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K Brown, in his book "Warrior to Dreadnought" (Chatham Publishing, 1997), points out

that

"The maximum righting moment for Monarch (the Reed-designed contemporary to Captain)

was at 38° whist that for Captain was at !°# The Captain had a marginay greater

metacentric height than Monarch $ut the righting moment fe away once the dec% edge was

immersed and capsi&e was ine'ita$e once she had reached !°#" 

(Survivor James Ellis is reported to have have heard a shipmate reporting to CaptainBurgoyne as disaster as imminent that the angle o! heel as 1"#$)

% & Bron goes on to summarise the mista'es as !ollos

- The concept of a fuy rigged ow-free$oard turret ship was wrong# *pencer Ro$inson and 

 Reed had pointed this out on numerous occasion# Coes+ $ad-tempered and unreasona$e

utterances confused the mind of the pu$ic and ministers ma%ing rationa de$ate impossi$e#

! - ,aiure to define responsi$iity $etween aird+s and the Controer particuary when

Coes+ iness pre'ented him from ta%ing any part#

3 - aird+s faiure to ta%e heed of Reed+s cear warning that the centre of gra'ity was higher

than they thought#

. - aird+s error in weight estimation which ed to her foating deeper than intended#

Name: HMS MonarchBuilder Chatham %o*'yard

+aid don 1 June 1"

+aun*hed -. /ay 1""

Completed 1- June 1"9

0ate Bro'en up, 19.

General characteristics

%ispla*ement ",2-- long tons (",3. t)

+ength 22 !t (1 m)Beam .7 !t in (17$.2 m)

%raught -- !t in ($" m) light

- !t (" m) deep load

Propulsion 4nesha!t 5umphreys 6 ennant return *onne*ting rod

Sail plan Shiprigged, sail area -7,7 s8 !t (-, m-)

Speed 13$93 'nots (17$19 mph -7$7 'm:h) under poer 

12 'nots (1. mph -3 'm:h) under sail

Complement .

;rmament 1869 

< 3 = 1- in (2. mm) mu>>leloading ri!les< 2 = 7 in (17" mm) ? ton mu>>leloading ri!les

1871 

< 3 = 1- in (2. mm) mu>>leloading ri!les

< - = 9 in (--9 mm) mu>>leloading ri!les

< 1 = 7 in (17" mm) mu>>le loading ri!les

;rmour < Belt 7 in (17" mm) amidships, 3$. in (113 mm) !ore and a!t

< urrets 1 in (-.3 mm) !a*e, " in (-2 mm) sides

< Bul'heads 3@3$. in (1-@113 mm)

< Bo s*reen . in (1-7 mm)

< Conning toer " in (-2 mm)

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Name: HMS Captain

4rdered Aovember 1"

+aid don 2 January 1"7

+aun*hed -7 /ar*h 1"9

Commissioned ;pril 1"70ate Sun' September 1"7

General characteristics 1

%ispla*ement s !esi"ne! ,9 long tons (7,7 t)

s b#ilt 7,77 long tons (7,"9- t)

+ength 2- !t (97$.3 m) pp

Beam .2 !t 2 in (1$-2 m)

%raught -3 !t 1 in (7$.7 m)

Propulsion -sha!t, re*ipro*ating 3 *ylinder hori>ontal trun' engine" re*tangular boilers

.,3 ihp (3, 'D)

Sail plan Ship rig 27,99 s8 !t (2,.-9 m-) o! sail (ma)

Speed 1.$-. 'n (-"$-3 'm:h 17$.. mph) (steam poer)

Complement . *remen and o!!i*ers

;rmament 3  1-in*h -. ton mu>>le loading ri!les (- -)

-  7in*h $. ton mu>>le loading ri!les (- 1)

;rmour Belt 3@" in (1@- mm)

urrets 9@1 in (-2@-. mm)7 in (1" mm)

$esi"n an! constr#ction

Fn /ay 1", Coles in!ormed the ;dmiralty o! his sele*tion o! +aird BrothersG /erseyside 

yard, !or the builder o! the arship$ he /erseyside yard had already built several su**ess!ul

iron*lads and readily a**epted the *hallenge o! building a vessel to ColesG spe*i!i*ations$ " o

 prevent the rigging !rom being damaged hen the guns !ired through it, it as atta*hed to a

 plat!orm mounted above the gun turrets 'non as the hurri*ane de*'  instead o! brought don

to the main de*'$ ripod masts ere also used to minimise standing rigging$1

he design *alled !or the ship to have a lo !reeboard, and ColesG !igures estimated it at " !eet

(-$3 m)$ Both the Controller  Hi*e;dmiral Sir Iobert Spen*er Iobinson and the Chie!Constru*tor  Edard James Ieed raised serious *on*erns$ Iobinson noted the lo !reeboard

*ould *ause !looding issues on the gun de*' , and Ieed *riti*ised the design in 1" !or being

 both too heavy and having too high a *entre o! gravity$ 4n the latter, Ieed noted that it ould

*ause issues espe*ially as it is proposed to spread a large sur!a*e o! *anvas upon the

Captain$9 ;s the design neared *ompletion, the 0irst +ord o! the ;dmiralty, Sir John

Pa'ington, rote on -2 July 1" to Coles approving the building o! the ship, but noting that

responsibility !or !ailure ould lie on ColesG and the buildersG lap$ 1

Fn Aovember 1", the *ontra*t !or 5/S Captain as approved," and the design as

!inished$ She as laid don 2 January 1"7 at Cammell +aird, Bir'enhead, England,

laun*hed -7 /ar*h 1"91 and *ompleted in /ar*h 1"7$11

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Fnsu!!i*ient supervision during the building, partly due to ColesG protra*ted illness,1- meant

that she as 72. long tons (737 t) heavier than planned$12 he designed !reeboard as Kust "

!eet (-$3 m), and the additional eight !or*ed her to !loat -- in*hes ($. m) deeper than

epe*ted, bring the !reeboard don to Kust !eet in*hes (1$9" m)$ 13 he *entre o! gravity o! 

the vessel also rose by about ten in*hes during *onstru*tion$ Ieed raised havo* over the

 problems ith the !reeboard and the *entre o! gravity, but his obKe*tions ere overruled

during the Captain+s trials$12

She as *ommissioned on 2 ;pril 1"7 under Captain 5ugh albot Burgoyne, HC$ %uring

trials in the !olloing months, the Captain seemed to be everything that Coles promised and

on over many !olloers$ Fn trials versus the Monarch, she per!ormed ell and returned to

sea in July and ;ugust, travelling to Higo, Spain and Libraltar  in separate runs$

%e!it& Sinkin"

4n the a!ternoon o! September 1"7 Captain as *ruising ith the Channel S8uadron o! 11

ships o!! Cape 0inisterre$ he ship made 9$. 'nots under sail in a !or*e si ind, hi*h as

in*reasing through the day$ he *ommander in *hie! as on board to see her per!orman*e, and

speed had risen to 1112 'nots be!ore he departed$ Aot being a**ustomed to ships ith su*h

lo !reeboard, he as disturbed to note that at this speed ith the strengthening sea, avesashed over the eather de*'$ he eather orsened ith rain as the night progressed, and

the number o! sails as redu*ed$ he ind as bloing !rom the port bo so that sails had to

 be angled to the ind, speed as mu*h redu*ed, and there as *onsiderable !or*e pushing the

ship sideays$ ;s the ind rose to a gale, sail as redu*ed to only the !ore staysail and !ore

and main topsails$1.

Shortly a!ter midnight hen a ne at*h *ame on duty, the ship as heeling over eighteen

degrees and as !elt to lur*h to starboard ti*e$ 4rders ere given to drop the !ore topsail

and release ropes holding both topsails angled into the ind$1 Be!ore the *aptainGs order

*ould be *arried out, the roll in*reased, and she *apsi>ed and san' ith the loss o! around 3"

lives, in*luding Coles$ he 0irst +ord o! the ;dmiralty, 5ugh Childers, and MnderSe*retary

o! State !or Dar , homas Baring, both lost sons in the disaster$ 4nly 1" o! the *re survived by ma'ing it to a boat hi*h had bro'en !ree$

he subse8uent investigation on the loss o! Captain, in the !orm o! a *ourtmartial,17 under

Sir James 5ope, too' pla*e on board 5/S /u%e of 0eington, in Portsmouth 5arbour$ Ft as

somehat o! a departure !or the ;dmiralty to see' s*ienti!i* advi*e, but eminent engineers 

Dilliam homson (later +ord &elvin) and Dilliam John /a*8uorn Ian'ine ere appointed to

the en8uiry$ Ft *on*luded that the ship as insu!!i*iently stable at 13 degrees heel (hen the

edge o! the de*' tou*hed the sea) the righting moment (tor8ue) due to the buoyan*y pushing

the ship upright again as Kust 31 !oottons (1$-/Am)$ 5/S Monarch, the masted turret

ship proposed by the 1". *ommittee and designed by Ieed, and hi*h as also at sea at the

time o! the sin'ing, had a righting moment o! ,. !oottons (-/Am) at the same angle$1" 

/aimum righting moment o**urred at a heel o! -1 degrees, and therea!ter de*lined to >ero at.3$. degrees$ Monarch+s righting moment in*reased to a maimum at 3 degrees$19 ;n

in*lining test had been *arried out at Portsmouth on -9 July 1"7 to allo the shipGs stability

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*hara*teristi*s to be *al*ulated$ Captain set sail on the shipGs !inal voyage be!ore the results o! 

the trial ere published$-

he in8uiry *on*luded that the Captain as built in de!eren*e to publi* opinion epressed in

Parliament and through other *hannels, and in opposition to vies and opinions o! the

Controller and his %epartment$-1