Eclipse-class cruiser

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HMS Talbot
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The Eclipse-class cruisers were a class of nine second-class protected cruisers constructed for the Royal Navy in the mid-1890s.

Design and description

File:Eclipse class cruiser diagrams Brasseys 1896.jpg
Right elevation, deck plan and hull section as depicted in Brassey's Naval Annual 1896
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These ships were enlarged and improved versions of the preceding Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities".. The Eclipse-class ships were Script error: No such module "convert". long overall, had a beam of Script error: No such module "convert". and a draught of Script error: No such module "convert".. They displaced Script error: No such module "convert". 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. Their metacentric height was approximately Script error: No such module "convert"..[1]

The Eclipse-class ships were powered by two inverted triple-expansion steam engines using steam generated by eight cylindrical boilers at a pressure of Script error: No such module "convert".. Using normal draught, the boilers were intended to provide the engines with enough steam to generate Script error: No such module "convert". and to reach a speed of Script error: No such module "convert".; using forced draft, the equivalent figures were Script error: No such module "convert". and a speed of Script error: No such module "convert".. During their sea trials, all of the lightly loaded ships exceeded their specifications and reached a top speed of Script error: No such module "convert".. They carried a maximum of Script error: No such module "convert". of coal.[2]

The ships carried five 40-calibre Script error: No such module "convert". quick-firing (QF) guns in single mounts protected by gun shields. One gun was mounted on the forecastle, two on the quarterdeck and one pair was abreast the bridge.[3] They fired Script error: No such module "convert". shells at a muzzle velocity of Script error: No such module "convert"..[4] The secondary armament consisted of six 40-calibre Script error: No such module "convert". guns; three on each broadside. Their Script error: No such module "convert". shells were fired at a muzzle velocity of Script error: No such module "convert"..[5]

Defense against torpedo boats was provided by eight QF 12-pounder 12 cwt[Note 1] guns and six Script error: No such module "convert". three-pounder Hotchkiss guns. Four of the 12-pounders were mounted in the sides of the hull fore and aft while the remaining four guns were interspersed between the 4.7-inch guns. The three-pounders were mounted in the fighting tops, three in each one.[6] The 12-pounders fired Script error: No such module "convert"., Script error: No such module "convert". projectiles at a muzzle velocity of Script error: No such module "convert"..[7] The ships also equipped with three 18-inch torpedo tubes, one submerged tube on each broadside and one above water in the stern.[8] The ammunition supply consisted of 200 six-inch rounds per gun, 250 shells for each 4.7-inch gun, 300 rounds per gun for the 12-pounders and 500 for each three-pounder. Each ship also carried ten torpedoes, presumably four for each broadside tube and two for the stern tube.[9]

Between 1903 and 1905, all of the ships in the class except for Eclipse had their mixed armament replaced with a more uniform armament of eleven 6-inch, nine 12-pounders and seven 3-pounder guns.[10]

The primary protection of the Eclipse class was its sloping armoured deck. This ranged in thickness from Script error: No such module "convert"., with its slopes being Script error: No such module "convert". thick. It covered an area six inches above the waterline to Script error: No such module "convert". below it. The engines were protected by a six-inch armoured hatch that extended above the armoured deck. The gun shields for the six-inch guns were three inches thick and the conning tower's armour was six inches thick.[6]

Ships

Name Shipyard[10] Laid down[10] Launched[10] Completed[10] Fate[10]
Eclipse Portsmouth Dockyard 11 December 1893 19 July 1894 23 March 1897 Sold for scrap, August 1921
Diana Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering, Govan 13 August 1894 5 December 1895 15 June 1897 Sold for scrap, 1 July 1920
Dido London & Glasgow Shipbuilding, Govan 30 August 1894 20 March 1896 10 May 1898 Sold for scrap, 16 December 1926
Doris Naval Construction & Armaments Co., Barrow-in-Furness 29 August 1894 3 March 1896 18 November 1897 Sold for scrap, 2 February 1919
Isis London & Glasgow Engineering, Govan 30 January 1895 27 June 1896 10 May 1898 Sold for scrap, 26 February 1920
Juno Naval Construction & Armaments Co., Barrow 22 June 1895 18 November 1895 16 June 1897 Sold for scrap, 26 February 1920
Minerva Chatham Dockyard 4 December 1893 23 September 1895 4 February 1897 Sold for scrap, 5 October 1920
Talbot Devonport Dockyard 5 March 1894 25 April 1895 15 September 1896 Sold for scrap, 6 December 1921
Venus Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering 28 June 1894 5 September 1895 9 November 1897 Sold for scrap, 22 September 1921

Notes

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  1. ↑ "Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 12 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.

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Footnotes

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  1. ↑ McBride, pp. 138–39
  2. ↑ McBride, pp. 137–39
  3. ↑ McBride, p. 137
  4. ↑ Friedman, pp. 87–88
  5. ↑ Friedman, p. 92
  6. ↑ a b McBride, pp. 137–38
  7. ↑ Friedman, p. 114
  8. ↑ Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 78
  9. ↑ McBride, p. 139
  10. ↑ a b c d e f McBride, p. 138

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References

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External links

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