Giving You A Great Steampunk/Science Fiction Adventure Pastiche

The fictional ship of legend from H.G. Wells' famous and much loved War of the Worlds. Now there is a pastiche story - an adaptation for you.

Go back in time to the alternative reality of H.G. Wells' version of 1898, when Martians were falling to Earth from out of space. Mankind appears doomed. See the story from a new perspective - that of H.M.S. Thunder Child's crew.

How will the valiant be when the time for confrontation comes? 

Be there with them and board H.M.S. Thunder Child. Live the consequence that results in the final showdown during the Battle of the Blackwater.

Thunder Child vs Three Martian Tripods.

In Paperback and Kindle USA. To be published in EU late September 2016.

Giving You HMS Hecate - Victorian Cyclops class ship

Cyclops class ship

There is something about this coastal defence ship that I like. It was not really up to much and did not need to prove itself during its time in service with Queen Victoria's Royal Navy. It was an odd shaped little vessel and was rather ugly - yet it still flicks a little switch for me. HMS Hecate was one of four Cyclops class ships that Parliament wanted to be built because of the Franco - Prussian war in 1870.

Parliament regarded these ships as necessary because they were small and cheap with a shallow draft and offered coastal water defence. The attack-minded, Admiralty thought that because of their shallow draft, they might make good attack vessels in shallow water ports of the enemy. However, the majority of people believed them unfit for the open sea and heavy weather. The low fore and aft decks were often awash with sea even in conditions not regarded as severe.



Cyclops class like miniature versions of HMS Devastation.

Admiral George Alexander Ballard thought the armament was fine but stability in open sea questionable. He was known to have referred to the Cyclops class ships as 'full-armoured knights on donkeys.' This was perhaps cruel, but probably right. However, as coastal or river boats, they were fine little ships.



Not ideal for the open sea

HMS Hecate did make a journey across the North Sea and for this reason, I have a soft spot for her and the rest of these odd little ships. She had a complement of 156 men was 225ft from bow to stern with a beam of 45ft. She had two engines and a fore and aft turret, each with two 10 inch rifled muzzle loaders. The little lady could pack a punch if an enemy vessel was to get in her way.

These four ships (Cyclops, Hecate, Hydra and Gorgon) were smaller versions of the HMS Devastation class battleship. They had one funnel instead of the two that HMS Devastation had and looked like a miniature version of this first turret Battleship with no sails.

(Incidentally, there is an Australian Ship called HMVS Cerberus that was in service three years before HMS Devastation and is still about - part submerged in a bay off the Australian coast. She is very much like the Cyclops class ships but was built earlier. There is a Save the Cerebus movement to protect and look after this unique ship. You can find out more on Friends of the Cerebus Inc. Please click the link below.)

http://www.cerberus.com.au/index.html

Below is a newspaper report of HMS Hecate from the Glasgow Herald on 26th December 1883:

Some important experiments were made on Saturday off Plymouth on board the Hecate, 4, double-screw iron armour-plated turret-ship. This vessel, together with Gorgon, Cyclops, and Hydra, her sister ships, was built on the same principle as the Devastation, but on a much smaller scale. It was discovered that they could in no way stand the rough weather, and the belief was that powerful as they were, they could only be used for coast defence. About twelve months ago it was proposed to erect a superstructure on one as a test, with a view to secure not only greater stability but better accommodation for officers and crew. The Hecate was selected to experiment upon, and in January last Messrs H. & R. Green, of Blackwall, who were entrusted by the Admiralty with the work took, the ship in hand.

The improvement made included the extension of the breastwork to the ship's side and the lengthening aft about 20 feet. The captain's apartments are now within the superstructure, instead of below the upper deck, and are well supplied with light and natural ventilation. The officers generally have the advantage of a commodious reading room. A sick bay has been fitted up, and provision made for carrying a quantity of patent fuel. Additional mess accommodation has been secured on the lower deck by the removal of the sick bay, and better cabins have been allocated to the warrant officers.

The sea-going qualities of the Hecate under her altered condition were fully tested on her way from the Nore to Devonport. Saturday's experiments were directed to firing the four guns in the turrets, to test the strength of the superstructure, which is composed of ½ inch steel. Another object **** was to discover the best places for fixing the four Nordenfelt guns with which the ship is to be supplied.

The vessel is armed with four 18 tonne guns, two in each turret, both of which revolve. The four guns were first discharged with scaling charges. Then the left gun in the fore turret was loaded with a full charge of 44lb of powder and a common shell weighing 400 lb and was discharged bearing on the port beam, at a horizontal elevation. The right gun in the same turret was next fired under similar conditions, but bearing on the starboard beam. Upon examining the superstructure it was found that two rivets had been started on the starboard side. The guns of the same turret were then fired with a battering charge of 70lb. of powder each and 400lb shell, but the concussion did no damage. They were then discharged simultaneously. The final experiment was the firing of an electric broadside of all four guns at once, bearing on the port beam. The concussion was considerable, but beyond the two rivets started, after the smallest charge, not the slightest damage was done — not even a pane of glass.

Giving You a Growing Interest for Blogging with Retro Brit Blogger

Retro Brit Blog

This is a blog of mixed subjects - a sort of scrapbook blog really - but I enjoy watching it grow and the continuous traffic growth each day is very encouraging too. Blogging is great fun especially if you write about things you enjoy. Some blogs have big impact when you least expect and visa verse too. There are all sorts of reasons for this, but the learning process is a great deal of fun too.

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Giving You Sejanus and His Growing Ambition (Roman Prefect of the Praetorian Guard)

Sejanus was a high ranking Roman official who had a notorious rise and fall from power during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. Sejanus was born in 20 BC to one of the upper social class families of Rome from the time of the Old Republic. He was not of the senatorial class families but his relations had ties with such influential people.

Sejanus entered the Praetorian Guard - an elite unit of Roman soldiers formed by Emperor Augustus in 27 BC when the Republic fell and the rule of Emperor’s came about. He entered the elite bodyguard through his father’s influence. In time Sejanus became the Praetorian prefect and a trusted advisor to Emperor Tiberius.

In his capacity as the Praetorian prefect, at age 23, Sejanus exerted a strong influence over the decisions of the emperor, who developed a strong trust in him. He was then raised to praetor which was not a position of his class. He was becoming a social climber.

Sejanus began to get involved in the intrigues of power and many high ranking people were eliminated in near and far places that opened new channels of power for him to ascend.

A widow called Agrippina came to Rome from Syria where her husband had died. His name was Germanicus and he was an opponent to Sejanus’ political ambitions. She tried to get in with other senators who were worried about Sejanus’ growing influence. She attracted the Emperor’s displeasure and the mother of Emperor Tiberius, Livia who was a most formidable lady.

One of Agrippina’s sons was a young man called Caligula. He and his brothers were regarded by Sejanus as threats to his ambitions of power. Caligula would one day become Emperor and his four-year reign would be most feared by the noble families of Rome.

In this time, however, Sejanus was trying to marry above his class into one of the ruling families. He had divorced his wife and was trying to get himself into a position of succession to the Emperor’s throne, but Tiberius became suddenly alarmed that Sejanus was getting above his station in life.

Sejanus backed off but persuaded Emperor Tiberius to live on the island of Capri under the protection of his Praetorian guard. He could then control all information coming from Tiberius and to him.

When Tiberius’ mother Livia died Sejanus became bolder and moved upon all those that might oppose him. Among them, Agrippina and two of her three sons perished. Caligula managed to escape the roundup.

Sejanus, unofficially, was sharing power with the old Emperor who was on his island retreat in Capri. With, what he thought, was the complete elimination of opposition Sejanus became careless. He believed his position was unassailable. Emperor Tiberius was little more than a puppet. Sejanus needed to find a way to make himself completely legitimate and only marriage into the ruling family would do that.

It is not known absolutely how, but Tiberius struck and brought Sejanus to an untimely end. How he became knowledgeable to Sejanus’ ambitions is not clear but he must have begun to have his suspicions over time.

Sejanus was arrested at the Senate when he appeared to receive an appropriation of new powers. His Praetorian guard was replaced and he was interned. A short time later, Sejanus was executed by strangulation and thrown traditionally onto the Gemonian stairs where the Roman mob tore the corpse to pieces. So ended Sejanus and his dark ambition of imperial rule over the Roman Empire.

http://www.unrv.com/