HMS Valiant (1914)
Valiant between 1930 and 1937
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | Valiant |
Ordered | 1912 |
Builder | Fairfields, Govan |
Cost | £2,537,037 |
Laid down | 31 January 1913 |
Launched | 4 November 1914 |
Commissioned | 19 February 1916 |
In service | 1916 |
Out of service | 1948 |
Identification | Pennant number: 02 |
Motto | Valiant & Vigilant |
Fate | Sold for scrap, 19 March 1948 |
General characteristics (as built) | |
Class and type | Queen Elizabeth-class battleship |
Displacement | |
Length | 639 ft 9 in (195 m) |
Beam | 90 ft 7 in (27.6 m) |
Draught | 33 ft (10.1 m) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion | 4 shafts; 2 steam turbine sets |
Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) |
Range | 5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
Complement |
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Armament |
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Armour |
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General characteristics (1937–1939 refit) | |
Displacement | 32,468 long tons (32,989 t) (load displacement) |
Speed | 23 kn (43 km/h; 26 mph) |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 2 (capacity) |
HMS Valiant was one of five
Design and description
The Queen Elizabeth-class ships were designed to form a fast
Ship measures and propulsion
Valiant had a
Armament, sensors and fire control
The Queen Elizabeth class was equipped with eight
Valiant was completed with two
Armour
The
The ship was fitted with flying-off platforms mounted on the roofs of 'B' and 'X' turrets in 1918, from which fighters and reconnaissance aircraft could launch. During her 1929–1930 refit, the platform was removed from 'X' turret and a folding Type EIH catapult was installed on the quarterdeck, along with a crane to recover a floatplane. The platform atop 'B' turret, the catapult and its crane were removed when Valiant was reconstructed in 1937–1939.[7]
Modifications
Between 1929 and 1930 anti-torpedo bulges were added, increasing beam to 31.70 metres (104.0 ft). The two funnels were trunked into one and a single octuple 2-pounder mountings was added. Two of the torpedo tubes were removed, and the aircraft platforms were replaced by a single catapult. These modifications brought the maximum displacement up to 35,970 tons. In 1936 a second octuple 2 pdr mounting was added. Between March 1937 and November 1939 she underwent a complete rebuild at Devonport. The machinery was changed to eight Admiralty 3 drum boilers with four Parsons steam turbines producing a total of 80,000 shp (60,000 kW). Fuel load was 3,393 tons oil, and maximum speed was reduced to 23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph) despite the increase in power, due to the increase in displacement and draught. Deck armour was increased to 5 inches (130 mm) over the magazines, 2.55 inches (65 mm) over the machinery while the new 2.5 inches (64 mm) guns had between 1 inch (25 mm) and 2 inches (51 mm) of armour.[8] The secondary armament was changed to 20 × 4.5 inches (110 mm) Mk I dual purpose guns in 10 twin mountings and the close range anti-aircraft armament consisted of four octuple 2 pdr "pom pom" mountings. The ship's fire control was modernised to include the HACS MkIV AA fire control system and the Admiralty Fire Control Table Mk VII for surface fire control of the main armament.[9] These modifications increased draught to 10 metres (33 ft) and maximum displacement to 36,513 tons.
Construction and career
HMS Valiant was laid down at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan on 31 January 1913, launched on 4 November 1914 and commissioned on 19 February 1916 under the command of Captain Maurice Woollcombe for service in the Grand Fleet.[10]
First World War
Upon completion on 19 February 1916, under Captain Maurice Woollcombe, Valiant joined the recently formed
Inter-war period
From 1919 to the end of 1924 Valiant was part of the 1st Battle Squadron, Atlantic Fleet after which she was with the 1st Battle Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet until March 1929.[15] On 2 December 1930 she was recommissioned for service in the Atlantic where in 1931 her crew participated in the Invergordon Mutiny. March 1932 saw her transferred to the Home Fleet until in July 1935 she was once again in the Mediterranean.[10]
World War II
On 30 November 1939 Valiant was commissioned at Devonport and assigned to the America and West Indies Station. Returning to Britain in December 1939, she escorted Canadian troops across the Atlantic and joined Home Fleet on 7 January 1940. Valiant engaged in escort duty for troop transports and in May 1940 supported the British landing forces in the Norwegian campaign. While there, the battleship narrowly escaped a torpedo fired by U 38.[10]
Mers-el-Kébir
With the surrender of France on 22 June 1940, the bulk of the French fleet lay at Mers-el-Kébir. Since British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was very worried that the French ships might fall into the hands of the Germans and did not believe the Vichy government's assurances that it would prevent the Germans from seizing the ships, he intended to give the French an ultimatum. On Wednesday, 3 July 1940, Force H under the command of Vice Admiral James Fownes Somerville consisting of the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the battlecruiser Hood, the battleships Valiant, Resolution, and Nelson, and other cruisers and destroyers appeared off the harbor entrance. Somerville radioed Admiral Marcel Gensoul to inform him of the British demands. After the ultimatum expired, the Valiant opened fire along with the Hood and Resolution. The Dunkerque the Provence and the Brittany were hit and heavily damaged the latter exploded and sank. After Somerville had ceased fire to give Gensoul another chance, he overlooked that the Strasbourg together with the five remaining destroyers had escaped into the open sea behind the thick smoke of the explosions. The Strasbourg, along with the destroyers Volta, Tigre and Le Terrible, reached Toulon on the evening of 4 July.[16][17] In September, she joined the carrier
Cape Matapan
With the help of an intercepted Luftwaffe radio message decoded by ULTRA, Admiral Cunningham learned that the Italians, under the command of Vice-Admiral Angelo Iachino, intended to attack the British fleet to distract them from transporting German troops to North Africa. After the Italians sortied in a convoy of 22 ships, including the battleship Vittorio Veneto, on 26 March, Cunningham brought all the ships into position, including the Barham. On 28 March, British cruisers encountered the Italian fleet but were forced to retreat by the Vittorio Veneto. Cunningham then ordered an air attack. Multiple air strikes by Formidable's Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers damaged the Vittorio Veneto and crippled the heavy cruiser Pola. The Vittorio Veneto escaped westwards as darkness fell.[17] Later that evening. Admiral Iachino ordered the two other heavy cruisers of the 1st Division to render assistance to Pola in the darkness. The Italian ships and the British arrived almost simultaneously at Pola's location, but the Italians had almost no clue that the British were nearby. On the other hand, the British knew exactly where the Italians were, thanks to their radar-equipped ships.[18] They opened fire at point-blank range and sank the Zara and Fiume.[19] During the battle, Midshipman Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh had been assigned to Valiant and controlled the battleship's searchlights.[20]
Battle of Crete
On 22/23 May 1941, Valiant operated off Crete, and was struck by two bombs.[21]
Mining at Alexandria
On 19 December 1941, Valiant was seriously damaged by limpet mines placed by Italian frogmen of Decima Flottiglia MAS, who entered Alexandria harbor riding two-man "human torpedoes" ("maiali"). Her sister ship Queen Elizabeth was also damaged. Lieutenant Durand de la Penne placed the mines on Valiant. The other two teams attached their mines and escaped, but de la Penne's maiale broke down. De la Penne pushed the maiale under Valiant and left it on the bottom. Then he and his companion Corporal Emilio Bianchi emerged and were captured. They were interrogated by Captain Charles Morgan, but told him nothing. A few minutes before the mines were scheduled to detonate, when it was too late to find and deactivate them, he informed Morgan of their existence (but not their location) to allow the crew on board to evacuate. They were kept in the locked compartment, which was (unbeknownst to them or Morgan) just above where the mine would explode. Both were injured by the explosion, but survived.[22] The mine attached to Valiant was not actually in contact with her hull, so the damage was far less severe than to Queen Elizabeth. Despite having a heavy trim forward, her decks were above water, and she remained clear of the harbour bottom. Although nearly immobilised, she was able, although only for a few days, to give the impression of full battle readiness, at least until she could be repaired. Valiant was repaired in Durban, South Africa, carrying out post-refit trials in July 1942, and took part in exercises with the Eastern Fleet the following month.[23] At the end of August, Valiant took part in Operation Touchstone, an exercise to test East Africa's defences against a seaborne invasion and to conduct a dress rehearsal for Operation Ironclad, the invasion of French Madagascar. She remained in African waters until the end of the year, and returned to Devonport for a refit in January 1943.[24]
Sicily and Italy
On 17 June, Valiant departed Scapa Flow for Gibraltar along with the Nelson,
Drydock accident in Ceylon
In 1944, Valiant was sent to the Far East to join the
Fate
It was decided to sail Valiant to Alexandria, where there were suitable docking facilities. However she could not steer a straight course, and could not make more than 8 knots (15 km/h). She got as far as Suez Bay, but could not attempt the
Notes
- ^ "Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.
References
Citations
- ^ Burt 2012b, p. 277
- ^ Parkes, pp. 560–561
- ^ Burt 2012b, pp. 284–285, 287
- ^ Burt 2012b, pp. 284–285, 288–289
- ^ Raven & Roberts, pp. 20–21, 30
- ^ Raven & Roberts, pp. 21, 26
- ^ Raven & Roberts, pp. 30, 134, 136, 239
- ^ Raven & Roberts, p. 247
- ^ Brooks, p. 82
- ^ a b c d e f Burt 2012a, p. 184
- ^ Tarrant, p. 69
- ISBN 978-1-78-159633-3.
- ^ Preston, p. 95
- ^ Campbell, p. 98
- ^ "HMS Valiant". WW2 Cruisers. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ Rohwer, p. 31
- ^ ISBN 978-0-316-02374-0.
- ^ Rohwer, pp. 54, 65–66
- ISBN 9781398808379.
- ^ Sykes, Tom (24 April 2012). "Philip: How I Sunk Italian Cruisers". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ "Cunningham, A. B., The Battle of Crete, Despatch to the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty, 4 August 1941". The London Gazette (Supplement). No. 38296. 21 May 1948. pp. 3103–3119.
- ^ "Emilio Bianchi, 'human torpedo' – obituary". Daily Telegraph. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ISSN 0028-1484.
- ISBN 9781445663180.
- ^ Spooner, Geoff. "Admiralty Floating Dock 23: A first hand account of the sinking". DiveSriLanka. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
- ^ Mason, Lt Cdr Geoffrey B (2003). "HMS VALIANT". SERVICE HISTORIES of ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS in WORLD WAR 2. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
- ^ Keeble, Chapter 11
- ^ Parkes, p. 177
- ^ "Valiant's Last Voyage". News in Brief. The Times. No. 51147. London. 11 August 1948. col E, p. 7.
Bibliography
- Admiralty Historical Section (2002). The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean. Whitehall Histories., Naval Staff Histories. Vol. II: November 1940–December 1941. London: Whitehall History in association with Frank Cass. ISBN 978-0-7146-5205-4.
- Brooks, John (2005). Dreadnought Gunnery and the Battle of Jutland. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7146-5702-8.
- Brooks, John (2003). "The Admiralty Fire Control Tables". In OCLC 50614660.
- Burt, R. A. (2012a). British Battleships, 1919–1939 (2nd ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: OCLC 754727269.
- Burt, R. A. (2012b). British Battleships of World War One (2nd ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: OCLC 14224148.
- Campbell, John (1972). Queen Elizabeth Class. Warship Monographs. Vol. 2. London: Conway Maritime Press. OCLC 1254555.
- Campbell, N. J. M. (1980). "Great Britain". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 2–85. OCLC 7321813.
- Campbell, N. J. M. (1986). Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting. Annapolis, Maryland: OCLC 14175331.
- Campbell, Robert Hutcheson (1980). The Rise and Fall of Scottish Industry, 1707–1939. Edinburgh: John Donald Publishers Ltd.
- Director of Naval Construction (1952). H.M. Ships Damaged or Sunk by Enemy Action, 1939–1945 (PDF). Britain: Admiralty. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-0380-4.
- Gordon, Andrew (2012). The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-336-9.
- Hack, Karl & Blackburn, Kevin (2004). Did Singapore Have to Fall?: Churchill and the Impregnable Fortress. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-30803-8.
- OCLC 13614571.
- Keeble, Peter (1957). Ordeal by Water. London: Longmans, Green and Company.
- ISBN 978-0-679-45671-1.
- ISBN 1-55750-075-4.
- ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1976). British Battleships of World War Two: The Development and Technical History of the Royal Navy's Battleship and Battlecruisers from 1911 to 1946. Annapolis, Maryland: OCLC 2765218.
- ISBN 978-1-59114-119-8.
- Shores, Christopher; Cull, Brian & Malizia, Nicola (1987). Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-0-948817-07-6.
- Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: ISBN 978-0-88254-979-8.
- Tarrant, V. E. (1999) [1995]. Jutland: The German Perspective: A New View of the Great Battle, 31 May 1916. London: OCLC 43879659.
- ISBN 978-1-55750-184-4.