Carrying Capacity of Wood Hulls Compared With Iron Hulls
Parkes claims, "In the Service their construction was regarded as a retrograde movement, their very heavy wooden hulls having only 80 per cent of the carrying capacity of iron ones." However, this view is mistaken and unfair. The following table is taken from Reed. It shows that in 1861, wooden-hulled ironclads had a greater carrying capacity than contemporary iron-hulled designs.
It is of course true, that when Reed's bracket-frame system was introduced with the Bellerophon (laid down December 1863), iron hulls became much lighter for the same strength.
| Ship | Weight of Hull (tons) | Total Weights Carried (tons) | % Weights Carried |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden-hulled ironclads | average 51% | ||
| Caledonia | 3,382 | 3,367 | 50% |
| Pallas | 1,812 | 1,844 | 50% |
| Lord Clyde | 3,647 | 3,979 | 52% |
| Early iron-hulled ironclads | average 46% | ||
| Black Prince | 4,969 | 4,281 | 46% |
| Defence | 3,500 | 2,492 | 42% |
| Achilles | 5,030 | 4,495 | 47% |
| Minotaur | 5,043 | 5,232 | 51% |
Read more about this topic: Prince Consort Class Ironclad
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