St Vincent-class battleship
St Vincent at anchor, 1909
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Class overview | |
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Name | St Vincent class |
Operators | Royal Navy |
Preceded by | Bellerophon class |
Succeeded by | HMS Neptune |
Built | 1907–1910 |
In service | 1910–1922 |
In commission | 1910–1922 |
Completed | 3 |
Lost | 1 |
Scrapped | 2 |
General characteristics (as built) | |
Type | Dreadnought battleship |
Displacement | 19,700 long tons (20,000 t) (normal) |
Length | 536 ft (163.4 m) (o/a) |
Beam | 84 ft 2 in (25.7 m) |
Draught | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion | 4 × shafts; 2 × steam turbine sets |
Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
Range | 6,900 nmi (12,800 km; 7,900 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
Complement | 755–835 |
Armament |
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Armour |
The St Vincent-class battleships were a group of three
Vanguard's wreck was extensively salvaged before it was declared a war grave. Since 2002, it has been designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 and diving on the wreck is generally forbidden.
Background and description
The
The design of the St Vincent class was derived from the preceding
The St Vincent-class ships were powered by two sets of
Armament
These ships were the first to carry the new 50-
The St Vincent class were equipped with ten Mark XI guns in five hydraulically powered twin-
The
Fire control
The control positions for the main armament were located in the
In 1910–1911, the four-inch guns on the roof of the forward turret of Vanguard were replaced by a 9-or-12-foot (2.7 or 3.7 m) rangefinder. This was removed about a year later, roughly at the same time when the rooftop guns were removed from the forward turrets of the other two ships.[15] In late 1914, the remaining rooftop guns were replaced on the three sister ships by 9-foot rangefinders protected by armoured hoods.[16]
Fire-control technology advanced quickly during the years between the St Vincents' commissioning and the start of World War I and the most important development was the director firing system. Mounted high in the ship, a fire-control director electrically provided data to the turrets via a pointer on a dial, which the turret crewmen only had to follow. The director layer fired the guns simultaneously, which aided in spotting the shell splashes and minimised the effects of the roll on the dispersion of the shells.[17] While the exact dates of installation are unknown, St Vincent was equipped with a director by December 1915 and the others by May 1916.[18] The ships were fitted with Mark I Dreyer Fire-control Tables in the transmission stations by early 1916, which combined the functions of the Dumaresq and the range clock.[19]
Armour
The St Vincent-class ships had a
The three armoured decks ranged in thickness from 0.75 to 3 inches (19 to 76 mm) with the greatest thickness outside the central
Modifications
The guns on the forward turret roof were replaced in 1910–1911 by a rangefinder on Vanguard, and on her sisters in 1911–1912. About two years later,
Ships
Ship | Builder[10] | Price (including armament) | Laid down[10]
|
Launched[10] | Commissioned[22] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
St Vincent | HM Dockyard, Portsmouth | £1,721,970[4] or £1,754,615[10] | 30 December 1907 | 10 September 1908 | 3 May 1910 |
Collingwood | HM Dockyard, Devonport | £1,680,888[4] or £1,731,640[10] | 3 February 1908 | 7 November 1908 | 19 April 1910 |
Vanguard | Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness | £1,464,030[4] or £1,607,780[10] | 2 April 1908 | 22 February 1909 | 1 March 1910 |
Careers
Upon commissioning, all three ships were assigned to the 1st
Between 17 and 20 July 1914, the sisters took part in a test
Battle of Jutland
In an attempt to lure out and destroy a portion of the Grand Fleet, the German
The Grand Fleet rendezvoused with the
Subsequent activity
After the battle, St Vincent and Collingwood joined Vanguard in the 4th BS.[23] 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 communication failures and mistakes prevented Jellicoe from intercepting the German fleet before it returned to port. Two light cruisers were sunk by German U-boats during the operation, prompting Jellicoe to decide not to risk the major units of the fleet to German submarines and mines south of 55° 30' North. 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.[29] The Admiralty order meant that the Grand Fleet spent far less time at sea. In late February 1917, the 4th BS conducted tactical exercises for a few days.[30] In January 1918, Collingwood and some of the older dreadnoughts cruised off the coast of Norway for several days, possibly to provide distant cover for a convoy to Norway.[31] Along with the rest of the Grand Fleet, she sortied on the afternoon of 23 April when radio transmissions revealed that the High Seas Fleet was at sea, after a failed attempt to intercept the regular British convoy to Norway. The Germans were too far ahead of the British to be caught and no shots were fired.[32] St Vincent was under repair at Invergordon, Scotland, and could not sortie, but was present at Rosyth when the German fleet surrendered on 21 November; Collingwood was refitting in Invergordon.[22][33]
Vanguard explosion
In the evening of 9 July 1917, Vanguard's magazines exploded while she was anchored in the northern part of Scapa Flow; she sank almost instantly, with only three survivors, one of whom died soon afterwards; 842 men aboard were lost.
Postwar years
In March 1919, St Vincent was reduced to reserve and became a gunnery training ship at Portsmouth. She then became flagship of the Reserve Fleet in June and was relieved as gunnery training ship in December, when she was transferred to Rosyth. There she remained until listed for disposal in March 1921; she was sold for scrap on 1 December 1921 and demolished.[22]
In January 1919, Collingwood was transferred to Devonport and assigned to the Reserve Fleet. Upon the dissolution of the Grand Fleet on 18 March, the Reserve Fleet was renamed the Third Fleet and Collingwood became its flagship. She became a
Much of Vanguard's wreck was salvaged before it was declared a war grave in 1984. The amidships portion of the ship is almost completely gone and 'P' and 'Q' turrets are some 40 metres (130 ft) away, presumably blown there by the magazine explosions. The bow and stern areas are almost intact as has been revealed by a survey authorised by the Ministry of Defence in 2016 in preparation for the centenary commemoration planned for 2017.[38][39][40] The wreck was named a controlled site in 2002 and cannot be dived upon, except with permission from the Ministry.[41]
Notes
- quick-firing QF Mark III guns; he also lists a 12-pounder (three-inch (76 mm)) gun.[4] Preston concurs on the number of 4 inchers, but does not list the 12 pounder.[3] Parkes says twenty 4-inch guns; while not identifying the type, he does say that they were 50-calibre guns[10] and Preston agrees.[11] Friedman shows the QF Mark III as a 40-calibre gun and states that the 50-calibre BL Mark VII gun armed all of the early dreadnoughts.[12]
Citations
- ^ Friedman (2015), pp. 97–102.
- ^ Burt (1986), pp. 75–76.
- ^ a b Preston (1972), p. 125.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Burt (1986), p. 76.
- ^ Burt (1986), pp. 31, 64, 76, 80.
- ^ Friedman (2011), pp. 59, 62.
- ^ Parkes (1990), pp. 504–05.
- ^ Friedman (2011), pp. 59–60, 62–63.
- ^ Friedman (2011), pp. 62–63.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Parkes (1990), p. 503.
- ^ Preston (1985), p. 23.
- ^ a b Friedman (2011), pp. 97–98.
- ^ Brooks (1995), pp. 40–41.
- ^ Brooks (2005), p. 61.
- ^ a b Burt (1986), pp. 80–81.
- ^ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 455 of 6 October 1914, referenced in footnotes 16 and 17, "St. Vincent Class Battleship (1908)". The Dreadnought Project. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ Brooks (2005), p. 48.
- ^ Brooks (1996), p. 168.
- ^ Brooks (2005), pp. 157–158, 175.
- ^ Burt (1986), pp. 76, 78.
- ^ Burt (1986), pp. 78, 80.
- ^ a b c d Burt (1986), p. 86.
- ^ a b c Burt (1986), pp. 86, 88.
- ^ Massie (2003), pp. 19, 69.
- ^ Halpern (1995), p. 27.
- ^ Tarrant (1999), pp. 54–55, 57–58.
- ^ Corbett, p. 431 and frontispiece map.
- ^ Campbell, pp. 157, 205, 208, 212, 214, 229–230, 232–234, 349.
- ^ Halpern (1995), pp. 330–332.
- ^ a b Brady (2014), p. 20.
- ^ Brady (2014), pp. 21–22.
- ^ Massie (2003), p. 748.
- ^ Brady (2014), p. 23.
- ^ Saunders, Jonathan. "Vanguard's Casualties + Survivors". The World War I Document Archive. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "HMS Vanguard People: Scapa Flow Wrecks". Scapa Flow Historic Wreck Site. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
- ^ Burt (1986), pp. 84, 86.
- ^ Brady (2014), p. 24.
- ^ "New Light is Shed on Disastrous Royal Navy Explosion in Scapa Flow". Naval Today. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "Scapa Flow Divers Reveal New Images of HMS Vanguard Wreck". Express Newspapers. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "HMS Vanguard: Scapa Flow, Orkney (103004)". Canmore. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 (Designation of Vessels and Controlled Sites) Order 2002". The National Archives. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
Bibliography
- Brady, Mark (September 2014). "HMS Collingwood War Record". Warship (177). Part Two: 19–24. ISSN 0966-6958.
- Brooks, John (2005). Dreadnought Gunnery and the Battle of Jutland: The Question of Fire Control. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-40788-5.
- Brooks, John (1995). "The Mast and Funnel Question: Fire-control Positions in British Dreadnoughts". In Roberts, John (ed.). Warship 1995. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 40–60. ISBN 0-85177-654-X.
- Brooks, John (1996). "Percy Scott and the Director". In McLean, David; Preston, Antony (eds.). Warship 1996. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 150–70. ISBN 0-85177-685-X.
- Burt, R. A. (1986). British Battleships of World War One. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-863-7.
- Campbell, N. J. M. (1986). Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-324-5.
- ISBN 1-870423-50-X.
- ISBN 978-1-84832-225-7.
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations; An Illustrated Directory. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- ISBN 1-55750-352-4.
- ISBN 0-679-45671-6.
- ISBN 1-55750-075-4.
- ISBN 0-88365-300-1.
- Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Tarrant, V. E. (1999) [1995]. Jutland: The German Perspective: A New View of the Great Battle, 31 May 1916. London: Brockhampton Press. ISBN 1-86019-917-8.
External links
- Dreadnought Project – Technical material on the weaponry and fire control for the ships
- World War 1 Naval Combat