Eclipse-class cruiser
 HMS Talbot
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Eclipse class |
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Astraea class |
| Succeeded by | Pearl class |
| Built | 1893–1898 |
| In commission | 1897–1921 |
| Completed | 9 |
| Scrapped | 9 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Protected cruiser |
| Displacement | 5,600 long tons (5,690 t) |
| Length | 350 ft (106.7 m) |
| Beam | 53 ft 6 in (16.3 m) |
| Draught | 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m) |
| Installed power | list error: <br /> list (help) 9,600 ihp (7,200 kW) 8 cylindrical boilers |
| Propulsion | 2 shafts, 2 Inverted triple-expansion steam engines |
| Speed | 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) |
| Complement | 450 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) As built: 5 × QF 6-inch (152 mm) guns (5×1) 6 × QF 4.7 inch (120 mm) guns (6×1) 6 × 3-pounder QF guns (6×1) 2 × Machine guns 3 × 18-inch (450-mm) torpedo tubes After 1905: 11 × 6 in (152 mm) QF guns 3 × 12-pounder guns 3 × 18-inch (450-mm) torpedo tubes |
| Armour | list error: <br /> list (help) Gun shields: 1.5–3 in (38–76 mm) Engine hatch: 6 in (152 mm) Decks: 1.5–3 in (38–76 mm) Conning tower: 1.5–3 in (38–76 mm) |
- For the 1867 class of sloop (later corvette) see:Eclipse class sloop
The Eclipse-class cruisers of the Royal Navy were protected cruisers constructed in the mid-1890s.
Design and history
These ships were enlarged versions of the preceding Astraea class. The Eclipse-class ships were 373 feet (113.7 m) long long overall, had a beam of 53 feet 6 inches (16.31 m) and a draught of 20 feet 6 inches (6.2 m). They displaced 5,600 long tons (5,700 t) at normal load. To reduce biofouling, the hulls of the ships were sheathed with wood and copper. Their crew consisted of 450 officers and enlisted men.[1]
Between 1903 and 1905, all of the ships in the class except for Eclipse had their mixed 6-inch (152 mm) and 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns removed and replaced with a uniform armament of 11 more modern 6-inch (152 mm) guns.
Ships
| Name | Shipyard[1] | Laid down[1] | Launched[1] | Completed[1] | Fate[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Eclipse | Portsmouth Dockyard | 11 December 1893 | 19 July 1894 | 23 March 1897 | Sold for scrap, August 1921 |
| HMS Diana | Fairfield Shipbuilding, Govan | 13 August 1894 | 5 December 1895 | 15 June 1897 | Sold for scrap, 1 July 1920 |
| HMS Dido | London & Glasgow Shipbuilding, Govan | 30 August 1894 | 20 March 1896 | 10 May 1898 | Sold for scrap, 16 December 1926 |
| HMS Doris | Naval Construction & Armaments Co., Barrow-in-Furness | 29 August 1894 | 3 March 1896 | 18 November 1897 | Sold for scrap, 2 February 1919 |
| HMS Isis | London & Glasgow Engineering, Govan | 30 January 1895 | 27 June 1896 | 10 May 1898 | Sold for scrap, 26 February 1920 |
| HMS Juno | Naval Construction & Armaments Co., Barrow | 22 June 1895 | 18 November 1895 | 16 June 1897 | Sold for scrap, 26 February 1920 |
| HMS Minerva | Chatham Dockyard | 4 December 1893 | 23 September 1895 | 4 February 1897 | Sold for scrap, 5 October 1920 |
| HMS Talbot | Devonport Dockyard | 5 March 1894 | 25 April 1895 | 15 September 1896 | Sold for scrap, 6 December 1921 |
| HMS Venus | Fairfield Shipbuilding | 28 June 1894 | 5 September 1895 | 9 November 1897 | Sold for scrap, 22 September 1921 |
HMS Dido launch
At her launch on 17 March 1896 an unusual accident occurred. As the ship was moving into the water the ground under the ways suddenly sank, and the ship was thrown out of the cradle, sustaining serious damage. She lay half in and half out of the water for three days before she was finally floated. [2]
Notes
References
- Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
- McBride, Keith (2012). "The Cruiser Family Talbot". In John Jordan (ed.). Warship 2012. London: Conway. pp. 136–41. ISBN 978-1-84486-156-9.
External links
Media related to Eclipse class cruiser at Wikimedia Commons