The ''Highflyer''-class cruisers were a group of three second-class

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers re ...

s built for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

in the late 1890s.

Design and description

The ''Highflyer''-class cruisers were essentially repeats of the previous , albeit with a more powerful armament and propulsion machinery. They were designed to displace . The ships had an

overall length The overall length (OAL) of an ammunition cartridge is a measurement from the base of the brass shell casing to the tip of the bullet, seated into the brass casing. Cartridge overall length, or "COL", is important to safe functioning of reloads i ...

of , a beam of and a draught of . Their crew consisted of 470 officers and other ranks.Friedman 2012, p. 334 The ships were powered by two 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by 18

Belleville boiler There have been a vast number of designs of steam boiler, particularly towards the end of the 19th century when the technology was evolving rapidly. A great many of these took the names of their originators or primary manufacturers, rather than a m ...

s, which were lighter and more powerful than the cylindrical boilers used by the ''Eclipse''s. The engines were designed to produce a total of which was intended to give a maximum speed of . The ships easily exceeded their designed power and speeds during their

sea trials A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and i ...

.Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 79 They carried a maximum of of coal. The main armament of the ''Highflyer'' class consisted of 11 quick-firing (QF) Mk I guns. One gun was mounted on the

forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...

and two others were positioned on the quarterdeck. The remaining eight guns were placed port and starboard

amidships This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th ...

. They had a maximum range of approximately with their shells.Friedman 2011, pp. 87–88 Eight QF 12-pounder 12 cwt guns were fitted for defence against

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

s. One additional 12-pounder 8 cwt gun could be dismounted for service ashore. They also carried six 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns and two submerged 18-inch (450 mm)

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s. The ships' protective deck armour ranged in thickness from . The engine hatches were protected by of armour. The main guns were fitted with 3-inch gun shields and the conning tower had armour 6 inches thick.

Ships

* HMS ''Highflyer'' - launched on 4 June 1898, she served on numerous stations and hunted

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. She was sold for scrapping 10 June 1921, by then the last

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

cruiser in service with the

. * HMS ''Hermes'' - launched on 7 April 1898, she was converted to a

seaplane carrier A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

in 1913, and sunk on 31 October 1914 by ''U 27'' * HMS ''Hyacinth'' - launched on 27 October 1898, she served on southern stations in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and assisted in the blockade of SMS ''Königsberg''. She was sold for scrapping on 11 October 1923.

Notes

Footnotes

Bibliography

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External links

Highflyer class in World War I
{{WWI British ships Cruiser classes Ship classes of the Royal Navy