|
The ''Duncan'' class of 101-gun two-decker steam line-of-battle ships are considered by Professor Andrew Lambert to have been the "final statement of the British design progress" for steam two-deckers. The class consisted of HMS ''Duncan'' and HMS ''Gibraltar''. The ''Bulwark'' class had identical hulls. HMS ''Gibraltar'' was the last wooden steam line-of-battleship to commission as a private ship in the Royal Navy.〔Lambert, "Battleships in Transition", p124.〕 == Design == The first British steam 101-gun two-decker was the ''St Jean d'Acre'', which was ordered and laid down in 1851 and was "the first ship that can be directly attributed to Sir Baldwin Walker's influence. (was ) an expansion of the ''Agamemnon'' (), her superior qualities were developed in the succeeding Conqueror and ''Duncan'' classes of 101-gun ships."〔Lambert, "Battleships in Transition" p33 and 35.〕 The ''Duncan'' class were longer and broader versions of the Conqueror, which was a success as they were noticeably faster (see table below).〔Lambert, "Battleships in Transition" p123-4.〕 "The early steam battleships, such as the ''Agamemnon'', combined a measure of speed under sail or steam with similar manoeuvring powers to the sailing ships. This persuaded Walker to try even longer hulls, the ''Renown'' being drawn out to and the ''Bulwark'' to .〔Surveyor before the Committee on Marine Engines PP859 xv p47〕 While the post-war ships, from their greater length and finer lines, reached higher speeds they did so at the expense of the facility and precision of their response to the helm. New ships such as the ''Donegal'', 101 and ''Renown'', 91 were considered slow in their stays. This lack of handiness was emphasised by their operating in company with older ships such the ''St Jean d'Acre'', 101 and ''James Watt'', 91 which lacked speed, but tacked and wore far more easily. Lord Aukland had anticipated this problem in 1847.〔Aukland to Napier, 25 October 1857, Napier Mss, National Maritime Museum reference NAP/1〕"〔Lambert, "Battleships in Transition" p63.〕 ''Duncan'' and ''Gibraltar'' "presented a very different appearance from the Baroque splendour of the early Eighteenth Century, with their regular outline bereft of almost all embellishment beyond the elliptical stern gallery and the figurehead and painted in the severe black and white bands of the era. These were the most striking and intimidating of all wooden warships, replacing elegance with majesty. As such they were fitting precursors for the industrial architecture of the iron-clads."〔Lambert, "Battleships in Transition" p67.〕 '' * *'' Note that ''Gibraltar's'' trial speed was undertaken without masts or stores. Source: Lambert〔Lambert, "Battleships in Transition" p122-4.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Duncan-class ship of the line (1859)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|