maximum elevation, the guns had a range of around . The secondary armament of Collingwood consisted of six 26-calibre BL Mk IV guns on single mounts positioned on the upper deck amidships, three on each broadside. They fired shells that were credited with the ability to penetrate of wrought iron at 1000 yards. They had a range of at an elevation of +15° using prismatic black powder. Beginning around 1895 all of these guns were converted into quick-firing guns (QF) with a much faster rate of fire. Using cordite extended their range to . For defence against torpedo boats the ships carried a dozen QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss guns and eight QF 3-pdr Hotchkiss guns. They also mounted four above-water torpedo tubes, one pair on each broadside. Collingwoods waterline belt of compound armour extended across the middle of the ship between the rear of each barbette for . It had a total height of deep of which was below water and above at normal load; at deep load, the ship's draught increased by another 6 inches. The upper of the belt armour was thick and the plates tapered to at the bottom edge. Lateral bulkheads at the ends of the belt connected it to the barbettes; they were thick at main deck level and below. Each barbette was a roughly pear-shaped, 11-sided polygon, in size with sloping walls thick and a rear. The main ammunition hoists were protected by armoured tubes with walls 10–12 inches thick. The conning tower also had 12-inch thick walls as well as roofs thick. The deck of the central armoured citadel had a thickness of and the lower deck was thick from the ends of the belt to the bow and stern. Construction and career Collingwood, named after Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, Horatio Nelson's second-in-command in the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, was the second ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy. The ship was laid down at Pembroke Dockyard on 12 July 1880 and launched by Mrs. Louise Chatfield, wife of the dockyard's Captain-Superintendent, Captain Alfred Chatfield, on 22 November 1882. While conducting gunnery trials on 4 May 1886, Collingwoods rear left gun partially shattered and all of the Mk II guns were withdrawn from service. They were replaced by heavier Mk Vw models with approximately the same performance. Excluding her armament, she cost £636,996. The ship was commissioned at Portsmouth