Queen Victoria's Navy - The Midgets

I was inspired by DP:s outstanding renditions of selected Victorian battleships to attempt to illustrate one of the most curious phenomenon that existed in those days and onboard many of Her Majesty's White-'n'-Buff liveried battle wagons: a 2nd class torpedoboat which effectively made this ships more than weapons platforms; they also became mother- (or parent-) ships of this little gadflies, which were intended for close action against a hostile battle fleet or operations against moored enemy ships beneath the range of the battleships' guns. The one I chose is one the earliest that was embarked on numerous 1st Class battleships, among them HMS Victoria of 1887.

It is a 63 foot Thornycroft steam powered 2nd torpedoboat (or launch would probably be more accurate description) - TB 64-73. It was built by Thornycroft between 1882-89 in many variants and a direct competitor to Yarrow's design of the same period. On the Victoria it would have been stowed on her port side boat deck outside of the two 50 foot steam launches. The aft boom assisted in launching the TB into water and it was good for at least 16½ knots. This particular boat was armed with two 14" torpedos on dropping gears and had a crew of 7. Exactly which 2nd class TB was finally taken onboard the Victoria is difficult to find out. Some of these midget warships did colonial service or otherwise were sent to foreign waters. However, this type is well represented in the literature, more so than any other; hence my choice. We may assume that the actual TB carried by the Victoria was very similar if not the same as the shown boat. Eventually with the introduction of the Royal Sovereigns this practice died out, since it was realised that the ships' own steam cutters and -launches armed with Maxim guns or a small gun could do the same job without wasting all that valuable deck stowage place and also burthening the ships with additional uneccessary weight.

Other nations that tried it included Imperial Russia. The cruisers Rurik, Rossiya and Gromoboi all had two torpedo armed steam launches each, slightly smaller but basically similar to the British type.

My illustration depict the type as fitted for war and as she would look in water.(left) The right illustration shows it stowed on the boat deck of a battleship.

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My Avatar:Петр Алексеевич Безобразов (Petr Alekseevich Bezobrazov), Вице-адмирал , царская ВМФ России(1845-1906) - I sign my drawings as Ari Saarinen

Denmark also played around with the same concept, though we could probably justify it better.
Anyway, a very nice drawing of a rather pretty boat.
Btw, what gun is that? Denmark build a couple of 55 and 75mm guns for exactly this job, but that wasn't until about thirty years later.

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I haven't been able to find out exactly what gun these little ships carried. What I did was knicking one off the Victoria, which probably isn't exactly 'kosher' but I'd say a very real possibility of a gun type would be the 3-pounder, which is equivalent to the Danish 75 mm gun, though I have no exact drawing of it. Besides, all models and, most importantly photos appear to show them with what can best be regarded as a machine gun (Maxim or Vickers?!?) Any takers to solve that mystery and you'd do us a great service!

According to this article it's the Nordenfelt gun

Hmm, it could be the 37mm Hotchkiss Revolver Canon, a Gardner Gun or a Gatling gun. All where in use in or around 1880. It's too early for the QF 1 pounder and indeed for the Maxim Gun itself.
While I'm not certain, personal experience with a 37mm Revolver tells me that it should be more massively drawn, the gatling has a uniform diameter along its entire length, so it would have to be the Gardner.

I think you both may be quite right. Both the Gardner and Nordenfelt was in fact used by the British, especially as anti-boarding and anti-torpedoboat guns. I believe, too, that the RN may have used the Hotchkiss. I thank you both for your insightful comments. Now, one question, ought I redraw the gun then, or can I leave it as it is?

WhyMe is absolutely right. Had a taken the trouble of actually looking it up, I'd have known it's a Nordenfelt five-barrelled MG!

Thanks again for your kind inputs!

If it's a gardner, ad the magazine, if it's the Nordenfelt it'll also need a magazine, and the barrel and carriage should only be one pixel thick.
The RN did use the Hotchkiss, pretty much everyone did back then, but it's a far more voluminous gun. Having had the chance to take one apart for cleaning, I should know. (Local maritime museum received one from the Naval Museum in Copenhagen, but since it had been in storage for almost 100 years, there was a lot of dust on/in it. And since I know one of the volunteers who work there, I got invited along)

How cool is that? Ok, I take the advice, Thiel. Btw, in spite of my "Russkyi" name, I am, in fact a Scandinavian, like you (I take it that you're from my 'naboland' Danmark) Good to know the Scandinavians are holding their flag up high here.

Following the good advice given above, here's the revised version:

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Queen Victoria's Navy - The Midgets

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