British Royals How Britannia ruled the waves The anatomy of the HMS Prince George Propulsion A willing crew Sturdy frame The skeleton of the ship, a strong frame was of paramount importance The ironclad battleships of the 1870s and ‘80s were replaced by pre-dreadnought ships, which were built from tough steel and reinforced with hardened steel armour Steaming ahead Steam power emerged in the 1830s as an auxiliary propulsion system The first purposebuilt steam battleship was Le Napoléon of France with a speed of 12 knots (23km/h / 14mph) regardless of wind direction Soon the United Kingdom was rapidly producing steam battleships to challenge France’s strength, building 18 new ships and converting 41 to steam power The HMS Prince George carried a crew of 672 officers and enlisted men This was less than previous ships of the line, which required between 800 and 900 men to operate effectively Steel armour Firepower Pre-dreadnoughts carried a variety of guns for different purposes There were four heavy slow-firing guns, which were difficult to operate but capable of penetrating the armour of enemy ships The HMS Prince George also carried a secondary battery of 12 quick-firing 40-calibre guns survive The Egyptian ruler, Isma’il Pasha, was confronted with crippling debts after reckless spending on lavish ceremonies and a costly war with Ethiopia In an act of desperation he made an offer to sell to the British Egypt’s shares in the Suez Canal The canal was more than a mere trading port; it opened up a short route to India across Egypt and down the Red Sea, cutting out the lengthy journey around Africa The Egyptian ruler’s offer would give the British controlling influence over the jugular of the empire, so Disraeli urged Victoria to accept She immediately did and the Suez Canal fell into British hands With control of India, Britain was already the most powerful nation on Earth and three-quarters of the world’s trade was transported in British ships, but this control was being threatened The Russian Empire had been steadily expanding east and south and was getting uncomfortably close to Victoria’s prized jewel – India The Middle East was largely controlled by the Turks, but they were 152 Powered by two triple expansion steam engines, the HMS Prince George was capable of a top speed of 16 knots (30km/h / 18mph) The engines were powered by eight coal-fired cylindrical boilers, which produced an impressive speed, but at the cost of high fuel consumption The ship was reinforced with 22.9cm (9in) of Harvey armour, which provided it with equal protection for less weight As a result, the predreadnought ships benefited from a lighter belt than any previous battleships, without any loss in protection The battery, conning tower and deck were also protected by thick steel busy dealing with violent rebellions The Turkish treatment of their Christian subjects was shocking and atrocious, but as Russia backed the rebels the British had no option but to support the Turks The British public, to whom Russia stood for everything Britain opposed – ignorance, slavery and subjugation – largely supported this choice Facing the prospect of imminent war with the strongest nation on the planet, Russia agreed to peace talks and thanks in part to the charisma and negotiation skills of Disraeli, agreed to stop their advance on the Middle East Imperial spirit rushed through the public as the might of British muscle flexed and proved itself again As the empire continued its steady expansion across the continent it came face to face with the most powerful African nation – the Zulus The British, with a bloated ego, underestimated the strength of their spear-wielding enemies and suffered a crushing initial defeat In the end it took 16,000 British reinforcements to prise the Zulus’ vk.com/englishlibrary independence from their grip Expecting to return to a wave of praise for their daring exploits, the victorious army were surprised to discover that British opinions were changing once again Gladstone, the “half-mad firebrand”, as Victoria dubbed him, preached his outraged opinions about the mass slaughter of Zulus and rampant destruction of their homes Victoria was outraged but the public sided with Gladstone and, much to the queen’s dismay, the power of the government switched hands once more Liberal leader or not, all of Europe’s attention was firmly fixed on Africa as nations began a scramble to establish colonies there In amongst this mad rush to establish new territory by European powers, it was arguably one man’s actions that would determine the ultimate fate of Victoria’s empire Led by Muhammad Ahmed, revolution was tearing through the Sudan as tribes rose against their corrupt rulers As this holy war drew uncomfortably close to the Suez Canal, Victoria vk.com/bastau