Captain Coles, however, considered that a seagoing turret ship was perfectly feasible, and persistently advocated the principle. As he was supported by the press, the Admiralty decided to build a masted turret ship, and the 'Monarch' was commenced. As she did not embody the views of Captain Coles, he was at length permitted to build a vessel of his own design, and he entrusted the work to Messrs Laird of Liverpool. Guns having increased so much in weight it became necessary to limit the number of turrets to a pair placed on the centre line of the ship, 120 ft. apart, each containing a pair of guns. There were three masts, on the tripod principle, by which the necessity for rigging is dispensed with, and she was given full sail power. It is unnecessary to go into further details, because this unfortunate vessel, which was named the 'Captain,' was lost, with nearly all hands, on September 6th, 1870. She capsized in a heavy squall off Cape Finisterre when under sail. Captain Burgoyne was in command of her, while Captain Coles was his guest, desirous of observing the behaviour of his design at sea. The loss of two such men, with the remaining officers and crew, was a national disaster not likely to be forgotten. Errors of construction caused the catastrophe, combined with the great leverage exerted by the sails when struck by a heavy squall.
Loss of the 'Captain' and the principal advocate of masted turret ships led the Admiralty to abandon this type, but the 'Monarch' was completed, and remains the solitary specimen in our navy. She was similar in general design to the 'Captain,' but in many important
