Aetna Class Ironclad Floating Battery

The Aetna-class ironclad floating batteries were built during the Crimean War for the attack of Russian coastal fortifications.

Emperor Napoleon III initiated the design of armoured steam-powered batteries for the French Navy. The original idea was to protect the sides with boxes of cannonballs, but the British engineer Thomas Lloyd (1803-1875) suggested using thick wrought iron plates instead. Trials at Vincennes showed that Lloyd's idea was more effective, so it was adopted.

Napoleon wanted ten floating batteries built in time for the 1855 campaign, but as French industry could only build five in time, France's British allies were asked to build the other five. The First Lord, Sir James Graham, delayed ordering until 4 October 1854.

The French used three of their batteries in 1855 against the defences at Kinburn on the Black Sea, where they were effective against Russian shore defences.

The British ships were based on the French Dévastation-class.

The wooden hulled Aetna class had straight vertical sides and a flat bottom with a very bluff bow and stern. Their armour plates, nominally 4in [100mm] but in many cases rolled 0.25–0.5in under thickness, had tongue and groove joints. The wrought iron armour was supported by 20 in (510 mm) thick oak sides. The wooden upper deck was 9 in thick.

The horizontal steam engine drove a single screw, but Meteor was altered to triple screw with wing-shafts. Her trials with triple screws were 12 days after her trials with single screw.
Note: Three sets of large gears for three vessels were ordered from Wren and Hopkinson of Manchester, and completed in just 10 days.

The first of the class, Aetna, was ordered from J Scott Russell of Millwall. She was to have been launched on 5 May 1855, but caught fire on the building slip, and was scrapped. Her replacement, the second Aetna, was finished too late for the Crimean War, and was fitted for harbour service in 1866.

Meteor was built by C. J. Mare and Co, Limehouse. Machinery by Maudslay, Sons and Field. Launched 17 April 1855

Thunder was also built by C. J. Mare and Co, Limehouse. Machinery by Miller, Ravenhill, and Salkeld of Blackwall, London. Also launched on 17 April 1855.

Glatton was built by R. and H. Green, Limehouse. Machinery by Miller, Ravenhill, and Salkeld. Launched 18 April 1855.

Trust was also built by R. and H. Green, Limehouse. Machinery by Miller, Ravenhill, and Salkeld. Launched 3 May 1855.

Aetna' II was built by Chatham Dockyard, with machinery by Maudslay, Sons and Field. Launched 5 April 1856.

Trusty was used in trials of the new Armstrong 40-pounder breech loader in January 1859 and the 100-pounder breech loader in September 1859. She was also used in trials with a prototype rotating gun turret in 1861, designed by Cowper Phipps Coles.

The above information is condensed from the Wikipedia entry, accessed 12 Dec 2019.

Aetna was broken up at Chatham Dockyard, having spent years as a 'police ship' at Sheerness

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