HMS Apollo, the sixth ship of 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...

 to be named for the Greek god Apollo

Apollo

Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...

, was a second-class protected cruiser

Protected cruiser

The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...

 launched in 1891 and converted to a minelayer

Minelayer

Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...

 in 1909 along with six of her sisters. They formed a minelaying squadron in 1914—15 during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, although Apollo was disarmed in 1915 and served in secondary roles until broken up in 1920.

Armament

Apollo carried two QF 6 inches (152.4 mm) guns, one on the forecastle and the other on the poop

Poop

Poop may refer to: * Feces, waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus** Defecation, the act or process by which organisms eliminate feces** Pooper-scooper, used by pet owners to pick up their pet's fecal matter...

 and six QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns

QF 4.7 inch Gun Mk I - IV

The QF 4.7 inch Gun Mks I, II, III, and IV were a family of United-Kingdom 120-mm naval and coast defence guns of 1888 and 1890s which served with the navies of various countries. They were also mounted on various wheeled carriages to provide the British Army with a long range gun...

 mounted in the waist. Four single QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss

QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss

The QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss was a light 57 mm naval gun and coast defence gun of the late 19th century used by many countries, and was adapted for use in the early British tanks in World War I.- Canada History :...

 guns were carried in the waist, two more on the forecastle and two on the poop. Two 0.45 in (1.1 cm) Nordenfelt

Nordenfelt gun

The Nordenfelt Gun was a multiple barrel machine gun that had a row of up to twelve barrels. It was fired by pulling a lever back and forth. It was produced in a number of different calibres from rifle up to 25 mm...

 5 barrel machine gun

Machine gun

A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....

s were mounted in the forecastle and two in the poop. One QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss

QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss

The QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss was a light 47-mm naval gun introduced in 1886 to defend against new small fast vessels such as torpedo boats, and later submarines...

 gun was carried for use in the ship's boats, although it was provided one mount on each side of the after end of the waist. Four 14 in (35.6 cm) torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...

 were fitted, two fixed on the stem and stern, and two broadside training tubes on the upper deck aft.

She was totally disarmed when she was converted to a minelayer

Minelayer

Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...

 in 1909 at Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...

. Mine rails were fitted on her maindeck, which required that the cabins under the poop be removed, and she could carry a hundred mines

Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...

. Her after deckhouse was extended and her magazines were converted to storerooms.

When World War I began she was given four QF 4.7 inches (119.4 mm) guns, but these were again removed when she was disarmed in 1915.

Protection

Apollos armored deck

Deck (ship)

A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...

s ranged from 2–1.25 in (50.8–31.8 mm) in thickness and her conning tower

Conning tower

A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....

 was 3 inches (76.2 mm) thick. Her engine hatch was 5 inches (12.7 cm) thick.

Propulsion

Apollo had 2-shaft steam reciprocating engine

Reciprocating engine

A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common features of all types...

s and five boilers that gave 7000 indicated horsepower (ihp) using natural draught and 9000 ihp using forced draught. She could make 18.5 kn (22.5 mph; 36.3 km/h) using natural draught and20 kn (24.4 mph; 39.2 km/h) at forced draught. She carried 535 long tons (543.6 t) of coal.

History

After a spell in the reserve, she was present at the Fleet Review for the Diamond Jubilee

Diamond Jubilee

A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...

 in 1897, and was transferred back to the reserve in 1900. In 1909 she was converted into a minelayer

Minelayer

Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...

, and served in this role for the first year of the First World War. She and her sisters formed a squadron operating from Dover

Dover

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...

 and the Nore

Nore

The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary, England. It marks the point where the River Thames meets the North Sea, roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point in Kent....

. She was again disarmed in 1915 and either relegated to secondary roles or laid up until being broken up in 1920.

External links

• HMS Apollo, Index of 19th Century Naval Vessels