The design of the Colossus class was derived from that of the earlier
deep load. In 1911 her crew numbered 751 officers and ratings.[2]
Brassey's Naval Annual
1915. This diagram shows masts for HMS Neptune as the Colossus class had only a foremast, positioned behind the forward funnel.
Colossus was powered by two sets of
Babcock & Wilcox boilers. The turbines were rated at 25,000 shp (19,000 kW) and were intended to give the ship a maximum speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph).[3] During her full-power, eight-hour sea trials on 30 March 1911, she reached a top speed of 21.6 knots (40.0 km/h; 24.9 mph) from 29,296 shp (21,846 kW) in a moderate storm. The Colossus-class ships carried enough coal and fuel oil to give them a range of 6,680 nautical miles (12,370 km; 7,690 mi) at a cruising speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[4]
Armament and armour
The Colossus class was equipped with ten
21-inch (533 mm) submerged torpedo tubes, one on each broadside and another in the stern, for which 18 torpedoes were provided.[3]
They had a
Krupp cemented armour that was 11 inches (279 mm) thick between the fore and aftmost barbettes that did not cover the full length of the ships. Above this was a strake of 8 inches (203 mm) armour. The forward oblique 4-inch bulkheads connected the forward barbette to the side armour. Similarly, the aft bulkhead connected them to the rearmost barbette, although it was 8 inches thick. The three centreline barbettes were protected by armour 10 inches (254 mm) thick above the main deck and thinned to 4 inches below it. The wing barbettes were similar except that they had 11 inches of armour on their outer faces. The gun turrets had 11-inch faces and sides with 3-inch (76 mm) roofs.[2]
The three armoured decks ranged in thickness from 1.5 to 4 inches (38 to 102 mm) with the greater thicknesses outside the central
armoured citadel. The front and sides of the conning tower were protected by 11-inch plates, although the rear and roof were 8 inches and 3 inches thick respectively. The torpedo control tower aft had 3-inch sides and a 2-inch roof. In an effort to reduce weight, the Colossus-class ships reverted to the inadequate underwater protection scheme of HMS Dreadnought and their anti-torpedo bulkheads only protected the shell rooms and magazines, although they had a maximum thickness of 3 inches.[2]
Modifications
Sometime in 1912, the
fire-control director was installed on a platform below the spotting top before December 1915.[7] Approximately 50 long tons (51 t) of additional deck armour was added after the Battle of Jutland in May 1916. Around the same time, four 4-inch guns were removed from the aft superstructure. By April 1917, Colossus was equipped with single 4-inch and 3-inch AA guns and the forward group of 4-inch guns had been enclosed in casemates. The stern torpedo tube was removed in 1917–1918 and a high-angle rangefinder was fitted on the spotting top in 1918. The AA guns were removed in 1919–1920 and some 4-inch guns were removed during her September–October 1921 refit. In addition, some machinery was removed during the refit to render her non-combat worthy in accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty.[8]
Construction and career
Colossus, named after the
1st BS. She visited Cherbourg, France, with part of the fleet in March 1913.[11]
World War I
Colossus at anchor, before 1915
Between 17 and 20 July 1914, Colossus took part in a test
Shetland Islands and conducted gunnery practice on 8–12 December. Four days later, the Grand Fleet sortied during the German raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby, but failed to make contact with the High Seas Fleet. Colossus and the rest of the Grand Fleet conducted another sweep of the North Sea on 25–27 December.[19]
The 1st Battle Squadron at sea, April 1915
Jellicoe's ships, including Colossus, conducted gunnery drills on 10–13 January 1915 west of Orkney and Shetland. On the evening of 23 January, the bulk of the Grand Fleet sailed in support of Beatty's battlecruisers, but Colossus and the rest of the fleet did not participate in the ensuing Battle of Dogger Bank the following day. On 7–10 March, the Grand Fleet conducted a sweep in the northern North Sea, during which it conducted training manoeuvres. Another such cruise took place on 16–19 March. On 11 April, the Grand Fleet conducted a patrol in the central North Sea and returned to port on 14 April; another patrol in the area took place on 17–19 April, followed by gunnery drills off Shetland on 20–21 April.[20]
The Grand Fleet conducted sweeps into the central North Sea on 17–19 May and 29–31 May without encountering any German vessels. During 11–14 June, the fleet conducted gunnery practice and battle exercises west of Shetland
Rear-Admiral Ernest Gaunt, commander of the 5th Division of the 1st BS.[11]
The fleet departed for a cruise in the North Sea on 26 February 1916; Jellicoe had intended to use the
minefields in the Baltic Sea.[23] The fleet returned to Scapa Flow on 24 April and refuelled before proceeding south in response to intelligence reports that the Germans were about to launch a raid on Lowestoft, but only arrived in the area after the Germans had withdrawn. On 2–4 May, the fleet conducted another demonstration off Horns Reef to keep German attention focused on the North Sea.[24]
Battle of Jutland
Maps showing the manoeuvres of the British (blue) and German (red) fleets on 31 May – 1 June 1916
In an attempt to lure out and destroy a portion of the Grand Fleet, the High Seas Fleet, composed of sixteen dreadnoughts, six pre-dreadnoughts and supporting ships, departed the Jade Bight early on the morning of 31 May. The fleet sailed in concert with Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper's five battlecruisers. The Royal Navy's Room 40 had intercepted and decrypted German radio traffic containing plans of the operation. In response the Admiralty ordered the Grand Fleet, totalling some 28 dreadnoughts and 9 battlecruisers, to sortie the night before to cut off and destroy the High Seas Fleet.[25]
On 31 May, Colossus, under the command of
battle line after deployment.[1] During the first stage of the general engagement, the ship fired three salvos from her main guns at a barely visible battleship at 18:30.[Note 1] Shortly afterward, she fired four salvos at the crippled light cruiserSMS Wiesbaden around 18:32. Colossus fired another three salvos at Wiesbaden at 19:00 and switched to the destroyer SMS G42, which was attempting to come to Wiesbaden's assistance, five minutes later with both her main and secondary armament. The destroyer was not hit, but the detonations of the near misses caused her condensers to spring leaks, which gradually reduced her speed. About 19:10 Colossus engaged several German destroyer flotillas with her forward turret and 4-inch guns without result.[27]
The damage caused by one hit by Seydlitz in the superstructure
About 19:15, she engaged the battlecruiser
common pointed, capped) and 16 shells from her four-inch guns.[31]
Subsequent activity
On 12 June, Gaunt and Colossus were transferred to the
Admiralty concurred and stipulated that the Grand Fleet would not sortie unless the German fleet was attempting an invasion of Britain or there was a strong possibility it could be forced into an engagement under suitable conditions.[33]
Colossus at anchor in Scapa Flow with other ships of the Grand Fleet, 1916
From June to September 1917, she was being refitted. In April 1918, the High Seas Fleet again sortied, to attack British convoys to Norway. They enforced strict wireless silence during the operation, which prevented Room 40 cryptanalysts from warning the new commander of the Grand Fleet, Admiral Beatty. The British only learned of the operation after an accident aboard the battlecruiser
3rd BS of the Home Fleet, before that role was transferred to the dreadnought Collingwood on 18 March. On 30 June 1921, she was listed for disposal, but become a boys' training ship in September, and was refitted to suit her new role. The ship was stationed at Portland until May 1922 when that establishment was closed and she returned to Devonport where she was again listed for disposal. Colossus was withdrawn from the disposal list on 23 July 1923 and hulked for the use of the training establishment HMS Impregnable at Devonport. The ship was withdrawn from Impregnable in August 1927, turned over to dockyard control on 23 February 1928 and sold to Charlestown Shipbreaking Industries for scrap in August. She was resold to Metal Industries, Limited and departed Devonport for Charlestown, Fife, on the 25th. Colossus arrived on 5 September to begin demolition.[1]
Notes
^The times used in this section are in UT, which is one hour behind CET, which is often used in German works.
Brooks, John (1996). "Percy Scott and the Director". In McLean, David; Preston, Antony (eds.). Warship 1996. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 150–170.
United Kingdom
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