Marathon-class cruiser

	Chromolithograph of HMS Magicienne by W. Fred Mitchell, 1892
Class overview
Name	Marathon class
Builders	Fairfields, Govan; Portsmouth Naval Dockyard; Chatham Naval Dockyard;
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Mersey class
Succeeded by	Pearl class
Built	1887–1889
In commission	1889–1920
Completed	5
Retired	5
General characteristics
Type	2nd class cruiser
Displacement	2,800 long tons (2,845 t) (Medea & Medusa); 2,950 long tons (2,997 t) (Melpomene, Magicienne & Marathon);
Propulsion	Dürr boilers (Medusa)
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	218
Armament	6 × 6 in (152.4 mm) guns; 9 × 6-pounder quick firing guns; 1 × 3-pounder gun; 3 × machine guns; 2 × torpedo tubes;

The Marathon-class cruiser was a class of second class cruiser of the Royal Navy ordered under the naval programme of 1887. The class was a smaller version of the Mersey class.

Three of the ships, Melpomene, Magicienne and Marathon, were built for foreign (tropical) service, with a sheath of wood and copper - this added weight and made them slightly slower.

Ships

Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed
HMS Marathon	Fairfields, Govan	10 August 1887	23 August 1888	1889
HMS Magicienne	Fairfields, Govan	10 August 1887	12 May 1888	1889
HMS Medea	Chatham	25 April 1887	9 June 1888	1889
HMS Melpomene	Portsmouth	10 October 1887	20 September 1888	1890
HMS Medusa	Chatham	25 August 1887	11 August 1888	1889

Boiler trials

By 1901, the Royal Navy had ordered eight Dürr boilers from Germany, to be installed as a trial on board Medusa as a substitute for the Belleville boilers then in naval use.^[2]

Notes

^ Brown, D.K. (2010) [1997]. Warrior to Dreadnought. Seaforth. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-84832-086-4.
^ William Allan MP (22 April 1901). "Dürr water-tube boilers". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 92. House of Commons. col. 907. Eight water-tube boilers of the Durr type have been ordered from Germany. The total cost of the boilers is £19,450. This is exclusive of spare parts and fitting on board. The boilers are to be placed on board H.M.S. "Medusa." They have been guaranteed by the maker to give 155,000 lbs. dry steam per hour from feed water at 80 deg. F., with an air pressure of 1½ inches; 104,000 lbs. per hour with ½ inch air pressure (that used for continuous steaming); and 80,000 lbs. per hour with natural draught.

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.
Friedman, Norman (1912). British Cruisers of the Victorian Era. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-099-4. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Winfield, Rif (1904). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815-1889. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-032-9. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

External links

www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk

[1] Brown, D.K. (2010) [1997]. Warrior to Dreadnought. Seaforth. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-84832-086-4.

[2] William Allan MP (22 April 1901). "Dürr water-tube boilers". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 92. House of Commons. col. 907. Eight water-tube boilers of the Durr type have been ordered from Germany. The total cost of the boilers is £19,450. This is exclusive of spare parts and fitting on board. The boilers are to be placed on board H.M.S. "Medusa." They have been guaranteed by the maker to give 155,000 lbs. dry steam per hour from feed water at 80 deg. F., with an air pressure of 1½ inches; 104,000 lbs. per hour with ½ inch air pressure (that used for continuous steaming); and 80,000 lbs. per hour with natural draught.

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