HMS Nelson (28)

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For other ships with the same name, see HMS Nelson and HMS Lord Nelson.

Aerial view of Nelson, 17 May 1937
History
United Kingdom
NameNelson
Namesake
Horatio Nelson
Ordered1 January 1923
Builder
Armstrong-Whitworth, South Tyneside
Cost£7,504,055
Yard number991
Laid down28 December 1922
Launched3 September 1925
Commissioned15 August 1927
DecommissionedFebruary 1948
In service27 October 1927
Out of service20 October 1947
Stricken19 May 1948
IdentificationPennant number: 28
Motto
  • Palmam qui meruit ferat
  • Latin: "Let him bear the palm who has deserved it"
Nickname(s)Nelsol
Honours and
awards
FateSold for scrap, 5 January 1949
BadgeA rearing lion facing back clasping a
palm frond
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeNelson-class battleship
Displacement
Length709 ft 10 in (216.4 m) o/a
Beam106 ft (32.3 m)
Draught30 ft 4 in (9.2 m) (mean standard)
Installed power
  • 8 ×
    Admiralty 3-drum boilers
  • 45,000 
    kW
    )
Propulsion2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines
Speed23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Range7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement
Armament
  • 3 × triple
    16 in (406 mm) guns
  • 6 × twin
    6 in (152 mm) guns
  • 6 × single
    AA guns
  • 8 × single
    2 pdr (40 mm (1.6 in))
    AA guns
  • 2 ×
    torpedo tubes
Armour

HMS Nelson (

Norwegian Campaign after she was badly damaged by a mine in late 1939, and escorted convoys in the Atlantic Ocean
.

In mid-1941 Nelson escorted several

Japanese surrender in September to serve as the flagship of the Home Fleet. She became a training ship in early 1946 and was reduced to reserve in late 1947. Nelson was scrapped
two years later after being used as a target for bomb tests.

Background and description

Profile drawing of Nelson as built

The Nelson-class battleship was essentially a smaller, 23-

battleline in a ship displacing no more than 35,000 long tons (36,000 t).[1]

Nelson had a

kW) and intended to give the ship a maximum speed of 23 knots. During her sea trials on 26 May 1927, Nelson reached a top speed of 23.6 knots (43.7 km/h; 27.2 mph) from 46,031 shp (34,325 kW). The ship carried enough fuel oil to give her a range of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at a cruising speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).[3]

Armament and fire control

Sailors of the South African Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve sitting on one of Nelson's 16-inch gun barrels during the Second World War

The

centreline.[4]

starboard

The Nelsons were built with two

rangefinders to control the main guns. One was mounted above the bridge and the other was at the aft end of the superstructure. Each turret was also fitted with a 41-foot (12.5 m) rangefinder. A back-up director for the main armament was positioned on the roof of the conning tower in an armoured hood. The secondary armament was controlled by four directors equipped with 12-foot (3.7 m) rangefinders. One pair were mounted on each side of the main director on the bridge roof and the others were abreast the aft main director. The anti-aircraft directors were situated on a tower abaft the main-armament director with a 12-foot high-angle rangefinder in the middle of the tower. A pair of torpedo-control directors with 15-foot rangefinders were positioned abreast the funnel.[5]

Protection

The ships'

non-cemented armour 8 and 12 inches (203 and 305 mm) thick at the forward end and 4 and 10 inches (102 and 254 mm) thick at the aft end. The faces of the main-gun turrets were protected by 16-inch of KC armour while the turret sides were 9 to 11 inches (229 to 279 mm) thick and the roof armour plates measured 7.25 inches (184 mm) in thickness. The KC armour of the barbettes ranged in thickness from 12 to 15 inches (305 to 381 mm).[7]

Nelson entering port in 1945

The top of the armoured citadel of the Nelson-class ships was protected by an armoured deck that rested on the top of the belt armour. Its non-cemented armour plates ranged in thickness from 6.25 inches (159 mm) over the main-gun magazines to 3.75 inches (95 mm) over the propulsion machinery spaces and the secondary magazines. Aft of the citadel was an armoured deck 4.25 inches (108 mm) thick at the level of the lower edge of the belt armour that extended almost to the end of the stern to cover the steering gear. The conning tower's KC armour was 12 to 14 inches (305 to 356 mm) thick with a 6.5-inch (170 mm) roof. The secondary-gun turrets were protected by 1–1.5 inches (25–38 mm) of non-cemented armour.[7]

Underwater protection for the Nelsons was provided by a

watertight compartment and an inner water-filled compartment. They had a total depth of 12 feet (3.7 m) and were backed by a torpedo bulkhead 1.5 inches thick.[8]

Modifications

The high-angle directors and rangefinder and their platform were replaced by a new circular platform for the

bow; ranging in thickness from 4 inches (102 mm) close to the citadel to 2.5 inches (64 mm) near the bow.[9]

While under repair from January–August 1940 after being mined in December 1939, Nelson had her aft 6-inch directors replaced by a pair of octuple 2-pounder "pom-pom" mounts and another was added on the

UP rocket launchers were mounted on the roofs of 'B' and 'C' turrets. These changes increased the size of her crew to 1,452.[10]

During her repairs after being torpedoed in October 1941, Nelson had her torpedo tubes and UP rocket launchers removed and an octuple 2-pounder "pom-pom" mount was installed on the roof of 'B' turret. A pair of

search radar and four Type 283 radars for using the 16- and 6-inch guns in barrage (anti-aircraft) fire. Another Oerlikon gun was added to the roof of 'C' turret during a refit in September–October 1942. The 0.5-inch Vickers machine guns were removed and 26 single Oerlikon guns were added in May–June 1943; five of which were on the roof of 'C' turret and the other were mounted on the deck and the superstructure.[11]

While refitting in the United States in late 1944 to prepare her for operations in the Pacific Ocean, her anti-aircraft armament was augmented with 21 more Oerlikon guns for a total of 61 weapons. The back-up director and its armoured hood were replaced by a new platform for a pair of quadruple mounts for

abaft the funnel. Most of the "pom-pom" directors were replaced by four Mk 51 directors for the Bofors guns. These additions increased the ship's deep displacement to 44,054 long tons (44,761 t) and her crew to 1,631–1,650 men.[12]

Construction and career

Nelson, named after

King George V and Queen Mary, served aboard her as a lieutenant on the Admiral's staff until his transfer to the light cruiser HMS Durban in 1928.[17] In April 1928, the ship hosted King Amanullah of Afghanistan during exercises off Portland.[18]

On 29 March 1931, she collided with the

King George VI's Coronation Fleet Review on 20 May 1937. After a lengthy refit later that year, the ship visited Lisbon, Portugal, together with her sister Rodney in February 1938.[22]

Second World War

When Great Britain declared war on Germany, on 3 September 1939, Nelson and the bulk of the Home Fleet were unsuccessfully patrolling the waters between

trim down by the bow. No one was killed, but 74 sailors were wounded.[23]

Nelson in the Firth of Forth, September 1940; the Unrotated Projectile mounts are visible on the roofs of two of her main-gun turrets

After returning to service in August, Nelson, Rodney and the battlecruiser Hood were transferred from Scapa Flow to Rosyth, Scotland, in case of invasion. When the signal from the armed merchant cruiser Jervis Bay that she was being attacked by the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer on 5 November was received by the Admiralty, Nelson and Rodney were deployed to block the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands, although Admiral Scheer headed for the South Atlantic afterwards. When the Admiralty learned that Gneisenau and Scharnhorst were attempting to break out into the North Atlantic to resume commerce raiding operations, Nelson, Rodney and the battlecruiser Renown were ordered on 25 January 1941 to assume a position south of Iceland where they could intercept them. After spotting a pair of British cruisers on 28 January, the German ships turned away and were not pursued.[24]

Nelson became a private ship on 1 April

scuttled by her crew when they spotted Nelson approaching later that day. After arriving in the UK, the ship rejoined the Home Fleet.[27]

Mediterranean service

Map of the western Mediterranean, where Nelson spent much of her wartime career

On 11 July,[15] the ship was assigned to escort Convoy WS.9C[28] that consisted of merchantmen that were to pass into the Mediterranean to deliver troops and supplies to Malta. Once they passed Gibraltar, the escorts were designated as Force X and they were to be reinforced by Force H while in the Western Mediterranean. The ships entered the Mediterranean on the night of 20/21 July and they were attacked by Italian aircraft beginning on the morning of the 23rd. Nelson was not engaged and joined Force H later that day as the merchantmen and their escort continued onwards to Malta. The cruisers from Force X rejoined them two days later and the combined force arrived back in Gibraltar on 27 July.[29] On 31 July–4 August, Force H provided distant cover to another convoy to Malta (Operation Style).[30] Vice-Admiral James Somerville, commander of Force H, transferred his flag to Nelson on 8 August.[15] Several weeks later, the ship participated in Operation Mincemeat, during which Force H escorted a minelayer to Livorno to lay its mines while Ark Royal's aircraft attacked Northern Sardinia as a diversion. On 13 September, Force H escorted Ark Royal and the aircraft carrier Furious into the Western Mediterranean as they flew off 45 Hawker Hurricane fighters to Malta.[31]

As part of a deception operation when Operation Halberd, another mission to convey troops and supplies to Malta, began on 24 September, Somerville's flag was transferred to Rodney while Nelson and some escorting destroyers departed Gibraltar heading westwards as if the former ship had relieved the latter. Rodney and the rest of Force H headed eastwards with Nelson and her escorts joining the main body during the night. The British were spotted the following morning and attacked by Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) aircraft the next day. A Savoia-Marchetti SM.84 torpedo bomber penetrated the screen and dropped a torpedo at a range of 450 yards (410 m). It blew a 30-by-15-foot (9.1 by 4.6 m) hole in the bow, wrecked the torpedo compartment and caused extensive flooding; there were no casualties amongst the crew. Although she was down at the bow by eight feet (2.4 m) and ultimately limited to a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) to reduce the pressure on her bulkheads, Nelson remained with the fleet to so that the Italians would not know that she had been damaged. After emergency repairs were made in Gibraltar, the ship proceeded to Rosyth where she was under repair until May 1942.[32]

Nelson was assigned to the

Axis aircraft and submarines, Nelson was not damaged and made no claims to have shot down any aircraft before the convoy's capital ships turned back before reaching the Skerki Banks between Sicily and Tunisia late in the day on the 12th. The ship returned to Scapa Flow afterwards.[35]

Mers-el-Kebir
, French Algeria, 20 November 1942

She was transferred to Force H in October to support Operation Torch, departing on the 30th and she arrived in Gibraltar on 6 November. Two days later, Force H provided cover against any interference by the Regia Marina for the invading forces in the Mediterranean as they began their landings. Syfret, now commander of Force H, hoisted his flag aboard Nelson on 15 November. Force H covered a troop convoy from Gibraltar to Algiers, French Algeria, in January 1943. Syfret temporarily transferred his flag to the battleship King George V in May as Nelson returned to Scapa Flow to train for Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. The ship departed Scapa on 17 June and arrived at Gibraltar on the 23rd.[36]

1943–1949

On 9 July, Force H, with Nelson, Rodney and the carrier

Italian armistice was signed between General Dwight Eisenhower and Marshal Pietro Badoglio aboard the ship on 29 September.[37]

Nelson, 1945

Nelson departed Gibraltar on 31 October for England to rejoin the Home Fleet. She provided naval gunfire support during the Normandy landings in June 1944, but was badly damaged after hitting two mines on the 18th. Temporarily repaired in Portsmouth, the ship was sent to the

South-east Asia surrendered in Singapore.[38]

Nelson was relieved as flagship on 20 September and departed for home on 13 October. She arrived at Portsmouth on 17 November and became the flagship of the Home Fleet a week later. King George V replaced her as flagship on 9 April 1946 and Nelson became a training ship in July. When the Training Squadron was formed on 14 August, the ship became flagship of the

Rear-Admiral that commanded the training battleships. She was relieved as flagship by the battleship Anson in October and became a private ship. Nelson was slightly damaged by a collision with the submarine Sceptre in Portland on 15 April 1947. The ship was placed in reserve on 20 October 1947 at Rosyth and was listed for disposal on 19 May 1948. From 4 June to 23 September, she was used as a target ship for 2,000-pound (910 kg) armour-piercing aerial bombs to evaluate their ability to penetrate the ship's armoured deck. Nelson was turned over to the British Iron & Steel Corporation on 5 January 1949 and was allocated to Thos. W. Ward for scrapping. The ship arrived at Inverkeithing on 15 March to begin demolition.[39]

Notes

  1. ^ Raven & Roberts, p. 109
  2. ^ Burt, p. 348
  3. ^ Raven & Roberts, pp. 114, 125
  4. ^ Burt, pp. 345, 348
  5. ^ Raven & Roberts, p. 122
  6. ^ Burt, pp. 346–348
  7. ^ a b Raven & Roberts, pp. 114, 123
  8. ^ Raven & Roberts, pp. 123–124
  9. ^ Burt, pp. 348, 359–364; Raven & Roberts, p. 264
  10. ^ Burt, pp. 362–365; Raven & Roberts, p. 264
  11. ^ Brown & Brown, pp. 97–98
  12. ^ Brown & Brown, p. 98; Burt, pp. 366, 377
  13. ^ Silverstone, p. 253
  14. ^ Colledge & Warlow, p. 240
  15. ^ a b c d e Burt, p. 381
  16. ^ Parkes, p. 654
  17. ^ Our London Letter, Page 13, The Gloucester Journal, Gloucester, England. 21 July 1928
  18. ^ Burt, pp. 349, 358, 381
  19. ^ "Evening Star". Chronicling America. Washington, D. C.: Library of Congress. 30 March 1931. p. 1. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  20. ^ Burt, p. 382
  21. ^ Bell, pp. 147–148
  22. ^ Ballantyne, pp. 80, 83; Burt, pp. 357–358, 381–382
  23. ^ Ballantyne, p. 88; Burt, pp. 366, 368–370, 374, 381; Haarr, pp. 121, 208, 313; Rohwer, pp. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9–10
  24. ^ Burt, p. 381; Rohwer, pp. 40, 48, 56
  25. ^ Hague, Arnold. "Convoy WS.7". Convoyweb. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  26. ^ Rohwer, pp. 73–74
  27. ^ Burt, p. 381; Rohwer, p. 77
  28. ^ Hague, Arnold. "Convoy WS.9C". Convoyweb. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  29. ^ Admiralty Historical Section, pp. 15–21; Rohwer, p. 88
  30. ^ Rohwer, p. 89
  31. ^ Rohwer, pp. 94, 98
  32. ^ Admiralty Historical Section, pp. 23–32; Brown & Brown, p. 26; Burt, pp. 374–376, 381
  33. ^ Hague, Arnold. "Convoy WS.19P". Convoyweb. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  34. ^ Hague, Arnold. "Convoy WS.19PF". Convoyweb. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  35. ^ Admiralty Historical Section, pp. 83–90; Burt, p. 381
  36. ^ Burt, p. 381; Rohwer, pp. 209, 223
  37. ^ Ballantyne, pp. 205–206; Brown & Brown, p. 27; Burt, p. 381; Rohwer, pp. 255, 262, 269, 272
  38. ^ Burt, p. 381; Brown & Brown, p. 28; Rohwer, pp. 331–332, 424, 429
  39. ^ Burt, pp. 377–382

References

External links

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