Coles

Coles, COWPER Phipps, naval architect, born in Hampshire in 1819, early entered the navy, and became lieutenant in 1846 and captain in 1856. In 1855 he constructed a gun-raft, which was favourably reported on; from 1856 he was engaged in experiments, and ultimately produced a form of turret-ship, the general idea of which had probably occurred to him independently, although its development owed much to the invention of Ericsson (q.v.). A vessel was built from his designs, with little more than 6 feet of freeboard; it was commissioned as the Captain early in 1870, and on 7th September turned bottom upwards in a gale, and sank off Cape Finisterre, almost all on board, including Coles, being drowned.