William Mackenzie Thomson - Early 20th Century Watercolour Warspite Imperieuse

Description

Size

Size: 29.3 x 43.2cm (11.5" x 17")

Collection Information

HMS Warspite and her sister ship HMS Imperieuse made up the class of heavily armoured cruisers. HMS Warspite was built at Chatham Dockyard and engined by Penn. and Launched 29th January 1884, while her sister ship HMS Imperious was built at Portsmouth Dockyard 1883 and engined by Maudslay. Both ships were completed in 1886 at a total cost of about £630,000 each. Imperieuse served as flagship on the China Station from 1889-94, and then the Pacific Station 1896-99. She was then renamed Sapphire II and was used as a destroyer depot ship but reverted back to Imperieuse in 1909. Warspite also served as flagship on the Pacific Station from 1890-93 and was then portguard ship at Queenstown from 1893-96. They were copper sheathed, and (like the Inflexible) originally were to carry a heavy brig-rig. this was removed at a early stage, and a single military mast between the funnels substituted. Both ships proved faster than expected, but the coming of the quick firer placed them in the semi - obsolete category almost as son as they were launched. HMS Warspite (shown left) was commissioned in 1890 as flagship in the Pacific and on her return home, in 1893, she was selected to carry the flag of the senior naval officer on the Irish coast. She was placed on the sale list in 1904 and scrapped before 1906. HMS Imperieuse served on and in 1912 was a Depot ship for destroyers. Displacement 8,400 tons, Length. 315 feet. beam 62 feet. Draught 27.33 feet. Horsepower 10,000 giving 16.75 knots. Armament. Four 9.2 inch guns, six 6-inch guns. and six 14-inch torpedo Tubes. Armour. Belt amidships 10 inches. with 9 -inch Bulkheads. 8 inch Barbettes, No armour on Lesser Guns. 3 inch protective deck for and aft and on top of belt. 9 inch Conning tower.