Lord Clyde-class ironclad
Lord Warden, second and last ship of the class | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | |
| Operators | Royal Navy |
| Built | 1863–1867 |
| In commission | 1866–1889 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Scrapped | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 280 ft (85 m) |
| Beam | 59 ft (18 m) |
| Draught | 27 ft 11 in (8.5 m) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 1 shaft; 1 steam engine |
| Sail plan | Ship rig |
| Speed | |
| Complement | 605 |
| Armament |
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| Armour |
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The Lord Clyde-class ironclads were a pair of wooden-hulled armoured frigates built for the Royal Navy in the 1860s. They were designed by Edward Reed and built to make use of the large stocks of seasoned timber available in the royal shipyards. The ships hold a number of records for the Navy, including being the largest wooden-hulled warships, having the most powerful engines in a wooden ship, and having the worst rolls in the fleet. The lead ship, Lord Clyde, initially had a main armament of 7 in (180 mm) rifled muzzle-loading (RML) guns and had a short career that was curtailed by problems with her engine and deterioration of her hull due to the use of unseasoned timber. The second ship of the class, Lord Warden, armed with a mixture of 7 in, 8 in (203 mm) and 9 in (229 mm) RML guns, served as the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet and was mobilised during the Russo-Turkish War, although she did not see active service.