HMS Challenger
Class overview
Name	Challenger
Operators	Royal Navy   Royal Australian Navy
Preceded by	Highflyer class
Succeeded by	Topaze class
Built	1900?1905
In commission	1904?1929
Completed	2
Scrapped	2
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Protected cruiser
Displacement	5,880 long tons (5,970 t)
Length	355 ft (108.2 m) ( p/p )
Beam	56 ft (17.1 m)
Draught	21 ft 3 in (6.5 m)
Installed power	12,500  ihp (9,300 kW) 18 water-tube boilers
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2 Triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	21 knots (38.9 km/h; 24.2 mph)
Complement	490
Armament	11 × BL 6-inch (152 mm) guns 9 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt (3-inch) guns [Note 1] 6 × QF 3-pounder (47 mm) guns 2 × 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour	Deck : 1.5?3 in (38.1?76.2 mm) Gun shields : 3 in (76 mm) Conning tower : 6 in (152 mm)

The Challenger -class cruisers were a pair of second-class protected cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. One ship, HMS  Encounter , was later transferred to the Royal Australian Navy .

Design and description [ edit ]

The Challenger -class cruisers were essentially repeats of the previous Highflyer class , albeit with more powerful propulsion machinery. They were designed to displace 5,880 long tons (5,970 t). The ships had a length between perpendiculars of 355 feet (108.2 m), a beam of 56 feet (17.1 m) and a draught of 21 feet 3 inches (6.5 m). Their crew consisted of 490 officers and other ranks . ^[1]

The ships were powered by two 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines , each driving one shaft, using steam provided by 18 Babcock & Wilcox ( Challenger ) or Durr ( Encounter ) water-tube boilers . These boilers were heavier and bulkier, but more powerful than the Belleville boilers used in the Highflyer class. Sir William White , Director of Naval Construction , was uncertain if the extra power would offset the weight sufficiently to reach 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) and rated the ships at 20.75 knots (38.43 km/h; 23.88 mph). The boilers were designed to produce enough steam to allow the engines to reach 12,500 indicated horsepower (9,300 kW). ^[2] The ships easily exceeded their designed power and speeds during their sea trials . ^[3] They carried a maximum of 1,150 long tons (1,170 t) of coal. ^[1]

The main armament of the Challenger class consisted of 11 quick-firing (QF) 6-inch (152 mm) Mk I guns . ^[4] One gun was mounted on the forecastle and two others were positioned on the quarterdeck . The remaining eight guns were placed port and starboard amidships . ^[5] They had a maximum range of approximately 10,000 yards (9,100 m) with their 100-pound (45 kg) shells. ^[6] Eight QF 12-pounder 12 cwt guns were fitted for defence against torpedo boats . One additional 12-pounder 8 cwt gun could be dismounted for service ashore. ^[1] They also carried six 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns and two submerged 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes . ^[3]

The ships' protective deck armour ranged in thickness from 1.5 to 3 inches (38 to 76 mm). The engine hatches were protected by 5-inch (127 mm) of armour. The main guns were fitted with 3-inch gun shields and the conning tower had armour 6 inches thick. ^[3]

Ships [ edit ]

• HMS  Challenger - Sold 1920
• HMS  Encounter - To Australia in 1912 as HMAS Encounter , renamed Penguin 1923, scuttled 1932.

Notes [ edit ]

Footnotes [ edit ]

Bibliography [ edit ]

• Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860?1905 . Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-8317-0302-4 .
• Corbett, Julian . Naval Operations to the Battle of the Falklands . History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol. I (2nd, reprint of the 1938 ed.). London and Nashville, Tennessee: Imperial War Museum and Battery Press. ISBN   0-89839-256-X .
• Friedman, Norman (2012). British Cruisers of the Victorian Era . Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN   978-1-59114-068-9 .
• Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One . Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN   978-1-84832-100-7 .
• Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906?1921 . Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN   0-85177-245-5 .

External links [ edit ]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Challenger class cruiser .