HMS Champion (1878)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Champion |
| Builder: | J. Elder & Co., Glasgow |
| Laid down: | 17 August 1876 |
| Launched: | 1 July 1878 |
| Commissioned: | 7 December 1880 |
| Fate: | scrapped in 1919 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Comus-class corvette |
| Displacement: | 2,380 long tons |
| Length: | 225 ft (69 m) |
| Beam: | 44.6 ft (14 m) |
| Draught: |
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| Propulsion: | 2 engines of 2,590 ihp driving single screw |
| Speed: | 13 kt |
| Range: | 3840 miles @ 10 knots |
| Complement: | 265 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Champion was one of nine Comus-class corvettes of the Royal Navy, built in the late 1870s and early 1880s to a design by Nathaniel Barnaby. Champion was one of three in the class built by J. Elder & Co., Govan, Scotland and was launched on 1 July 1878. She was the third vessel under this name in the Royal Navy.
Champion was a single-screw corvette (later classified as a third-class cruiser) designed for distant cruising service for the British Empire. The intention of the Royal Navy was to use the class as scout vessel for the fleet, but due to their slow speed, the class was mainly used for protection across the globe. Built with iron frames and steel plating, Champion was sheathed with two layers of teak wood and sheathed with copper. The hull was unprotected except for a 1.5 in (38 mm) of armour over the machinery spaces. with some additional protection offered by the coal bunkers flanking the engine spaces and magazines. They marked a dramatic step forward in basic habitability, with improved below-decks ventilation, a sick bay, bathroom for ratings and even a ship’s library.
Champion had a ship rig, with sqaresails on all three masts. She and her class were among the last of the sailing corvettes. The vessel was also equipped with a steam engine driving a single screw with 2,590 indicated horsepower; to reduce resistance, this propeller could be hoisted into a slot cut in the keel when the vessel was under sail.
Champion initially carried two 7-inch muzzle-loading rifles, four breechloading 6-inch 80-pounder guns and eight 64-pdr muzzle-loading rifles, but the breech loaders proved unsatisfactory and were replaced in 1885 with four 6 inch BL MK III, eight 5 inch BL MK III, four QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss and two light guns, six machine guns and two torpedo carriages.
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