HMS Lord Warden (1865)

HMS "Lord Warden" was the second and final ship to be completed of the Lord Clyde class.

She was heavier than her sister, HMS|Lord Clyde|1864|6 by about 360 tons; partly because she carried heavier machinery and was fitted with a poop, and partly because the wood used for the construction of "Lord Clyde" was, as it transpired, incompletely seasoned. The two ships differed in appearance in that "Lord Warden" had a clipper bow incorporating a submerged ram, while "Lord Clyde" had a standard ram bow.

Apart from the fact that "Lord Clyde" was built using incompletely seasoned wood, which became infected with fungus and caused her early sale out of the service, the major difference between the two sister-ships was in their engines. "Lord Warden" had a three-cylinder engine, in which the mechanical strains and reactions were balanced, giving some eighteen years of essentially trouble-free service; "Lord Clyde" had a two-cylinder engine, the working of which led to oscillation beyond the ability of the hull to absorb, leading in turn to the wearing-out of the machinery.

"Lord Warden" was regarded as being one of the worst rollers in the battle-fleet, second only to her sister, "Lord Clyde".

"Lord Warden" was the heaviest wooden ship ever built by any nationality, largely of course due to the weight of her armour and her engines.

ervice history

She was commissioned at Chatham, and after a few months service with the Channel Fleet was posted to the Mediterranean, relieving HMS|Caledonia|1862|6 as flagship on the station in 1869. She served in this position until 1875, when she paid off for refit. She was in the First Reserve in the Forth until 1878, when she joined the Particular Service Squadron during the Russian war scare. She finally paid off in 1885, her crew being transferred "en masse" to HMS|Devastation|1871|6. Although her upper works were in an appallingly rotten condition, her sale was delayed for a further four years.

References

* Oscar Parkes "British Battleships" ISBN 0-85052-604-3
* Conway "All the World's Fighting Ships" ISBN 0-85177-146-7