View source for Bulwark-class ship of the line

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Royal Alfred (1864).jpg
|Ship caption=[[HMS Royal Alfred (1864)|''Royal Alfred'']] in 1867
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=
|Builders=
|Operators={{navy|United Kingdom}}
|Class before=[[Duncan-class ship of the line (1859)|''Duncan'' class]]
|Class after=
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range=1859–1870
|In service range=
|In commission range=1863–1889
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=12
|Total ships completed=7
|Total ships cancelled=5 (including 2 "suspended" on the stocks and never finished)
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=<ref>Lambert, "Battleships in Transition", p122-6.</ref>
|Ship type= Steam two-decker 91-gun line-of-battle ship
|Ship tons burthen=3715 tons [[Builder's Old Measurement|BM]]
|Ship displacement= {{convert|5950|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship length=*{{convert|252|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]
*{{convert|213|ft|9.25|in|m|abbr=on}} in keel-line
|Ship beam={{convert|58|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught= {{convert|25|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship sail plan=*Main mast : 67 ft × 40 in
*Fore mast : 61 ft × 37 in
*Mizzen mast : 51 ft 6 in × 27 in
|Ship propulsion=*800 [[horsepower#Nominal horsepower|nhp]] steam engine
*{{convert|3400|-|3500|ihp|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed={{convert|12.5|-|13.4|kn|km/h|lk=in}} under power
|Ship range= 
|Ship complement=860
|Ship armament=*Gun Deck: 34 × [[ML 8 inch shell gun|8-inch (204 mm) 65cwt guns]]
*Main deck: 36 × 32-pounder/58cwt
*Upper Deck: 20 × 32-pounder/45cwt, 1 × [[68-pounder gun|68-pounder 95cwt gun]]
|Ship armour=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The '''''Bulwark'' class''' were the final class of wooden line-of-battle ships laid down for the [[Royal Navy]].  They were laid down after {{HMS|Warrior|1860|6}}. In March 1861 their construction was suspended, and seven were later converted to iron-clads. {{HMS|Bulwark|1859|6}} and {{HMS|Robust|1859|6}} were kept on the stocks almost complete, in case of need, until they were scrapped in 1873 and 1872.

== Origins==
The consensus of British naval opinion after the [[Crimean War]] favoured the large steam-powered two-decker line-of-battle ship with 101 or 91 guns.  The designs for two-decker evolved.  "The 101-gun type were redesigned with an extra 400 tons and engines of 800 [[horsepower#Nominal horsepower|nhp]], to produce the [[Duncan class (1859)|''Duncan'' class]]. The 91s were given similar engines, while their smaller increase in size was largely taken up with an additional {{convert|15|ft|m}} overall for a finer length-to-beam ratio and improved lines in {{HMS|Defiance|1861|6}}."<ref>Evidence set before the Derby Committee 1858, WWL/8.</ref> In the 1859 programme the two types were merged to produce a 91-gun ship with the dimensions of the 101-gun type. Two ships built on this plan - the ''Bulwark'' and ''Robust'', the latter having been commenced as a 101-gun ship - were preserved on the stocks until 1872, the remaining seven being converted into ironclads.<ref>Parkes "British Battleships".</ref>  These last two-deckers were {{convert|252|ft|m}} overall, that they all displayed all the classic symptoms of weak construction, such as leaky seams, demonstrated that wood was no longer suitable for the construction of the largest classes of warships.<ref>Lambert, "Battleships in Transition", p 54-5.</ref>

Britain's first sea-going iron-clad, {{HMS|Warrior|1860|6}} was laid down in May 1859, and a further three had been laid down by the end of 1859. Nevertheless, the Royal Navy continued to convert old sailing line-of-battle ships to steam, and to order and lay down new ''Bulwark''-class two-deckers.  The objective was to achieve parity with the combined navies of France and Russia.<ref>Lambert, "Battleships in Transition", p 75-76.</ref>  Initially there was great uncertainty about the value of iron-clads.<ref>Submission to Board of 27 July 1858, quoted in Lambert, "Warrior", p16.  See also Parkes, "British Battleships", p30.</ref> So it was prudent to continue building unarmoured steam line-of-battle ships, which would in any case be "the common currency of sea-power for some years to come."<ref name="Lambert p 76">Lambert, "Battleships in Transition", p 76.</ref>

In March 1861, work on the ''Bulwark'' class was suspended.  They were retained on the stocks while the smaller {{HMS|Defiance|1861|6}} was launched on 27 March 1861.  The larger ships were better suited for conversion into iron-clads and were held in reserve for that purpose.<ref name="Lambert p 76" /> Similarly, the sailing line-of-battle ships {{HMS|Albion|1842|6}} and {{HMS|Bombay|1828|6}} completed their conversion to steam line-of-battle ships on 21 May and 25 June 1861 respectively.

== Design ==
The ''Bulwark'' class ships were a modification of the 101-gun [[Duncan class (1859)|''Duncan''-class]] design.  They had the same dimensions, but had a new timbering plan dated 29 July 1858, which suited the smaller armament.  The reduction in armament was intended to improve the efficiency of the guns.<ref name="Lambert p 126">Lambert, "Battleships in Transition", p 126.</ref>

== Key Dates ==
The following table shows key dates for the ''Bulwark'' class.<ref>Lambert, "Battleships in Transition", p126.  Conway "All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905".</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
!Ship
!Builder
!  width="74"|Ordered
!  width="74"|Laid Down
!  width="74"|Suspended
!  width="74"|Converted to Ironclad
!  width="74"|Launched
!  width="74"|Completed
!  width="74"|Broken Up
|-
| {{HMS|Bulwark|1859|6}}
| [[Chatham Dockyard|Chatham]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 9 April 1856
|style="text-align:right;"| 8 Mar 1859
|style="text-align:right;"| 7 Mar 1861
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" | 
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" | 
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" | 
|style="text-align:right;"| Mar 1873
|-
| {{HMS|Robust|1859|6}}
| [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 1 April 1857
|style="text-align:right;"| 31 Oct 1859
|style="text-align:right;"| 22 Mar 1861
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" | 
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" |  
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" | 
|style="text-align:right;"| Aug 1872
|-
| {{HMS|Repulse|1868|6}}
| [[Woolwich Dockyard|Woolwich]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 1 April 1857
|style="text-align:right;"| 19 Apr 1859
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" |  
|style="text-align:right;"| 1866
|style="text-align:right;"| 25 Apr 1868
|style="text-align:right;"| 31 Jan 1870
|style="text-align:right;"| 1889
|-
| {{HMS|Zealous|1864|6}}
| [[Pembroke Dock|Pembroke]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 1 April 1857
|style="text-align:right;"| 21 Oct 1859
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" |  
|style="text-align:right;"| 1864
|style="text-align:right;"| 7 Mar 1864
|style="text-align:right;"| 4 Oct 1866
|style="text-align:right;"| 1886
|-
| {{HMS|Royal Alfred|1864|6}}
| [[HMNB Portsmouth|Portsmouth]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 8 April 1859
|style="text-align:right;"| 1 Dec 1859
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" | 
|style="text-align:right;"| 22 Jun 1861
|style="text-align:right;"| 15 Oct 1864
|style="text-align:right;"| 23 Mar 1867
|style="text-align:right;"| 1885
|-
| {{HMS|Royal Oak|1862|6}}
| [[Chatham Dockyard|Chatham]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 8 April 1859
|style="text-align:right;"| 1 May 1860
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" |  
|style="text-align:right;"| 3 Jun 1861
|style="text-align:right;"| 10 Sep 1862
|style="text-align:right;"| Apr 1863
|style="text-align:right;"| 1885
|-valign="top"
| [[HMS Prince Consort (1862)|HMS ''Triumph'']]
<small> completed as ''Prince Consort''</small>
| [[Pembroke Dock|Pembroke]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 8 April 1859
|style="text-align:right;"| 13 Aug 1860
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" |  
|style="text-align:right;"| 6 Jun 1861
|style="text-align:right;"| 26 Jun 1862
|style="text-align:right;"| Apr 1864
|style="text-align:right;"| 1882
|-
| {{HMS|Caledonia|1862|6}}
| [[Woolwich Dockyard|Woolwich]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 5 March 1860
|style="text-align:right;"|10 Oct 1860
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" | 
|style="text-align:right;"| 6 Jun 1861
|style="text-align:right;"| 24 Oct 1862
|style="text-align:right;"| Apr 1865
|style="text-align:right;"| 1886
|-
| {{HMS|Ocean|1863|6}}
| [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 5 March 1860
|style="text-align:right;"| 23 Aug 1860
|style="text-align:right;" style="background:grey" |  
|style="text-align:right;"| 3 Jun 1861
|style="text-align:right;"| 19 Mar 1863
|style="text-align:right;"| Jul 1866
|style="text-align:right;"| 1886
|-
| HMS ''Kent''
| [[HMNB Portsmouth|Portsmouth]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 5 March 1860
|style="text-align:right;"|10 Oct 1860
| colspan="5" | Laid down but never launched.  Cancelled 12 December 1863.
|-
| HMS ''Blake''
| [[Pembroke Dock|Pembroke]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 5 March 1860
| colspan="6" | Ordered but never laid down.  Cancelled 12 December 1863.
|-
| HMS ''Pitt''
| [[Chatham Dockyard|Chatham]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 5 March 1860
| colspan="6" | Ordered but never laid down.  Cancelled 12 December 1863.
|}

== Conversion to iron-clads ==
''Bulwark'' and ''Robust'' were suspended on the stocks in March 1861 in an advanced state of construction.  The Controller "had plans prepared for the ''Bulwark'' to be converted into a twin turret breastwork monitor but they were never used.  As [[Edward James Reed|Edward Reed]] pointed out this was a wise policy as they would have been inferior to, and yet more costly than, iron-hulled ships built from scratch."<ref name=Reed303>Reed, "Our Ironclad Ships p 303."</ref><ref>Lambert, "Battleships in Transition", p 82.</ref> "In war time the rapidity with which these ships might be converted into iron-clads would probably outweigh these considerations".<ref name=Reed303/>  ''Bulwark'' and ''Robust'' were eventually broken up in March 1873 and August 1872 respectively.<ref name="Lambert p 126" />

The remaining seven ships of the ''Bulwark'' class were in a less complete state and were converted into 'ironclad frigates'.

Of these HMS ''Triumph'' (later renamed {{HMS|Prince Consort|1862|6}}), {{HMS|Ocean|1863|6}}, and {{HMS|Caledonia|1862|6}} were converted to 'broadside ironclads' with 1000 [[horsepower#Nominal horsepower|nhp]] engines. {{HMS|Royal Oak|1862|6}} had a similar conversion but with the original 800 [[horsepower#Nominal horsepower|nhp]] engine. The development of these four ships is discussed in the article on the {{sclass|Prince Consort|ironclad|4}}.

{{HMS|Royal Alfred|1864|6}}, {{HMS|Zealous|1864|6}} and {{HMS|Repulse|1868|6}} were later converted into 'central battery ships'.<ref>Conways, p 10-13.</ref>

== Notes ==
{{reflist|2}}

== References ==
{{Commons category|Bulwark class battleship (1859)}}
* Ballard, Admiral G.A.   ''The Black Battlefleet'',  published Nautical Publications Co. and Society for Nautical Research, 1980.  {{ISBN|0-245-53030-4}}
* Baxter, James Phinney   ''The Introduction of the Ironclad Warship'',   published Harvard University, 1933.
* {{cite book |last1=Friedman |first1=Norman |title=British Battleships of the Victorian Era |date=2018 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-68247-329-0|author-link=Norman Friedman}}
* [[Andrew Lambert|Lambert, Andrew]]   ''Warrior, Restoring the World's First Ironclad'',  published Conway Maritime Press, 1987.  {{ISBN|0-85177-411-3}}
* [[Andrew Lambert|Lambert, Andrew]]   ''Battleships in Transition, the Creation of the Steam Battlefleet 1815–1860'',  published Conway Maritime Press, 1984.  {{ISBN|0-85177-315-X}}
*{{cite book |last=Parkes |first=Oscar |title=British Battleships |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |year=1990 |orig-year=1957 |isbn=1-55750-075-4|author-link=Oscar Parkes}}
* [[Edward James Reed|Reed, Edward J]]   ''Our Ironclad Ships, their Qualities, Performance and Cost'',  published John Murray, 1869.
*{{cite book |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905 |editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |editor2-last=Kolesnik |editor2-first=Eugene M. |publisher=Mayflower Books |location=New York |year=1979 |isbn=0-8317-0302-4 |name-list-style=amp |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2|chapter=Great Britain (including Empire Forces)|author1-last=Roberts|author1-first=John|pages=1–113}}

{{Bulwark class battleship (1859)}}

[[Category:Bulwark-class battleships (1859)| Bulwark class battleship]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Victorian-era ships of the line of the United Kingdom| Bulwark class battleship]]
[[Category:Ship of the line classes]]