HMS Agamemnon (1852) facts for kids
Agamemnon laying cable, 1858
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Agamemnon |
| Namesake | King Agamemnon of Mycenae |
| Ordered | 1849 |
| Cost | £141,299 |
| Launched | 22 May 1852 |
| Fate | Paid off 1862; sold out of service 1870 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Steam two-decker Agamemnon-class line-of-battle ship |
| Tonnage | 3,074 45/94 bm |
| Displacement | 4,614 tons |
| Length |
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| Beam | 55 ft 4 in (16.87 m) (extreme) |
| Draught |
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| Depth of hold | 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m) |
| Propulsion | 600 nhp John Penn and Sons engine, 2,268 ihp (1,691 kW) |
| Sail plan |
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| Speed | 11.243 knots (20.8 km/h; 12.9 mph) under steam |
| Complement | 860 |
| Armament |
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HMS Agamemnon was a powerful 91-gun battleship built for the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. It was ordered in 1849 because Britain felt threatened by new French battleships. The ship was named after Agamemnon, a famous king from ancient Greek stories.
Ship Design and Features
Agamemnon was special because it was the first British battleship designed from the start to use steam power. However, steam engines back then were not very efficient. This meant the ship was expected to travel mostly using its sails. It had a full set of square sails on three masts, just like other large sailing warships of that time.
The ship was finished in 1852. It carried many cannons on two decks. These were muzzle-loading smooth-bore cannons, which were common for warships during that period.
Agamemnon at War
Agamemnon was part of the Mediterranean Fleet. It played an important role in the Crimean War. During the war, it was the flagship for Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons.
The ship took part in attacking Sevastopol on October 17, 1854. Later that year, during a huge storm, Agamemnon was pushed ashore on the Russian coast of the Black Sea. In 1855, it also helped shell Fort Kinburn, located at the mouth of the Dnieper river.
Laying the Atlantic Cable
In 1857, Agamemnon was chosen for a very important mission. The government prepared the ship to carry 1,250 tons of telegraph cable. This was for the first attempt to lay a transatlantic telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean.
The first try to lay the cable was not successful. But the project continued the next year. On July 29, 1858, Agamemnon and an American ship, USS Niagara, successfully connected their two sections of the cable in the middle of the Atlantic. This was a huge step for communication between continents.
