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HMS Duke of Wellington

History of the Duke of Wellington

The HMS Duke of Wellington was a hybrid vessel that initially ran on sail propulsion, but eventually gave way to reciprocating engines with the advent of steam propulsion a few years after she was launched. It came at a time of a decisive shift in the "art" of naval warfare, an era in which ships no longer needed to carry hundreds of guns to become a fighting force, but instead depended on careful selection of the right armament. that kind of war.

Unfortunately for the Duke of Wellington, her designs are all but outdated at this point, and she comes from a bygone era and is ended by a jumble of conflicting technologies.

HMS Duke of Wellington's profile initially featured her three main masts. It was later extended to support the midship hopper after 1852. When powered up, the boat still uses its sails in the traditional way, and under ideal conditions can reach a top speed of just over 10 knots.

Her primary armament consists of a 10 x 8" main gun, supplemented by a small caliber mix of about 121 other guns.

HMS Duke of Wellington began construction on Pembroke Quay in 1849 and was launched in 1852. As war with France seemed more inevitable, the decision to equip the ship with steam engines effectively created a "hybrid" design covering two different eras of naval history. It will be at least another 30 years before the rest of the world's navies completely abandon sails in favor of engine propulsion, so the idea of ??hybrid boat designs became common in the second half of the century. The HMS Duke of Wellington became widely known in just a few years as the most powerful warship in the world, a title that finally fell to the hated French Brittany in 1855.

In 1963, Wellington served in Portsmouth before disbanding in 1909.

Once the HMS Duke of Wellington was commissioned, she was little more than a ceremonial ship. Although her sailing qualities were considered very favorable, the added engines did not complement her original "wood sail" design and - as might be expected - actually reduced the overall strength and capability of the boat.

The Duke of Wellington's sister ships became HMS Marlborough, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Royal Sovereign. The ships were modified accordingly during construction, unlike the Duke of Wellington, which was modified after launch.