HMS Zealous (1864)

HMS "Zealous" was one of the three ships (the others being HMS|Royal Alfred|1864|6 and HMS|Repulse|1868|6) forming the second group of wooden second-rate warships selected in 1860 for conversion to broadside ironclads in response to the perceived threat to Britain offered by the increase in French warship building.

She was given a straight stem and a rounded stern, but her hull was otherwise unmodified from her original form; it had been found that lengthening the hull, as was done in the earlier "Prince Consort" class, led to longitudinal weakness. Her conversion therefore cost less than that of any of her contemporaries, though this was set against a shorter battery and therefore a less effective broadside. She also carried less armour than the earlier class, and was nearly a knot slower; however, as she was built to serve in distant waters, and not expected to face opposing ships of significant force, these shortcomings were thought acceptable.

All of the available convert|9|in|mm|sing=on and convert|8|in|mm|sing=on guns had already been earmarked for other, more powerful ships. "Zealous" therefore received an armament of convert|7|in|mm|sing=on guns, which were deemed adequate for her expected service activity, and which, indeed, she retained for the whole of her active career. She was the only battleship ever to have a uniform armament of this calibre, and she and "Repulse" were the only Victorian battleships to retain their original armament unchanged through their entire active careers.

"Zealous" and "Repulse" were the shortest ironclads ever built for the Royal Navy.

ervice history

She commissioned at Plymouth as flagship in the Pacific, and reached her operational base at Esquimault in July 1867; she remained moored there, at the end of a telegraph link with Britain, until April 1869. During this time her only sea service was for gunnery practice on two days every quarter. In 1870 she picked up a fresh crew at Panama. After six years on station she returned home, without docking, at her then best speed of convert|7|kn|km/h in a five-month voyage. She paid off for refit in Southampton in April 1873. She was guardship at Southampton until 1875, when she was laid up in Portsmouth until sold.

HMS "Zealous" covered more miles under sail than any of the other Victorian sailing ironclads, and in her whole career never once travelled in company with another battleship.

References

* Oscar Parkes "British Battleships", Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 1990. ISBN 0-85052-604-3
* "Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905", Conway Maritime Press, 1979. ISBN 0-85177-133-5