In this ship, designed by
Sir Edward Reed, the
power-to-weight ratio was increased; the long rows of guns on the broadside were replaced by a small number of guns, centrally placed, of the largest possible calibre; the armour was increased in thickness but reduced in length, and a sharp beak ram was combined with a classical style plough bow. This double bottom had the added advantage of allowing the engine to be carried higher, raising the centre of gravity of the whole ship and making her thereby a steadier gun platform. Unlike earlier classes,
Bellerophon's bow and stern had a U-shaped profile, giving increased buoyancy at the ends noticeably absent in some earlier battleships. whereas in HMS
Warrior it took forty men 90 seconds to perform the same manoeuvre. HMS
Bellerophon was
long between perpendiculars. She had a
beam of and a maximum
draught of .
Propulsion Bellerophon had one 2-cylinder
trunk steam engine made by
John Penn and Sons driving a single propeller. Eight rectangular
boilers provided steam to the engine at a working pressure of . The engine produced a total of during the ship's
sea trials in August 1864 and the ship had a maximum speed .
Bellerophon carried of coal, enough to steam at . The ironclad was
ship rigged and had a sail area of .
Bellerophon was "dull under canvas" and only made under sail in a moderate
gale. The ship's propeller could be disconnected to reduce drag while under sail.
Armament Bellerophon was the first British ironclad to carry the
9-inch rifled muzzle-loading gun. All ten of the guns were mounted on the main deck, five on each side. Five
7-inch rifled muzzle-loaders were mounted outside the battery as
chase guns. Four of these were mounted in pairs fore and aft on the main deck; the last gun was mounted on the upper deck at the stern. The shell of the 14-
calibre 9-inch gun weighed while the gun itself weighed . It had a
muzzle velocity of and was credited with the ability to penetrate a nominal of
wrought iron armour at the
muzzle. The 16-calibre gun weighed and fired a shell. It was credited with the nominal ability to penetrate armour. When the ship was refitted in 1881–85, The ship also received two Whitehead
torpedo launchers that were carried on the main deck, outside the armoured battery. long, with transverse
bulkheads at each end. The forward chase guns were protected by a
strake of armour. The upper
deck was thick over the battery and the main deck was thick. The armour was backed by of
teak and the skin of the ship was thick. The total weight of her armour was . ==Construction==