Gunboats

[Brian James]

Gunboat HMS Protector pictured on the ways at William Armstrong,Mitchell & Co,Elswick,Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1883.She was ordered in 1883 and built at a cost of £65,000 for the South Australian Government following a decision to establish a naval force for the protection of the colony’s coasts and harbours. For her size she was an exceptionally heavily armed vessel, boasting a main armament of 1 x 8-inch and 5 x 6-inch breech loading guns.
To conserve coal, Protector was originally rigged as a topsail schooner, carrying two yards with sail, on her foremast.

[Blackbat242]

One of her building, then at various stages of her career.

HMAS Protector building.jpg

HMAS Protector pic 2.jpg

HMAS Protector 1900.jpg

AA HMAS PROTECTOR 1912.jpg

HMAS Protector 3.jpg

[Blackbat242]

OK. it wouldn't let me add this to the same post, so...

HMAS_Protector_Remains_S01 22 March 2008.JPG

Note: most of these photos came from the old World Naval Ships Forum, and whoever posted them there should be thanked.

[ivorthediver]

Thanks for resurrecting them Jon , very grateful

[Blackbat242]

Yes - I only wish I had saved more photos from the old board.
I'll gladly reshare those I got from there, of course.

[ivorthediver]

Thank you very much , of course had we known of the rapid closure we all would have , but hey thats life

[Brian James]

Initially classified as a Light Cruiser...Flat Iron Gunboat HM Colony Ship Protector (when in Sth Aust service) in 1884 and HMAS Protector pictured post the removal of most of her armament c1901.Built at William Armstrong & Co, Newcastle on Tyne, she was built to a standard type F1 flat-iron gunboat design, but was one of the largest of its type, and was classified as a Light Cruiser, with a displacement of 920 tons. Her length was 180 feet 6 inches, with two compound surface-condensing engines that produced 1,500 horsepower. Her top speed was 14 knots. To conserve fuel (coal) she was also originally rigged as a topsail schooner.For her size, she was exceptionally heavily armed. Her largest weapon was the 8-inch Armstrong-rifled breech-loading gun mounted at the bow. The gun weighed 12 tons and could fire a 180-pound shell 7,500 yards using a charge of 90 lb of black powder.
Other armaments included five 6-inch Woolwich-Armstrong rifled breech-loading guns; four 3-pounder 1.85-calibre Hotchkiss QF guns and five 10-barrel (1.6 m3) Gatling machine guns. Her small arms consisted of 200 0.45 Martini-Henry rifles Mk IV, 100 breech-loading revolvers, 100 cutlasses and 30 boarding pikes.
At the outbreak of World War I, her armament was increased to include two 4-inch guns, two 12-pounder guns and four 3-pounder guns.

[Brian James]

A long digital clean up on these..........Gayundah Class Flat Iron Gunboats HMQS Paluma and HMQS Gayundah pictured under construction and completed at Sir W.G,Armstrong,Mitchell & Company Shipyards,Elswick,Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1884.Operated by the Queensland Maritime Defence Force and later the RAN.

[Brian James]

A reply sent on another site concerning HMQS Gayundah......My grandfather served on Gayundah prior to WW1 as a Naval Cadet. She rests as coastal breakwater (what’s left of her) at Woody Point Redcliffe Queensland today. This shot was taken last month. A memorial is on the Esplanade above her.