HMS Defender (1883) facts for kids
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Torpedo boat Defender
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Defender |
| Ordered | 26 August 1882 |
| Builder | John I. Thornycroft & Company |
| Cost | £12,600 for four boats |
| Yard number | 168 |
| Launched | 30 July 1883 |
| Commissioned | 18 September 1883 |
| Fate | Abandoned at Purau Bay, Lyttelton Harbour, New Zealand |
| Status | Preserved at the Lyttelton Torpedo Boat Museum |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Defender-class torpedo boat |
| Displacement | 12 tons |
| Length | 62 ft 10 in (19.15 m) |
| Beam | 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) |
| Installed power | 173 hp (129 kW) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 17.3 kn (32.0 km/h) |
| Complement | 7 |
| Armament |
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HMS Defender was a small, fast torpedo boat built in 1883. She was designed for the Royal Navy to protect New Zealand's coasts. After 1900, she was left behind in Lyttelton. Today, what's left of her can be seen at the Lyttelton Torpedo Boat Museum.
Contents
Building the Defender
The Royal Navy bought four torpedo boats, including Defender, to help defend New Zealand. Each boat cost about £3,200. All four were built by John I. Thornycroft & Company in Chiswick, England, near the River Thames. Defender was launched into the water on July 30, 1883. She began her first tests on September 18 of the same year.
Weapons and Gear
When first built, Defender had one main weapon: a McEvoy spar torpedo. This was a torpedo attached to a long pole that would explode when rammed into an enemy ship, usually below the water. She also had a single 2-barrelled Nordenfelt machine gun for defense. Later, the spar torpedoes were replaced with Whitehead mobile torpedoes. These could be launched from the boat.
Journey to New Zealand
On February 1, 1884, Defender and her sister ships were loaded onto a sailing ship named Lyttelton. They sailed from London all the way to Port Chalmers, New Zealand. By December 1884, Defender had been towed to Lyttelton. She made her first public appearance on January 1, 1885, at the Lyttelton Regatta, where she made a big impression.
Life in Service
A special shed and slipway were built for Defender in Baker's Bay. However, people's excitement about the boat didn't last long. To keep her galvanised hull from rusting, she spent most of her time out of the water.
In March 1886, Rear Admiral R A E Scott visited Lyttelton to inspect the naval volunteers. He took a trip on Defender to see the defense works. The trip was not very successful. Her engine was so rusty that she could only go about 12.5 knots (23 km/h). The steam engine also used up fresh water very quickly. The crew had to refill the tanks with salt water, which made the boat go even slower. People blamed the government for not providing a full-time engineer to keep the boat in good shape.
Being Put Away
After this, Defender was stored in a shed a mile from town. The shed was in a bad spot, making it hard to launch the boat safely. A torpedo corps was formed in Lyttelton to train with mines, and the torpedo boat was not used much after that.
The Whitehead torpedoes that replaced the spar torpedoes had a problem. The boat's narrow hull would only stay stable if both torpedoes were launched at the exact same time. This meant each boat was a "single shot" weapon, used for defending its own harbor.
Neglect and End of Service
In 1900, the Naval and Torpedo Corps merged with the Garrison Artillery. Defender was old and outdated by then, so she was neglected and not replaced. The government later offered the boat for sale. Mr. Mark Thomas, a local steam launch owner, bought her for almost nothing. He took many parts from her and left the hull on Purau Beach. Her engines were given to the School of Engineering at Canterbury University.
For many years, the rusty remains of Defender lay on the beach at Purau Bay. Her conning tower was even used as a watering trough in a nearby field! Her steel plating, funnels, and deck parts had all been removed. Her sad end was due to neglect and misuse from the moment she arrived in Lyttelton. In 1909, the Mt. Herbert County Council tried to pull the hull further up the shore with a traction engine, but it broke in two. The rusty pieces stayed on the beach until after the Second World War. Eventually, the local council bulldozed what was left into a pit.
Saving History
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In 1999, the remains of Defender were finally recovered. Today, they are part of the exhibits at the Lyttelton Torpedo Boat Museum. The museum is in the old magazine building in Magazine Bay. It shows parts of the hull, an engine, and other items from the historic boat.
