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Duncan class ship of the line (1859)
Encyclopedia
The Duncan class of 101-gun two-decker steam line-of-battle ships are considered by Professor Andrew Lambert
to have been the "final statement of the British design progress" for steam two-deckers. The class consisted of HMS Duncan and HMS Gibraltar. The Bulwark class
had identical hulls. HMS Gibraltar was the last wooden steam line-of-battleship to commission as a private ship in the Royal Navy
.
, which was ordered and laid down in 1851 and was "the first ship that can be directly attributed to Sir Baldwin Walker's
influence. [She was] an expansion of the Agamemnon [91-guns
], her superior qualities were developed in the succeeding Conqueror and Duncan classes of 101-gun ships." The Duncan class were longer and broader versions of the Conqueror, which was a success as they were noticeably faster (see table below).
"The early steam battleships, such as the 230 feet (70.1 m) Agamemnon
, combined a measure of speed under sail or steam with similar manoeuvring powers to the sailing ships. This persuaded Walker
to try even longer hulls, the Renown being drawn out to 244 in 9 in (74.6 m) and the Bulwark to 252 feet (76.8 m). While the post-war
ships, from their greater length and finer lines, reached higher speeds they did so at the expense of the facility and precision of their response to the helm. New ships such as the Donegal, 101
and Renown, 91 were considered slow in their stays. This lack of handiness was emphasised by their operating in company with older ships such the St Jean d'Acre, 101
and James Watt, 91 which lacked speed, but tacked and wore far more easily. Lord Aukland had anticipated this problem in 1847."
Duncan and Gibraltar "presented a very different appearance from the Baroque splendour of the early Eighteenth Century, with their regular outline bereft of almost all embellishment beyond the elliptical stern gallery and the figurehead and painted in the severe black and white bands of the era. These were the most striking and intimidating of all wooden warships, replacing elegance with majesty. As such they were fitting precursors for the industrial architecture of the iron-clads."
Source: Lambert
6 January 1864: Commanded by Captain Robert Gibson, flagship of Vice-Admiral James Hope, North America and West Indies.
Whilst serving on the North America and West Indies Station, Captain John Bythesea VC
was carried on the books of Duncan as second captain from 1 April 1866 to Spring 1867, for special service as Naval Attaché in Washington.
15 June 1867 – 10 September 1867: Commanded by Captain George Hancock
, Coast Guard, Leith (Queensferry) (replacing Trafalgar
).
10 September 1867 – 28 February 1870: Commanded (until paying off) by Captain Charles Fellowes, Coast Guard, Leith (and flagship of Commodore of John Walker Tarleton
's Coast Guard squadron comprising Duncan, Donegal
, Revenge, Irresistible, Lion
, Dauntless
and Argus). HMS Repulse
replaced Duncan as Coast Guard, Queensferry by 20 August 1870.
1 April 1873 – 1 January 1875: Commanded by Captain George Willes Watson
, Sheerness, replacing Pembroke
.
1 January 1875: Commanded by Captain Charles Thomas Curme
, flagship of Vice-Admiral George Fowler Hastings
, Sheerness.
From some time in 1878 – 1 January 1879: Commanded by Captain Thomas Bridgeman Lethbridge
, Sheerness.
1 January 1879 – 27 July 1881: Commanded by Captain Thomas Baker Martin Sulivan, Sheerness. Tenders: Hydra
, Porcupine, Trent and Wildfire.
27 July 1881 – 31 December 1881: Commanded (until paying off at Sheerness) by Captain John D'Arcy, Sheerness (replaced by the Naval Barracks at Sheerness, renamed Duncan, but retained with a small crew as "saluting ship").
In 1890 she was Chatham. Machinery probably removed. That year she was listed as harbour service and renamed Pembroke.
1895: Receiving ship, Chatham.
By September 1905 she had been renamed Tenedos II.
11 October 1910 Sold for breaking up at London for £7,525.
December 1864 – 12 January 1867: Commanded (until paying off at Plymouth) by Captain Robert Coote, Mediterranean Fleet.
1871 onwards: Lent to the Belfast Training Ship Committee as training ship for boys in Belfast.
1889: renamed Grampian.
16 March 1899: Sold to Castle for breaking up at Charlton.
Andrew Lambert
Andrew Lambert BA , MA, PhD, FRHistS is a British naval historian, who is currently Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King's College London.-Early life and education:...
to have been the "final statement of the British design progress" for steam two-deckers. The class consisted of HMS Duncan and HMS Gibraltar. The Bulwark class
Bulwark class battleship (1859)
The Bulwark class were the final class of wooden line-of-battle ships laid down for the Royal Navy. They were laid down after . In March 1861 their construction was suspended, and seven were later converted to iron-clads...
had identical hulls. HMS Gibraltar was the last wooden steam line-of-battleship to commission as a private ship in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
Design
The first British steam 101-gun two-decker was the St Jean d'AcreHMS St Jean d'Acre (1853)
HMS St Jean d'Acre was the Royal Navy's first 101 gun screw two-decker line-of-battle ship. She served in the Crimean War.The St Jean d'Acre was a Surveyor's Department design. The design was approved on 15 February 1851, and she was ordered the same day. Her keel was laid down at Devonport...
, which was ordered and laid down in 1851 and was "the first ship that can be directly attributed to Sir Baldwin Walker's
Baldwin Wake Walker
Admiral Sir Baldwin Wake Walker, 1st Baronet KCB was Surveyor of the Navy from 1848 to 1861. and was responsible for the Royal Navy's warship construction programme during the 1850s naval arms race and at the time of the introduction of the Ironclad warship; it was his decision to build HMS...
influence. [She was] an expansion of the Agamemnon [91-guns
HMS Agamemnon (1852)
HMS Agamemnon was a Royal Navy 91-gun battleship ordered by the Admiralty in 1849 in response to the perceived threat from France by their possession of ships of the Napoléon class...
], her superior qualities were developed in the succeeding Conqueror and Duncan classes of 101-gun ships." The Duncan class were longer and broader versions of the Conqueror, which was a success as they were noticeably faster (see table below).
"The early steam battleships, such as the 230 feet (70.1 m) Agamemnon
HMS Agamemnon (1852)
HMS Agamemnon was a Royal Navy 91-gun battleship ordered by the Admiralty in 1849 in response to the perceived threat from France by their possession of ships of the Napoléon class...
, combined a measure of speed under sail or steam with similar manoeuvring powers to the sailing ships. This persuaded Walker
Baldwin Wake Walker
Admiral Sir Baldwin Wake Walker, 1st Baronet KCB was Surveyor of the Navy from 1848 to 1861. and was responsible for the Royal Navy's warship construction programme during the 1850s naval arms race and at the time of the introduction of the Ironclad warship; it was his decision to build HMS...
to try even longer hulls, the Renown being drawn out to 244 in 9 in (74.6 m) and the Bulwark to 252 feet (76.8 m). While the post-war
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
ships, from their greater length and finer lines, reached higher speeds they did so at the expense of the facility and precision of their response to the helm. New ships such as the Donegal, 101
HMS Donegal (1858)
HMS Donegal was a 101-gun screw-driven first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 September 1858 at Devonport Dockyard....
and Renown, 91 were considered slow in their stays. This lack of handiness was emphasised by their operating in company with older ships such the St Jean d'Acre, 101
HMS St Jean d'Acre (1853)
HMS St Jean d'Acre was the Royal Navy's first 101 gun screw two-decker line-of-battle ship. She served in the Crimean War.The St Jean d'Acre was a Surveyor's Department design. The design was approved on 15 February 1851, and she was ordered the same day. Her keel was laid down at Devonport...
and James Watt, 91 which lacked speed, but tacked and wore far more easily. Lord Aukland had anticipated this problem in 1847."
Duncan and Gibraltar "presented a very different appearance from the Baroque splendour of the early Eighteenth Century, with their regular outline bereft of almost all embellishment beyond the elliptical stern gallery and the figurehead and painted in the severe black and white bands of the era. These were the most striking and intimidating of all wooden warships, replacing elegance with majesty. As such they were fitting precursors for the industrial architecture of the iron-clads."
| Agamemnon HMS Agamemnon (1852) HMS Agamemnon was a Royal Navy 91-gun battleship ordered by the Admiralty in 1849 in response to the perceived threat from France by their possession of ships of the Napoléon class... 91-guns |
St Jean d'Acre HMS St Jean d'Acre (1853) HMS St Jean d'Acre was the Royal Navy's first 101 gun screw two-decker line-of-battle ship. She served in the Crimean War.The St Jean d'Acre was a Surveyor's Department design. The design was approved on 15 February 1851, and she was ordered the same day. Her keel was laid down at Devonport... 101-guns |
Conqueror class Conqueror class ship of the line The Conqueror-class ships of the line were a class of two 101-gun first rate screw propelled ships designed by the Surveyor’s Department for the Royal Navy.-Design:... 101-guns |
Duncan class 101-guns | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonnage (B.O.M.) Tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo carrying capacity of a ship. The term derives from the taxation paid on tuns or casks of wine, and was later used in reference to the weight of a ship's cargo; however, in modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a calculation of the volume... |
3,085 t | 3,200 t | 3,224 t | 3,715 t |
| Displacement | 4,614 t | 5,499 t | 5,720 t | 5,950 t |
| Overall length | 230 in 3 in (70.18 m) | 238 ft (72.5 m) | 240 ft (73.2 m) | 252 ft (76.8 m) |
| Keel length | 193 in 3 in (58.9 m) | 202 in 5 in (61.7 m) | 204 in 10 in (62.43 m) | 213 foot |
| Breadth (extreme) | 55 in 4 in (16.87 m) | 55 in 4 in (16.87 m) | 55 in 4 in (16.87 m) | 58 ft (17.7 m) |
| Depth in hold | 24 in 6 in (7.47 m) | 25 ft (7.6 m) | 24 in 5 in (7.44 m) | 25 in 6 in (7.77 m) |
| Engines (nhp) | 600 | 600 | 800 | 800 |
| Engines (ihp) | 2,268 | 2,136 | Conqueror - 2,812 Donegal - 3,103 |
Duncan - 3,428 Gibraltar - 3,494 |
| Speed under steam (kts) | 11.243 | 11.199 | Conqueror - 10.806 Donegal - 11.912 |
Duncan - 13.338 Gibraltar** - 12.48 |
-
- Note that Gibraltar's trial speed was undertaken without masts or stores.
Source: Lambert
Key dates
The following table shows key dates for the Duncan class.| Ship | Builder | Ordered | Laid Down | Launched | Trials | Commissioned | Last in Commission as Sea-Going Ship | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan | Portsmouth HMNB Portsmouth Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy... |
29 November 1856 | 2 May 1857 | 3 December 1859 | 7 August 1860 | 6 January 1864 | 28 February 1870 | 11 October 1910 |
| Gibraltar | Devonport HMNB Devonport Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England... |
3 March 1855 | October 1858 | 16 August 1860 | 17 April 1861 | 8 September 1863 | 12 January 1867 | 16 March 1899 |
Career HMS Duncan
10 February 1862: Reduction in the number of guns carried in peacetime to 89.6 January 1864: Commanded by Captain Robert Gibson, flagship of Vice-Admiral James Hope, North America and West Indies.
Whilst serving on the North America and West Indies Station, Captain John Bythesea VC
John Bythesea
John Bythesea VC CB CIE was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in...
was carried on the books of Duncan as second captain from 1 April 1866 to Spring 1867, for special service as Naval Attaché in Washington.
15 June 1867 – 10 September 1867: Commanded by Captain George Hancock
George Hancock (Royal Navy officer)
Rear Admiral George Hancock was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station.-Naval career:...
, Coast Guard, Leith (Queensferry) (replacing Trafalgar
HMS Trafalgar (1841)
HMS Trafalgar was a 120-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 21 June 1841 at Woolwich Dockyard. She was the last to be completed of the successful Caledonia class....
).
10 September 1867 – 28 February 1870: Commanded (until paying off) by Captain Charles Fellowes, Coast Guard, Leith (and flagship of Commodore of John Walker Tarleton
John Tarleton (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Sir John Walter Tarleton KCB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Second Naval Lord.-Naval career:...
's Coast Guard squadron comprising Duncan, Donegal
HMS Donegal (1858)
HMS Donegal was a 101-gun screw-driven first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 September 1858 at Devonport Dockyard....
, Revenge, Irresistible, Lion
HMS Lion (1847)
HMS Lion was a two-deck 80-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 29 July 1847 at Pembroke Dockyard.She was fitted with screw propulsion in 1859, and was sold out of the navy in 1905....
, Dauntless
HMS Dauntless (1847)
The third HMS Dauntless was a wooden-hulled steam screw frigate, launched at Portsmouth in 1847.-History:First intended as a paddle vessel, she was designed by John Fincham, and partially redesigned to take screw propulsion; in an effort to improve her initially disappointing performance she was...
and Argus). HMS Repulse
HMS Repulse (1868)
HMS Repulse was the last wooden battleship constructed for the Royal Navy.She was laid down as a 90-gun second-rate line-of-battle ship with two decks; having been approved for conversion to a broadside ironclad in 1861, work on her was intentionally delayed until the performance of earlier...
replaced Duncan as Coast Guard, Queensferry by 20 August 1870.
1 April 1873 – 1 January 1875: Commanded by Captain George Willes Watson
George Watson (Royal Navy officer)
Vice Admiral Sir George Willes Watson KCB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station.-Naval career:...
, Sheerness, replacing Pembroke
HMS Pembroke (1812)
HMS Pembroke was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 27 June 1812 at Blackwall Yard.She was fitted with screw propulsion in 1855, transferred to the Coastguard in 1858, and used as a base ship from 1887....
.
1 January 1875: Commanded by Captain Charles Thomas Curme
Charles Curme
Vice Admiral Charles Thomas Curme was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.-Naval career:...
, flagship of Vice-Admiral George Fowler Hastings
George Fowler Hastings
Vice-Admiral George Fowler Hastings CB was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the First Opium War and the Crimean War. In a naval career spanning over 50 years Hastings saw service across the British Empire, and rose to the rank of vice-admiral...
, Sheerness.
From some time in 1878 – 1 January 1879: Commanded by Captain Thomas Bridgeman Lethbridge
Thomas Lethbridge (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Thomas Bridgeman Lethbridge was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.-Naval career:Born the son of Captain Robert Lethbridge RN, Thomas Lethbridge joined the Royal Navy in 1843...
, Sheerness.
1 January 1879 – 27 July 1881: Commanded by Captain Thomas Baker Martin Sulivan, Sheerness. Tenders: Hydra
HMS Hydra (1871)
HMS Hydra was the second ship completed of the four breastwork monitors built for the Royal Navy during the 1870s. The ships were ordered to satisfy demands for local defence during the war scare of 1870, but the pace of construction slowed down tremendously as the perceived threat of war declined...
, Porcupine, Trent and Wildfire.
27 July 1881 – 31 December 1881: Commanded (until paying off at Sheerness) by Captain John D'Arcy, Sheerness (replaced by the Naval Barracks at Sheerness, renamed Duncan, but retained with a small crew as "saluting ship").
In 1890 she was Chatham. Machinery probably removed. That year she was listed as harbour service and renamed Pembroke.
1895: Receiving ship, Chatham.
By September 1905 she had been renamed Tenedos II.
11 October 1910 Sold for breaking up at London for £7,525.
Career HMS Gibraltar
8 September 1863 – December 1864: Commanded (from commissioning at Plymouth) by Captain James Charles Prevost, Mediterranean Fleet.December 1864 – 12 January 1867: Commanded (until paying off at Plymouth) by Captain Robert Coote, Mediterranean Fleet.
1871 onwards: Lent to the Belfast Training Ship Committee as training ship for boys in Belfast.
1889: renamed Grampian.
16 March 1899: Sold to Castle for breaking up at Charlton.