- Defender class torpedo boat
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DefenderClass overview Builders: John I. Thornycroft & Company at Chiswick Operators: 
Royal NavyPreceded by: Acheron-class torpedo boat Succeeded by: HMVS Childers Built: 1883 Building: 4 Scrapped: 4 General characteristics Displacement: 12 tons Length: 62 ft 10 in (19.15 m) Beam: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) Installed power: 173 hp (129 kW) Propulsion: - Two-cylinder compound-expansion steam reciprocating engine
- 130lb/sq in Locomotive boiler,
Speed: 17.5 kn (32.4 km/h) Complement: 7[1] Armament: - One McEvoy Spar torpedo
- Two 18" Whitehead torpedoes (retrofitted to Defender & Taiaroa)
- One 2-barrelled Nordenfelt gun[1]
The colonial service Defender-class torpedo boats were designed by Thornycroft & Company for the defence of New Zealand, built at Chiswick in 1883 and shipped to New Zealand. They were quickly obsolete and were left to deteriorate in situ. The remains of Defender are preserved at the Lyttelton Torpedo Boat Museum.
Contents
Construction
Acquired for the external defence of New Zealand, at a cost of about £3,200 each, all four boats were built and engined by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Church Wharf, Chiswick on the River Thames.[1]
Armament
As built the class was armed with a single McEvoy spar torpedo, which was designed to be rammed into a vessel and explode beneath the waterline. A single 2-barrelled Nordenfelt gun comprised the total gun armament. The last pair had 18-inch Whitehead torpedoes fitted at build, and these were later retrofitted to Defender and Taiaroa.[1]
Transport to New Zealand
On 1 February 1884[1] the first pair were shipped aboard the sailing ship Lyttelton from London to Port Chalmers, New Zealand. The second pair followed on 3 May 1884.[1]
Operational lives
Torpedo Corps units of the Permanent Militia were formed to operate the boats at the four main ports of Lyttelton (Defender), Port Chalmers (Taiaroa), Devonport (Waitemata) and Wellington (Poneke),[2] each with its boatshed and slipway. The boats quickly became obsolete and by 1900 had largely been left to rot.
Ships
Name Ship Builder Launched Fate Defender Thornycroft & Company, Chiswick 30 July 1883 Abandoned at Purau Bay, Lyttelton Harbour and later preserved at the Lyttelton Torpedo Boat Museum Taiaroa Thornycroft & Company, Chiswick 10 August 1883 Waitemata Thornycroft & Company, Chiswick 30 August 1883 Poneke Thornycroft & Company, Chiswick 31 August 1883 References
- ^ a b c d e f Winfield (2004) p.316
- ^ "Torpedo Bay Time-Line at the RNZN Museum website". http://www.navymuseum.mil.nz/history/time/19-cent/torpedo-bay-time-line.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
Sources
- The New Zealand Maritime Index
- Winfield, Rif; Lyon, David (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6. OCLC 52620555.
External links
Defender-class torpedo boat Preceded by: Acheron-class torpedo boat · Followed by: Childers-class torpedo boat Colonial service torpedo boatsVictoria New South Wales Tasmania TB 191Queensland New Zealand Defender classSee Colonial navies of Australia and Early naval vessels of New Zealand Categories:- Torpedo boats of the Royal Navy
- Chiswick-built ships
- Small combat vessel classes
- United Kingdom naval ship stubs
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