The Eclipse-class cruisers were a class of nine second-class protected cruisers constructed for the Royal Navy in the mid-1890s.

Design and description

These ships were enlarged and improved versions of the preceding . The Eclipse-class ships were long overall, had a beam of and a draught of . They displaced at normal load. To reduce biofouling, the hulls of the ships were sheathed with wood and copper. Their crew consisted of 450 officers and enlisted men. Their metacentric height was approximately .McBride, pp. 138–39

The Eclipse-class ships were powered by two inverted triple-expansion steam engines using steam generated by eight cylindrical boilers at a pressure of . Using normal draught, the boilers were intended to provide the engines with enough steam to generate and to reach a speed of ; using forced draft, the equivalent figures were and a speed of . During their sea trials, all of the lightly loaded ships exceeded their specifications and reached a top speed of . They carried a maximum of of coal.McBride, pp. 137–39

The ships carried five 40-calibre quick-firing (QF) guns in single mounts protected by gun shields. One gun was mounted on the forecastle, two on the quarterdeck and one pair was abreast the bridge.McBride, p. 137 They fired shells at a muzzle velocity of .Friedman, pp. 87–88 The secondary armament consisted of six 40-calibre guns; three on each broadside. Their shells were fired at a muzzle velocity of .Friedman, p. 92

Defense against torpedo boats was provided by eight QF 12-pounder 12 cwt"Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 12 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. guns and six three-pounder Hotchkiss guns. Four of the 12-pounders were mounted in the sides of the hull fore and aft while the remaining four guns were interspersed between the 4.7-inch guns. The three-pounders were mounted in the fighting tops, three in each one.McBride, pp. 137–38 The 12-pounders fired , projectiles at a muzzle velocity of .Friedman, p. 114 The ships also equipped with three 18-inch torpedo tubes, one submerged tube on each broadside and one above water in the stern.Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 78 The ammunition supply consisted of 200 six-inch rounds per gun, 250 shells for each 4.7-inch gun, 300 rounds per gun for the 12-pounders and 500 for each three-pounder. Each ship also carried ten torpedoes, presumably four for each broadside tube and two for the stern tube.McBride, p. 139

Between 1903 and 1905, all of the ships in the class except for Eclipse had their mixed armament replaced with a more uniform armament of eleven 6-inch, nine 12-pounders and seven 3-pounder guns.

The primary protection of the Eclipse class was its sloping armoured deck. This ranged in thickness from , with its slopes being thick. It covered an area six inches above the waterline to below it. The engines were protected by a six-inch armoured hatch that extended above the armoured deck. The gun shields for the six-inch guns were three inches thick and the conning tower's armour was six inches thick.

Ships Name ShipyardMcBride, p. 138 Laid down Launched Completed Fate Eclipse Portsmouth Dockyard 11 December 1893 19 July 1894 23 March 1897 Sold for scrap, August 1921 Diana Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering, Govan 13 August 1894 5 December 1895 15 June 1897 Sold for scrap, 1 July 1920 Dido London & Glasgow Shipbuilding, Govan 30 August 1894 20 March 1896 10 May 1898 Sold for scrap, 16 December 1926 Doris Naval Construction & Armaments Co., Barrow-in-Furness 29 August 1894 3 March 1896 18 November 1897 Sold for scrap, 2 February 1919 Isis London & Glasgow Engineering, Govan 30 January 1895 27 June 1896 10 May 1898 Sold for scrap, 26 February 1920 Juno Naval Construction & Armaments Co., Barrow 22 June 1895 18 November 1895 16 June 1897 Sold for scrap, 26 February 1920 Minerva Chatham Dockyard 4 December 1893 23 September 1895 4 February 1897 Sold for scrap, 5 October 1920 Talbot Devonport Dockyard 5 March 1894 25 April 1895 15 September 1896 Sold for scrap, 6 December 1921 Venus Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering28 June 1894 5 September 1895 9 November 1897 Sold for scrap, 22 September 1921

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References

External links

Eclipse Class Second Class Protected Cruisers on World War 1 Naval Combat Eclipse Class on Battleships & Cruisers