All the ships of this class were remarkable for their appearance, which certainly justified such names as _Magnificent_ and _Majestic_. The great height of the superstructure fore and aft gave the idea of a good deal of top hamper, which however was quite as great in the _Royal Sovereign_. The upper deck 6-inch quick-firers of that vessel were only protected by ordinary shields, but the new ships had closed-in casemates at each corner of the battery and double plating above. The bridges and deck-houses of the _Majestic_ were set back to avoid the “blast” of the great guns, and the forward conning-tower stood clear of the bridge and had an uninterrupted view all round. In regard to the bridges she differed considerably from many of her predecessors carrying heavy armament, as the “blast” from the big guns would have rendered a position on the bridge far from safe, especially when they were fired abeam. In these vessels the four 12-inch 46-ton wire guns were placed two in each barbette; the breech and body of each gun was protected by a steel hood with a maximum thickness of 10 inches. Their 6-inch guns were in casemates. The 12-inch guns were very powerful for their weight, and comparing them with some of their most notable predecessors, it was found that their energy nearly equalled that of the 67-ton gun and their perforating power exceeded that of the 110½-ton gun. The _Majestic_ and her sister ships were at the time they were added to the Navy the most powerful warships afloat. The smaller guns were unprotected, this being one of the objections urged against their design. They were provided rather for repelling attacks by torpedo boats, for which purpose they would no doubt have been very effective if they were not disabled by an enemy’s gun-fire first.