HMS Benbow (1888)

History of HMS Benbow (1888)

In order to keep up with the development of the hated French navy, the Royal Navy was authorized to build a new type of surface warship - the Admiral-class. The six-man team followed the general layout of the earlier Doomsday (1869-1877) and were all given the names of former British admirals (Collingwood, Rodney, Howe, Camperdown, Anson and Bembo).

The ships were in service from 1888 to 1910, when the arrival of the HMS Dreandnought in 1906 (described in detail elsewhere on this page) made the class more or less obsolete (like other mixed gun battleships in the world).

Construction of the HMS Benbow was contracted to Thames Steel Works and Shipbuilding Ltd, and the keel was laid on 1 November 1882. She was launched on June 15, 1885, to meet treaty requirements, but was not ready until June 1888.

HMS Benbow is named after Admiral John Benbow (1653-1702), a Royal Navy officer who served with Mr Du Casse. Leg and died in Port Royal in Kingston, Jamaica.

When completed, the HMS Benbow will have a displacement of 10,600 tons, a length of 330 feet, a beam of 68.5 feet, and a draft of 27.9 feet. Power comes from an inverted Maudslay compound engine unit producing 8,658 hp on 2 axles under the stern. She was piloted by 523 men and had armor protection ranging from 3 inches on the deck and 12 inches on the conning tower to 16 inches on the bulkheads and 18 inches on the belt. Her profile consists of two chimneys in a row, one amidships and the other fore. A main mast was erected behind the second chimney.

One of the main guns was mounted on a short structure facing the bow, while a second gun of the same design overlooked the stern. The main superstructure is uninterrupted and runs the length between the two main gun platforms.

Initially the ship was to carry a battery of 4 x 13.5 in (343 mm) main guns, supplemented by 8 x 6 in (152 mm) secondary guns. However, Woolwich Arsenal, which was responsible for making the main guns, did not provide the expected armament, so a pair of 16.25" guns were chosen and two 6" guns were added due to lack of weight.

Additional armament includes 12 x 6-pounder guns and 5 x 14-inch torpedo tubes - the latter mounted above the waterline.

HMS Benbow took six full years to complete, with the entire class suffering from late schedules. Once operational, Bembo was assigned to the British Mediterranean Fleet, whose purpose was to defend key trade routes emerging from Africa and elsewhere for the British Empire.

Bembo held this position from 1888 to October 1891. From there she was kept until briefly brought back for exercise. She was then appointed a guard and held that position until April 1904 (the same year she was paid).

In 1909, she was placed on standby again, her military use was almost over, and she was sold as scrap.

Specification

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