HMS Australia (1886)

For other ships of the same name, see HMAS Australia.

HMS Australia (1886)
Career
Name:	HMS Australia
Builder:	Robert Napier & Sons, Govan
Laid down:	21 April 1885
Launched:	25 November 1886
Fate:	Sold for breaking up 4 April 1905
General characteristics
Displacement:	5,600 tons
Length:	300 ft (91 m)
Beam:	56 ft (17 m)
Draught:	22.5 ft (6.9 m)
Propulsion:	3-cylinder triple-extension steam engines two shafts 4 double-ended boilers 5,500 hp 8,500 hp forced-draught
Speed:	17 kn (31 km/h) natural draught 18 kn (33 km/h) forced draught
Range:	10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement:	484
Armament:	2 × BL 9.2-inch (233.7 mm) Mk V guns 10 x BL 6-inch (152.4 mm) guns (10 x 1) 6 × 6 pdr guns (6 × 1) QF 10 × 3 pdr guns (10 × 1) QF 6 × 18 in (457 mm) torpedo tubes: 4 above-water broadside 1 bow and 1 stern submerged
Armour:	10 in (254 mm) belt 12 in (304.8 mm) conning tower

HMS Australia was an Orlando-class cruiser of the Royal Navy completed in 1888 and named after the colonies (later to be nation) of Australia. She was scrapped at Troon in 1905.

Operational service

During her time in service, future Vice Admiral Charles Royds served aboard her.

She visited Germany and Denmark in September 1901, when she escorted HMY Osborne carrying King Edward VII from Hamburg to Elsinore.

The only other warships to be named Australia have belonged to the Royal Australian Navy.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475. 
• Roger Chesneau and Eugene M. Kolesnik, ed., Conway's All The Worlds Fighting Ships, 1860-1905, (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1979), ISBN 0-85177-133-5