in 1916, after which she withdrew and was later abandoned and sank in a rising sea.
Description
Warrior displaced 13,550
kW) and gave a maximum speed of 23.3 knots (43.2 km/h; 26.8 mph).[1] The engines were powered by 19 Yarrowwater-tube boilers and six cylindrical boilerss. The ship carried a maximum of 2,050 long tons (2,080 t) of coal and an additional 600 long tons (610 t) of fuel oil that was sprayed on the coal to increase its burn rate. At full capacity, she could steam for 7,960 nautical miles (14,740 km; 9,160 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[2]
Armament
Her main armament consisted of six
17.7-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, one of which was mounted in the stern.[2]
Service
Warrior was ordered as part of the 1903–04 naval construction programme as the first of four armoured cruisers and
Mediterranean Fleet. She was involved in the pursuit of the German battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau at the outbreak of World War I, but was ordered not to engage them.[5]Warrior participated in the Allied sweep which led to the sinking of the Austro-Hungarian light cruiserSMS Zenta during the Battle of Antivari in August 1914.[7] A few days later she was ordered to Suez to defend the Suez Canal against any Turkish attack and remained there until 6 November when she was ordered to Gibraltar to join a squadron of French and British ship to search for German warships still at sea off the African coast. This was cancelled on 19 November after the location of the German East Asia Squadron was revealed by survivors of the Battle of Coronel.[8]
Warrior joined the Grand Fleet in December 1914 and was assigned to the
Robert Keith Arbuthnot.[9] At the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, the 1st Cruiser Squadron was in front of the Grand Fleet, on the right side. At 5:47 p.m.,[Note 1] the squadron flagship, HMS Defence, and Warrior spotted the German II Scouting Group and opened fire. Their shells felt short and the two ships turned to port in pursuit, cutting in front of the battlecruiser HMS Lion, which was forced to turn away to avoid a collision. Shortly afterwards they spotted the disabled German light cruiser SMS Wiesbaden and closed to engage. When the two ships reached a range of 5,500 yards (5,000 m) from Wiesbaden they were spotted in turn at 6:05 by the German battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger and four battleships who were less than 8,000 yards (7,300 m) away. The fire from the German ships was heavy and Defence blew up at 6:20.[10]Warrior was hit by at least fifteen 28-centimetre (11 in) and six 15-centimetre (5.9 in) shells,[11] but was saved when the German ships switched their fire to the battleship HMS Warspite when its steering jammed and caused Warspite to make two complete circles within sight of much of the High Seas Fleet.[10]
Warrior was heavily damaged by the German shells, which caused large fires and heavy flooding, although the engine room crew - of whom only three survived - kept the engines running for long enough[12] to allow her to withdraw to the west.[13] She was taken in tow by the seaplane tenderHMS Engadine who took off her surviving crew of 743. She was abandoned in a rising sea at 8:25 a.m. on 1 June[14] when her upper deck was only 4 feet (1.2 m) above the water,[15] and subsequently foundered.[5]
Wreck Discovery
On 8 September 2016 Dr
sea bed, up to the level of the upper deck.[17] The ship appears to be largely intact, with no sign of the illegal metal salvage that has occurred on other Jutland wrecks. Warrior is the last of the 25 ships sunk at the Battle of Jutland to be located. There are concerns that the wreck may be exploited by illegal metal scavengers, despite the wreck being protected by the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.[16]
Notes
^The times used in this article are in UTC, which is one hour behind CET, which is often used in German works.
Chatterton, E. Keble (1936). Seas of Adventures; The Story of the Naval Operations in the Mediterranean, Adriatic, and AEgean. London: Hurst & Blackett.
Marder, Arthur J. (1978). From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow, The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era, 1904–1919. Vol. III: Jutland and After, May 1916 – December 1916 (Second ed.). London: Oxford University Press.