For the Royal Navy the start of the ironclad age was in 1860 and lasted until steam-only steel ships became the norm. For more than a decade, the flourishing of ideas and technologies was unprecedented, at a time most navies still counted vast fleets of sailing frigates, corvettes and ships of the line dating back for some to Napoleonic time. The Royal Navy’s ironclads represented a significant shift in naval warfare, transitioning from wooden warships to vessels protected by iron or steel armor. This transition was spurred by the vulnerability of wooden ships to explosive and incendiary shells, particularly during the Crimean War. The start of the ironclad period started in Western Europe, in 1859, between arch-rivals, France and Britain. When unveiled, Gloire launched in 1859, was a wooden frigate armoured with wrought iron. It was immediately answered by Britain, well informed on these progress. In December 1860 was launched HMS Warrior and three months later, HMS Black Prince. These ships and others that followed marked the beginning of a new era in naval technology and construction. They dwarved the Gloire by tonnage and introduced an all-iron construction setting up immediately a new standard. They were indeed the first ocean-going ironclads with iron hulls ever constructed.
Sea-going ironclads
Sea-going ironclads
Warrior class
The first British, French and Russian ironclads, carried their weapons in a single line along their sides and so were called “broadside ironclads”. The HMS Warrior was a example of this type. Because the armor was so heavy, it could only carry a single row of guns along the main deck on each side rather than a row on each deck.
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Warrior | Warrior class | 01-08-1861 | 31-05-1883 | Renamed: Vernon III, Warrior 1, C77, Museumship |
-- | HMS Black Prince | Warrior class | May 1862 | -- | Reclassified as Traininsship, Sold for scrap 1923 |
Defence class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Defence | Defence class | 04-12-1861 | -- | Renamed: VHMS Indus 1898, sold for scrap 1935 |
-- | HMS Resistance | Defence class | 02-07-1862 | 1880 | Sold for scrap 1898 |
Hector class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Hector | Hector class | January 1864 | -- | Sold for scrap 1905 |
-- | HMS Valiant | Hector class | September 1868 | 1885 | Sold for scrap 1956 |
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HMS Archilles
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Achilles | -- | 1867 | 1877 | Sold for scrap, 26-01-1923 |
Minotaur class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Minotaur | Minotaur class | April 1867 | -- | Sold for scrap, 30-01-1923 |
-- | HMS Agincourt | Minotaur class | June 1868 | 1889 | Ren. Boscwen III, Ganges II, C109, Sold 21-10-1960 |
-- | HMS Northumberland | Minotaur class | October 1868 | 1898 | Ren. Acheron, C8, C68, Stedmound, Sold 1927 |
Prince Consort class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Prince Consort | Prince Consort | 1864 | 1871 | Sold for breaking, March 1882 |
-- | HMS Caledonia | Prince Consort | 1865 | 1875 | Sold for scrap, 30-09-1886 |
-- | HMS Ocean | Prince Consort | July 1866 | June 1972 | Sold for scrap, 1882 |
Ironclads – No class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Royal Oak | -- | April 1863 | 1871 | Sold for scrap, 30-09-1885 |
-- | HMS Royal Alfred | -- | January 1867 | 1875 | Sold for scrap, 1885 |
-- | HMS Research | -- | 06-04-1864 | 1878 | Sold for scrap, 1884 |
-- | HMS Enterprise | -- | 05-05-1862 | 1871 | Sold for scrap, 1885 |
-- | HMS Favorite | -- | 1866 | 1876 | Sold for scrap, 30-03-1886 |
-- | HMS Zealous | -- | Spetember 2866 | 1875 | Sold for scrap, September 1886 |
-- | HMS Repulse | -- | 1866 | 1885 | Sold for scrap, 1889 |
Lord Clyde class
The Lord Clyde class were ironclad frigates constructed for the Royal Navy in the 1860s. Unlike other similar ironclad ships that were built for the navy at the time, they were not conversions but new wooden hulls that were encased in iron.
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Lord Clyde | Lord Clyde class | June 1866 | 1872 | Sold for scrap, 1875 |
-- | HMS Lord Warden | Lord Clyde class | July 1867 | 1885 | Broken up, 1889 |
Ironclads – No class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS pallas | -- | 31-10-1868 | 1879 | Sold for scrap, 20 April 1886 |
-- | HMS Bellerophon | -- | March 1866 | 1892 | Training Hulk Indus III 1904, Sold for scrap 12-12-1922 |
-- | HMS Penelope | -- | 1868 | 1887 | Recl. to prison hulk 1897, Sold for scrap, 12-07-1912 |
-- | HMS Hercules | -- | 1868 | 1904 | Recl. Calcutta as depot ship, Sold for scrap April 1922 |
-- | HMS Monarch | -- | 1868 | 1902 | Recl. Simoom as depot ship, sold for scrap, 1905 |
-- | HMS Captain | -- | 1869 | -- | Sunk; 07-09-1870 |
Audacious class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Audacious | Audacious class | October 1870 | 1894 | Sold for scrap, 15-03-1927 |
-- | HMS Invincible | Audacious class | 01-10-1870 | -- | Sank, 17-09-1914 |
-- | HMS Iron Duke | Audacious class | 01-04-1871 | 1890 | Converted to coal hulk, 1900, Sold for scrap, 15-05-06 |
-- | HMS Vanguard | Audacious class | 28-09-1870 | -- | Sunk in accident on 01-09-1875 |
Swiftsure class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Swiftsure | Swiftsure class | 1871 | -- | Sold for scrap, November 1908 |
-- | HMS Thriumph | Swiftsure class | 1873 | -- | Sold for scrap, November 1921 |
Devastation class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Devastation | Devastation class | 19-04-1873 | -- | Sold for scrap, May 1908 |
-- | HMS Thunderer | Devastation class | May 1877 | -- | Sold for scrap, 13-7-1909 |
Ironclads – No class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Sultan | -- | 1871 | -- | Sold for scrap, 1947 |
-- | HMS Alexandra | -- | 31-01-1877 | -- | Sold for scrap, 1908 |
-- | HMS Temeraire | -- | 1877 | -- | Sold for scrap, May 1921 |
-- | HMS Superb | Superb class | 04-10-1880 | -- | Sold for scrap, 1906 |
-- | HMS Neptune | -- | 28-03-1883 | -- | Sold for scrap, 1904 |
-- | HMS Dreadnought | -- | 1884 | 1905 | Sold for scrap, 14-07-1908 |
-- | HMS Inflexible | -- | 05-07-1881 | 11 | Sold for scrap, 1903 |
Ajax class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Agamemnon | Ajax class | 29-03-1883 | 1901 | Sold for scrap, 1903 |
-- | HMS Ajax | Ajax class | 30-04-1885 | 1901 | Sold for scrap, March 1904 |
Colossus class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Colossus | Colossus class | 31-10-1886 | -- | Sold for scrap, 1908 |
-- | HMS Edinburgh | Colossus class | 1887 | 1908 | Sold for scrap, 1910 |
Admiral class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Collingwood | Admiral class | 01-07-1887 | 1909 | Sold for scrap, 1909 |
-- | HMS Anson | Admiral class | 28-05-1889 | 1909 | Sold for scrap, 1909 |
-- | HMS Camperdown | Admiral class | 18-07-1889 | 1908 | Sold for scrap, 1910 |
-- | HMS Howe | Admiral class | 18-07-1889 | 1904 | Sold for scrap, 1911 |
-- | HMS Rodney | Admiral class | 20-06-1888 | 1909 | Sold for scrap, 1909 |
-- | HMS Benbow | Admiral class | 14-06-1888 | 1909 | Sold for scrap, 1909 |
Victoria class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Victoria | Victoria class | March 1890 | -- | Accidentally rammed and sunk, 22-06-1893 |
-- | HMS Sans Pareil | Victoria class | 08-07-1891 | 1907 | Sold for scrap, 19-04-1907 |
Trafalgar class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Trafalgar | Trafalgar class | 02-04-1890 | 1911 | Sold for scrap, 09-04-1912 |
-- | HMS Nile | Trafalgar class | 30-06-1891 | 1912 | Sold for scrap, 09-07-1912 |
Coastal Service Ironclads
Ironclads – no class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Royal Sovereign | -- | 1867 | 1885 | Converted to turret ship, 1864, Broken up, May 1885 |
-- | HMS Prince Albert | -- | 1867 | 1899 | Broken up, 1899 |
Scorpion Class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Scorpion | Scorpion class | 1865 | -- | Sold for scrap, 17-06-1903 |
-- | HMS Wivern | Scorpion class | 1865 | -- | Sold for scrap, 1922 |
Cerberus Class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Cerberus | Cerberus class | 1871 | -- | Sunk as Breakwater. 02-10-1926 |
-- | HMS Magdala | Cerberus class | -- | -- | Sold for scrap, 1903 |
Ironclads – no class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Abyssinia | -- | -- | 1903 | Broken up, 1903 |
-- | HMS Hotspur | -- | 17-11-1871 | -- | Scrapped, 1904 |
-- | HMS Glaton | -- | 1872 | -- | Sold for scrap, 1903 |
-- | HMS Rupert | -- | 1876 | 1907 | Sold for scrap, 1907 |
Cyclops class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Cyclops | Cyclops class | January 1872 | -- | Sold for scrap, 07-07-1903 |
-- | HMS Gorgon | Cyclops class | April 1872 | 1901 | Sold for scrap, 12-05-1903 |
-- | HMS Hecate | Cyclops class | April 1872 | 1901 | Sold for scrap, 12-05-1903 |
-- | HMS Hydra | Cyclops class | August 1872 | 1901 | Sold for scrap, 07-07-1903 |
Balleisle class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Belleisle | Belleisle class | 02-07-1878 | -- | Sold for scrap, 1903 |
-- | HMS Orion | Belleisle class | 24-06-1882 | -- | Sold for scrap, June 1913 |
Conqueror class
Hull | Name | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
-- | HMS Conqueror | Conqueror class | 05-07-1887 | -- | Sold for scrap, 1907 |
-- | HMS Hero | Conqueror class | May 1888 | -- | Sunk as a target ship, 18-02-1908 |
References:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ironclads_of_the_Royal_Navy
2. https://naval-encyclopedia.com/industrial-era/1870-fleets/warrior-class-ironclad.php