The Orlando class was a seven-ship class of Royal Navy armoured cruisers completed between 1888 and 1889.
Building Programme
On 2 December 1884, the Secretary to the Admiralty stated, "The present Board have been gradually developing, and, as I would venture to say, in an effective manner, our resources for the protection of commerce. The late Board of Admiralty laid down an admirable type for the purpose in the . We have followed in their footsteps by producing the type, and we now propose to go a step further in the same direction, by laying down vessels of the Mersey class, but protected by a belt in lieu of an armoured deck. The belt will, I think, be approved by my hon. Friend who sits behind me (Sir Edward J. Reed)."Hansard HC Deb 02 December 1884 vol 294 c455 House of Commons, the Secretary to the Admiralty, Sir Thomas Brassey. These belted cruisers were the Orlando class.
The following table gives the build details and purchase cost of the members of the Orlando class. Standard British practice at that time was for these costs to exclude armament and stores.Note that the costs quoted in the 1895 edition and the 1903 edition are not the same. There seems to have been a revision of the costs quoted for British warships in The Naval Annual between the 1902 and 1903 editions, and a further revision between the 1905 and 1906 editions. (The 1906 edition costs cannot be quoted for the Orlando class because the class is not listed in the 1906 edition.) In the table: Machinery meant "propelling machinery". Hull included "hydraulic machinery, gun mountings, etc."The Naval Annual 1895, p192-200
Ship Builder MakerofEnginesDate ofCost according to Laid Down Launch Completion (BNA 1895)The Naval Annual 1895, pp. 192–200 (BNA 1903)The Naval Annual 1903, pp. 236–243 Hull Machinery Totalexcludingarmament Palmers, Jarrow 23 Apr 1885 3 Aug 1886 June 1888 £206,647 £60,165 £266,812 £303,065 Pembroke Dockyard J&G Thompson 1 Feb 1886 28 Oct 1887 July 1889 £220,550 £64,000 £284,550 £326,110 Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering, Govan C & W Earle 21 Apr 1885 25 Nov 1886 October 1888 £195,390 £63,000 £258,390 £299,027 Robert Napier and Sons, Govan 21 Apr 1885 10 Mar 1887 March 1889 £195,390 £63,000 £258,390 £291,803 Chatham Dockyard C & W Earle 18 Jan 1886 7 Jul 1887 July 1889 £221,500 £57,000 £278,500 £332,359 C & W Earle, Hull 27 Apr 1885 15 Dec 1886 July 1889 £195,890 £61,500 £257,390 £300,149 Palmers, Jarrow 23 Apr 1885 25 Nov 1886 July 1889 £195,890 £60,165 £256,055 £300,863
See also Infanta Maria Teresa-class cruiser: a spanish class armored cruiser inspired design by Orlando class
Notes
References Brassey, T.A. (ed) The Naval Annual 1895 Brassey, T.A. (ed) The Naval Annual 1903
External links