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Shah 1870s

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Shah (ex-Blonde)			Portsmouth DYd	7.3.1870	10.9.1873	12.1875	coal hulk 12.1904

Technical data

Displacement normal, t	6250
Displacement full, t
Length, m	101.8 pp
Breadth, m	15.8
Draught, m	8.06
No of shafts	1 (hoisting screw)
Machinery	sails + 1 2-cyl HSE, 10 rectangular boilers
Power, h. p.	7480
Max speed, kts	16.2
Fuel, t	coal 890
Endurance, nm(kts)	6840(10)
Armament	2 x 1 - 229/14 MLR Mk IV, 16 x 1 - 178/16 MLR Mk III, 8 x 1 - 160/16 64pdr 64cwt MLR, 4 x 1 - 81/19 12pdr 8cwt BL, 12 x 6 - 11.4/59, 2- 356 TC
Complement	600

Standard scale images

Graphics

Project history

After the completion of Shah in 1876 the Navy Board's policy was to limit the size of a cruising ship to about half that of a contemporary ironclad's. Iron hull, from keel to bulwarks, was clad with a double layer of 76mm timber, both layers were horizontal. Ship was also coppered. She was without double bottom or wing compartments, but had lateral watertight bulkheads extended up to the upper deck. Shah had three complete decks.     The engines of Inconstant, Raleigh and Shah were of greater size and power than any existing cruiser. It was a retrogressive step to retain simple expansion engines but nevertheless they provided a speed which, in the example of Inconstant, was unprecedented for the times - she logged 15.5kts for 24 hours. Shah had telescopic funnels and hoisting screw. She was ship rigged, with fixed bowsprit, and had 2480m2 of canvas. Under canvas Shah was first rate sailing vessel, logging 13.5kts. Boilers operated at 2.1 kgf/cm2. At 6840nm at 10kts Shah had the greatest radius of action.

Modernizations

None.

Naval service

In December 1904 Shah became coal hulk C470, sold in 1919 and wrecked at Bermuda in 1926.