1886 THE BATTLESHIP IS OBSOLETE
© Brian Patterson
The earliest photograph in the Portsmouth Royal Dockyard Historical Trust records of a Portsmouth built ship being launched is the Battleship TRAFALGAR, launched on the 20th September 1887. During the birth of these ships the torpedo was allowed to dominate the thinking of Naval warfare to such an extent that the battleships were being looked on as little more than a helpless target waiting to be sunk by the new mosquito with it's lethal sting.
Mr Hibbert (Financial Secretary to the Admiralty) in his description of the TRAFALGAR, when moving the Naval estimates for 1886 said to the House. "I may safely say these two large ironclads will probably be the last of this type that will ever be built in this or any other country".
In March 1889 the First Lord explained:
"I had hoped some two years ago that the NILE and TRAFALGAR would be the last battleships laid down in this country. It then appeared as if there was to be a general cessation of ironclad building owing to the appearance of the torpedo boats. But the powers of these torpedo boats had been greatly exaggerated by naval officers. France suspended her battleship building and other nations followed her example; but since then, owing in part to the invention of the quick-firing guns, there has been a return to the building of battleships". What a persistent beast the battleship is! Yes is, for how ironical that 102 years after that speech was made and 31 years after Britain's last battleship went to the breakers, the Royal Navy should find itself riding shotgun (escorting) American battleships on operational patrols in the Gulf War.
The TRAFALGAR was laid down on No 5 Slipway on 18th January 1886 followed in April of that year by her sister ship the NILE at Pembroke Dockyard. She was launched by Lady Hood on 20th September 1887, although it was one of the yard's highlights of the year it was clouded by 1,000 men, mostly Ship- wrights being made redundant. The ship was completed in March 1890 at a cost of £859,070. Although officially stated to have been completed in the unprecedented time, for that period, of three and a quarter years, she was kept waiting for her guns and was not commissioned until April 1890. At sea she performed well, achieving her designed speed of 17.5 knots. The very low freeboard forward did have its drawbacks as in wind states of 3-4 and insufficient sea to lift the ship, the forecastle was always awash with clouds of spray breaking over the turret.
Her first commission was as Flagship Mediterranean where she remained for seven years, paying off at Portsmouth in October 1897 and remained as port guard ship until August 1902 when she was derated to the Fleet Reserve Class A In September 1903 she was derated further to the Dockyard Reserve. In April 1905 she was transferred to Reserve Fleet Devonport, and in March two years later to Sheerness, where she became turret and submerged torpedo tube drill ship until replaced by the VENGEANCE in April 1909 when she reverted to the 4th Division Home Fleet at Nore. The end of the line came in March 1911 when she was sold for the princely sum off.29,500 and scrapped.
Her armour plating, by any standard, is breathtaking, 20 inch thick sides and 18 inch thick bulkheads, we can only now marvel at how they transported and erected it on the slipway. Like so many things now, what was bread and butter to them appears as the eighth wonder of the world to us.
