Career
Laid down:	March 5, 1873
Launched:	April 7, 1875
Completed:	January 31, 1877
Broken up:	1908
Specification
Displacement:	9,492 tons (9,644 t)
Length:	325 ft
Beam:	63 ft 10 in
Draught:	26 ft 3 in
Engine:	2-shaft Humphreys vertical inverted compound, 8,498 ihp (6.337 MW)
Speed:	15.09 knots
Rig:	Barque-rig, sail area 27,000 sq ft
Best speed under sail:	6 knots
Complement:	674
Armament 1877:	Two 11-inch muzzle-loading rifles Ten 10-inch muzzle-loading rifles Image File history File links Naval_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (65th in leap years). ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... hp, see HP (disambiguation) The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... The megawatt (symbol: MW) is a unit for measuring power corresponding to one million (106) watts. ... Muzzle-loading rifles were introduced into service in ships of the Royal Navy, after some experimentation with alternative armament systems, after the failure of the Armstrong 100-pounder breech-loaders which were installed in 1860. ... Muzzle-loading rifles were introduced into service in ships of the Royal Navy, after some experimentation with alternative armament systems, after the failure of the Armstrong 100-pounder breech-loaders which were installed in 1860. ... Six 13-cwt (660 kg) breech-loaders Four torpedo carriages
Armament 1891:	Four 9.2 inch breech-loaders Eight 10-inch muzzle-loading rifles Muzzle-loading rifles were introduced into service in ships of the Royal Navy, after some experimentation with alternative armament systems, after the failure of the Armstrong 100-pounder breech-loaders which were installed in 1860. ... Six 4-inch breech-loaders
Armament 1897:	Four 9.2 inch breech-loaders Eight 10-inch muzzle-loading rifles Muzzle-loading rifles were introduced into service in ships of the Royal Navy, after some experimentation with alternative armament systems, after the failure of the Armstrong 100-pounder breech-loaders which were installed in 1860. ... Six 4.7 inch quick-firers
Armour;	Main deck battery 12 inches Upper deck battery 8 inches Belt 12 inches tapering to 6 inches Bulkheads 8 inches to 5 inches Deck 1.5 inches to 1 inch

HMS Alexandra was a broadside ironclad of the Victorian Royal Navy. She was the most successful battleship of her type, but, because of the development of turret-mounted naval artillery, was obsolete by the time of her completion. The broadside ironclad ships, built mainly by Britain, France and Russia in the latter half of the nineteenth century, were a logical development of warship design after the long era of wooden warships with rows of cannon along their sides, before the advent of the turret or barbette mounted naval... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...

At the time of her design the Board of Admiralty were at loggerheads amongst themselves as regards the provision of sails in their contemporary warships; steam engine design had advanced to the point where ships could cross the Atlantic under steam power alone, but centuries of tradition had left an ingrained emotional attachment to sails in a small but influential number of the senior members of the naval hierarchy. This minority succeeded in convincing the Board to design Alexandra as a rigged broadside vessel. Old Admiralty House, Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723-26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander Pope The Admiralty was historically the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ...

She was the last of a long series of progressive steps in the development of vessels of her type, and as the militarily most effective of all of the broadside ironclads, it is ironic that she was designed by Nathaniel Barnaby, who was one of the earliest and most effective proponents of the virtues of turret-mounted artillery. Sir Nathaniel Barnaby (born February 25, 1829 in Chatham, England) was the Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy between 1872 and 1885. ...

Her armament was disposed in a central box-battery, with heavy guns deployed both on the main and on the upper deck. Recognising the increasing importance of axial fire, Barnaby arranged the artillery so that, by firing through embrasures, there was the capability of deploying four heavy guns to fire dead ahead, and two astern; all guns could if required fire on the broadside.

Alexandra was the last British battleship to carry her main armament wholly below decks; she was one of only two British ships to mount guns of 11 inch calibre, the other being HMS Temeraire.

She was the first British warship to be powered by vertical compound engines, carrying cylindrical high-pressure boilers with a working pressure of 60 pounds-force per square inch, as compared to rectangular boilers working at 30 lbf/in² pressure mounted in earlier ships. Twelve boilers were set back to back on either side of a longitudinal bulkhead; each engine drove an outward rotating screw of some 21 feet in diameter. A pair of auxiliary engines, each of 600 I.H.P., were fitted to turn the screws while the ship was proceeding under sail. These engines could, if required, propel the ship at a speed of 4.5 knots. At the time of her completion Alexandra was the fastest battleship afloat. Pounds-force per square inch (lbf/in²) is a non-SI unit of pressure. ... hp, see HP (disambiguation) The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ...

It had been intended to call the ship HMS Superb, but the name was changed at her launching, which was undertaken by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, who was later Queen Alexandra. She was the first British ironclad to be launched by a member of the Royal Family; the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Teck and the Duke of Cambridge were also present.

Service history

She was commissioned at Chatham on January 2, 1877 as flagship, Mediterranean Fleet, and held this position continuously until 1889. She was the flagship of Admiral Hornby in his passage through the Dardanelles during the Russian war scare of 1878. She ran aground in bad weather at the narrowest part of the straight; she was towed off by HMS Sultan in time to lead the squadron to Constaninople. She was present at the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882; in this action the Admiral's flag was shifted to HMS Invincible, as she was of shallower draught and could sail closer to shore. In 1886 the Duke of Edinburgh hoisted his flag on board, and the Prince of Wales, later King George V, joined as a lieutenant. She paid off in 1889 for modernisation. In 1891 she was flagship of the reserve at Portland, and remained so until 1901. Her last sea-time was as flagship of the "B" fleet in the manoevres of 1900. In 1903 she became a mechanical training ship, and she was sold in 1908. January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Map of the Dardanelles The Dardanelles (Turkish: Çanakkale Boğazı, Greek: Δαρδανέλλια, Dardanellia), formerly known as the Hellespont (Greek: Eλλήσποντος, Hellespontos), is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... HMS Invincible was an Audacious class ironclad battleship of the Royal Navy. ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... Year 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ... 1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ...

References

Oscar Parkes British Battleships ISBN 0-85052-604-3

Conway All the World's Fighting Ships ISBN 0-85177-133-5