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| Name | Vanguard (1870) | Explanation | |
| Type | Central battery ironclad | ||
| Launched | 3 January 1870 | ||
| Hull | Iron | ||
| Propulsion | Screw | ||
| Builders measure | 3774 tons | ||
| Displacement | 6010 tons | ||
| Guns | 14 | ||
| Fate | 1875 | ||
| Class | Audacious | ||
| Ships book | ADM 135/488 | ||
| Note | 1875.09.01 sunk in collision with Iron Duke off Wicklow, Ireland | ||
| Snippets concerning this vessels career | |||
| Date | Event | ||
| 24 September 1870 - January 1871 | Commanded by Captain Edward Henry Gage Lambert, Plymouth, for trials | ||
| 17 April 1871 - 5 July 1871 | Commanded by Captain Richard Ashmore Powell, Coast Guard, Kingstown, Ireland | ||
| 6 July 1871 - 21 October 1873 | Commanded by Captain David Spain, Coast Guard, Kingstown | ||
| 22 October 1873 - 29 September 1875 | Commanded by Captain Richard Dawkins, Coast Guard, Kingstown (until sunk after a collision with Iron Duke, off Wicklow Head); Dawkins was severely reprimanded and dismissed his ship in the subsequent Court Martial | ||
| Extracts from the Times newspaper | |||
| Date | Extract | ||
| Th 18 August 1870 | The Iron Duke, 14, left Keyham yesterday morning, and went round the Eddystone for the contractor's preliminary trial trip. The engines worked very satisfactorily, and on Thursday next the official trial will be made. The following ships are in the Keyham yard. The invincible, 14, is in dock to have her new twin screws fitted; these have been made at Keyham, and are of a different pitch to those she had previously. The fitting out of the Vanguard, 14, and Audacious, 14, is completed, and they are now ready for sea. The Narcissus, 35, flag-ship of the flying squadron, is having new boilers at Keyham, and will be ready for sea at the end of this month. The Lord Clyde, 24, is having her engines put on board; the new cylinders and pistons, and the greater portion of the machinery, has been made at Keyham. The Terrible, 19, is in dock repairing. The Topaze, 31, and Doris, 24, are receiving new boilers, with thorough repairs to machinery, and general refit of the ships. The new screw sloop Tenedos, 6, is in Keyham Basin, waiting to receive her machinery. | ||
| Fr 9 September 1870 | The Vanguard, the invincible, the Iron Duke, the Audacious, the Narcissus, the Aurora, and the Cadmus have received their complete armament from the Gunwharf, Devonport, and two sailing transports have within the last four days discharged about 340 tons of shell at this Arsenal from Woolwich. | ||
| Sa 29 October 1870 | The Invincible, 14, Capt. Lambert, in charge of Capt. C. Fellowes and Staff of the Steam Reserve, left Plymouth Sound on Wednesday morning for the six hours official steam trial. There was also on board Mr. Murdoch, who had been sent by the Admiralty to test the smoke-consuming apparatus. At the time of the Invincible's leaving the Sound she was at a draught of 21ft. 8in. aft, and 20ft. 6in. forward, her double bottom not being filled with water, and having no ammunition on board, the object of this trial being to test her new screws at a six hours’ run of uninterrupted steaming. At starting the weather was quite calm, but prior to her return a strong breeze set in from the westward with proportionate sea. The ship during the trial was kept, with the wind abeam, and when she first hove in sight on her return, steaming in from the southward, she had the appearance of being almost on her beam ends; and as she approached the Sound it became evident that she was heeling over 17 to 18 deg., and the greatest anxiety prevailed on shore for the safety of the ship. Although the Invincible heeled to this extent she had not a stich of canvas set, and her topgallantmasts ware on deck. It is therefore certain that even if the water ballast and ammunition were on board the ship would be unsafe under canvas, and the same may be said of the other three ships of the same class — namely, the Audacious, the Vanguard, and the Iron Duke. | ||
| Tu 1 November 1870 | The Naval Commander-in-Chief at Devonport, Admiral Sir Henry Codrington, K.C.B., has been instructed by the Admiralty to detain until further orders the ships of the Audacious class which, with the exception of the Iron Duke at Keyham. are now in Plymouth Sound — namely, the Invincible, the Vanguard, and the Audacious. | ||
| Sa 24 December 1870 | ...This finished the inspection of the Devonport yard; and their lordships and party then proceeded to the Keyham Dockyard, where they first went over the Iron Duke, 14, double-screw iron armour-plated ship, lying in the basin, having her concrete ballast put on board; 120 tons are already shipped, and the remaining 40 tons will be completed in four days' time. The Vanguard, of the same class, in dry dock, was next inspected with reference to the alterations in rig, stowage of boats, and general fittings, which have been suggested by the officers who recently conducted her experimental cruise, and doubtless many of these will be decided on by their Lordships. The Research, 4, ironclad corvette, was then thoroughly examined with a view to commission, she haring been nearly two years in the Reserve. She is in first-rate order, and has been altered and improved since her last commission. | ||
| We 28 December 1870 | The Agincourt, 28, Capt. Beamish, flagship of Rear-Admiral Eardley Wilmot, C.B., second in command of the Channel Squadron; and the Northumberland, 28, Capt. C.H. May, now in Plymouth Sound, are ordered to be ready to rejoin the squadron at Portland on the 7th proximo. We learn that the crew of the Vanguard, 14, double-screw armour-plated iron ship, is to be turned over to the Iron Duke, of the same class, the latter ship to make an experimental cruise, while the Vanguard is having her masts and yards reduced, and her rig altered from ship to bark rig. The only difference in these two ships is that the Iron Duke has Griffiths screws, and her rudder is hung, that is, attached to the iron sternpost with pintles and gudgeons, whereas the Vanguard has a balance rudder and screws of the Mangin pattern. The great defect of overmasting, which is to be remedied in the Vanguard, exists, it has been alleged, in the Iron Duke also. | ||
| Fr 30 December 1870 | We learn that sundry modifications in the rig of the Iron Duke have just been ordered by the Admiralty. She is to have stump topgallant-masts, the studdingsail booms and flying jibboom abolished, and, like the Vanguard, the ship-rig altered to bark-rig. The alterations have commenced, and will be carried out forthwith, and the Vanguard is to undergo reduction of all her masts, and to have 350 tons of concrete ballast put in the lower spaces of her cellular bottom. We hope to see also her balance rudder exchanged for a hung rudder, like that of the Iron Duke. The latter kind is said to be stronger, less liable to get unshipped, and when at an angle does not reduce the ship's speed, like the balance rudder. | ||
| We 19 April 1871 | The Vanguard, 14, double-screw, armoured, iron ship, was commissioned at 9 a.m. on Monday by Capt. R.A. Powell, C.B., for a series of competitive trials with the Iron Duke. The Vanguard had her upper yards across and sails bent, six months' stores, and three months' provisions all stowed away on board, and was in all respects ready for sea, with the exception of taking on board her powder and shell, The novel and complete manner in which the ship has been prepared for commission reflects much credit on the officers of the Steam Reserve at Keyham. | ||
| Sa 22 April 1871 | The Vanguard and the Iron Duke are detained in Plymouth Sound to await an official inspection by Admiral Sir Sydney Dacres, the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, who is expected to arrive at Devonport on Tuesday next. | ||
| Ma 1 May 1871 | The double-screw iron-built armour ships, Vanguard, 14, Capt. R.A. Powell, C.B., and the Iron Duke, 14, Capt. E.H.G. Lambert, left Plymouth Sound on Thursday evening for a two months' experimental cruise, during which various competitive trials will be made under the direction of Capt. Powell, in order to thoroughly test the relative merits of the two ships, which, although of the same class, are not fitted alike, their screw propellers and rudders being of different pattern; there is also a difference in the rig and in the stowage of their bows. | ||
| We 17 May 1871 | Her Majesty's ships Iron Duke and Vanguard anchored off Lisbon on the 6th inst. The ships were to proceed to sea on the 9th, returning to Lisbon about the 24th. | ||
| Fr 26 May 1871 | The Helicon, paddle despatch-vessel, Commander H.E. Crozier, left Plymouth for Lisbon yesterday morning, with letters and despatches for the Channel Squadron and the ships Vanguard and Iron Duke. | ||
| Ma 26 June 1871 | The Vanguard, 14, Capt. R.A. Powell, C.B., and the Iron Duke, 14, Capt. E.H.G. Lambert, arrived in Plymouth Sound on Saturday evening from Queenstown, on the completion of their experimental cruise. | ||
| We 28 June 1871 | The Vanguard and Iron Duke hare returned to Plymouth from their experimental cruise, having been away eight weeks and one day. They have spent 47 out of the 57 days at sea, were 206 hours under steam alone, 606 hours under sail only, and 38 hours under steam and sail combined. The Vanguard has proved herself a remarkably stiff ship, for in a breeze of 24 hours' duration. with force of wind five to eight, she carried royals the whole time, and tacked in 4¼ minutes in a seaway which few wooden frigates would have gone round in. She wears easily in six minutes. The greatest roll was not over 17 deg., and the steady heel of the ship never exceeded 11 deg. She fired a gun on the weather side when heeling 10 deg. The port was open 12 minutes, without taking any water on board. With the wind a point free she made nine knots under canvas only, and on a full speed steam trial, notwithstanding her bad steerage (owing to the balance rudder), by which the ship lost a quarter of a knot per hour, she beat the Iron Duke six miles in eight hours. The Iron Duke when going over four knots under sail, through having more canvas and her screws revolving sooner, beat the Vanguard. The officers speak in the highest terms of the comfort and stability of these ships, and express the most perfect confidence in their seagoing qualities. The ships took with them bills of health from the Spanish Consul at Plymouth, on which they obtained pratique at Lisbon, but at Vigo they were put into quarantine, because they had come from Plymouth, and the authorities said there was smallpox in London, and the ships had not been in quarantine at Lisbon. Surely if the Portuguese authorities were satisfied with the Spanish clean bills of health those documents should have been sufficient to insure pratique at a Spanish port, instead of subjecting both ships to the annoyance of quarantine regulations? The health of the ships has been good. Two men fell overboard from the Vanguard, one of them on the bar at Lisbon, the other in the Bay of Biscay, but both were saved. These ships have made previous experimental trials, the Vanguard before and the Iron Duke since the alteration of their rig and ballast, and while the Iron Duke maintains her high character as a stiff and handy ship, the Vanguard has on this trial conclusively shown that she possesses the same good qualities, which could be still improved by the substitution of a hung rudder for her balance rudder. | ||
| Ma 24 July 1871 | The Vanguard, 14, Capt. J. Spain, will sail from Plymouth to-dav for Kingston [Kingstown= modern Dun Leoghaire] | ||
| We 9 August 1871 | The Black Prince, Valiant, and Vanguard haring completed their coaling in Plymouth Sound, sailed on Saturday evening to join the other ships of the first Reserve Squadron off the Lizard. | ||
| Tu 22 August 1871 | The Vanguard, 14, Capt. D. Spain, arrived in Plymouth Sound on Sunday morning to land at the Royal Naval Hospital two seamen who had been injured while working one of the heavy guns when off the Lizard on Saturday. A third man was also injured, but his case, being less severe than the other two, was treated on board. The Vanguard left Plymouth Sound the same evening to rejoin the reserve squadron. | ||
| Ma 9 June 1873 | THE SHAH OF PERSIA. ... The subjoined Information was made public by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty on Saturday afternoon: —"The following are the arrangements of the Admiralty for the reception of His Majesty the Shah of Persia  on his embarkation at Ostend and arrival at Dover:—"A squadron of ironclads, under the orders of Rear-Admiral Hornby, will leave Spithead on or about the 18th inst. Her Majesty’s ships Vigilant and Lively and other yachts will embark His Majesty at Ostend early on the morning of the 18th inst. Her Majesty's ships Devastation, Audacious, and Vanguard, will escort His Majesty thence towards Dover, where they will be met by the following ships, under the command of Rear Admiral Hornby:— Agincourt (flag), Northumberland, Black Prince, Achilles, Hercules, Sultan, Monarch, and Hector; and Audacious. Vanguard, and Devastation (to be detached to Ostend and rejoin). The squadron will convoy His Majesty to near Dover Pier, where His Majesty will land. On joining the ships at Ostend and the channel squadron, and on landing, His Majesty will be received with the usual salutes and ceremonies due to His Majesty's exalted rank." At Devonport and Keyham the following vessels are being prepared and equipped to take part in the naval review at Spithead:—The Zealous, 20, wood built, armour-plated, screw ship; the double screw, iron, armour-plated turret-ships Gorgon, 4; Hecate, 4; Hydra, 4; and Cyclops, 4; the Prince Albert, 4, screw, armour-plated, iron turret-ship; the Hotspur, 3, double screw, iron, armour-plated ram; the Waterwitch, 4, iron, armour-plated, hydraulic gun-boat; the Goshawk, 4, and the Swinger, 4, screw composite gunboats; the Plucky, 1, screw gunboat; and the Lively, paddle despatch vessel (the latter being intended to join the escort). Besides these vessels, the ironclads Northumberland, 28, Agincourt, 28, and Vanguard, 14, have lately left Devonport for the rendezvous of the fleet at Spithead. On the 17th of June it is anticipated that the Channel Fleet will be lying off Dover to await the arrival of the Shah of Persia, and it is proposed for the yachts of the Royal Cinque Ports Club to go out on Wednesday and sail as a squadron to meet the Shah, and to return to Dover with the Ironclad Fleet. | ||
| Ma 30 June 1873 | The fleet remaining at Spithead anchorage yesterday comprised the following vessels:—The Agincourt, flagship, Rear-Admiral Hornby, C.B., commanding-in-chief; the Sultan, carrying the broad pennant of Commodore Vansittart, C.B., second in command; the Northumberland, Hercules, Monarch, Audacious, Vanguard, Black Prince, Caledonia, Penelope, Hector, Valiant, Achilles, Glatton, Devastation, Royal Sovereign, and Valorous, paddle. The Devastation, Glatton, and Royal Sovereign are expected to go into Portsmouth harbour from Spithead this morning. | ||
| We 11 August 1875 | The Channel Fleet paid an unexpected visit to Galway Bay on Sunday morning, and the presence of the ironclads excited no slight commotion. The vessels now at anchor are the Warrior, Defence. Vanguard, Achilles, Hector, Iron Duke, Penelope, Hawk, and Imogene. The Town Commissioners are anxious to give the officers a hospitable reception, and telegraphed to the borough members to request an extension of the stay of the Fleet for a few days. In reply to the representations made to him, the First Lord of the Admiralty left it in the discretion of the Admiral to remain or not. A deputation waited on the Admiral, who consented to prolong his stay until Thursday. His ready compliance has afforded great satisfaction, and an impromptu ball, which is expected to be very successful, will be given to-morrow night in honour of the Fleet. | ||
| Ma 30 August 1875 | At 1 o’clock on Saturday six ironclads of the Channel Fleet — the Warrior, Hector, Vanguard, Iron Duke, Penelope, and Achilles — arrived at Kingstown from Belfast and anchored in double line about two miles outside the harbour. the Warrior, with Vice-Admiral Tarleton on board, heading the Squadron. They left Belfast Lough at 7 o’clock on Friday evening and proceeded down the Channel with great steadiness and caution. Before starting the officers were entertained at a luncheon by the Mayor. In responding to the toast of his Health, Vice Admiral Sir John W. Tarleton, K.C.B., anticipating the desire to hear something of naval matters observed that in the first place they should have a powerful ironclad Navy to cope with the fleets of the world; secondly, they required a powerful ironclad squadron to protect the Colonies in all parts of the world. Thirdly, they required for the defence of their home ports, vessels of the Devastation type, turret-ships which would be able to bid defiance to any foe that might attempt to enter their ports. Beyond that they required a fleet of gun-boats. With these and a well-organized system of torpedoes around their coast they would, he thought, be unapproachable. He thought Belfast Lough particularly fitted for defence by torpedoes. He could not say he was quite satisfied with the equipment of the fleet, but they were progressing satisfactorily. There was a question of money, and he was sure the town of Belfast had no wish to stint the Navy. He thought that in the event of war they would also require a large fleet of cruisers to protect their commerce, and Government would have no difficulty in obtaining vessels from such men as Mr. Harland and from the various steam companies, and when fitted with a 68-pounder chase-gun ships of their speed would be most efficacious. He thanked the Mayor and people of Belfast very warmly, in the name of the officers, for the reception they had given the squadron. As the vessels came to anchor the batteries at the end of the east pier and at Sandy Cove fired a salute which was taken up by the yachts in the harbour. The vast proportions, strength, and power of the ships rendered them very impressive, and the day being fine, a large number of people flocked from the city and neighbourhood of Kingstown to see them. The clubs and vessels have hoisted flags in honour of the fleet, whose presence affords pleasure to all classes. | ||
| Fr 3 September 1875 | (By Telegraph.) DUBLIN, Sept. 2. Intelligence reached town to-day that as the Reserve Squadron, which left Kingstown yesterday at half-past 11 o’clock, were proceeding down Channel to Queenstown, the Iron Duke ran into the Vanguard in a fog off Wicklow Head, and sunk her. All hands were saved.The following are the particulars so far as they have been yet ascertained. The Squadron kept north of the Kish Light in order to clear the bank, and steamed steadily on. About 1 o’clock the ships became enveloped in a dense fog, in which they could not see each other. Speed was slackened, and when distant about eight miles from Wicklow Head, the Vanguard, which was then going at about seven knots an hour, put the helm hard a-port in order to avoid collision with a large sailing vessel The Vanguard obeyed the helm, when the bowsprit of the Iron Duke, which was about a cable length astern, was faintly observed pointed right amidships. The alarm was immediately raised, and the order to reverse engines was given; but almost at the same moment, before the engines could be got into effective play, the ram of the Iron Duke struck the Vanguard about 4ft. below the water line, between the main and mizen masts, and made a great chasm in her side. Providentially the ship was built in watertight compartments, or the doom of the Vanguard with its living freight would have been instantaneous. The vessel was kept afloat for nearly an hour, and in that time the safety of every one on board was secured. When the terrible fact of the collision was known the Iron Duke put back and immediately lowered her boats, and her officers and crew exerted themselves with the utmost energy and zeal to save the crew of the Vanguard. Captain Dawkins, when the accident occurred, was on the bridge, and remained at his post until the last moment superintending the arrangements for the transfer of his men, and manifesting the utmost self-possession and courage throughout the trying scene. The Vanguard sank in 59 minutes in 19 fathoms, and the topgallant mast alone is now above water. The other ships of the Squadron continued their course to Queenstown, apparently unaware of the calamity which had happened. The Iron Duke returned to Dublin Bay at 3 o’clock this morning, and sent a boat ashore to communicate the unwelcome tidings. She brought with her all the officers and crew, numbering altogether 500 men. She sustained no injury beyond the loss of her bowsprit, jibboom, her figure head, and their gear. Three of the Vanguard’s crew sustained injuries; all the property on board was lost except three boats. A favourite dog belonging to the Captain also went down with her. Vice-Admiral Tarleton will return in his yacht, the Hawk, with workmen from Haulbowline, to see whether the wreck can be raised. Midnight. The strictest reserve is kept on board the Iron Duke, and access to reliable sources of Information is closed with jealous vigilance. Persons seeking admission, unless in an official capacity, are sternly warned off, and various devices have been resorted to in order to learn all the particulars of the occurrence. The public is manifesting an eager desire to get a full and authentic narrative. Facts, however, are of necessity comparatively few, the accident being unattended with any of the calamitous consequences which have invested other collisions on the deep with tragic interest. The disaster happened within a couple of hours after the Fleet had left Dublin Bay. The first account did not reach Kingstown until half-past 2 o'clock this morning when, the Iron Duke having returned with the rescued crew, a boat with a special messenger was sent ashore to communicate the tidings to the Commander of the Coastguard. The fog obscured the ships from the view of persons on shore, and although the squadron had been seen shortly before proceeding in stately pomp, their disappearance from view inspired no apprehension. They had passed along the Irish Coast in its most rugged parts without meeting with any reverse, and no fear was felt as to their continued safety. The news of the occurrence was spread with electric rapidity through the city this morning, and produced a profound impression. It was only a few hours previously that the appearance of the ships inspired a sense of pride and almost of awe at the tremendous power which they seemed to embody, and the last thought which was likely to strike the mind of an observer was that in an instant the strength which every means had been used to render irresistible should have received a fatal shock. Some surprise is expressed that they left the harbour in hazy weather, but the fog appears to have rather suddenly surrounded them after they had started. It was quite enough to detain the Holyhead boat, which is usually punctual, and the mails were not delivered last night in consequence. The ships were proceeding at the rate of 12 or 14 knots an hour when it came on, being desirous of keeping their appointed time in Queenstown. The speed was reduced, however, when the fog came on. and they were running at not more than half the former rate. At 12 50 p.m. the Vanguard watch observed a large vessel coming down upon them, and the helm was put hard aport to clear it. The Iron Duke was then in the wake of the Vanguard at a short distance, and the sudden check in the course of the latter vessel had the effect of bringing them closer, and turning her broadside to the former, which, unaware of the obstruction, had made no corresponding motion, but continued on its tack. Before the engines of the Vanguard could be reversed, when the bow of the Iron Duke was dimly observed through the fog, the ram struck her amidships with resistless force and stove in her side. After the shock of the collision the ships recoiled and separated, but the effect was at once perceptible. The shattered ship began instantly to feel the sea rushing through a terrible gash in her side. The emergency was urgent, and every nerve was strained to save the lives of those on board. Had a heavy sea been running at the time, and had the Iron Duke lost sight of her colleague, the fate of every one on board —over 300 men — would have been inevitably sealed. As it is, the nation is spared the grief which such a calamity would occasion. The Iron Duke got as near as was consistent with a sense of prudence, sharpened as it was by so terrible a warning, and, the launches and every available boat of both ships having been rapidly lowered, all hands were transferred to the Iron Duke. There was no thought of saving any of the property on board the Vanguard. Every moment was precious, and the energies of all on board both ships were concentrated upon the one object — the preservation of the lives of the survivors, who retained the clothes they wore and nothing more. All else that they valued has gone into the depths of the sea, but is not, it is hoped, irrecoverably lost, as efforts will, it is understood, be made as soon as possible, to raise the sunken ship. Hardly had the anxious task of rescuing the crew been accomplished, and the last man of the Vanguard been received on board the Iron Duke, when the disabled vessel whirled round two or three times, and then suddenly sank in 19 fathoms of water, and only the end of her topgallant-mast now appears above the water to mark the scene of the disaster. The spirit of both crews was severely tested in that trying hour, when the hearts of many who would not quail at the sight of an enemy might have sunk within them at the prospect of such a doom as seemed almost inevitable. The discipline and courage of the Service were never more admirably proved. The engine-room of the Vanguard first began to fill, and the engines were stopped. Captain Dawkins was earnest in impressing upon his men the necessity of preserving order and self-command and in pointing out the fatal consequence of any confusion, and his expostulations were effectually seconded by his officers.The accident occurred between the Kish and the Codlin lightships, about 15 miles from the Man-of-War Roads in Dublin Bay, where the Squadron had been anchored. The Iron Duke remained at anchor near the spot for some time, and returned to Dublin between 2 and 3 o'clock this morning. The Vanguard was known in Kingstown, where she was for years stationed as the guardship, and much sympathy is felt for Captain Dawkins, who won the respect and esteem of all who came in contact with him by his frank and genial manner. Latest Particulars. The Iron Duke is a double-screw armour-plated ship, 3,787 tons burden and 800-horse power, armed with 14 guns. The Vanguard had also 14 guns, and was of the same class in strength and power as her consort. She was only 13 tons less in tonnage. The Squadron, after leaving their moorings, rounded the Kish Light at 11, and shortly afterwards the fog enveloped them. Signal guns were fired, the reports of which were heard in Kingstown. The Vanguard was then in the track of the Warrior, under easy way, the Iron Duke coming next in line after her, but owing to the thickness of the fog the ships could not see each other. Shortly after 1 o’clock a schooner was seen on the starboard bow of the Vanguard, and to avoid her the latter steered to the port side. She had just effected the movement when with a terrific crash the ram of the Iron Duke ran into the Vanguard on the port side amidships, abaft the main deck battery. The Vanguard reeled under the force of the blow, but then righted herself, and the Iron Duke receded and the water rushed in through the rent as through an open sluice. The sea was particularly calm, and the wind light at the time. The other vessels pursued their course, the fog still covering them, and knew nothing of the accident until the news was telegraphed to Queenstown to-day and to the Admiralty. The Vanguard settled down rapidly. and about 2 15 p.m. sank stern first with a deep plunge. Care has been taken to keep dear of the sinking ship. The total number of her officers and men was about 360. She was built in Birkenhead by Messrs. Laird, and cost £252,900, but with all her fine fittings and property on board her value is estimated at £550,000. She is a sister ship to the Defence and Iron Duke. She was to have been stationed again in Kingstown for the winter. The place was visited to-day by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, and a bell buoy and light-ship will be placed near her as soon as possible. The ram of the Iron Duke struck the joint bulkhead of two water-tight compartments, causing the sea to enter in through the windows of the Captain’s cabin, thus depressing the stem of the Vanguard. Captain Hickley, the navigating lieutenant, is an officer of great experience. So prompt and active were the efforts to rescue that the hands were all transferred on board the Iron Duka in little more than half an hour. | ||
| Fr 3 September 1875 | A lamentable disaster has befallen the British Navy. A little before 1 o’clock yesterday morning the Iron Duke ran into the Vanguard in a fog, off Wicklow Head, and. the latter vessel sank in less than an hour. The two ships belonged to the Reserve Squadron of the Channel Fleet, and were steaming along the Irish Coast on their way to Cork, The account we have is that the Squadron became enveloped in a dense fog, so that the ships could not see each other. Speed was slackened, and at the time of the accident the Vanguard was going about seven knots an hour. A large sailing vessel came across the track, and the Vanguard's helm was put hard astarboard to avoid a collision. A moment afterwards and the Iron Duke was discerned coming on with its bowsprit pointed right amidships of the Vanguard. The order was instantly given to reverse engines; but it was too late. "The ram of the Iron Duke struck the Vanguard about four feet below water-line, between the main and the mizen masts, and made a great chasm in her side." If the latter ship had not been built in compartments, she must have sunk at once, with every one on board. As it was, she was kept afloat for an hour, and every one was saved. The Iron Duke returned to Kingstown, with the officers and crew of the Vanguard, numbering altogether 500 man. The other ships of the Squadron continued their course, seemingly unaware that anything had happened. Such are the circumstances of this extraordinary accident, which will engage public and professional attention to a degree exceeding any that has occurred since the loss of the ill-fated Captain. Fortunately, in this case there is no lots of life to harrow the feelings. A ship's crew have not suddenly gone down into the deep, leaving few or none to tell the tale of disaster. The loss is only a money loss, and we may almost look upon the occurrence as a grand and costly experiment, made involuntarily, but not less effectively, on the powers and peculiar perils of the ships which have replaced the wooden walls of England. The Iron Duke and the Vanguard were sister ships. They were double-screw armour-plated steamers, each carrying 14 guns, and fitted with engines of 800-horse power. The Vanguard was of 3,774 tons, and the Iron Duke nearly the same. Each was constructed with the usual powerful ram, and each was built in water-tight compartments. The ships, therefore, were in every respect a fair match, and what occurred in the fog of yesterday morning may be considered as the image of what is likely to come to pass whenever two such vessels meet in war. It is not the case of a small vessel overwhelmed by a great one, vastly higher and heavier than itself. The Vanguard was fairly sunk by a ship of its own size, exactly as it is contemplated by constructors that ships should be sunk in action. The ram of the Iron Duke was involuntarily applied to its legitimate purpose, and made the precise "chasm" in the side of its consort that it was constructed to make in the side of an enemy. It is further to be observed that no great power was put forth. The fog was dense, the Squadron had slackened speed, the Vanguard was steaming at the moderate rate of seven knots, and we may suppose that the speed of the Iron Duke was about the same. The Vanguard was launched only five years ago, and is therefore a specimen of a very developed type of naval construction. She is protected by armour-plates six and eight inches thick, and is in every respect one of the ships on which the nation would rely for the maintenance of its naval supremacy. But we find that a ship of precisely the same class running into her at a very moderate rate of speed is able to destroy her utterly. Iron armour-plates of enormous thickness, wrought by the most approved process, tested scientifically by years of experimental firing at Shoeburyness, are crushed like cardboard by that ram, impelled with the tremendous momentum of a vessel of 3,800 tons. The result is certainly what has been maintained from scientific considerations. The advocates of the ram have always said that the most powerful missile a vessel could direct against an enemy was itself, and that whenever a steam-propelled ship going at full speed could drive fairly into another vessel, the latter would have little chance of continuing the action, even if it did not go immediately to the bottom The manoeuvre of the assailing vessel might be difficult or perilous; it might possibly do serious damage to the assailant; but, if successfully accomplished, it would be decisive. This anticipation has certainly been verified in the present instance. There can be no question of the efficiency of the ram as a weapon in naval warfare. This collision will confirm the idea which was suggested by the battle of Lissa, between the Austrian and Italian Squadrons, in 1860. On that occasion the ships, both iron and wooden, endeavoured to run down their adversaries, and the tactics of ancient naval war were revived. The Austrian line of battle ship Kaiser, a wooden vessel, with Admiral Tegethoff on board, ran into the Italian ironclad Ré d’Italia, one of the finest vessels afloat, and the latter sank like a stone, with her whole crew of more than 600 men. The importance of these incidents in giving a probable notion of future naval war, and enabling us to prepare for it effectually, need not be dwelt upon. The fatal powers of a ship possessed of superior speed and armed with a ram which makes a gash in an enemy’s iron plates below water line may be taken as an established fact, which no naval Power will neglect. In this respect the powers of attack surpass the means of defence. There is something which no protecting armour will resist, and against which, it would seem, superiority of tonnage or weight of metal will be of little avail. There is a weapon against which direct resistance is almost hopeless, the only hope lying in a skilful evasion of the shock. On the other hand, the fate of the Vanguard will surprise a good many people. She was built in compartments, and when she was rammed by the Iron Duke the advantage of this construction certainly received a conspicuous proof. It allowed the ship to keep afloat for an hour, and in that time every man was safely got on board the Iron Duke. Had there been no water-tight compartments, the Vanguard would certainly have sunk in five minutes, and the greater part of the crew would have perished. Still, this is not all that is expected from water-tight compartments. The intention of those who construct a vessel after this fashion is that it should not sink at all — that it should be able to leave an action, shattered perhaps and disabled for war for the time, yet secure against being engulfed by the waves. The power of keeping afloat for an hour would be of little use a hundred miles from the shore and with no friendly vessel near. Our Portsmouth Correspondent mentions that the naval officers at that place were incredulous when the first news of the accident reached them. It was difficult to understand how a ship containing water-tight compartments and bulkheads could be sent to the bottom. Yet the fact proved to be so, and the solution of the matter will be one of the most interesting results of the forthcoming inquiry. What is the nature of the security afforded by such a construction as the Vanguard exhibited, and as has been applied to so many other ships in Her Majesty’s Navy? Was there anything exceptional in the construction of the Vanguard, or is the confidence too absolute which officers and crew, and the nation which sends them forth, place in the principle of building in compartments? Or was the shock received by the vessel so powerful or so unfortunately applied at a particular point as to nullify the advantages of the system? No attention which can be given to these subjects will be wasted, and they may be more effectually examined since in this case there will be no want of eye-witnesses capable of forming an accurate judgment. Whether it will be possible to raise the ship itself is a matter on which we cannot pronounce an opinion, but as she has only sunk in a few fathoms water, and her masts may still be seen above the surface, there can be little difficulty in ascertaining the extent and position of the injuries she sustained. | ||
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