A Brief History
On December 29, 1860, the first British oceangoing ironclad warship, the HMS Warrior, was launched, but she was not the first such ship in World History.
Digging Deeper
Contrary to popular misconception that the US Navy USS Monitor and the Confederate States Navy CS Virginia (rebuilt from the Union wooden ship, USS Merrimac) were the first ironclad warships, iron armored floating batteries had already seen combat during the Crimean War, and the French ship, the Gloire, in service since 1859 was the world’s first ocean going warship. In fact, the Monitor and Virginia were actually designed for coastal work and not the open ocean.
Warrior was a 40 gun steam driven ship, the first of a class of 2 armored frigates, and was designed using the plans of a wooden steamship as the basis for the hull. Considered a “broadside ironclad,” Warrior‘s guns were arrayed on a single gun deck protected by an armored box structure with half the guns facing each side of the ship.
When launched, the Warrior was the fastest and most powerful warship in the world, stretching 420 feet long and 58 feet wide, with a draught of 26 feet,. giving her a displacement of a whopping 9137 metric tons, the size of a World War II cruiser. Her 5772 horsepower steam engine driving a screw propeller moved the ship at a 14 knot speed, fast enough to outmaneuver other warships. (Warrior could make 17.5 knots using steam and sail combined.) Protected by 4.5 inches of wrought iron armor, she was not designed to slug it out with ships of the line that could out gun her, but to dart around the battle scene inflicting damage and maneuvering out of danger. You may be surprised to know the iron hull of the Warrior actually weighed less than an equivalent wooden hull, adding to her sprightliness. Still, she was considered virtually invulnerable to the cannon of other ships when first launched. As was often the case with early steamships, Warrior was also fitted with masts and sails to save fuel while on long transits.
The heavy armament of the Warrior was arrayed with a mix of old and new technology, with 26 X 68 pounder smooth bore muzzle loading cannon, 10 X rifled breech loading 110 pounder cannon, and 4 rifled breech loading 40 pounder cannon. It took 702 men to man this great ship. This fearsome battery was able to fire solid shot and exploding shells, as well as the particularly fiendish shot loaded with a molten iron core. (No kidding, they really had that.) Max range of any of the guns was 3000 to 4000 yards. Maximum armor penetration was nearly 10 inches with a new gun later added in 1864-7 during a refit (8 inch bore breech loading rifle).
Although a sensation when first commissioned in 1861, Warrior was already obsolete by 1871 when the first of the mastless armored warships appeared (HMS Devastation) went into service. Failing to find any combat during her career, Warrior was first decommissioned in 1883 and went through a period of being given various other designations and duties, and even other names. By 1929 she was already stripped of guns and other equipment and served as an oil hulk (floating dockside fuel reservoir for other ships) serving as such through World War II. Interest in restoring the hulk as a museum ship started in the 1960’s and work began in 1979. In 1987 she was given a permanent berth in Portsmouth as a restored museum ship, a role she still serves, along with the other storied warships HMS Victory and HMS Mary Rose.
Question for students (and subscribers): What is your favorite museum ship? USS Intrepid? USS North Carolina? USS Cod? (3 of our favorites.) Let us know and share information with other interested naval buffs in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Davies, Wynford. HMS Warrior – Ironclad (Seaforth Historic Ships Series). Seaforth Publishing, 2011.
Lambert, Andrew. HMS Warrior 1860: Victoria’s Ironclad Deterrent. Naval Institute Press, 2011.
Mowll, William. Building a Working Model Warship: Hms Warrior 1860. Naval Inst Pr, 1997.
The featured image in this article, an illustration by Frederick James Smyth (fl. 1841–1867) after Edwin Weedon (1819–1873) of HMS Warrior, is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: The author died in 1873, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1926.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="12500 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=12500">26 Comments
I think the most shocking statement made about the Warrior was how it took 702 men to man the ship. I never would have guessed that it would take so many men to do so. It must have been not only powerful, but a huge ship to fit all those people and weaponry!
It was interesting to read about a ship that did not end up sinking. A really interesting fact, I think, was that it actually weighted less than an equivalent wooden hull. This shows how efficient people started being with their resources and how engineering started being more successful. It would be interesting to visit the museum ship today.
I think its interesting that they have this ship kept in a museum as well in addition to other famous ships history (e.g the Vasa). I think that ships are an important part of our history because they truly represent a progression in technology.
It was interesting to read about how this war ship’s purpose had changed over the years. With all of the heavy machinery on the ship, I am surprised that they could build a ship that would not sink carrying it all!
The interesting fact that stood out to me in this article was that it took 702 men to arm this ship. This is an amazing ship that had a lot of armed power and just like we read about the Vasa ship previously it is now in a museum.
The warrior sounds like an impressive ship for its time. It’s a pity it was never used for any sort of combat and already obsolete a decade later. It’s crazy the warrior took 702 men to operate.
The image of the Warrior is impressive. I think it is cool that the ship was designed to be able to maneuver around battle scenes in the open water. The ship had the opportunity to do so because of how fast it was able to travel. Unfortunately, she was never able to experience any use during battle.
The Warrior seems to be caught in the middle of the wooden ships and the iron ships. The Warrior never got a chance to see battle, and the fact that it is a museum ship now seems most appropriate.
I’d love to see this ship in a museum! It’s fascinating to me how things this technological and advanced were created before the industrial revolution. I can’t wrap my head around how a ship like this would be designed, let alone put together, without computers.
702 men to operate one ship… Just the description of the ship makes it seem almost invincible if in battle, I wish the Warrior took part in some part of a battle it would have been interesting to see how it played out for the other ship on the other side of the Warrior.
When the Warrior came out she was a spectacle of her time. Being the fastest and most powerful ship in the world would have given Great Britain and advantage in any battle. However, the Warrior never saw battle and by 1871 was obsolete. The only battle it ever did participate in was WWII as an oil hulk.
It is crazy to think that in a decade the technology advanced so much to make such a powerful and modern ship obsolete. War ships were such an evolving technology at that time and it is always so interesting to see them as historical monuments as well.
Although she was a marvel of her time when set into the ocean, the Warrior became obsolete in 1871. That is only 10 years! That really goes to show you how fast new technological advancements were created back in that day. A museum ship seems very interesting but I have sadly never been to one.
Finally someone came up with a better plan for the architecture of a boat!
The Warrior seems like quite the battleship. It is interesting that it was built but never used in battle, but it was possibly a good way for the British to experiment with the way it was built and how it functioned. Definitely a ship that laid the groundwork for ironclads to come.
The Warrior was almost a tank on water and faster than most warships. Interesting that even with all the guns, armor and horsepower the Warrior never saw any action in sea. What a waste.
What an amazing and powerful ship! I cannot believe it never saw any combat. What a waste for a ship this great.
The fact that the iron hull being less in weight than a wooden hull is shocking. It is great that the Warrior was the fast and most powerful ship during her sails.
Shocked to read that this great war boat was never used in any battles. Seems like a waste considering so many other ships have failed miserably in the past and this one seems like it would have been very beneficial.
It is crazy how fast military technology was advancing that it obsolete in a decade. The captain and crew must have been disappointed it never saw any action. But at least it is recognized today as a piece of important history.
The military has always been so powerful, especially with their equipment. This ship, Warrior, would be amazing to visit and learn more about.
The warrior seemed like quite the battle ship! It is amazing how fast it was able to travel. I would love to visit a ship like this!
The fact that this ship was obsolete within a decade is impressive. Mankind moves fast when given a technological breakthrough such as this.
The fact this ship was that great and never put to use is odd.
I can’t believe that the ironclad Warrior was considered lighter than an equivalent wooden ship! Also surprising is that such a strong ship for its time was not used.
It is interesting to read about a ship which was so great, ending up to not do much in combat and eventually being stripped down.