HMS ''Triumph'' was a

broadside ironclad An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...

battleship of the Victorian era, the sister-ship of . These two ships comprise the ''Swiftsure'' class of 1870. The two sister-ships, which were built side by side by Palmers, were designed and built specifically to serve as flagships on distant stations, primarily with the Pacific squadron. They were powered by a Maudslay horizontal twin-cylinder return connecting-rod engine, and were the last British battleships to be fitted with a hoisting screw.

Construction

The ship was built by

Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Limited, often referred to simply as "Palmers", was a British shipbuilding company. The Company was based in Jarrow, County Durham, in north-eastern England, and also had operations in Hebburn and Willin ...

Jarrow Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a ceremonial counties of England, county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Ab ...

. She was launched on 27 September 1870. On 28 November, during

fitting out Fitting out, or outfitting, is the process in shipbuilding that follows the float-out/launching of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her ...

, she was severely damaged by fire. As a result, she was not completed until 8 April 1873.

Service history

''Triumph'' was initially commissioned in 1873 for the

Channel Fleet The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915. History Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history the ...

, being transferred after a short time to the Mediterranean. On 1 March 1877, she collided with the steamship but was not damaged. She paid off in 1877 to be prepared for transfer to the Pacific as flagship, replacing after her indecisive action against the Peruvian rebel ship ''Huascar''. On 21 November 1881, while ''Triumph'' was off Chile, an explosion occurred caused by a drying compound called " xerotine siccative", also called a patent drier. Three men were killed and seven were wounded. She was relieved by ''Swiftsure'' in 1882. ''Triumph'' returned to Portsmouth, where she was refitted, receiving new boilers and launching rails for torpedoes. She served as Pacific flagship from January 1885 until December 1888, and was present at the official opening of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...

Vancouver harbour french: Baie Burrard , image = Burrard Inlet 201807.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Aerial view of Burrard Inlet , image_bathymetry = Burrard-Inlet-map-en.svg , alt_bathymetry ...

in 1887 for both ceremonial reasons and protection against a rumoured

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood, secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dedicate ...

attack. Her relief at that time by ''Swiftsure'' signalled the end of her foreign service. Returning home, she was for a short time in reserve at Devonport, and was then flagship at

Queenstown Queenstown is the name of several human settlements around the world, nearly all in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. Queenstown may refer to: Places currently named Queenstown *Queenstown, Alberta, a hamlet in Canada * Quee ...

between February 1890 and September 1892. She returned to the reserve at Devonport, where she remained until July 1900. She was disarmed to become a depot ship at Plymouth. Captain

Arthur William Edward Prothero Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

was appointed in command on 11 July 1902, for command of Fleet Reserve at Devonport, but the appointment was cancelled and Captain

Cecil Thursby Admiral Sir Cecil Fiennes Thursby, (17 January 1861 – 28 May 1936) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, after serving in World War I mainly in the Mediterranean Sea. Family Thursby was born in Warwicksh ...

was appointed in command from 16 July 1902. In September that year it was announced that her engines and boilers would be removed, and the vessel converted into a hulk. In 1903, with her machinery removed, she was a training ship for boy artificers at Chatham under the new name of ''Tenedos''. From 1905 she was tender to , and in 1910 was moved to Devonport to form part of the stoker training establishment, with the name of ''Indus IV''. She was towed to Invergordon in 1914 to become a floating store with the name of ''Algiers''. She was sold in November 1921, having remained afloat thirteen years longer than her sister.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Triumph (1870) Swiftsure-class ironclads Ships built on the River Tyne 1870 ships Victorian-era battleships of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in November 1870