If one thinks of the flatiron gunboat concept as a small, slow ship armed with a very big gun, the Elswick cruisers – which were the brainchild of the same designer, George Wightwick Rendel – must be regarded as fast ships armed with larger-than-normal guns. These were a very attractive idea, especially to some of the smaller navies who were looking for ships with a bit of punch but that were not as expensive to buy and operate as a small battleships.
The first of many; the Arturo Prat in Japanese service as the Tsukushi.
The shipbuilder built cruisers for quite a few foreign navies, and some of them passed through several hands during their careers. These so-called Elswick cruisers included:
- Arturo Prat (Chile), later Tsukushi (Japan)
- Chao Yung (Chinese)
- Yang Wei (Chinese)
- Esmeralda (Chile), later Izumi (Japanese)
- Giovanni Bausan (Italy)
- Naniwa (Japan)
- Takachiho (Japan)
- Salaminia (Greece), later Angelo Emo (Italy), later Dogali (Italy), later Montevideo (Uruguay)
- Chih Yuan (Chinese)
- Ching Yuan (Chinese)
- Isla de Luzon (Spain), later Isla de Luzon (USA)
- Isla de Cuba (Spain), later Isla de Cuba (USA)
- Piemonte (Italy)
- Elisabeta (Romania)
- Necochea (Argentina), later Vienticinco de Mayo (Argentina)
- Nueva de Julio (Argentina)
- Republica (Brazil), later Quinze de Novembro (Brazil), later Republica (Brazil)
- Yoshino (Japan)
- Blanco Encalada (Chile)
- Buenos Aires (Argentina)
- Ministro Zento (Chile)
- Barroso (Brazil)
- Amazonas (Brazil), later New Orleans (USA)
- Almirante Abreu (Brazil), later Albany (USA)
- Takasago (Japan)
- Chacabuco (Brazil)
- Hai Chi (China)
- Hai Tien (China)
- Dom Carlos Primeiro (Portugal)
- Hamidieh (Turkey)
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These ships really pushed the envelope of firepower vs size. When it worked they were excellent ships, when it didn’t they were complete flops.
ReplyDeletePeter Douglas,
DeleteVery true. Some of them had quite active careers and performed long service … and others …
All the best,
Bob
Speaking of warships, Bob, I've been noting down some of the vessels you have been talking about and now have rough sketch plans for a Ruberia Royal Navy - a couple of flat-iron gunboats, a couple of 'Victorias', 'Thunderer', 'Colossus' and a possible 'Conqueror' (though that seems to be an early dreadnought. I'll have to think up a light cruiser for them and a few destroyers.
ReplyDeleteHaving made some Z-class destroyers for my 'Mighty Armadas' (you might recall my 'Battle of Kantsi Strait'), I've bethought myself to adding some balsa Fubuki class and a couple of 'Glowworms' to my little fleets.
Thanks for all this info!
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteSounds like you have quite a shipbuilding programme ahead of you!
There was an HMS Conqueror that was built in 1881 and came into service in 1887. She was a smaller version of HMS Victoria and developed from HMS Rupert, and her main weapons were her ram and her twin 12-inch guns. By the time she came into service, she was pretty well obsolete, and her service history saw her acting as a tender to the gunnery school at Devonport. She took part in annual manoeuvres but otherwise spent most of her time at anchor until she was disposed of in 1903. She was finally scrapped in 1907. She was one of the ships Fisher disposed of as she was not good enough to fight a modern battleship and too slow to run away from one.
She had a sistership, HMS Hero whose main distinction seems to have been that she was featured on Player's Navy Cut cigarette packages!
There are plenty of light cruiser designs to choose from, although I have a liking for the Third-class protected cruisers of the Pearl and Pelorus classes. Totally useless, but the Royal Navy built a lot of them and several served with the Australian Squadron and other overseas posts.
The Fubuki design was quite revolutionary at the time whereas the G-class destroyers were an incremental developments of the Royal Navy's basic destroyer design that goes all the way back to the V and W classes of the Great War. Ill be interested to see your models of both of them.
All the best,
Bob
I do like your ship journeys! I feel another Navwar order coming on ;) Thanks
ReplyDeleteGeordie an Exiled FoG,
DeleteI'm pleased to have been the source of inspiration for you to expand your fleets of model warships!
All the best,
Bob