HMS Waitemata (1883) facts for kids
A Defender-class torpedo boat, clearly showing the spar torpedo
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Waitemata |
| Ordered | 26 August 1882 |
| Builder | John I. Thornycroft & Company |
| Cost | £12,600 for four boats |
| Yard number | 170 |
| Launched | 30 August 1883 |
| Commissioned | 19 September 1883 |
| 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 Waitemata was a special type of small warship called a Defender-class torpedo boat. It was built in 1883 by a company called Thornycroft & Company in England. This boat was made to help defend New Zealand. After it was built, it was shipped all the way to New Zealand.
Contents
What Was a Torpedo Boat?
A torpedo boat was a small, fast warship. Its main job was to attack larger, slower enemy ships. It did this by using special underwater weapons called torpedoes. These boats were very important in naval warfare during the late 1800s.
Building and Launching HMS Waitemata
HMS Waitemata was ordered on August 26, 1882. It was built in a place called Chiswick, which is in England. The company that built it, John I. Thornycroft & Company, was famous for making fast boats.
The boat was launched into the water on August 30, 1883. This is like its birthday! Soon after, on September 19, 1883, it was officially ready for service. This means it was ready to join the navy.
How Big Was It?
HMS Waitemata was quite small for a warship.
- It weighed about 12 tons. This is how much water it pushed aside when floating.
- It was about 62 feet 10 inches long. That's roughly the length of two school buses.
- It was about 7 feet 6 inches wide.
How Did It Move?
This torpedo boat was powered by steam.
- It had a special two-cylinder steam engine. This engine used steam to turn the propellers.
- The steam came from a "locomotive boiler." This is like the powerful boiler you might find in an old steam train.
- All this power gave the boat about 173 horsepower.
- It could travel at a speed of 17.3 knots. A knot is a way to measure speed at sea. 17.3 knots is about 32 kilometers per hour (20 miles per hour).
Who Was On Board?
HMS Waitemata had a crew of 7 people. These sailors operated the boat and its weapons.
What Weapons Did It Carry?
Even though it was small, HMS Waitemata carried some powerful weapons for its time.
- Spar Torpedo: This was an early type of torpedo. It was a long pole (a "spar") with an explosive charge at the end. The boat would ram an enemy ship with the spar, and the charge would explode. It was a very risky weapon to use!
- Whitehead Torpedoes: These were more advanced torpedoes. They were self-propelled, meaning they could swim underwater towards an enemy ship. HMS Waitemata carried two of these.
- Nordenfelt Gun: It also had a 2-barreled Nordenfelt gun. This was a type of machine gun that could fire many shots quickly. It was used to defend against smaller boats or enemy sailors.
Sources
- The New Zealand Maritime Index
- Winfield, R.; Lyon, D. (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6.
