| STEAM STERN PADDLE WHEEL RIVER GUNBOAT " EL FATEH' Built at Wivenhoe Shipyard in 1896 by Forrestt & Co. Ltd., together with 2 sister ships for the Kitchener Nile expedition against the forces of the Mahdi in the Sudan. DIMENSIONS: Length on deck 140' Beam: 24' Draft: (when fully loaded with guns and stores) 2'6" ARMAMENT: 1 x 12 pounder Q.F. Gun 2 x 6 pounder Q.F. guns 1 x Nordenfeldt Howitzer 2 x Batteries of Maxim guns The vessel equipped with electricity and searchlight. With her sisters, 'El Fateh' was built in sections of steel and fitted with water tight bulkheads. Shipped to Alexandria in sections, the ships were transported up the Nile to Assouan where they were reassembled for action. 'EL FATEH' was commanded on the Nile by Lt. David Beatty R.N. later better known as Admiral Earl Beatty, commander of the Battle Cruisers at the Battle of Jutland. Research by Bill Ellis
Model of the 'El Fateh' by Bill Ellis |
