NAVYPEDIA

Photo

Blake as completed

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Blake			Chatham DYd	7.1888	23.11.1889	2.2.1892	destroyer depot ship 8.1907
Blenheim			Thames Iron Works, Blackwall	25.11.1888	5.7.1890	26.5.1894	destroyer depot ship 5.1906

Technical data

Displacement normal, t	9150
Displacement full, t
Length, m	114.3 pp 121.8 oa
Breadth, m	19.8
Draught, m	7.32
No of shafts	2
Machinery	4 3-cyl VITE, 6 cylindrical double-ended boilers
Power, h. p.	natural draught: 13000 forced draught: 20000
Max speed, kts	natural draught: 19 forced draught: 21.4
Fuel, t	coal 1800
Endurance, nm(kts)	10000(10)
Armour, mm	compound; deck: 152 - 76, gunshields of 234mm guns: 114, casemates: 152, CT: 305
Armament	2 x 1 - 234/32 BL Mk VI, 10 x 1 - 152/40 QF Mk I/II, 16 x 1 - 47/40 3pdr Hotchkiss Mk I, 4 - 356 TT (1 bow sub, 2 beam aw, 1 aft sub)
Complement	570

Standard scale images

Graphics

Project history

Designed by William White, these two ships provided the pattern for British first class cruiser construction for the following decade. In general they followed the layout of the Orlando, having the same armament and a similar appearance, but they relied for protection on a full length armoured deck, hit her to employed only in smaller cruisers. They were also the largest cruisers built to date, mainly as a result of incorporating exceptionally powerful machinery and a large coal capacity. Thus White provided a true first class cruiser with high speed and endurance combined with adequate seakeeping, armament and protection to meet the Admiralty's requirements for a ship suitable for long range trade protection or work with the fleet. Unfortunately the machinery was not capable of meeting the design specification: neither ship achieved the designed speed while endurance was about 10000nm at 10kts instead of the designed 15000nm. However, both exceeded the designed power and proved capable of steaming at 19kts under natural draught for long periods. The best trial speeds at forced draught were 21.4kts for Blake and 21.8kts for Blenheim, but forcing caused serious boiler deterioration and could not be employed generally. Blake's boilers proved the most troublesome and she was reboilered in 1899.     As designed the guns were disposed as in Orlando but the need to provide a wider distribution as defence against the appearance of medium calibre QF guns resulted in two of the 152mm guns on each side being moved down to the main deck. These four guns were provided with armoured casemates, die first appearance of this feature which was to become typical of White's ships. Each ship had four engines, two for each shaft, arranged in two engine rooms each divided by a centreline bulkhead. At full power all engines were employed but for low speed the forward engines were disconnected and only the after pair used. Besides the main double-ended boilers they carried a single-ended auxiliary boiler.     Both ships completed in 1892 but Blenheim did not commission until 1894.

Ship protection

The arched steel protective (lower) deck was 76mm on the crown and 152mm at the sides, the top being 0.5m above Iwl and the outer edge 2m below. The engine cylinders projected above this deck and were protected by an 203mm glacis around the engine hatch.

Modernizations

None.

Naval service

In 1906-1907 both ships were partially disarmed and converted to depot ships for destroyers, armament was reduced to 4 152mm, 4 102mm and 4 76mm guns. Blake was sold for BU in June 1922 and Blenheim in July 1926.

as completed