HMS Inflexible
After the capsize of HMS Captain, special attention was given to vessels of low freeboard then under construction. A committee was appointed to report on their safety. William Henry White influenced the adoption of proposals of this committee by the Admiralty. This led to the "all big gun" HMS Inflexible of 1876.
Inflexible carried four muzzle-loading 16 inch 80 ton guns, mounted en échelon, two in each of two turrets on a central citadel. The side armour was limited to the central part of the vessel, and the ends, which had thin side plating, were fitted with high and thick cork belts and strong underwater decks. The design was attacked and was referred by the Admiralty to a naval and scientific committee. The Inflexible and four other vessels, of the same type but somewhat smaller, were built.
See Also
Sources of Information
- Biography of Sir William Henry White, ODNB [1]