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 Captain
Burgoyne 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 $etween -aird+s and the Controer) particuary when
Coes+ iness pre'ented him from ta%ing any part#
3 - -aird+s faiure to ta%e heed of Reed+s cear warning that the centre of gra'ity was higher
than they thought#
. - -aird+s error in weight estimation which ed to her foating deeper than intended#
Name: HMS Monarch
Builder) Chatham %o*'yard
+aid don) 1 June 1",,
+aun*hed) -. /ay 1","
Completed) 1- June 1",9
0ate) Bro'en up, 191.
General characteristics
%ispla*ement) ",2-- long tons (",3., t)
+ength) 221 !t (111 m)
Beam) .7 !t , in (17$.2 m)
%raught) -- !t , in (,$", m) light
-, !t (" m) deep load
Propulsion) 4ne(sha!t 5umphreys 6 7ennant return *onne*ting rod
Sail plan) Ship(rigged, sail area -7,711 s8 !t (-,,11 m
-
)
Speed) 13$93 'nots (17$19 mph9 -7$,7 'm:h) under poer
12 'nots (1. mph9 -3 'm:h) under sail
Complement) ,1.
;rmament) 1869 )
< 3 = 1- in (21. mm) mu>>le(loading ri!les
< 2 = 7 in (17" mm) ,? ton mu>>le(loading ri!les
1871 )
< 3 = 1- in (21. mm) mu>>le(loading ri!les
< - = 9 in (--9 mm) mu>>le(loading ri!les
< 1 = 7 in (17" mm) mu>>le loading ri!les
;rmour) < Belt) 7 in (17" mm) amidships, 3$. in (113 mm) !ore and a!t
< 7urrets) 11 in (-.3 mm) !a*e, " in (-12 mm) sides
< Bul'heads) 3@3$. in (11-@113 mm)
< Bo s*reen) . in (1-7 mm)
< Conning toer) " in (-12 mm)
Name: HMS Captain
4rdered) Aovember 1",,
+aid don) 21 January 1",7
+aun*hed) -7 /ar*h 1",9
Commissioned) ;pril 1"71
0ate) Sun'9 , September 1"71
General characteristics
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%ispla*ement) s !esi"ne!) ,,9,1 long tons (7,171 t)
s b#ilt) 7,7,7 long tons (7,"9- t)
+ength) 2-1 !t (97$.3 m) pp
Beam) .2 !t 2 in (1,$-2 m)
%raught) -3 !t 11 in (7$.7 m)
Propulsion) -(sha!t, re*ipro*ating 3 *ylinder hori>ontal trun' engine
" re*tangular boilers
.,311 ihp (3,111 'D)
Sail plan) Ship rig) 27,991 s8 !t (2,.-9 m
-
) o! sail (maE)
Speed) 1.$-. 'n (-"$-3 'm:h9 17$.. mph) (steam poer)
Complement) .11 *remen and o!!i*ers
;rmament) 3 E 1-(in*h -. ton mu>>le loading ri!les (- E -)
- E 7(in*h ,$. ton mu>>le loading ri!les (- E 1)
;rmour) Belt) 3@" in (111@-11 mm)
7urrets) 9@11 in (-21@-.1 mm)
7 in (1"1 mm)
$esi"n an! constr#ction
Fn /ay 1",,, Coles in!ormed the ;dmiralty o! his sele*tion o! +aird BrothersG /erseyside
yard, !or the builder o! the arship$ 7he /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$
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7o
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*'$ 7ripod masts ere also used to minimise standing rigging$
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7he 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 Jespe*ially as it is proposed to spread a large sur!a*e o! *anvas upon the
CaptainJ$
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;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$
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Fn Aovember 1",,, the *ontra*t !or 5/S Captain as approved,
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and the design as
!inished$ She as laid don 21 January 1",7 at Cammell +aird, Bir'enhead, England,
laun*hed -7 /ar*h 1",9
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and *ompleted in /ar*h 1"71$
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Fnsu!!i*ient supervision during the building, partly due to ColesG protra*ted illness,
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meant
that she as 72. long tons (737 t) heavier than planned$
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7he designed !reeboard as Kust "
!eet (-$3 m), and the additional eight !or*ed her to !loat -- in*hes (1$., m) deeper than
eEpe*ted, bring the !reeboard don to Kust , !eet , in*hes (1$9" m)$
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7he *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$
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She as *ommissioned on 21 ;pril 1"71 under Captain 5ugh 7albot 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"71 Captain as *ruising ith the Channel S8uadron o! 11
ships o!! Cape 0inisterre$ 7he ship made 9$. 'nots under sail in a !or*e siE ind, hi*h as
in*reasing through the day$ 7he *ommander in *hie! as on board to see her per!orman*e, and
speed had risen to 11(12 '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, aves
ashed over the eather de*'$ 7he eather orsened ith rain as the night progressed, and
the number o! sails as redu*ed$ 7he 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$
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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$
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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"1
lives, in*luding Coles$ 7he 0irst +ord o! the ;dmiralty, 5ugh Childers, and Mnder(Se*retary
o! State !or Dar, 7homas 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$
7he subse8uent investigation on the loss o! Captain, in the !orm o! a *ourt(martial,
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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 7homson (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 311 !oot(tons (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! ,,.11 !oot(tons (-1/Am) at the same angle$
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/aEimum 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 maEimum at 31 degrees$
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;n
in*lining test had been *arried out at Portsmouth on -9 July 1"71 to allo the shipGs stability
*hara*teristi*s to be *al*ulated$ Captain set sail on the shipGs !inal voyage be!ore the results o!
the trial ere published$
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7he in8uiry *on*luded that Jthe Captain as built in de!eren*e to publi* opinion eEpressed in
Parliament and through other *hannels, and in opposition to vies and opinions o! the
Controller and his %epartmentJ$
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