hms ship class ironclad battleships built royal_navy 1870s completed immediately placed reserve ship commissioned time later year assigned coast guard ship scotland remained years reduced reserve taken service decade later ship sold scrap subsequently broken design description class designed shallow draught version preceding smaller cheaper unfortunately need imposed budgetary constraints produce smaller ship produced vessel shortcomings virtues ships length perpendiculars feet feet inches long overall feet shorter beam feet draught feet inches displaced long tons crew consisted officers ratings long tons class ships bad steered especially high speed added partially successful attempt problem class powered pair inverted vertical compound expansion steam engines built sons drove single propeller steam provided cylindrical boilers engines designed produce total indicated horsepower speed knots mph ships carried maximum long tons coal steam nautical miles knots mph copied main armament layout turrets arranged turrets directly ahead theoretical practical damage muzzle blast turret mounted pair rifled muzzle loading inch guns shells weighed pounds gun weighed long tons guns muzzle velocity credited ability penetrate nominal inches wrought iron armour muzzle attack portion opponents class fitted pair rifled breech loading inch pounder guns defence torpedo boats carried quick firing guns ships mounted pair water inch torpedo launchers carry foot torpedo boat class copied armour scheme heavily armoured citadel ends sides unlike predecessor lacked remain afloat ends flooded citadel feet armour composed wrought iron plates inches inches thick separated backed inches teak waterline reducing waterline armoured thickness inches similar sandwich citadel closed fore aft transverse bulkheads inches thick water inches armoured deck inches thick bow stern turrets protected compound armour plates inches thick inch plates defended conning tower construction career fourth ship serve royal_navy named mythological hero ship laid march dockyard wales launched march wife dockyard captain superintendent completed march cost commissioned april assigned commanded admiral summer squadron evaluated weapons defences fortified harbour ireland torpedo boats threats august tensions russia subsided posted guard ship accidentally collided turret ship devastation portland compartment water received holes bow ship participated annual manoeuvres august shell exploded inch gun barrels september wounding man ship reduced reserve chatham dockyard inch pounder guns replaced inch guns reduced november sold castles scrap march subsequently broken
HMS Ajax (1880)