_mk1.htm {{British ironclads Devastation class battleship Ship classes of the Royal Navy