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FIGHTING SHIPS OF THE WORLD
UNITED KINGDOM
SHIPS-OF-THE-LINE, CAPITAL SHIPS, MONITORS
AETNA ironclad floating batteries (1855)


Ships


Name

No

Yard No

Builder

Laid down

Launched

Comp

Fate

Aetna     J Scott Russell, Millwall 9.10.1854 --- --- fire 3.5.1855
Meteor     C J Mare & Co, Limehouse 9.10.1854 17.4.1855 4.7.1855 BU 1861
Thunder     C J Mare & Co, Limehouse 9.10.1854 17.4.1855 21.7.1855 BU 6.1874
Glatton     R & H Green, Limehouse 9.10.1854 18.4.1855 3.8.1855 BU 1864
Trusty     R & H Green, Limehouse 9.10.1854 3.5.1855 13.6.1855 BU 1864


Technical data


Displacement normal, t

Aetna, Meteor, Thunder: 1469bm

Glatton, Trusty: 1535bm

Displacement full, t 
Length, m

52.6 pp

Breadth, m

Aetna, Meteor, Thunder: 13.4

Glatton, Trusty: 13.8

Draught, m

2.64

No of shafts

1

Machinery

sails + 1 2-cyl HSE, boilers

Power, h. p.

150hp

Max speed, kts

4.5 - 5.5

Fuel, t

coal

Endurance, nm(kts) 
Armour, mmiron; side: 114 - 89
Armament

14 x 1 - 206/15 68pdr 95cwt SBML

Complement

200



Project history

Wooden-hulled. Copies of French batteries employed in the Crimean War. Intended to carry 16 guns but two guns were deleted to keep down the draught. Although complete as single-screw, Meteor and possibly others were quickly altered to triple-screw, with wing shafts presumably driven through a belt arrangement. Aetna was fired and launched herself 3.5.1855 (two days earlier than planned date) when she was nearly complete, but her remained incomplete and later BU on river bank.

Ship protection

114-89mm iron plates protected the sides.

Modernizations

1861, Trusty: fitted with Captain Coles's 'shield' and used for experiments.

Naval service

No significant events.