HMS Camperdown (1885)

HMS "Camperdown" was a Victorian era battleship of the Royal Navy, named after Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan of Camperdown.

She was a full sister to HMS "Anson", and was an improved version of the earlier HMS "Howe" and HMS "Rodney". In comparison to these earlier ships she had an increased thickness of barbette armour, and a lengthened armour belt. The extra armour carried increased the displacement by 350 tons; in order not to increase the draught she was lengthened by convert|5|ft|m and was given convert|6|in|mm more beam.

The convert|13.5|in|mm|sing=on-calibre guns were carried in two pairs, in barbettes positioned on the centre-line at either end of the superstructure. They were carried at a height of twenty feet above the full-load water-line, and possessed firing arcs of some 270°. Each shell weighed 1,250 pounds, and would penetrate convert|27|in|mm of iron at a range of convert|1000|yd.

ervice history

She was commissioned at Portsmouth on 18 July 1889, and initially went into reserve. In December 1889 she was posted to the Mediterranean Fleet as flagship, where she remained until being posted as flagship of the Channel Fleet in May 1890. She was paid off in May 1892 into Fleet reserve, recommissioning in July 1892 into the Mediterranean Fleet. On 22 June 1893 she collided with and sank HMS "Victoria" (See HMS "Victoria" for details). In September 1899 she went into Category B reserve, and in May 1900 into Dockyard reserve. In July 1900 she commissioned as a coast guard ship at Lough Swilly until May 1903. She was in reserve at Chatham until 1908, and was employed at Harwich as a berthing ship for submarines until she was sold in 1911.

References

* Oscar Parkes, "British Battleships" ISBN 0-85052-604-3
* Conway, "All the World's Fighting Ships" ISBN 0-85177-133-5
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/battleships/hms_camperdown.htm maritimequest.com: HMS "Camperdown"]