RN Apollo Class Protected Cruiser

[B-Manic]

If anyone has drawings etc for this class of ship I would appreciate some help. I have pretty much exhausted the resources available on the net.

The Apollo class were second class protected cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the late 19th Century that served during the Boer War and World War I. I am particularly interested in HMS/HMCS Rainbow.

Other ships in the class
HMS Apollo (1891)
HMS Aeolus (1891)
HMS Andromache (1890)
HMS Brilliant (1891)
HMS Indefatigable (1891)
HMS Intrepid (1891) - Scuttled 1918
HMS Iphigenia (1891) - Scuttled as part of Zeebrugge Raid 1918
HMS Latona (1890)
HMS Melampus (1890)
HMS Naiad (1890)
HMS Pique (1890)
HMS Rainbow (1891) - To Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Rainbow
HMS Retribution (1891)
HMS Sappho (1891)
HMS Scylla (1891)
HMS Sirius (1890) - Scuttled 1918
HMS Spartan (1891) - Scrapped 1931
HMS Sybille (1890) - Wrecked 1901
HMS Terpsichore (1890)
HMS Thetis (1890) - Scuttled with Iphigenia 1918
HMS Tribune (1891)

[Don Boose]

No help from here, I'm afraid, Douglas, but I will ask around.

It would be great to see you build one of these splendid ships.

Don

[B-Manic]

Thanks Don, I don't know how great they were capability wise. They were the bargain basement of cruisers but, they do have a nice profile and lots of open & shielded guns.

[CDNGUY68]

I think the guy at Dreadnought Project said there were plans available for (almost) every ship through the National Maritime Museum. Likely not free, but you could find enough resources to do a two-fer: HMCS Rainbow AND HMCS Niobe. Do we have any UK-based members who could help you out in that regard?

[B-Manic]

Originally Posted by CDNGUY68

I think the guy at Dreadnought Project said there were plans available for (almost) every ship through the National Maritime Museum. Likely not free, but you could find enough resources to do a two-fer: HMCS Rainbow AND HMCS Niobe. Do we have any UK-based members who could help you out in that regard?

I sent them an e-mail asking if they have anything. the e-mail address is Plansandphotos[at]nmm.ac.uk

[Royaloakmin]

The NMM plans are very expensive, sadly. Plans for Carl's Inflexible would have been about $400. Check Maryland Silver Company and Cornwall Models. I would really like to see you project succeed!

[CDNGUY68]

I wonder if reaching out to someone like Jack Granatstein might be helpful, or even the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax? I vaguely recall seeing a model of either Niobe or Rainbow in the Chiefs & PO's Mess in Esquimault, so *somebody* managed to find plans somewhere?

[B-Manic]

Originally Posted by CDNGUY68

I wonder if reaching out to someone like Jack Granatstein might be helpful, or even the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax? I vaguely recall seeing a model of either Niobe or Rainbow in the Chiefs & PO's Mess in Esquimault, so *somebody* managed to find plans somewhere?

There is a nice model of Rainbow at the Maritime Museum of the Pacific here in Victoria. I have pictures of it from pretty much every angle. Unfortunately they have no plans and I have been unable to contact the builder. I can assure you that there is no model of either in the Esquimalt C&POs mess or Wardroom. I do know the Mess Presidents so I will ask them if they have one in storage. Although, if they did, you would think it would be on display for the centennial. I have yet to contact the base museum perhaps they have something.

Thanks for the other suggestions.

cheers
~Douglas

[CDNGUY68]

I came across this side elevation. Not ideal I know, but if you hadn't seen it previously then it's a start...

Image: HMS Sirius 1892

[CDNGUY68]

Originally Posted by B-Manic

There is a nice model of Rainbow at the Maritime Museum of the Pacific here in Victoria. I have pictures of it from pretty much every angle. Unfortunately they have no plans and I have been unable to contact the builder. I can assure you that there is no model of either in the Esquimalt C&POs mess or Wardroom. I do know the Mess Presidents so I will ask them if they have one in storage. Although, if they did, you would think it would be on display for the centennial. I have yet to contact the base museum perhaps they have something.

Thanks for the other suggestions.

cheers
~Douglas

I stand corrected on the Mess models. I had a whirlwind tour thanks to a buddy of mine when I was out for my convocation at RRU last Nov and I must have mistaken some of the ones I saw (and there were more than a few).