Английская Википедия:Drake-class cruiser
Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Use British English
Шаблон:Infobox ship imageШаблон:Infobox ship class overviewШаблон:Infobox ship characteristicsThe Drake class was a four-ship class of armoured cruisers built around 1900 for the Royal Navy.
Design and description
The Drake class were enlarged and improved versions of the Шаблон:Sclass designed by Sir William White, Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy, to counter the new French armoured cruiser Шаблон:Ship.[1] The ships had an overall length of Шаблон:Convert, a beam of Шаблон:Convert and a deep draught of Шаблон:Convert. They displaced Шаблон:Convert and proved to be good seaboats in service.[2] Their crew consisted of 900 officers and other ranks.[3]
The ships were powered by two 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by 43 Belleville boilers. The engines produced a total of Шаблон:Convert and the Drakes easily reached their designed speed of Шаблон:Convert.[2] They carried a maximum of Шаблон:Convert of coal.[3]
The main armament of the Drake-class ships consisted of two breech-loading (BL) [[BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX - X|Шаблон:Convert Mk X guns]] in single gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure.[3] They fired Шаблон:Convert shells to a range of Шаблон:Convert.[4] The ships' secondary armament of sixteen BL 6-inch Mk VII guns was arranged in casemates amidships. Eight of these were mounted on the main deck and were only usable in calm weather.[5] They had a maximum range of approximately Шаблон:Convert with their Шаблон:Convert shells.[6] A dozen quick-firing (QF) 12-pounder 12 cwt guns were fitted for defence against torpedo boats. Two additional 12-pounder 8 cwt guns could be dismounted for service ashore.[7] The ships also carried three 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns and two submerged [[British 18 inch torpedo|Шаблон:Convert]] torpedo tubes.[2]
The ship's waterline armour belt had a maximum thickness of Шаблон:Convert and was closed off by Шаблон:Convert transverse bulkheads. The armour of the gun turrets and their barbettes was 6 inches thick while the casemate armour was 5 inches thick. The protective deck armour ranged in thickness from Шаблон:Convert and the conning tower was protected by Шаблон:Convert of armour.[2]
Ships
The following table gives the build details and purchase cost of the members of the Drake class. Standard British practice at that time was for these costs to exclude armament and stores. The compilers of The Naval Annual revised costs quoted for British ships between the 1905 and 1906 editions. The reasons for the differences are unclear.
Ship | Builder | Date of | Cost according to | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Launch | Completion | (BNA 1905)[8] | (BNA 1906)[9] | ||
Шаблон:HMS | HM Dockyard, Pembroke | 24 Apr 1899 | 5 Mar 1901 | 13 Jan 1902 | £1,050,625 | £1,002,977 |
Шаблон:HMS (ex-Africa) |
Fairfield Shipping and Engineering, Govan | 11 Sep 1899 | 21 Feb 1901 | 8 Nov 1902 | £1,023,629 | £990,759 |
Шаблон:HMS | Vickers, Sons & Maxim, Barrow-in-Furness | 11 Aug 1899 | 28 Oct 1901 | 22 Dec 1903 | £1,013,772 | £978,125 |
Шаблон:HMS | John Brown, Clydebank | 30 Nov 1899 | 3 Jul 1901 | 16 Jun 1903 | £1,043,097 | £1,012,959 |
Service history
The ships served in the First World War with only two surviving it. Good Hope was sunk at the Battle of Coronel in 1914 and Drake was torpedoed in 1917. Drake was also used to ferry Russian bullion (gold) in October 1914 from Arkhangelsk. The gold (equivalent of $39 million) was security for western loans. The transfer took place at high seas, 30 miles off the coast in the dead of night.[10]
Notes
Footnotes
Bibliography
- Brassey, T.A. (ed) The Naval Annual 1905
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Leyland, J. and Brassey, T.A. (ed.) The Naval Annual 1906[1]
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
External links
- The Dreadnought Project Technical details of the ships.
Шаблон:Drake class cruiser Шаблон:WWI British ships
- ↑ Friedman 2012, pp. 243–52
- ↑ 2,0 2,1 2,2 2,3 Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 69
- ↑ 3,0 3,1 3,2 Friedman 2012, p. 336
- ↑ Friedman 2011, pp. 71–72
- ↑ Friedman 2012, pp. 243, 260–61
- ↑ Friedman 2011, pp. 80–81
- ↑ Friedman 2012, pp. 250, 336
- ↑ Brassey's Naval Annual 1905, pp. 234–243
- ↑ Brassey's Naval Annual 1906, pp. 208–215
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book