Summary
The Greek ironclad Vasilefs Georgios (Greek: Βασιλεύς Γεώργιος) was an armored corvette built in Great Britain for the Royal Hellenic Navy during the 1860s. She became a cadet training ship before she was stricken from the Navy List in 1912. The ship was scrapped in 1915.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Greece | |
| Name | Vasilefs Georgios |
| Namesake | King George |
| Builder | Thames Ironworks, Blackwall, London |
| Launched | 28 December 1867 |
| Completed | 1868 |
| Decommissioned | 1915 |
| Reclassified | Training ship, early 1900s |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1915 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Armored corvette |
| Displacement | 1,774 long tons (1,802 t) |
| Length | 200 ft 2 in (61.0 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft (10.1 m) |
| Draft | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Installed power | 2,100 ihp (1,600 kW) |
| Propulsion | 1 shaft, 1 steam engine |
| Sail plan | Schooner rigged |
| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Range | 1,300 nautical miles (2,400 km; 1,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 152 |
| Armament | |
| Armor | |
Description edit
Vasilefs Georgios had a length overall of 213 feet 3 inches (65.0 m) long, a beam of 33 feet 2 inches (10.1 m) and a mean draft of 20 feet (6.1 m). The ship displaced 1,774 long tons (1,802 t). She had horizontal single-expansion steam engines that drove two propellers.[1] The engines were designed to produce a total of 2,400 indicated horsepower (1,800 kW) to give the ship a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), but only produced 2,100 ihp (1,600 kW) for a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).[2] For long-distance travel, Vasilefs Georgios was fitted with two masts and schooner rigged. She carried 210 long tons (210 t) of coal that gave her a range of about 1,300 nautical miles (2,400 km; 1,500 mi) at full speed. The ship had a crew of 120 officers and crewmen.[1]
Vasilefs Georgios was armed with a pair of Armstrong nine-inch (229 mm) rifled muzzle-loading guns. The ship was a central-battery ironclad with the armament concentrated amidships in a hexagonal armored citadel. The citadel was protected by six-inch (152 mm) plates and the entire ship's side was covered by armor that had a maximum thickness of seven inches (178 mm) amidships and reduced to four point five inches (114 mm) at the ends.[3]
Construction and service edit
Vasilefs Georgios, named for King George I of Greece,[4] was built by Thames Ironworks, Blackwall, London. She was launched on 28 December 1867 and completed the following year.[3] In February 1870, Vasilefs Georgios was damaged at sea, guns in one of her turrets being dislodged. She put in to Lisbon, Portugal on 9 February for repairs, her crew refusing to proceed.[5] The ship became a training ship for naval cadets around the end of the 19th century.[3] She was stricken in 1912. Vasilefs Georgios was broken up in 1915.[6]
Notes edit
Bibliography edit
- Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-907-3.
- "Greek Ironclads Olga and Georgios". Warship International. X (2). Naval Records Club: 212–214. 1973. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0.