Turret ship

Turret ship

Turret ships were a 19th century type of warship, the earliest to have their guns mounted in a revolving turret, instead of a broadside arrangement.

The first experiment was the addition of a turntable-mounted shielded gun to HMS "Trusty" (a floating battery) in 1861. The USS "Monitor", built in 1862, is more famous, being a ship mounted only with the turret and taking part in battle. Pressure from the Royal Navy's proponent of turrets, Captain Cowper Phipps Coles, led to the building of HMS "Captain" to his design in 1869. She was a low freeboard design and capsized during a heavy gale while under sail. HMS "Monarch" and HMVS "Cerberus" built at the same time proved more durable and HMS "Devastation" of 1871 led directly to the modern battleship.

Turret ship may be found applied to a type of late 19th century commercial steam vessel with an unusual hull shape. These ships were designed to minimize Suez Canal tolls, which were based on calculations of tonnage (a measure of volume) which were not adapted to such unusual vessels and did not take into account all parts of a ship's cargo hold. Turret deck ship describes these vessels.


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  • Turret ship — Turret Tur ret, n. [OE. touret, OF. tourette, dim. of tour a tower, L. turris. See {Tower}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Arch.) A little tower, frequently a merely ornamental structure at one of the angles of a larger structure. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anc.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • turret ship — noun A warship with gun turrets • • • Main Entry: ↑turret …   Useful english dictionary

  • Chinese turret ship Dingyuan — For other uses, see Dingyuan (disambiguation). The Dingyuan/Ting Yuen photographed in 1884, waiting for delivery in Germany. Career (China) …   Wikipedia

  • Chinese turret ship Zhenyuan — The Zhenyuan in Japanese service as Chin en. Career (China) …   Wikipedia

  • Turret — Tur ret, n. [OE. touret, OF. tourette, dim. of tour a tower, L. turris. See {Tower}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Arch.) A little tower, frequently a merely ornamental structure at one of the angles of a larger structure. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anc. Mil.) A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Turret clock — Turret Tur ret, n. [OE. touret, OF. tourette, dim. of tour a tower, L. turris. See {Tower}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Arch.) A little tower, frequently a merely ornamental structure at one of the angles of a larger structure. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anc.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Turret head — Turret Tur ret, n. [OE. touret, OF. tourette, dim. of tour a tower, L. turris. See {Tower}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Arch.) A little tower, frequently a merely ornamental structure at one of the angles of a larger structure. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anc.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Turret lathe — Turret Tur ret, n. [OE. touret, OF. tourette, dim. of tour a tower, L. turris. See {Tower}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Arch.) A little tower, frequently a merely ornamental structure at one of the angles of a larger structure. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anc.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Turret deck ship — A turret deck ship is a type of merchant ship with an unusual hull, designed and built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.The hulls of turret deck vessels were rounded and stepped inward above their waterlines. This gave some advantages in …   Wikipedia

  • turret — ► NOUN 1) a small tower at the corner of a building or wall, especially of a castle. 2) an armoured, usually revolving tower for a gun and gunners in a ship, aircraft, fort, or tank. 3) a rotating holder for tools, especially on a lathe.… …   English terms dictionary

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