Ironclads


HMS Hercules


ClassIronclad Battleship
Built1868
Speed14.7 Knots
Length325 ft
Weight8,677 tons
ArmamentEight 10-inch muzzle-loading rifles, Two 9-inch muzzle-loading rifles, Four 7-inch muzzle-loading rifles
StationsChannel Squadron 1868 - 1874
Mediterranean 1875 - 1878
Guard Ship 1878 - 1881
Reserve Fleet 1881 - 1904
FateName changed to Calcutta, served as depot ship at Gibraltar until 1914. Then became an artificers' training establishment at Portsmouth under the name of Fishgard II. Broken up in 1932.
NotesShe was the first warship to mount a main armament of 10-inch (250 mm) calibre guns.


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by Stephen Luscombe