Реклама. ООО «ЛитРес», ИНН: 7719571260.
HMS Boadicea as refitted and rearmed in 1888. A closed embrasure for an aft-firing gun is visible above her false sailing-ship style quarter lights. The charthouse is barely visible just forward of the foot of the mizzen mast.
(National Maritime Museum G10330)
.....
There was no real hope that the blockaders could rest in a nearby port while the enemy was watched by cruisers and torpedo vessels. Enemy ironclads could drive them off and then get away in fog.
The chief dangers facing a blockading fleet were (1) running out of coal, (2) torpedo attacks, and (3) surprise by a second fleet working with the blockaded fleet. Squadron A was weakened daily by ships detached to coal, sometimes in a bay 60 miles away. It had a cruiser at Lamlash waiting for telegrams, a torpedo boat away for repairs, and a ship watering torpedo boats in a sheltered area. This was quite aside from accidents. In good weather the blockading fleet could coal at sea, a ship taking on 20 to 30 tons an hour from a collier. Special fleet colliers might be built.
.....