Cyclops-class monitor: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:08, 19 February 2024

Revision as of 11:36, 24 May 2024

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The immediate reason why these ships were ordered was for local coast defence during the war scare during the [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870, but they were chosen for several other reasons. They were small and cheap, and their shallow draft was thought to limit them to defensive operations, which appealed to economy and defence-minded Members of Parliament. The [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]], however, envisioned them attacking shallow-water ports that larger ironclads could not enter and operating in the shallow waters of the [[Baltic Sea]].<ref>Beeler, pp. 101–02</ref>

The ships used the basic design of the ''Cerberus''-class breastwork monitors to reduce design and construction time. Their hulls were completed very quickly, but thebuilding pace of building reduced as the likelihood of their immediate use diminished. They were delivered to the Royal dockyards in 1872 and commissioned for [[fitting out]], but a number of years elapsed before that process was completed, asand there was little sense of urgency remained.<ref name=p12>Parkes, p. 212</ref>

The ships had a [[length between perpendiculars]] of {{convert|225|ft|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|45|ft|m|1}}, and a [[draft (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|16|ft|3|in|m}} at [[deep load]]. They displaced {{convert|3480|LT|MT}}. Their crew consisted of 156 officers and men.<ref name=p8>Parkes, p. 213</ref>