HMS Hero (1885)

Painting of HMS Hero by William Frederick Mitchell
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Hero
Builder	Chatham Dockyard
Laid down	11 April 1884
Launched	27 October 1885
Commissioned	May 1888
Fate	Sunk as target, 18 February 1908
General characteristics
Class and type	Conqueror-class ironclad battleship
Displacement	6,440 long tons (6,540 t)
Length	270 ft (82 m)
Beam	58 ft (18 m)
Draught	21.6 ft (6.6 m) (light) 25.7 ft (7.8 m) (deep load)
Installed power	4,500 ihp (3,400 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Rennie inverted compound steam engines 2 × shafts
Speed	14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h)
Complement	330
Armament	2 × BL 12 in (305 mm) Mk V guns 4 × 6 in (150 mm) guns 7 × 6 pdr (2.7 kg) guns 6 × 14 in (360 mm) torpedo tubes armoured ram
Armour	Belt: 12 in (30 cm), tapering to 8 in (20 cm) Citadel: 10.5–12 in (27–30 cm) Turret: 14 in (36 cm) (face), 12 in (30 cm) (sides) Conning Tower: 6–12 in (15–30 cm) Bulkhead: 10.5–11.5 in (27–29 cm) Deck:1.25–2.5 in (3.2–6.4 cm)

HMS Hero was the second and final Conqueror-class battleship. She was an ironclad who served in the Victorian Royal Navy.

The Conqueror-class ships were designed to be improved versions of Rupert with a ram as their main armament. It was assumed by the Board of Admiralty and within Naval Architecture circles, that the supremacy of armour over artillery would allow such a ship to ram an enemy vessel without being seriously damaged by enemy gunfire. This assumption was never tested in action.