HMS Caledonia (1862) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Caledonia
Namesake	Caledonia
Builder	Woolwich Dockyard
Laid down	10 October 1860
Launched	24 October 1862
Completed	July 1865
Fate	Broken up, 1886
General characteristics
Class and type	Prince Consort-class ironclad
Displacement	6,832 long tons (6,942 t)
Length	As built : 252 ft (77 m) After 1866 : 273 ft (83 m)
Beam	As built : 57 ft (17 m) After 1866 : 58 ft 6 in (17.83 m)
Draught	As built : 25 ft (7.6 m) light 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) deep load After 1866 : 24 ft (7.3 m) light 26 ft 9 in (8.15 m) deep load
Propulsion	One-shaft Maudsley horizontal reciprocating 3,750 ihp (2,796 kW)
Sail plan	Single-topsail barque, sail area 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m2)
Speed	12.5 knots (14.4 mph; 23.2 km/h) under power 11.5 knots (13.2 mph; 21.3 km/h) under sail
Complement	605
Armament	1865 : 10 × 7 in (180 mm) breech loading Armstrong rifles 8 × 100-pounder smoothbore 12 × 68-pounder smoothbore guns 1867 : 4 × 8 in (200 mm) muzzle-loading rifles 20 × 7 in (180 mm) muzzle-loading rifles
Armour	Battery and belt: 4.5 in (110 mm) amidships and 3 in (76 mm) fore and aft

HMS Caledonia was a powerful warship from the past. She was an "ironclad," meaning she had strong metal armor to protect her. She started as a large wooden ship called a "steam ship of the line" but was changed during building into an "armoured frigate." This made her a very strong and important ship for the Royal Navy.

Life of the HMS Caledonia

The launch of the armoured ship Caledonia at Woolwich Dockyard.

HMS Caledonia was finished in July 1865. This was a bit late because her main guns took a while to arrive. Once her guns were installed, she joined the Mediterranean Fleet. She became the very first armoured flagship for the Royal Navy. A flagship is the ship where the fleet's commander stays.

Changes and New Roles

In 1866, Caledonia was taken out of service for a short time. Workers added a new upper deck, called a poop deck, to the ship. After these changes, she became the flagship of the Channel Fleet until 1867. Then, she was taken out of service again to get new weapons.

From 1869 to 1872, HMS Caledonia was once again the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. She took over this role from HMS Victoria.

Incidents at Sea

In July 1871, Caledonia accidentally hit the ground near Santorini, Greece. Luckily, she was pulled free and taken to Malta for repairs.

Two years later, on June 15, 1873, Caledonia crashed into another British ship called Hogton Tower. This happened near St. Alban's Head, Dorset. The Hogton Tower was badly damaged at the front. Caledonia was able to tow the damaged ship to Spithead, Hampshire.

At the time of the collision, Caledonia was working as a Coastguard vessel in Birkenhead, Cheshire. She was sailing to Portsmouth, Hampshire, for a special inspection by the Shah of Persia.

End of Service

After these events, Caledonia was taken out of service at Plymouth. She stayed there until she was sold on September 30, 1886. This marked the end of her time as a Royal Navy ship.