Explore: Turret Ships

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

differences between turret deck ships and more conventional ships are apparent. There was no gunwale; the vertical side of a turret ship curves inward above

replaced with four turrets on a flat deck and the ship was fitted with 5.5 inches (140 mm) of armour in a belt around the waterline. Early ships like the Royal

Sino-French War of 1884–1885. The ships were armed with a main battery of four 12 in (305 mm) guns in a pair of gun turrets, making them the most powerful

layout Turret (superstructure), an element in the design of turret deck ships Turret (toolholder), an indexable holder of multiple tools Turret lathe,

steam propulsion, and the main battery mounted in rotating armoured turrets, the ship was, at first appearance, quite innovative and formidable. However

Sino-French War of 1884–1885. The ships were armed with a main battery of four 12 in (305 mm) guns in a pair of gun turrets, making them the most powerful

movement away from the ships mounting many guns broadside, in the manner of a ship-of-the-line, towards a handful of guns in turrets for all-round fire.[citation

as coastal ships. The term also encompassed more flexible breastwork monitors, and was sometimes used as a generic term for any turreted ship. In the early

HMS Captain in September 1871 led to concerns about the stability of turret ships, and a special committee was set up to determine their seaworthiness