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The HMS Warrior, launched in the last days of 1860, was the first oceanic ironclad of the Royal Navy, besides being the first
warship built with an all-iron hull. The HMS Warrior and her twin were built as a response to the French ironclads of the
Gloire class. In comparison with those, the Warrior class featured a substantially longer hull (which was possible thanks to
the all-iron construction) and a not very different beam and draught. The belt was backed up by 41 centimeters of teak wood,
which not only increased the thickness of the armor but allowed to absorb the vibrations caused by impacts, so dangerous
for the integrity of the structures.
The HMS Warrior spent her active career serving with the Channel Squadron, until she became obsolescent following the launching
in 1871 of the mastless and more capable HMS Devastation. Therefore she was placed in reserve in 1875 and decommissioned in 1883.
Subsequently the HMS Warrior served as store ship and depot ship, and in 1904 she was assigned to the torpedo training school of
the Royal Navy. On the other hand, her twin HMS Black Prince served with the Channel Squadron until 1896, when she was hulked
to be used as a training ship, role which she fulfilled until being sold for scrap in 1923.
The HMS Warrior was converted into an oil jetty in 1927 and, surprisingly, remained in that role until 1979. Then the Royal Navy
donated her to the Maritime Trust for restoration. During this process, which lasted for eight years, many of her original
features and fittings were either restored or recreated. Once the work was finished the HMS Warrior was returned to Portsmouth,
where she serves as a museum ship since 1987. On her dry dock, nowadays the eminent ship exhibits metallic masts instead of the
wooden ones that she formerly had.
Class: Warrior (2 units - Black Prince, Warrior)
Type: Ironclad
Length: 128 meters
Beam: 17.8 meters
Draught: 8.2 meters
Displacement (standard): 9284 tonnes
Sail area: 4497 square meters
Propulsion: 1 x shaft, 1 x trunk steam engine, 10 x rectangular boiler, 5267 indicated horsepower
Speed: 14 knots (26 kilometers/hour)
Range: 2100 nautical miles (3900 kilometers) at 11 knots
Complement: 707
Armament: 26 x 68-pound muzzle-loading smoothbore cannon, 10 x 110-pound breech-loading rifled cannon,
4 x 40-pound breech-loading rifled cannon
Armor: 410 millimeters of teak wood in belt, 114 millimeters of iron in belt and bulkheads
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