HMS Superb (1875) facts for kids

Superb in harbour
Quick facts for kids History
United Kingdom
Name	Superb
Builder	Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Leamouth, London
Laid down	1873
Launched	16 November 1875
Completed	15 November 1880
Commissioned	4 October 1880
Fate	Broken up 1906
General characteristics
Displacement	9,710 tons
Length	332 ft 4 in (101.30 m)
Beam	59 ft (18 m)
Draught	24 ft 4 in (7.42 m) light 26 ft 5 in (8.05 m) deep load
Propulsion	One-shaft Maudslay horizontal 6,580 ihp (4,910 kW)
Sail plan	Barque rig
Speed	13.2 knots (24.4 km/h; 15.2 mph) (under power)
Complement	654
Armament	From 1880: 16 × 10-inch (254 mm) rifled muzzle-loading guns 6 × 20-pounder Rifled Breech Loaders (RBL) 4 × Mark II torpedo carriages From 1891: 12 × 10 in (250 mm) muzzle-loading rifles 10 × 6 in (150 mm) breech loaders 6 × 6-pounder Quick Firing (QF) Guns 10 × 3-pounder Quicki Firing (QF) Guns 4 × torpedo tubes
Armour	Belt: 7 in (180 mm)–12 in (300 mm) Battery: 12 in (300 mm) Bulkheads: 5 in (130 mm)–10 in (250 mm) Conning tower: 8 in (200 mm) Decks: 1.5 in (38 mm)

HMS Superb was a powerful warship known as an ironclad battleship. She was first designed for the Ottoman Navy by Sir Edward Reed. This ship was built in Britain by Thames Ironworks and was originally named Hamidieh. She was special because she could use both her engines and sails to move.

In 1878, there was a big worry about a war with Russia. Because of this, the British Government decided to buy Superb and two other ships. Superb was originally planned to be bigger than another ship called HMS Hercules. She was meant to have stronger weapons and thicker armor.

After the British bought her, Superb's design was changed a lot. This caused a five-year delay between when she was launched and when she was finally ready. Her upper decks were made larger. This allowed her to carry sixteen 10-inch guns. This was the most heavy guns of the same size ever on a British battleship. She also got new features like searchlights and torpedo launchers.

Key Features of HMS Superb

Superb was designed to sail, and she had a barque rig (a type of sail setup). However, it was found that she was very hard to control without her engines running. Because of this, she never really sailed using only her sails.

She had a sister ship called the Ottoman ironclad Mesudiye. This ship was completed for the Ottoman Navy as originally planned.

Life on Board the Ship

In her first design, the main living area for the crew was very tall. During her changes, an extra deck was added about five feet below the main beams. This new deck was used for hanging hammocks (beds) for the crew. It became known as the "slave deck."

Service History of HMS Superb

Superb began her service in the Mediterranean Sea on October 4, 1880. She stayed there for seven years.

Bombardment of Alexandria

In 1882, Superb took part in the Bombardment of Alexandria. This was an attack on Egyptian forts. She fired 310 large 10-inch shells at the forts. In return, the ship was hit ten times, but seven of these hits were on her strong armor. Luckily, no one on board was hurt.

Later Years and Fate

After her time in the Mediterranean, Superb went through a major upgrade from 1887 to 1891. After this, she served as a guard ship on the River Clyde until 1894. Then, she was put into the Fleet Reserve, meaning she was kept ready but not actively used.

Her only other time at sea was during naval exercises in 1900. In 1904, she was used as a hospital ship for people with infectious diseases. Finally, in 1906, HMS Superb was sold and taken apart.

Gallery

• 

  This picture shows how the ship might have looked if it had been finished for the Ottoman Navy.

• 
• 

  A painting of HMS Superb at sea.