RN Protected Cruisers: Pelorus Class

[Brian James]

Pelorus Class,Third Class Protected Cruiser HMS Pactolus seen in 1897.

[Brian James]

After a mammoth 4 hours plus digital clean..before and after pics of .....Lead Ship,Third Class Cruiser HMS Pelorus pictured c1896.She was laid down at Sheerness Dockyard in 1896. Completed and commissioned on December 15th the same year, she was designed by the Naval architect and chief warship designer Sir William White. Construction cost £154,315. The ship was well armed for her size, but was primarily a workhorse for the overseas fleet.Pelorus displaced 2,135 tons and had a top speed of 20 knots. She had reciprocating triple expansion engines and Normand water-tube boilers which could give 7,000 horsepower (5,200 kW) for limited periods of time with forced draught, and 5,000 horsepower (3,700 kW) under natural draught. She carried a crew complement of 224 men and it was armed with eight QF 4 inch 25 pounder guns, eight QF 3 pounder guns, three machine guns, and two 18-inch torpedo tubes.

[Brian James]

Pelorus Class,Third Class Protected Cruiser HMS Prometheus pictured at Port Melbourne in 1913.

[Brian James]

Pelorus Class, Third Class Protected Cruiser HMS Prometheus pictured at Port Melbourne in 1913.

[Brian James]

Australia Station Pelorus Class Protected Cruisers anchored in the Derwent River Estuary, Tasmania, (left to right), HMS Pegasus, Pioneer, Psyche and Flagship Astræa Class Second Class Cruiser HMS Cambrian....1904.

[Brian James]

Pelorus Class, Third Class Protected Cruiser HMS Pioneer pictured at Port Melbourne c 1905.

[Brian James]

Pelorus Class, Third Class Protected Cruisers HMS Pioneer and HMS Pyramus pictured in the Derwent Estuary, Hobart c1908.