HMS Centurion (1844)
Vanguard-class ship of the line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
HMS Centurion was an 80-gun second rate Vanguard-class ship of the line built for the Royal Navy in the 1840s.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Centurion |
| Ordered | 18 March 1839 |
| Builder | Pembroke Dockyard |
| Laid down | July 1839 |
| Launched | 2 May 1844 |
| Completed | 10 June 1844 (in ordinary) |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 19 March 1870 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Vanguard-class ship of the line |
| Tons burthen | 2589 94⁄94 bm |
| Length | 190 ft (57.9 m) (gundeck) |
| Beam | 57 ft 1 in (17.4 m) |
| Draught | 18 ft 10 in (5.7 m) |
| Depth of hold | 23 ft 4 in (7.1 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 720 (wartime) |
| Armament |
|
Description
The Vanguard class was designed by Sir William Symonds, Surveyor of the Navy, with each ship built with a slightly different hull shape to evaluate their speed and handling characteristics. Centurion had a length at the gundeck of 190 feet 8 inches (58.1 m) and 153 feet 5 inches (46.8 m) at the keel. She had a beam of 57 feet 1 inch (17.4 m), a draught of 18 feet 10 inches (5.7 m) and a depth of hold of 23 feet 4 inches (7.1 m). The ship's tonnage was 2,589 83⁄94 tons burthen.[1] The Vanguards had a wartime crew of 720 officers and ratings.[2]
The Vanguard class ships of the line were armed with twenty 32-pounder (56 cwt)[Note 1] cannon and two 68-pounder carronades on her lower gundeck, twenty-eight 32-pounder (50 cwt) cannon and another pair of 68-pounder carronades on the upper gundeck. On her quarterdeck were fourteen 32-pounder (42 cwt) cannon and on the forecastle deck were eight more 32-pounder (42 cwt) cannon.[2]
Modifications
When Centurion was ordered to be modified for steam propulsion in 1854, she was fitted with a two-cylinder horizontal steam engine of 400 nominal horsepower that drove a single propeller shaft. On trials the engine produced 1,255 indicated horsepower (936 kW) which gave the ship a speed of 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph).[3]
Construction and career
.jpg)
Centurion was ordered from Pembroke Dockyard on 18 March 1839 and laid down the following July. She was launched on 2 May 1844 and completed on 10 June. The ship was not fitted out and Centurion was placed in ordinary. Her construction cost £57,386. Between September 1854 and November 1855, she was fitted with steam propulsion.[1]
Centurion was sold for scrap on 19 March 1870,[4] for a price of £8200.[5]
Figurehead
The figurehead was carved by Hellyer & Sons, Portsmouth and is now in the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth.[6]
Notes
- "Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 56 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.