The ''Blake'' class was a two-ship class of first-class

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers re ...

built around 1890 for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

Design

The ''Blake'' class were designed under the supervision of William White, shortly after he had become Director of Naval Construction. They were planned to combine the roles of trade protection with the ability to operate with the fleet when required. As such, the design requirement combined high speed and long range. Unlike the previous class of first-class cruisers for the

, the , the new class were

s, with protection provided by a full-length armoured deck with no side armour. They were the first class of first-class cruisers built for the Royal Navy.Brown 1997, p. 135. Main gun armament was similar to that of the ''Orlando''s, consisting of two Mark VI breech loading guns mounted in single mounts fore and aft on the ship's centreline, and ten 6 in (152 mm) QF guns, of which six were mounted in single mounts on the ships' top deck and the remaining four mounted behind armoured

casemates A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" mea ...

on the ships' main deck. Secondary armament consisted on sixteen 3 pounder guns. Four 14 inch

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s completed the ships' armament, with two submerged tubes and two above the waterline. The arched armoured deck was at approximately the level of the

waterline The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. Specifically, it is also the name of a special marking, also known as an international load line, Plimsoll line and water line (positioned amidships), that indi ...

, with a thickness of at the centre and at the sides, while the ships' conning tower was protected by of armour. The 9.2 inch guns were behind gunshields while the casemates protecting the main deck 6 inch guns were 6 inch thick. Machinery consisted of 4 three-cylinder triple expansion engines fed by six double-ended cylindrical boilers and driving two shafts. The engines generated under natural draught and with forced draught, giving a speed of with forced draught and with natural draught. The forward two engines could be disconnected for longer endurance at low speeds. of coal could be carried, double the fuel of the ''Orlando''s, giving a range of at , which was much less than the expected.

Service

The two ships were obsolete by the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and served as

depot ship A depot ship is an auxiliary ship used as a mobile or fixed base for submarines, destroyers, minesweepers, fast attack craft, landing craft, or other small ships with similarly limited space for maintenance equipment and crew dining, berthing and ...

s. HMS ''Blenheim'' had the more active career, supporting the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the Battle of Gallipoli, and repatriating three dignitaries to their home countries after their deaths abroad. They were

Prince Henry of Battenberg Prince Henry of Battenberg (Henry Maurice; 5 October 1858 – 20 January 1896) was a morganatic descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse. He became a member of the British royal family by marriage to Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdo ...

and former Canadian Prime Ministers Sir John Thompson and Sir

Charles Tupper Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, (July 2, 1821 – October 30, 1915) was a Canadian Father of Confederation who served as the sixth prime minister of Canada from May 1 to July 8, 1896. As the premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led ...

Building Programme

The following table gives the build details and purchase cost of the members of the ''Blake'' class. Standard British practice at that time was for these costs to exclude armament and stores.

Notes

References

* Brassey, T.A. (ed) The Naval Annual 1895 * Brown, D.K. ''Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860–1905''. London: Caxton Editions, 1997. . * *Chesnau, Roger and Kolesnik, Eugene (Ed.) ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905''. Conway Maritime Press, 1979.

External links