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Royal Sovereign 1864  

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Duke of Wellington (ex-Windsor Castle)		116	Pembroke DYd // Portsmouth DYd	5/1849	14.9.1852	27.11.1853	receiving ship 5.1863
Royal Sovereign			Portsmouth DYd	17.12.1848	25.4.1857	7.1857	ironclad 8.1864, sold 5.1885

Technical data

Data variant	as completed	Royal Sovereign 1864
Displacement normal, t	6071	4955
Displacement full, t		5080
Length, m	73.3 pp	73.3 pp
Breadth, m	18.3	18.9
Draught, m	6.17	7.09
No of shafts	1	1
Machinery	Duke of Wellington: sails + boilers, 1 geared 2-cyl HSE Royal Sovereign: sails + boilers, 1 2-cyl HSE	boilers, 1 2-cyl HRCR
Power, h. p.	Duke of Wellington: 1979ihp Royal Sovereign: 2796ihp	2460
Max speed, kts	Duke of Wellington: 10.2 Royal Sovereign: 12.3	11
Fuel, t	coal	coal 280
Endurance, nm(kts)
Armour, mm	---	iron; belt: 140 - 114, turrets: 254 - 140, upper deck: 25, CT: 140
Armament	1 x 1 - 206/15 68pdr 95cwt SBML, 16 x 1 - 204/13 8'' 65cwt shell SBML, 56 x 1 - 163/18 32pdr 56cwt SBML, 38 x 1 - 161/15 32pdr 42cwt SBML, 20 x 1 - 160/11 32pdr 25cwt SBML	1 x 2 - 267/15 150pdr SBML, 3 x 1 - 267/15 150pdr SBML
Complement	1100	300

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Project history

Classical British screw ships-of-the-line, laid down as sail ships, re-ordered as steam-powered and converted to steam power on the stocks. Conversion included lengthening of the hull. Designed armament as sailing ships consisted of 30 x 1 - 204/13 SBML 68pdr 65cwt shell, 30 x 1 - 163/18 SBML 32pdr 56cwt, 40 x 1 - 161/15 SBML 32pdr 42cwt, 14 x 1 - 160/11 SBML 32pdr 25cwt, 4 x 1 - 84/11 18pdr 10-cwt carronades. They presented 2nd group of Modified Queen class. After conversion to steam were rated as 131-gun ships. Wooden hull.

Royal Sovereign became the first RN turret ship to see service. Conversion to armoured turret ship was begun in April 1862. The hull was cut down to the lower deck, giving 2.1-2.4m freeboard. Hull construction was strengthened by additional wood and iron. Turrets were mounted on the main deck with armoured section projecting through the upper deck. No2 (twin) turret was mounted abaft the foremast. Twin turret weighed 163t, singles 151t each, all were hand-worked.

Royal Sovereign was officially rated as coast defence ship, but her draught was rather excessive for this task. She was a good seaboat but had a quick roll.

Ship protection after modernization

There was full length belt armour from the upper deck below wl, 140mm amidships reducing to 114mm fore and aft, armour was laid on 914mm oak plating. Turrets had 140mm walls reinforced with additional 114mm plates in way of gun ports. 1.1m iron bulwarks were fitted around the upper deck for seaworthiness increasing.

Modernizations

(4/1862-8/1864, Portsmouth DYd), Royal Sovereign: was rebuilt as given in the table.