HMS Orion (1910)

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For other ships with the same name, see HMS Orion.

Orion at anchor, about 1913
History
United Kingdom
NameOrion
NamesakeMythological hunter Orion
BuilderHM Dockyard, Portsmouth
Laid down29 November 1909
Launched20 August 1910
Commissioned2 January 1912
DecommissionedMarch 1922
Out of service12 April 1922
FateSold for scrap, 19 December 1922
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type
dreadnought battleship
Displacement21,922 long tons (22,274 t) (normal)
Length581 ft (177.1 m) (o/a)
Beam88 ft 6 in (27.0 m)
Draught31 ft 3 in (9.5 m)
Installed power
  • 27,000 shp (20,000 kW)
  • 18 ×
    Babcock & Wilcox boilers
Propulsion4 × shafts; 2 × steam turbine sets
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range6,730 nmi (12,460 km; 7,740 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement738–1,107 (1916)
Armament
  • 5 × twin
    13.5-inch (343 mm) guns
  • 16 × single
    4-inch (102 mm) guns
  • 3 ×
    21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour

HMS Orion was the

dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the early 1910s. She spent the bulk of her career assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets, generally serving as a flagship. Aside from participating in the failed attempt to intercept the German ships that had bombarded Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in late 1914, the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 and the inconclusive action of 19 August, her service during World War I generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea
.

After the Grand Fleet was dissolved in early 1919, Orion was transferred to back to the Home Fleet for a few months before she was assigned to the Reserve Fleet. She served as a gunnery training ship from mid-1921 until she was listed for disposal the following year. The ship was sold for scrap in late 1922 and subsequently broken up.

Design and description

The Orion-class ships were designed in response to the beginnings of the

deep load as built; by 1918 Orion's deep displacement had increased to 29,108 long tons (29,575 t). Her crew numbered 754 officers and ratings as of 1914.[1]

The Orion class was powered by two sets of

Babcock & Wilcox boilers. The turbines were rated at 27,000 shaft horsepower (20,000 kW) and were intended to give the battleships a speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph).[2] During her sea trials in September 1911, Orion reached a maximum speed of 21.3 knots (39.4 km/h; 24.5 mph) from 30,552 shp (22,783 kW). The ships carried enough coal and fuel oil to give them a range of 6,730 nautical miles (12,460 km; 7,740 mi) at a cruising speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[3]

Armament and armour

Aft main-gun turrets of Orion, about 1911 while fitting out

The Orion class was equipped with 10

21-inch (533 mm) submerged torpedo tubes, one on each broadside and another in the stern, for which 20 torpedoes were provided.[1]

The Orions were protected by a

armoured belt that extended between the end barbettes. Their decks ranged in thickness between 1 inch (25 mm) and 4 inches with the thickest portions protecting the steering gear in the stern. The main battery turret faces were 11 inches (279 mm) thick, and the turrets were supported by 10-inch-thick (254 mm) barbettes.[4]

Modifications

In 1914 the shelter-deck guns were enclosed in

fire-control director was installed on a platform below the spotting top in April–May 1915.[6] Additional deck armour was added after the Battle of Jutland in May 1916. Around the same time, three 4-inch guns were removed from the aft superstructure and the ship was modified to operate kite balloons.[7] In mid-to-late 1917, Orion was the only battleship in the Royal Navy to receive a director for her secondary armament.[6] Two flying-off platforms were fitted aboard the ship during 1917–1918; these were mounted on 'B' and 'Q' turret roofs and extended onto the gun barrels. A high-angle rangefinder was fitted in the forward superstructure by 1921.[8]

Construction and career

Revenge stuck on Orion's bow, 7 January 1912

Orion, named after the

Parliamentary Naval Review on 9 July at Spithead. They then participated in training manoeuvres.[14] King-Hall was relieved by Rear-Admiral Rosslyn Wemyss on 29 October.[13] On 13 November, the ship participated in comparative gunnery trials with Thunderer to evaluate the effectiveness of the latter's gunnery director. Thunderer decisively outshot Orion, although some of her success was because her director was above the smoke that obscured the target from Orion's guns. The test was repeated in better conditions on 4 December and Orion performed much better, apparently beating Thunderer.[15] The three sisters were present with the 2nd BS to receive the President of France, Raymond Poincaré, at Spithead on 24 June 1913 and then participated in the annual fleet manoeuvres in August.[14] Wemyss was relieved in his turn by Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot, 4th Baronet on 28 October.[13] Captain Frederic Dreyer assumed command of Orion that same day.[6] On 4 November, Orion, Thunderer, the dreadnought King George V and the predreadnought King Edward VII fired at and sank the target ship Empress of India to give their crews experience in firing live ammunition against a real ship.[16]

World War I

Orion at anchor before 1915

Between 17 and 20 July 1914, Orion took part in a test

armed merchant cruiser SS Berlin. Thinking that the ship had been torpedoed by a submarine, the other dreadnoughts were ordered away from the area, while smaller ships rendered assistance. Shortly afterwards, Orion had to be sent to Greenock for repairs to her turbine mounts.[19]

Bombardment of Scarborough, Hartlepool, and Whitby

Main article: Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby

The Royal Navy's

Vice-Admiral Sir George Warrender's 2nd BS, including Orion and her sisters, Monarch and Conqueror, and the four battlecruisers of Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty.[20]

The screening forces of each side blundered into each other during the early morning darkness and heavy weather of 16 December. The Germans got the better of the initial exchange of fire, severely damaging several British destroyers, but Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl, commander of the High Seas Fleet, ordered his ships to turn away, concerned about the possibility of a massed attack by British destroyers in the dawn's light. A series of miscommunications and mistakes by the British allowed Hipper's ships to avoid an engagement with Beatty's forces. One of these occurred when Orion's lookouts spotted the light cruiser SMS Stralsund and failed to engage because Arbuthnot refused to allow the ship to open fire without a command from Warrender.[21]

1915–1916

Aerial view of an Orion-class battleship, probably Orion herself, under way after May 1915 as the gunnery director is visible under her spotting top and her torpedo net booms have been removed.

Jellicoe's ships, including Orion, conducted gunnery drills on 10–13 January 1915 west of the

Shetland Islands. Rear-Admiral Arthur Leveson relieved Arbuthnot on 15 January. On the evening of 23 January, the bulk of the Grand Fleet sailed in support of Beatty's battlecruisers, but Orion 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.[22] Orion was given a brief refit in late April in Devonport.[6]

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[23] and more training off Shetland beginning on 11 July. The 2nd BS conducted gunnery practice in the Moray Firth on 2 August and then returned to Scapa Flow. On 2–5 September, the fleet went on another cruise in the northern end of the North Sea and conducted gunnery drills. Throughout the rest of the month, the Grand Fleet conducted numerous training exercises. The ship, together with the majority of the Grand Fleet, conducted another sweep into the North Sea from 13 to 15 October. Almost three weeks later, Orion participated in another fleet training operation west of Orkney during 2–5 November and repeated the exercise at the beginning of December.[24]

The Grand Fleet sortied in response to an attack by German ships on British light forces near Dogger Bank on 10 February 1916, but it was recalled two days later when it became clear that no German ships larger than a destroyer were involved. The fleet departed for a cruise in the North Sea on 26 February; Jellicoe had intended to use the

minefields in the Baltic Sea.[25] 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.[26]

Battle of Jutland

The British fleet sailed from northern Britain to the east while the Germans sailed from Germany in the south; the opposing fleets met off the Danish coast
Maps showing the manoeuvres of the British (blue) and German (red) fleets on 31 May – 1 June 1916
Main article: Battle of Jutland

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 Hipper's five battlecruisers. 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.[27]

On 31 May, Orion, under the command of Captain

armour-piercing, capped (APC) shells from her main guns at the battleship SMS Markgraf at 18:32, scoring one hit that knocked out a 15-centimetre (5.9 in) gun and killed or disabled its crew.[Note 2] About 19:15, she engaged the battlecruiser SMS Lützow at a range of 18,700–19,800 yards (17,100–18,100 m) with six salvos of APC shells and claimed to straddle her with the last two salvos. These last salvos were actually fired at the destroyer SMS G38 which was screening the battlecruiser and laying a smoke screen. Lützow was also fired at by Monarch during this time and was hit five times between the sisters. They knocked out two of her main guns, temporarily knocked out the power to the sternmost turret as well as causing a fair amount of flooding. This was the last time that Orion fired her guns during the battle, having expended a total of fifty-one 13.5-inch APC shells.[29]

Subsequent activity

Orion and the destroyer Musketeer under way, 1918

The Grand Fleet sortied on 18 August to ambush the High Seas Fleet while it advanced into the southern North Sea, but a series of miscommunications and mistakes prevented Jellicoe from intercepting the German fleet before it returned to port. Two light cruisers were sunk by German

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.[30] Rear-Admiral William Goodenough assumed command of the division on 5 December[13] and Captain Eric Fullerton relieved Backhouse on the 14th.[6]

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 SMS Moltke forced her to break radio silence to inform the German commander of her condition. Beatty then ordered the Grand Fleet to sea to intercept the Germans, but he was not able to reach the High Seas Fleet before it turned back for Germany.[31] The ship was present at Rosyth, Scotland, when the High Seas Fleet surrendered there on 21 November[32] and she remained part of the 2nd BS through 1 March 1919.[33]

line ahead
formation, after 1915

By 1 May, Orion had been assigned to the

paid off and placed on the disposal list in accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. On 19 December Orion was sold for scrap to Cox and Danks and she arrived at Upnor in February 1923 to begin demolition.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ Burt gives no account of Orion's activities between January 1912 and May 1916. This article assumes that the ship participated in the activities of the 2nd BS as Burt notes for Monarch.[14]
  2. ^ The times used in this section are in UT, which is one hour behind CET, which is often used in German works.

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Burt, p. 136
  2. ^ a b Parkes, p. 525
  3. ^ Burt, pp. 136, 139–40
  4. ^ Burt, pp. 134, 136, 139
  5. ^ Friedman, pp. 123, 199
  6. ^ a b c d e "H.M.S. Orion (1910)". The Dreadnought Project. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  7. ^ Burt, p. 140
  8. ^ Burt, p. 142; Friedman, pp. 123, 198–200, 205
  9. ^ Silverstone, p. 256
  10. ^ Colledge, p. 251
  11. ^ Preston, p. 28
  12. ^ a b c d Burt, p. 146
  13. ^ a b c d "Second Battle Squadron". The Dreadnought Project. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  14. ^ a b c d Burt, pp. 146, 148, 150
  15. ^ Brooks, pp. 164–65
  16. ^ Brown, p. 29
  17. ^ Massie, p. 19
  18. ^ Preston, p. 32
  19. ^ Burt, pp. 146, 150; Goldrick, p. 156; Jellicoe, pp. 93, 103, 105, 121, 143–44, 152
  20. ^ Tarrant, pp. 28–30
  21. ^ Goldrick, pp. 200–14
  22. ^ Jellicoe, pp. 190–91, 194–96, 206, 211–12
  23. ^ Jellicoe, pp. 217–19, 221–22
  24. ^ Jellicoe, pp. 228, 234–35, 243, 246, 250, 253, 257–58
  25. ^ Jellicoe, pp. 270–71, 275, 279–80, 284, 286
  26. ^ Jellicoe, pp. 286–90
  27. ^ Tarrant, pp. 54–55, 57–58
  28. ^ Corbett, frontispiece map and p. 428
  29. ^ Campbell, pp. 156, 193–95, 209, 218–20, 346–47
  30. ^ Halpern, pp. 330–32
  31. ^ Halpern, pp. 418–20
  32. ^ "Operation ZZ". The Dreadnought Project. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  33. ^ "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing the Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands, &c". National Library of Scotland. Admiralty. 1 March 1919. p. 10. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  34. ^ "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing the Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands, &c". National Library of Scotland. Admiralty. 1 May 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  35. His Majesty's Stationery Office
    . 18 November 1919. pp. 694, 709. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  36. ^ "Douglas Romilly Lothian Nicholson". The Dreadnought Project. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  37. His Majesty's Stationery Office
    . 18 October 1920. pp. 695–6, 707a. Retrieved 17 March 2017.

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Arthur Mee, ed. (1912). "Chapter 5". Harmsworth Popular Science. Amalgamated Press. pp. 576 to 597.

External links

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