Ironclad Corvette, in service until 1876.HMS Favorite, 7th of the name, was an ironclad screw corvette launched in 1864, one of the three small wooden warships with HMS Research and HMS Enterprise selected by Sir Edward Reed for conversion to ironclads, as part of the French-British ironclad race of the early 1860s. In her vase she was box ironclad, with a short six-gun port, eight 100-pdr Somerset BLR at completion in 1866. She was active until 1876, sold for BU in 1886.
Design of the class
Development
Favorite (previous Favourite, named after a French prize-of-war, spelled the French way) was laid down as a 22 guns corvette of the Jason class. She was laid down on 23 August 1860 at Deptford NyD and selected for conversion after being stuck two years on the builder’s slipway with little progress. The hull was complete, so modifications consisted in a rounded stern and straight stem instead of the traditional overhanging stern and knee bow. The machinery was unchanged, but of course the flanks were strenghtened and a box armour was added, a quicker and easier conversion rather than putting a full armour belt.
HMS Galatea of the Jason Class. Seven of these 3,227 tons, 280 ft (85 m) wooden screw corvette were built between 1859 and 1863: HMS Jason, Barrosa, Galatea, Orpheus, Orestes, Rattlesnake and Wolverine.
She was launched on 5 July 1864 as HMS Favorite, and completed on 17 March 1866 as a very different beast than the ship she originated from. The Jason class were rather large as “corvettes” already, an were seen as better base for an ironclad conversion than the much smaller Camelion class sloops. The basic Jason class were wooden made with many iron strenght elements and bracing. Their original armament as open battery ships comprised 21, then 17 guns based on a Surveyor Departments design approved on 10 February 1858. On Jason this was a combo of eight 64-pdrs and eight 8-inch.
Hull and general design
Comparison between a Jason class corvette and HMS Favorite
The choice of a 3000t corvette was a fortunate one as it left more room to better balance the design. This was twice was large as Enteprise and Research. The new hull displaced 3,232 long tons (3,284 t) versus 3,227 tons for the original wooden corvette, so not a radical difference. She measured 225 ft (69 m) overall after her new poop and stem added, and removal of the original bowsprit, so much shorter than the original corvette, the beam was however now of 46 ft 11 in (14.30 m) and the draught of 22 ft 9 in (6.93 m) deep load.
Design-wise she was a comletel different anima, taller, with a ram, single funnel instead of two, and a small structure around the funnel.
There were four boats under davits for a crew of 225, a bit less than the Jason class’s 240. The armour scheme of course defined her, with only four gun ports either side, and important cutouts for extra ports covering the forward and aft angles enabling the outer pairs placed on crescent rail sections to pivot over 120°. The inner broadside guns had a more limited arc. Unlike the original corvette, the deck was fully covered as well, making the ship taller and top-heavy.
Powerplant
HMS Favorite retained the relatively similar powerplant of the collections of steam engines installed on the Jason class, but more powerful. The former had 1500-1600 ihp steam engines, whereas HMS Favorite had a massive Humprey and Tennant 2-cylinder direct acting steam engine, fed by four water tubes boilers, for a total of 1,770 indicated horsepower (1320 Kw). This was for a tandem screw propeller, two-bladed. The four boilers exhausted in a single funnel. This engine elabled a top speed of 11.8 knots (21.9 km/h; 13.6 mph) under power. She also had a full “ship” rigging similar to the Jason class corvette, fr a total sail area or 18,250 sq ft (1,695 m2) and a top speed under sail of 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) under sail.
Favorite was regarded as a good sea-boat but rolled quite a lot. Her armament to be accurate thus needed smooth water, otherwise the forward or after guns firing through the axial recesses described above would be hazardous in heavy weather to say the least. She was for this still critivcized in service, but at least more valuable overall than Research and Enteprise.
Protection
HPS Favorite carried a box battery amidships, not a full broadside belt, and the guns were placed amidship, four on each side, and the heaviest naval cannon of the day, well protected by the 4.5 inches plating, in wrought armour. Reed’s trademark axial arrangement, six gun ports either side including two in the axis, all under the battery wall thanks to recesses, was only efficient if the very large 100 pounder Somerset cannons could be traversed around, pivoting the entire axis to fire through these extra gun ports. As a box battery, it was enclosed on both sides by equally thick bulkheads, 4.5 inches as well (114 mm) as the belt below.
Armament
9.2-inch (234 mm) 100 pounder Somerset BLR (1866)
The 13,514 pounds (6,130 kg) 9.2-inch (234 mm) Somerset could fire 113 pounds (51 kg) solid shots at a velocity of 1,462 ft/s (446 m/s) at 563 feet (171.6 m) for a range of 5,253 yards (4,803 m).
7-inch 110-pounder Armstrong BLR (1869)
The 9,520 pounds (4,320 kg) 7-inch (178 mm) could fire shell weighting 107–110 pounds (48.5–49.9 kg) at a muzzle velocity of 1,150 ft/s (350 m/s) at an elevation up to 11.25° for a maximum range of 4,000 yards (3,700 m).
68-pdr SB Armstrong (1869)
Two were installed on deck and on pivots for ample traverse. They were 8.12 inches (20.62 cm) in caliber and could elevate to 15 degrees. They had a muzzle velocity of 1,579 feet per second (481 m/s) and effective range of 3,000 yards (2,700 m), max. range of 3,620 yards (3,310 m).
Plan, from the blueprints website
⚙ specifications |
|
| Displacement | 3,232 long tons (3,284 t) |
| Dimensions | 225 x 46 ft 11 in x 22 ft 9 in (69 x 14.30 x 6.93 m) |
| Propulsion | 1 shaft, 2-cylinder DA steam engine, 4 tub. boilers 1770 ihp ( kW) |
| Speed | 11.8 knots (21.9 km/h; 13.6 mph) |
| Sail plan | Barque-rigged 18,250 sq ft (1,695 m2) sail area |
| Range | Unlimited under sail, max 10.5 knots |
| Armament | 8× 100-pdr Somerset BLR |
| Protection | Belt and bulkheads: 4.5 in (114 mm) |
| Crew | 250 Officers and Ratings |
Career of HMS Favorite
There is not much to say on this chapter. HMS Favorite was completed on 17 March 1866, made her sea trials, initial training and was commissioned at Sheerness for the North America and West Indies station. She remained there until returning back home in August 1869 for her refit, rearmed with eight 7 in (178 mm) muzzle-loading rifles replacing her Somerset 100-ib, and two 68 pdr smoothbore guns on the upper deck.
She was then placed in the first Reserve as guardship on the east coast of Scotland, from 1872 to 1876, replacing HMS Repulse as station ship here. On 3 August 1875, she ran aground on the Scroby Sands in Norfolk. She was refloated and inspected in drydock, found undamaged. She remained active in the same unit until paid off at Portsmouth in 1876 and was laid up until sold to breakers on 30 March 1886. Being a wooden ship her active service was short indeed, 1866-1876 so just a decade. Her main goal was just to prove the concept of converting a corvette into an ironclad in case of emergency. But she remained sub-optimal compared to full size ironclads.
Read More/Src
Books
Ballard, G. A., Admiral (1980). The Black Battlefleet. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
Baxter, James Phinney The Introduction of the Ironclad Warship, published Harvard University, 1933.
David K. Brown (30 April 1997). Warrior to dreadnought. Naval Institute Press..
Clowes, William Laird Four Modern Naval Campaigns, Historical Strategical, and Tactical, first published Unit Library, 1902, reprinted Cornmarket Press, 1970.
Andrew Lambert (24 September 1984). Battleships in transition.
Parkes, Oscar (1990) [1957]. British Battleships. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press..
Roberts, John (1979). “Great Britain (including Empire Forces)”. In Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1860–1905.
Reed, Edward J Our Ironclad Ships, their Qualities, Performance and Cost, published John Murray, 1869.
Links
HMS_Favorite_(1864)
pdavis.nl
battleships-cruisers.co.uk
worldnavalships.com
Jason-class_corvette