HMS Hotspur ( 1870 ) HMS " Hotspur " was a Victorian Royal Navy ironclad ram – a warship armed with guns but whose primary weapon was a ram . Background . It had been recognised since the time of the Roman Empire or before that a ship , while it might carry weaponry , was itself a potent weapon if used as a missile against other ships . In the era of sail - powered warships with their intrinsic limitations of speed and manoeverability the practice of ramming opponents fell by default into disuse , although the concept remained alive . With the advent of steam - powered vessels , with their enhanced speed and lack of dependence for direction on the wind , the ram as a potent weapon of attack gained credibility in Naval circles and in Ship Constructors ' departments . This first became apparent in the American Civil War , when many attempts were made by ships on both sides to ram their opponents , with almost uniform lack of success . ( The Confederate " Virginia ( ex - Merrimack ) " rammed and sank the Federal " Cumberland " , but lost her ram and suffered significant structural damage . ) The battle which most influenced the exaggerated faith in the ram as a weapon was the battle of Lissa between Austria - Hungary and Italy in 1866 . The Austrian " Ferdinand Max " rammed the ( stationary ) Italian " Re d ' Italia " , which immediately heeled over and sank . This resulted in all ironclad battleships designed for the next forty years being built to carry a ram ; a weapon which , while causing the loss of a number of ships accidentally , never sank another major enemy warship of any nationality . Design . " Hotspur " was designed to work with the Fleet , to bring into action her main weapon , her ram . This projected some ten feet ( 3 m ) ahead of her bow perpendicular , and was reinforced by an extension of the armoured belt . It was assumed that the bearings upon which a usual turret turned would not survive the shock of the impact consequent upon the use of the ram against an enemy ship . Her single gun was therefore positioned in a fixed cupola perforated by four firing - ports through which the gun could be discharged . None of these ports allowed the gun to be fired straight ahead , where a potential ramming target would be situated . It was therefore only possible to engage these targets with the gun if the ramming attack missed . As the maximum speed of " Hotspur " was less than virtually all of her potential targets , it quickly became apparent that ramming attacks on ships under way were almost guaranteed to miss , and she quickly descended from being a ship held to be of great military value to be the most useless member of the battle - fleet . She was reconstructed by Laird & Sons Co . , and was given a revolving turret containing two 12 - inch guns , new boilers and additional armour . Service history . " Hotspur " was commissioned at Devonport in 1871 , and remained in reserve until 1876 . She served with HMS Rupert in the Sea of Marmara during the Russo - Turkish war of 1878 . She the returned to Devonport , where she remained until her major reconstruction , undetaken by Laird & Sons Co . between 1881 and 1883 . Her only active service thereafter was with the Particular Service Squadron of 1885 . She was guardship at Holyhead until 1893 , was again in reserve until 1897 , and was posted thereafter to serve as guardship at Bermuda , where she stayed until sold .