HMS Hermione
Astraea-class
Apollo-class
Built under the Naval Defence Act of 1889. Part of the Astraea-class protected cruisers consisting of the Astraea, Hermione, Charybdis, Bonaventure, Cambrian, Flora, Forte and Fox, preceded by the Apollo-class and succeeded by the Eclipse-class. Laid down at Devonport Dockyard, England on 17 December 1891, launched on 7 November 1893, completed on 14 January 1896, guard ship at Southampton, England since August 1914, floating headquarters for launched and coastal motor boats between December 1916-December 1919, handed over to the Marine Society and renamed as training ship Warspite in 1922 and broken up in September 1940. Fitted out with an Avro Type D seaplane in November 1911 to execute tests.
General technical class specifications.
With a displacement of 4.360 tons and as dimensions 97,5 (between perpendiculars)-103,48 (over all) x 15,09 x 5,8 metres ot 320-339.6 x 49.6 x 19 feet. The machinery consisted of 3-cylinder turbines and 8 cylinder boilers supplying via 2 shafts 7.500 (natural draught)-9.500 (forced) draught ihp allowing a speed of 18 (natural draught)-19,5 (forced draught) knots. With a coal bunker capacity of 1.000 tons and a speed of 10 knots was the range 7.000 nautical miles. Crew numbered 318 men. The armour consisted of a 5,1cm/2” thick deck, 11cm/4.5” gun shields, a 13cm/5” thick engine hatch while the conning tower was protected by 7,6cm/3”-15,2cm/6” thick armour. The armament consisted of 2-15,24cm/6” quick firing guns, 8-12cm/4.7” quick firing guns, 10-5,7cm/2.2”/6pd quick firing guns, 1-4,7cm/1.9”/3pd quick firing gun and 4-45cm/18” torpedo tubes.
