HMS ''Warrior''

By Crusader1307

HMS “Warrior” was Britain's first “Armored” vessel that fell into the classification of “Ironclad”. Built in 1859, “Warrior” was built to counter the French Ironclad “Glorie”. “Warrior” was huge. She displaced some 9,500 tons and was almost 500 feet long. She stood 30 feet (beam). She was powered by 10 Boilers (but could revert to sail) and was a single shaft propelled vessel. Capable of 15 knots per hour (roughly 16 miles per hour) - “Warrior” crewed over 700 Officers and men. Plated with 4.5 inch armor plating completely around her hull, she also had 4.5 plate Casemates (for her deck cannon). Armed with 40 guns – 20 of them were the 68-pound variety. Although much slower than some sail and basic steam ships, “Warrior” was well protected. Assigned to The Channel Squadron, she made numerous “Port of Call” Tours to show off her abilities. She was dispatched to Constantinople (when The Russo-Turkish War of 1877 broke out, but never saw combat. By 1883, her 2 Main Masts were so rotten that they were removed (and not replaced). Reclassified as a “Screw Ship”, she was later known as an “armored Cruiser”. With the advent of complete armor (and Mastless), “Warrior” was meant to be salvaged. No local scrape iron concerns were available, so “Warrior” sat (first as a Jetty Mooring and later as a renovated “Inn” for The Harbor Master). Renovated into a Base Fuel Ship, it is estimated that she refueled over 5,000 ships in World War II. In 1979, she was under renovation to turn her into a Museum Ship. Due to the large amount of damage, she was almost completely rebuilt with modern materials. She is currently berthed at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (England).