The ''Nelson''-class cruisers were a pair of

armoured cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a pre-dreadnought battles ...

s built in the 1870s for the

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Design and description

The ''Nelson''-class ships were designed by

Nathaniel Barnaby Sir Nathaniel Barnaby, (25 February 1829 – 16 June 1915) was Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy from 1872 to 1885. Biography Born on 25 February 1829 in Chatham, Barnaby began his career as a naval apprentice at Sheerness in 1843. He wo ...

, Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy, as enlarged and improved versions of to counter the threat of enemy armoured ships encountered abroad. The ships were not much liked in service as they were deemed too weakly armoured to fight ironclad battleships and not fast enough to catch commerce-raiding

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

s. They were laid out as central battery ironclads with the armament concentrated amidships. The ''Nelson''s had a

length between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ste ...

of , a beam of and a deep draught of . The ships displaced , about more than ''Shannon''. The steel-hulled ships were fitted with a

ram Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

and their crew numbered approximately 560 officers and

other ranks Other ranks (ORs) in the Royal Marines (RM), the British Army, and the Royal Air Force (RAF), along with the navies, armies, and air forces of many other Commonwealth countries and Ireland, are those personnel who are not commissioned officers, bu ...

. The ships had two 3-cylinder, inverted compound steam engines, each driving a single two-bladed, propeller, using steam provided by 10 oval

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...

s. They generated a working pressure of so that the engines produced (''Nelson'') or (''Northampton''). The cylinders of the latter's engines could be adjusted in volume to optimize steam production depending on the demand. They were troublesome throughout the ship's life and she was always about slower than her sister despite repeated efforts to improve her speed. On their

sea trial A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on op ...

s, ''Nelson'' reached her designed speed of , but ''Northampton'' could only reach .Parkes, pp. 239, 242–43

Ships

The following table gives the construction details and purchase cost of the ''Nelson'' class. Standard British practice at that time was for these costs to exclude armament and stores. In the table: *''Machinery'' meant "propelling machinery". *''Hull'' included "hydraulic machinery, gun mountings, etc." The Naval Annual 1895, pp. 192–200

Service

''Nelson'' was assigned to the Australia Station in 1881 and became the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

there in 1885. She remained on station until returning home in 1889 for a lengthy refit. The ship then became

guardship A guard ship is a warship assigned as a stationary guard in a port or harbour, as opposed to a coastal patrol boat, which serves its protective role at sea. Royal Navy In the Royal Navy of the eighteenth century, peacetime guard ships were usua ...

at Portsmouth in October 1891 and was placed in fleet reserve in 1894. ''Nelson'' was degraded to dockyard reserve in April 1901 and hulked seven months later as a training ship for stokers. She was sold for scrap in July 1910.Parkes, p. 243 ''Northampton'' became flagship of the

North America and West Indies Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956, with main bases at the Imperial fortresses of Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ...

upon commissioning in 1879 and remained there for the next seven years. Upon her return, she was assigned to the reserve and made annual training cruises until she became a boys' training ship in 1894. The ship was

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...

ten years later and sold for scrap in April 1905.

Notes

References

* Brassey, T.A. (ed) The Naval Annual 1895 * * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson Class Cruiser Cruiser classes Ship classes of the Royal Navy