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HMS Dreadnought (1906)
Encyclopedia
HMS Dreadnought was a battleship
of the British Royal Navy
that revolutionised naval power. Her entry into service in 1906 represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnought
s", as well as the class of ships named after her, while the generation of ships she made obsolete became known as "pre-dreadnoughts". She was the sixth ship of that name in the Royal Navy.
Admiral Sir John "Jackie" Fisher, First Sea Lord
of the Board of Admiralty
, is credited as the father of the Dreadnought. Shortly after he assumed office he ordered design studies for a battleship armed solely with 12 inches (30 cm) guns and a speed of 21 knots. He convened a "Committee on Designs" to evaluate the alternative designs and to assist in the detailed design process. One ancillary benefit of the Committee was that it would shield him, and the Admiralty, from political charges that they had not consulted leading experts before designing such a radically different battleship.
Dreadnought was the first battleship of her era to have a uniform main battery
, rather than having a few large guns complemented by a heavy secondary battery of somewhat smaller guns. She was also the first capital ship
to be powered by steam turbine
s, making her the fastest battleship in the world at the time of her completion. Her launch helped spark a major naval arms race
as navies around the world, particularly the German Imperial Navy
rushed to match her in the build-up to World War I
.
Dreadnought did not participate in any of World War I
's naval battles as she was refitting during the Battle of Jutland
in 1916, the only time that British dreadnought battleships fired on their German counterparts during the war. However, she became the only battleship ever to sink a submarine when she rammed the when it unexpectedly broke the surface after firing a torpedo at another dreadnought in 1915. After Jutland, she was relegated to coast defence duties in the English Channel
, only rejoining the Grand Fleet in 1918. She was reduced to reserve in 1919 and sold for scrap
on 9 May 1921 for £44,000.
Gunnery developments in the late 1890s and the early 1900s, led in the United Kingdom by Percy Scott
and in the United States by William Sims
, were already pushing expected battle ranges out to an unprecedented 6000 yards (5,486.4 m), a distance far enough to force gunners to wait for the shells to arrive before applying corrections for the next salvo
. A related issue was that the shell splashes from the more numerous smaller weapons tended to obscure the splashes from the bigger guns. Either the smaller-calibre guns would have to hold their fire to wait for the slower-firing heavies, losing the advantage of their faster rate of fire, or it would be uncertain whether a splash was due to a heavy or a light gun, making ranging and aiming unreliable. Another issue was that longer-range torpedoes were expected to soon be in service, and these would discourage ships from closing to ranges where the smaller guns' faster rate of fire would become preeminent. Keeping the range open generally negated the threat from torpedoes and further reinforced the need for heavy guns of a uniform calibre.
In 1903, the Italian naval architect Vittorio Cuniberti
first articulated in print the concept of an all-big-gun battleship. When the Italian Navy
did not pursue his ideas, Cuniberti wrote an article in Jane's Fighting Ships
advocating his concept. He proposed an "ideal" future British battleship of 17000 long tons (17,272.9 t), with a main battery of a dozen 12 inch guns in eight turrets, 12 inches of belt armour
, and a speed of 24 knots (13.1 m/s).
The Royal Navy (RN), the Imperial Japanese Navy
and the United States Navy
all recognized these issues before 1905. The RN modified the design of the s to include a secondary armament of 9.2 inches (23 cm) that could fight at longer ranges than the 6 inches (15 cm) gun on older ships, but a proposal to arm them solely with 12-inch guns was rejected.This type of battleship with its secondary armament 9.2 inches or greater would become known retroactively as semi-dreadnoughts. See Sturton, p. 11 The was laid down as an all-big-gun battleship, five months before Dreadnought, although gun shortages only allowed her to be equipped with four of the 12-inch guns that had been planned. The Americans began design work on an all-big-gun battleship around the same time in 1904, but progress was leisurely and the two s were not ordered until March 1906, five months after Dreadnought was laid down, and the month after it was launched.
The invention by Charles Algernon Parsons
of the steam turbine
in 1884 led to a significant increase in the speed of ships with his dramatic unauthorised demonstration of Turbinia
with her speed of up to 34 knots (18.5 m/s) at the Queen Victoria's
Diamond Jubilee
at Spithead
in 1897. After further trials of two turbine-powered destroyer
s, and , coupled with the positive experiences of several small passenger liners with turbines, Dreadnought was ordered with turbines.
The Battle of the Yellow Sea
and Battle of Tsushima
were analyzed by Fisher's Committee, with Captain William Pakenham's statement that "12-inch gunfire" by both sides demonstrated hitting power and accuracy, whilst 10-inch shells passed unnoticed. Admiral Fisher wanted his board to confirm, refine, and implement his ideas of a warship that had both speed and guns; 21 knots (41.2 km/h) and 12-inch guns respectively; pointing out that at the Battle of Tsushima, Admiral Togo had been able to cross the Russian's "T
" due to speed. The un-heard of long-range (13000 metres (14,217 yd)) fire during the Battle of the Yellow Sea, in particular, although never experienced by any navy prior to the battle, seemed to confirm what the RN already believed.
on 21 October 1904, he pushed through the Board of Admiralty a decision to arm the next battleship with 12 inch guns and that it would have a speed no less than 21 knots (41.2 km/h). In January 1905, he convened a "Committee on Designs", including many members of his informal group, to evaluate the various design proposals and to assist in the detailed design process. While nominally independent it served to deflect criticism of Fisher and the Board of Admiralty as it had no ability to consider options other than those already decided upon by the Admiralty. Fisher appointed all of the members of the committee and he was President of the Committee.
The committee decided on the layout of the main armament, rejecting any superfiring
arrangements because of concerns about the effects of muzzle blast on the open sighting hoods on the turret roof below, and chose turbine propulsion over reciprocating engines to save 1100 long tons (1,117.7 t) in total displacement on 18 January 1905. Before disbanding on 22 February, it decided on a number of other issues, including the number of shafts (up to six were considered), the size of the anti-torpedo boat armament, and most importantly, to add longitudinal bulkheads to protect the magazines
and shell rooms from underwater explosions. This was deemed necessary after the was thought to have survived a Japanese torpedo hit by virtue of her heavy internal bulkhead
during the Russo–Japanese War. To avoid increasing the displacement of the ship, the thickness of her waterline belt
was reduced by 1 inches (3 cm).
of 82 in 1 in (25.02 m), and a draught of 29 foot at deep load. She displaced 18120 long tons (18,410.8 t) at normal load and 20730 long tons (21,062.7 t) at deep load, almost 3000 long tons (3,048.2 t) more than the earlier ships. She had a metacentric height
of 5.6 feet (1.7 m) at deep load and a complete double bottom
.
s in place of the older reciprocating triple-expansion steam engines. She had two paired sets of Parsons
direct-drive turbines, each of which was housed in a separate engine-room and drove two shafts. The wing shafts were coupled to the high-pressure ahead and astern turbines and the low-pressure turbines to the inner shafts. A cruising turbine was also coupled to each inner shaft, although these were not used often and were eventually disconnected. Her three-bladed propellers were 8 in 10 in (2.69 m) in diameter. The turbines were powered by eighteen Babcock and Wilcox
water-tube boiler
s in three boiler rooms. They had a working pressure of 250 pound per square inch. The turbines were designed to produce a total of 23000 shp, but reached nearly 27018 shp during trials in October 1906. Dreadnought was designed for 21 knots (11.4 m/s), but reached 21.6 knots (11.8 m/s) during trials.
Dreadnought carried 2868 long tons (2,914 t) of coal, and an additional 1120 long tons (1,138 t) of fuel oil
that was to be sprayed on the coal to increase its burn rate. At full capacity, she could steam for 6620 nautical miles (12,260.2 km) at a speed of 10 knots (5.4 m/s).
Dreadnought mounted the 45-calibre
BL 12 inch Mark X gun
in five twin gun turret
s. Three turrets were located conventionally along the centreline of the ship, with the forward turret ('A') and two aft turrets ('X' and 'Y'), the latter pair separated by the torpedo control tower located on a short tripod mast. Two wing turrets ('P' and 'Q') were located port and starboard of the forward superstructure respectively. Dreadnought could deliver a broadside of eight guns between 60° before the beam and 50° abaft the beam. Beyond these limits she could fire six guns aft, and four forward. On bearings 1° ahead or astern she could fire six guns, although she would have inflicted blast damage on the superstructure.
The guns could initially be depressed to −3° and elevated to 13.5°, although the turrets were modified to allow 16° of elevation during World War I
. They fired 850 pounds (385.6 kg) projectiles at a muzzle velocity
of 2725 ft/s (830.6 m/s); at 13.5°, this provided a maximum range of 16450 m (17,989.9 yd) with armour-piercing (AP)
2 crh shells. At 16° elevation, the range was extended to 20435 yd (18,685.8 m) using the more aerodynamic, but slightly heavier 4 crh AP shells. The rate of fire of these guns was one to two rounds per minute. The ships carried 80 rounds per gun.
The secondary armament consisted of twenty-seven 50-calibre, 3 inches (7.6 cm) 12-pounder 18 cwt Mark I guns
"cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight
, 18 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. positioned in the superstructure and on turret tops. The guns had a maximum depression of −10° and a maximum elevation of 20°. They fired 12.5 pounds (5.7 kg) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 2600 ft/s (792.5 m/s); this gave a maximum range of 9300 yd (8,503.9 m). Their rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute. The ship carried three hundred rounds for each gun.
The original plan was to dismount the eight guns on the forecastle and quarterdeck and stow them on chocks on the deck during daylight to prevent them from being damaged by muzzle blast from the main guns. Gun trials in December 1906 proved that this was a bit more difficult than expected and the two port guns from the forecastle and the outer starboard gun from the quarterdeck were transferred to turrets roofs, giving each turret two guns. The remaining forecastle guns and the outer port gun from the quarterdeck were removed by the end of 1907, which reduced the total to twenty-four guns. During her April–May 1915 the two guns from the roof of 'A' turret were reinstalled in the original positions on the starboard side of the quarterdeck. A year later, the two guns at the rear of the superstructure were removed, reducing her to twenty-two guns. Two of the quarterdeck guns were given high-angle Mark IV*C mounts for anti-aircraft
duties and the two guns abreast the conning tower were removed in 1917.
A pair of QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss
AA guns on high-angle mountings were mounted on the quarterdeck in 1915. They had a maximum depression of 8° and a maximum elevation of 60°. The guns fired a 6 pounds (2.7 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1765 ft/s (538 m/s) at a rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute. They had a maximum ceiling of 10000 ft (3,048 m), but an effective range of only 1200 yards (1,097.3 m). They were replaced by a pair of QF 3 inch 20 cwt
guns on high-angle Mark II mounts in 1916. These gun had a maximum depression of 10° and a maximum elevation of 90°. They fired a 12.5 pounds (5.7 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 2500 ft/s (762 m/s) at a rate of 12–14 rounds per minute. They had a maximum effective ceiling of 23500 ft (7,162.8 m).
Dreadnought carried five 18-inch (450 mm)
submerged torpedo tube
s in three compartments. Each compartment had two torpedo tubes, one on each broadside
, except for the stern compartment which only had one torpedo tube. The forward torpedo room was forward of 'A' turret's magazine and the rear torpedo room was abaft 'Y' turret's magazine. The stern torpedo compartment was shared with the steering gear. Twenty-three Whitehead Mark III* torpedoes were carried between them. In addition six 14 inches (356 mm) torpedoes were carried for her steam picket boats.
at the head of the foremast and on a platform on the roof of the signal tower. Data from a 9 feet (2.7 m) Barr and Stroud
FQ-2 rangefinder
located at each control position was input into a Dumaresq
mechanical computer and electrically transmitted to Vickers range clock
s located in the Transmitting Station located beneath each position on the main deck, where it was converted into range and deflection data for use by the guns. Voice pipes
were retained for use between the Transmitting Station and the control positions. The target's data was also graphically recorded on a plotting table to assist the gunnery officer in predicting the movement of the target. The turrets, Transmitting Stations, and control positions could be connected in almost any combination.
Firing trials against in 1907 revealed this system's vulnerability to gunfire, as its spotting top was hit twice and a large splinter severed the voice pipe and all wiring running along the mast. To guard against this possibility, Dreadnought's fire-control system was comprehensively upgraded during her refits in 1912–13. The rangefinder in the foretop was given a gyro-stabilized Argo mount and 'A' and 'Y' turrets were upgraded to serve as secondary control positions for any portion or all of the main armament. An additional 9 feet (2.7 m) rangefinder was installed on the compass platform. In addition, 'A' turret was fitted with another 9 feet (2.7 m) rangefinder at the rear of the turret roof and a Mark I Dreyer Fire Control Table was installed in the main Transmitting Station. It combined the functions of the Dumaresq and the range clock.
Fire-control technology advanced quickly during the years immediately preceding World War I, and the most important development was the director firing system. This consisted of a fire-control director mounted high in the ship which electrically provided data to the turrets via pointers, which the turret crew were to follow. The director officer fired the guns simultaneously which aided in spotting the shell splashes and minimized the effects of the roll on the dispersion of the shells. A prototype was fitted in Dreadnought in 1909, but it was removed to avoid conflict with her duties as flagship of the Home Fleet. Preparations to install a production director were made during her May–June 1915 refit and every turret received a 9 feet (2.7 m) rangefinder at the same time. The exact date of the installation of the director is not known, other than it was not fitted before the end of 1915, and it was most likely mounted during her April–June 1916 refit.
throughout, unless otherwise mentioned. Her waterline belt measured 11 inches (279 mm) thick, but tapered to 7 inches (18 cm) at its lower edge. It extended from the rear of 'A' barbette to the center of 'Y' barbette. Oddly, it was reduced to 9 inches (23 cm) abreast 'A' barbette. A 6 inches (15 cm) extension ran from 'A' barbette forward to the bow and a similar 4 inch extension ran aft to the stern. A 8 inches (203 mm) bulkhead
angled obliquely inwards from the end of the main belt to the side of 'X' barbette
to fully enclose the armoured citadel at middle deck level. An 8 inch belt sat above the main belt, but only ran as high as the main deck. One major problem with Dreadnoughts armour scheme was that the top of the 11 inch belt was only 2 foot (0.6096 m) above the waterline at normal load and it was submerged by over 12 inches at deep load, which meant that the waterline was protected by the 8 inch upper belt.
The turret faces and sides were protected by 11 inches of Krupp cemented armour, while the turret roofs used 3 inches of Krupp non-cemented armour
(KNC). The exposed faces of the barbettes were 11 inches thick, but the inner faces were 8 inches thick above the main deck. 'X' barbette's was 8 inches thick all around. Below the main deck, the barbettes' armour thinned to four inches except for 'A' barbette (eight inches) and 'Y' which remained 11 inches thick. The thickness of the main deck
ranged from 0.75 to 1 in (19.1 to 25.4 mm). The middle deck was 1.75 inches (44 mm) thick on the flat and 2.75 inches (70 mm) where it sloped down to meet the bottom edge of the main belt. Over the magazine
for 'A' and 'Y' turrets it was 3 inches thick, on slope and flat both. The lower deck armour was 1.5 inches (38 mm) forward and 2 inches aft where it increased to 3 inches to protect the steering gear.
The sides of the conning tower
were 11 inches thick and it had a 3 inch roof of KNC. It had a communications tube with 8 inch walls of mild steel down to the Transmitting Station on the middle deck. The walls of the signal tower were 8 inches thick while it had a roof of 3 inches of KNC armour. 2 inch torpedo bulkhead
s were fitted abreast the magazines
and shell rooms of 'A', 'X' and 'Y' turrets, but this increased to 4 inches abreast 'P' and 'Q' turrets to compensate for their outboard location.
In common with all major warships of her day, Dreadnought was fitted with anti-torpedo nets, but these were removed early in the war, since they caused considerable loss of speed and were easily defeated by torpedoes fitted with net-cutters.
of 1910.
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To meet Admiral Fisher's goal of building Dreadnought in a single year, material was stockpiled in advance and a great deal of prefabrication was done before she was formally laid down on 2 October 1905. In addition, she was built at HM Dockyard, Portsmouth
which was regarded as the fastest-building shipyard in the world. Christened
with a bottle of Australian wine
, Dreadnought was launched
by King Edward VII on 10 February 1906, after only four months on the ways. She went to sea on 3 October 1906 for her steam trials, only a year and a day after construction started, although she was not commissioned
until 11 December 1906, fifteen months after she was laid down. The suggestion that her building had been sped up by using guns and/or turrets originally designed for the s which preceded her is not borne out as the guns and turrets were not ordered until July 1905. It seems more likely that Dreadnoughts turrets and guns merely received higher priority than those of the earlier ships.
Dreadnought sailed for the Mediterranean Sea
for extensive trials in December 1906 and then to Port of Spain
, Trinidad
in January 1907. Her engines and guns were given a thorough workout by Captain Reginald Bacon
, Fisher's former Naval Assistant and a member of the Committee on Designs. His report stated, "No member of the Committee on Designs dared to hope that all the innovations introduced would have turned out as successfully as had been the case." During this time she averaged 17 knots (9.3 m/s), slowed only by a damaged rudder
, an unprecedented high-speed performance. This shakedown cruise
revealed several issues that were dealt with in subsequent refits, notably the replacement of her steering engines and the addition of cooling machinery to reduce the temperature levels in her magazines (cordite
degrades more quickly at high temperatures). The most important issue, which was never addressed in her lifetime, was that the placement of her foremast behind the forward funnel put the spotting top right in the plume of hot exhaust gases, much to the detriment of her fighting ability.
of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. In 1910, she attracted the attention of notorious hoax
er Horace de Vere Cole
, who persuaded the Royal Navy to arrange for a party of Abyssinian
royals to be given a tour of a ship. In reality, the "Abyssinian royals" were some of Cole's friends in blackface
and disguise, including a young Virginia Woolf
and her Bloomsbury Group
friends; it became known as the Dreadnought hoax
. Cole had picked Dreadnought because she was at that time the most prominent and visible symbol of Britain's naval might. She was replaced as flagship of the Home Fleet by in March 1911 and was assigned to the 1st Division
of the Home Fleet. She participated in King George V's
Coronation Fleet Review in June 1911.
Dreadnought became flagship of the 4th Battle Squadron
in December 1912 after her transfer from the 1st Battle Squadron, as the 1st Division had been renamed earlier in the year. Between September and December 1913 she was training in the Mediterranean Sea. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, she was flagship of the 4th Battle Squadron in the North Sea
, based at Scapa Flow
. She was relieved as flagship on 10 December by .
Ironically for a vessel designed to engage enemy battleships, her only significant action was the ramming and sinking of German submarine , skippered by K/Lt Otto Weddigen
(of fame), on 18 March 1915. U-29 had broken the surface immediately ahead of Dreadnought after firing a torpedo at HMS Neptune and Dreadnought cut the submarine in two after a short chase. She almost collided with who was also attempting to ram. Dreadnought thus became the only battleship ever to sink a submarine.
She was refitting from 18 April to 22 June 1916 and missed the Battle of Jutland
on 31 May, the most significant fleet engagement of the war. Dreadnought became flagship of the 3rd Battle Squadron
on 9 July, based at Sheerness
on the Thames, part of a force of pre-dreadnoughts intended to counter the threat of shore bombardment by German battlecruisers. During this time she fired her AA guns at German aircraft that passed over her headed for London. She returned to the Grand Fleet in March 1918, resuming her role as flagship of the Fourth Battle Squadron, but was paid off in July to begin another refit. Dreadnought was put into reserve at Rosyth
in February 1919. Dreadnought was put up for sale on 31 March 1920 and sold for scrap to T.W. Ward & Company on 9 May 1921 for the sum of £44,000. She was broken up at Ward's new premises at Inverkeithing
, Scotland, upon arrival on 2 January 1923.
The modern acoustic guitar developed with square shoulders was named the Dreadnought shape
after this iconic ship.
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
of the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
that revolutionised naval power. Her entry into service in 1906 represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
s", as well as the class of ships named after her, while the generation of ships she made obsolete became known as "pre-dreadnoughts". She was the sixth ship of that name in the Royal Navy.
Admiral Sir John "Jackie" Fisher, First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
of the Board of Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
, is credited as the father of the Dreadnought. Shortly after he assumed office he ordered design studies for a battleship armed solely with 12 inches (30 cm) guns and a speed of 21 knots. He convened a "Committee on Designs" to evaluate the alternative designs and to assist in the detailed design process. One ancillary benefit of the Committee was that it would shield him, and the Admiralty, from political charges that they had not consulted leading experts before designing such a radically different battleship.
Dreadnought was the first battleship of her era to have a uniform main battery
Main battery
Generally used only in the terms of naval warfare, the main battery is the primary weapon around which a ship was designed. "Battery" is in itself a common term in the military science of artillery. For example, the United States Navy battleship USS Washington had a main battery of nine guns...
, rather than having a few large guns complemented by a heavy secondary battery of somewhat smaller guns. She was also the first capital ship
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
to be powered by steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s, making her the fastest battleship in the world at the time of her completion. Her launch helped spark a major naval arms race
Arms race
The term arms race, in its original usage, describes a competition between two or more parties for the best armed forces. Each party competes to produce larger numbers of weapons, greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation...
as navies around the world, particularly the German Imperial Navy
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
rushed to match her in the build-up to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Dreadnought did not participate in any of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
's naval battles as she was refitting during the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
in 1916, the only time that British dreadnought battleships fired on their German counterparts during the war. However, she became the only battleship ever to sink a submarine when she rammed the when it unexpectedly broke the surface after firing a torpedo at another dreadnought in 1915. After Jutland, she was relegated to coast defence duties in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, only rejoining the Grand Fleet in 1918. She was reduced to reserve in 1919 and sold for scrap
Scrap
Scrap is a term used to describe recyclable and other materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has significant monetary value...
on 9 May 1921 for £44,000.
Genesis
Percy Scott
Admiral Sir Percy Moreton Scott, 1st Baronet GCB KCVO was a British Royal Navy officer and a pioneer in modern naval gunnery.-Early years:...
and in the United States by William Sims
William Sims
William Sowden Sims was an admiral in the United States Navy who sought during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to modernize the Navy. During World War I he commanded all United States naval forces operating in Europe...
, were already pushing expected battle ranges out to an unprecedented 6000 yards (5,486.4 m), a distance far enough to force gunners to wait for the shells to arrive before applying corrections for the next salvo
Salvo
A salvo is the simultaneous discharge of artillery or firearms including the firing of guns either to hit a target or to perform a salute.Troops armed with muzzleloaders required time in which to refill their arms with gun powder and shot...
. A related issue was that the shell splashes from the more numerous smaller weapons tended to obscure the splashes from the bigger guns. Either the smaller-calibre guns would have to hold their fire to wait for the slower-firing heavies, losing the advantage of their faster rate of fire, or it would be uncertain whether a splash was due to a heavy or a light gun, making ranging and aiming unreliable. Another issue was that longer-range torpedoes were expected to soon be in service, and these would discourage ships from closing to ranges where the smaller guns' faster rate of fire would become preeminent. Keeping the range open generally negated the threat from torpedoes and further reinforced the need for heavy guns of a uniform calibre.
In 1903, the Italian naval architect Vittorio Cuniberti
Vittorio Cuniberti
Vittorio Emanuele Cuniberti was an Italian military officer who envisioned the concept of the all big gun battleship, best exemplified by HMS Dreadnought.-Cuniberti's article:...
first articulated in print the concept of an all-big-gun battleship. When the Italian Navy
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
did not pursue his ideas, Cuniberti wrote an article in Jane's Fighting Ships
Jane's Fighting Ships
Jane's Fighting Ships is an annual reference book of information on all the world's warships arranged by nation, including information on ship's names, dimensions, armaments, silhouettes and photographs, etc...
advocating his concept. He proposed an "ideal" future British battleship of 17000 long tons (17,272.9 t), with a main battery of a dozen 12 inch guns in eight turrets, 12 inches of belt armour
Belt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
, and a speed of 24 knots (13.1 m/s).
The Royal Navy (RN), the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
and the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
all recognized these issues before 1905. The RN modified the design of the s to include a secondary armament of 9.2 inches (23 cm) that could fight at longer ranges than the 6 inches (15 cm) gun on older ships, but a proposal to arm them solely with 12-inch guns was rejected.This type of battleship with its secondary armament 9.2 inches or greater would become known retroactively as semi-dreadnoughts. See Sturton, p. 11 The was laid down as an all-big-gun battleship, five months before Dreadnought, although gun shortages only allowed her to be equipped with four of the 12-inch guns that had been planned. The Americans began design work on an all-big-gun battleship around the same time in 1904, but progress was leisurely and the two s were not ordered until March 1906, five months after Dreadnought was laid down, and the month after it was launched.
The invention by Charles Algernon Parsons
Charles Algernon Parsons
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons OM KCB FRS was an Anglo-Irish engineer, best known for his invention of the steam turbine. He worked as an engineer on dynamo and turbine design, and power generation, with great influence on the naval and electrical engineering fields...
of the steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
in 1884 led to a significant increase in the speed of ships with his dramatic unauthorised demonstration of Turbinia
Turbinia
Turbinia was the first steam turbine-powered steamship. Built as an experimental vessel in 1894, and easily the fastest ship in the world at that time, Turbinia was demonstrated dramatically at the Spithead Navy Review in 1897 and set the standard for the next generation of steamships, the...
with her speed of up to 34 knots (18.5 m/s) at the Queen Victoria's
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
at Spithead
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...
in 1897. After further trials of two turbine-powered destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s, and , coupled with the positive experiences of several small passenger liners with turbines, Dreadnought was ordered with turbines.
The Battle of the Yellow Sea
Battle of the Yellow Sea
The Battle of the Yellow Sea was a major naval engagement of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 August. The battle foiled an attempt by the Russian fleet at Port Arthur to break out and form up with counterparts from...
and Battle of Tsushima
Battle of Tsushima
The Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
were analyzed by Fisher's Committee, with Captain William Pakenham's statement that "12-inch gunfire" by both sides demonstrated hitting power and accuracy, whilst 10-inch shells passed unnoticed. Admiral Fisher wanted his board to confirm, refine, and implement his ideas of a warship that had both speed and guns; 21 knots (41.2 km/h) and 12-inch guns respectively; pointing out that at the Battle of Tsushima, Admiral Togo had been able to cross the Russian's "T
Crossing the T
Crossing the T or Capping the T is a classic naval warfare tactic attempted from the late 19th to mid 20th century, in which a line of warships crossed in front of a line of enemy ships, allowing the crossing line to bring all their guns to bear while receiving fire from only the forward guns of...
" due to speed. The un-heard of long-range (13000 metres (14,217 yd)) fire during the Battle of the Yellow Sea, in particular, although never experienced by any navy prior to the battle, seemed to confirm what the RN already believed.
Development of the Dreadnought
Admiral Fisher proposed several designs for battleships with a uniform armament in the early 1900s, and he gathered an unofficial group of advisors to assist him decide on the ideal characteristics in early 1904. After he was appointed First Sea LordFirst Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
on 21 October 1904, he pushed through the Board of Admiralty a decision to arm the next battleship with 12 inch guns and that it would have a speed no less than 21 knots (41.2 km/h). In January 1905, he convened a "Committee on Designs", including many members of his informal group, to evaluate the various design proposals and to assist in the detailed design process. While nominally independent it served to deflect criticism of Fisher and the Board of Admiralty as it had no ability to consider options other than those already decided upon by the Admiralty. Fisher appointed all of the members of the committee and he was President of the Committee.
The committee decided on the layout of the main armament, rejecting any superfiring
Superfire
The idea of superfire is to locate two turrets in a row, one behind the other, but with the second turret located above the one in front so that the second turret could fire over the first...
arrangements because of concerns about the effects of muzzle blast on the open sighting hoods on the turret roof below, and chose turbine propulsion over reciprocating engines to save 1100 long tons (1,117.7 t) in total displacement on 18 January 1905. Before disbanding on 22 February, it decided on a number of other issues, including the number of shafts (up to six were considered), the size of the anti-torpedo boat armament, and most importantly, to add longitudinal bulkheads to protect the magazines
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
and shell rooms from underwater explosions. This was deemed necessary after the was thought to have survived a Japanese torpedo hit by virtue of her heavy internal bulkhead
Bulkhead (partition)
A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...
during the Russo–Japanese War. To avoid increasing the displacement of the ship, the thickness of her waterline belt
Belt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
was reduced by 1 inches (3 cm).
Description
Dreadnought was significantly larger than her predecessors of the Lord Nelson-class. She had an overall length of 527 feet (160.6 m), a beamBeam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 82 in 1 in (25.02 m), and a draught of 29 foot at deep load. She displaced 18120 long tons (18,410.8 t) at normal load and 20730 long tons (21,062.7 t) at deep load, almost 3000 long tons (3,048.2 t) more than the earlier ships. She had a metacentric height
Metacentric height
The metacentric height is a measurement of the static stability of a floating body. It is calculated as the distance between the centre of gravity of a ship and its metacentre . A larger metacentric height implies greater stability against overturning...
of 5.6 feet (1.7 m) at deep load and a complete double bottom
Double bottom
A double bottom is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom of the ship has two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is somewhat higher in the ship, perhaps a few feet, which forms a...
.
Propulsion
Dreadnought was the first battleship to use steam turbineSteam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s in place of the older reciprocating triple-expansion steam engines. She had two paired sets of Parsons
Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company
Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company was a British engineering company based in Wallsend, North England, on the River Tyne.-History:The company was founded by Charles Algernon Parsons in 1897 with £500,000 of capital, and specialised in building the steam turbine engines that he had invented for...
direct-drive turbines, each of which was housed in a separate engine-room and drove two shafts. The wing shafts were coupled to the high-pressure ahead and astern turbines and the low-pressure turbines to the inner shafts. A cruising turbine was also coupled to each inner shaft, although these were not used often and were eventually disconnected. Her three-bladed propellers were 8 in 10 in (2.69 m) in diameter. The turbines were powered by eighteen Babcock and Wilcox
Babcock and Wilcox
The Babcock & Wilcox Company is a U.S.-based company that provides design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and facilities management services to nuclear, renewable, fossil power, industrial and government customers worldwide. B&W's boilers supply more than 300,000 megawatts of installed...
water-tube boiler
Water-tube boiler
A water tube boiler is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which heats water in the steam-generating tubes...
s in three boiler rooms. They had a working pressure of 250 pound per square inch. The turbines were designed to produce a total of 23000 shp, but reached nearly 27018 shp during trials in October 1906. Dreadnought was designed for 21 knots (11.4 m/s), but reached 21.6 knots (11.8 m/s) during trials.
Dreadnought carried 2868 long tons (2,914 t) of coal, and an additional 1120 long tons (1,138 t) of fuel oil
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
that was to be sprayed on the coal to increase its burn rate. At full capacity, she could steam for 6620 nautical miles (12,260.2 km) at a speed of 10 knots (5.4 m/s).
Armament
Caliber (artillery)
In artillery, caliber or calibredifference in British English and American English spelling is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length....
BL 12 inch Mark X gun
BL 12 inch Mk X naval gun
The BL 12 inch Gun Mark X was a British 45-calibres naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on battleships and battlecruisers from 1906...
in five twin gun turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
s. Three turrets were located conventionally along the centreline of the ship, with the forward turret ('A') and two aft turrets ('X' and 'Y'), the latter pair separated by the torpedo control tower located on a short tripod mast. Two wing turrets ('P' and 'Q') were located port and starboard of the forward superstructure respectively. Dreadnought could deliver a broadside of eight guns between 60° before the beam and 50° abaft the beam. Beyond these limits she could fire six guns aft, and four forward. On bearings 1° ahead or astern she could fire six guns, although she would have inflicted blast damage on the superstructure.
The guns could initially be depressed to −3° and elevated to 13.5°, although the turrets were modified to allow 16° of elevation during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. They fired 850 pounds (385.6 kg) projectiles at a muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
of 2725 ft/s (830.6 m/s); at 13.5°, this provided a maximum range of 16450 m (17,989.9 yd) with armour-piercing (AP)
Armor-piercing shot and shell
An armor-piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions...
2 crh shells. At 16° elevation, the range was extended to 20435 yd (18,685.8 m) using the more aerodynamic, but slightly heavier 4 crh AP shells. The rate of fire of these guns was one to two rounds per minute. The ships carried 80 rounds per gun.
QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval gun
The QF 12 pounder 18 cwt gun was a 3 inch high-velocity naval gun used to equip larger British warships such as battleships for defence against torpedo boats...
"cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight
Hundredweight
The hundredweight or centum weight is a unit of mass defined in terms of the pound . The definition used in Britain differs from that used in North America. The two are distinguished by the terms long hundredweight and short hundredweight:* The long hundredweight is defined as 112 lb, which...
, 18 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. positioned in the superstructure and on turret tops. The guns had a maximum depression of −10° and a maximum elevation of 20°. They fired 12.5 pounds (5.7 kg) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 2600 ft/s (792.5 m/s); this gave a maximum range of 9300 yd (8,503.9 m). Their rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute. The ship carried three hundred rounds for each gun.
The original plan was to dismount the eight guns on the forecastle and quarterdeck and stow them on chocks on the deck during daylight to prevent them from being damaged by muzzle blast from the main guns. Gun trials in December 1906 proved that this was a bit more difficult than expected and the two port guns from the forecastle and the outer starboard gun from the quarterdeck were transferred to turrets roofs, giving each turret two guns. The remaining forecastle guns and the outer port gun from the quarterdeck were removed by the end of 1907, which reduced the total to twenty-four guns. During her April–May 1915 the two guns from the roof of 'A' turret were reinstalled in the original positions on the starboard side of the quarterdeck. A year later, the two guns at the rear of the superstructure were removed, reducing her to twenty-two guns. Two of the quarterdeck guns were given high-angle Mark IV*C mounts for anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
duties and the two guns abreast the conning tower were removed in 1917.
A pair of QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss
QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss
The QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss was a light 57 mm naval gun and coast defence gun of the late 19th century used by many countries, and was adapted for use in the early British tanks in World War I.- Canada History :...
AA guns on high-angle mountings were mounted on the quarterdeck in 1915. They had a maximum depression of 8° and a maximum elevation of 60°. The guns fired a 6 pounds (2.7 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1765 ft/s (538 m/s) at a rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute. They had a maximum ceiling of 10000 ft (3,048 m), but an effective range of only 1200 yards (1,097.3 m). They were replaced by a pair of QF 3 inch 20 cwt
QF 3 inch 20 cwt
The QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard anti-aircraft gun used in the home defence of the United Kingdom against German airships and bombers and on the Western Front in World War I. It was also common on British warships in World War I and submarines in World War II...
guns on high-angle Mark II mounts in 1916. These gun had a maximum depression of 10° and a maximum elevation of 90°. They fired a 12.5 pounds (5.7 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 2500 ft/s (762 m/s) at a rate of 12–14 rounds per minute. They had a maximum effective ceiling of 23500 ft (7,162.8 m).
Dreadnought carried five 18-inch (450 mm)
British 18 inch torpedo
There have been a number of 18 inch torpedoes in service with the United Kingdom. These have been used on ships of the Royal Navy and aircraft of both the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force...
submerged torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s in three compartments. Each compartment had two torpedo tubes, one on each broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
, except for the stern compartment which only had one torpedo tube. The forward torpedo room was forward of 'A' turret's magazine and the rear torpedo room was abaft 'Y' turret's magazine. The stern torpedo compartment was shared with the steering gear. Twenty-three Whitehead Mark III* torpedoes were carried between them. In addition six 14 inches (356 mm) torpedoes were carried for her steam picket boats.
Fire control
Dreadnought was one of the first vessels of the Royal Navy to be fitted with instruments for electrically transmitting range, order and deflection information to the turrets. The control positions for the main armament were located in the spotting topTop (sailing ship)
On a traditional square rigged ship, the top is the platform at the upper end of each mast. This is not the masthead "crow's nest" of the popular imagination – above the mainmast is the main-topmast, main-topgallant-mast and main-royal-mast, so that the top is actually about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way...
at the head of the foremast and on a platform on the roof of the signal tower. Data from a 9 feet (2.7 m) Barr and Stroud
Barr and Stroud
Barr & Stroud Limited was a pioneering Scottish optical engineering firm, based in Glasgow, that played a leading role in the development of modern optics, including rangefinders, for the Royal Navy and for other branches of British Armed Forces during the 20th century...
FQ-2 rangefinder
Rangefinder
A rangefinder is a device that measures distance from the observer to a target, for the purposes of surveying, determining focus in photography, or accurately aiming a weapon. Some devices use active methods to measure ; others measure distance using trigonometry...
located at each control position was input into a Dumaresq
Dumaresq
The Dumaresq is a mechanical calculating device invented around 1902 by Lieutenant John Dumaresq of the Royal Navy.The dumaresq is an analog computer which relates vital variables of the fire control problem to the movement of one's own ship and that of a target ship...
mechanical computer and electrically transmitted to Vickers range clock
Vickers range clock
The Vickers Range Clock was a clockwork device used by the Royal Navy for continuously calculating the range to an enemy ship.In 1903, Percy Scott described a device he'd invented which was similar to the Vickers clock. In April 1904, Vickers worked with Scott and patented their device, samples of...
s located in the Transmitting Station located beneath each position on the main deck, where it was converted into range and deflection data for use by the guns. Voice pipes
Speaking tube
A speaking tube or voicepipe is a device based on two cones connected by an air pipe through which speech can be transmitted over an extended distance. While its most common use was in intra-ship communications, the principle was also used in fine homes and offices of the 19th century, as well as...
were retained for use between the Transmitting Station and the control positions. The target's data was also graphically recorded on a plotting table to assist the gunnery officer in predicting the movement of the target. The turrets, Transmitting Stations, and control positions could be connected in almost any combination.
Firing trials against in 1907 revealed this system's vulnerability to gunfire, as its spotting top was hit twice and a large splinter severed the voice pipe and all wiring running along the mast. To guard against this possibility, Dreadnought's fire-control system was comprehensively upgraded during her refits in 1912–13. The rangefinder in the foretop was given a gyro-stabilized Argo mount and 'A' and 'Y' turrets were upgraded to serve as secondary control positions for any portion or all of the main armament. An additional 9 feet (2.7 m) rangefinder was installed on the compass platform. In addition, 'A' turret was fitted with another 9 feet (2.7 m) rangefinder at the rear of the turret roof and a Mark I Dreyer Fire Control Table was installed in the main Transmitting Station. It combined the functions of the Dumaresq and the range clock.
Fire-control technology advanced quickly during the years immediately preceding World War I, and the most important development was the director firing system. This consisted of a fire-control director mounted high in the ship which electrically provided data to the turrets via pointers, which the turret crew were to follow. The director officer fired the guns simultaneously which aided in spotting the shell splashes and minimized the effects of the roll on the dispersion of the shells. A prototype was fitted in Dreadnought in 1909, but it was removed to avoid conflict with her duties as flagship of the Home Fleet. Preparations to install a production director were made during her May–June 1915 refit and every turret received a 9 feet (2.7 m) rangefinder at the same time. The exact date of the installation of the director is not known, other than it was not fitted before the end of 1915, and it was most likely mounted during her April–June 1916 refit.
Armour
Dreadnought used Krupp cemented armourKrupp cemented armour
Krupp Cemented Armour is a further evolved variant of Krupp Armour, developed during the early years of the 20th Century. The process is largely the same with slight changes in the alloy composition: in % of total – carbon 0.35, nickel 3.90, chromium 2.00, manganese .35, silicon .07, phosphorus...
throughout, unless otherwise mentioned. Her waterline belt measured 11 inches (279 mm) thick, but tapered to 7 inches (18 cm) at its lower edge. It extended from the rear of 'A' barbette to the center of 'Y' barbette. Oddly, it was reduced to 9 inches (23 cm) abreast 'A' barbette. A 6 inches (15 cm) extension ran from 'A' barbette forward to the bow and a similar 4 inch extension ran aft to the stern. A 8 inches (203 mm) bulkhead
Bulkhead (partition)
A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...
angled obliquely inwards from the end of the main belt to the side of 'X' barbette
Barbette
A barbette is a protective circular armour feature around a cannon or heavy artillery gun. The name comes from the French phrase en barbette referring to the practice of firing a field gun over a parapet rather than through an opening . The former gives better angles of fire but less protection...
to fully enclose the armoured citadel at middle deck level. An 8 inch belt sat above the main belt, but only ran as high as the main deck. One major problem with Dreadnoughts armour scheme was that the top of the 11 inch belt was only 2 foot (0.6096 m) above the waterline at normal load and it was submerged by over 12 inches at deep load, which meant that the waterline was protected by the 8 inch upper belt.
The turret faces and sides were protected by 11 inches of Krupp cemented armour, while the turret roofs used 3 inches of Krupp non-cemented armour
Krupp armour
Krupp armour was a type of steel armour used in the construction of capital ships starting shortly before the end of the 19th century. It was developed by Germany's Krupp Arms Works in 1893 and quickly replaced Harvey armour as the primary method of protecting naval ships.The initial manufacturing...
(KNC). The exposed faces of the barbettes were 11 inches thick, but the inner faces were 8 inches thick above the main deck. 'X' barbette's was 8 inches thick all around. Below the main deck, the barbettes' armour thinned to four inches except for 'A' barbette (eight inches) and 'Y' which remained 11 inches thick. The thickness of the main deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
ranged from 0.75 to 1 in (19.1 to 25.4 mm). The middle deck was 1.75 inches (44 mm) thick on the flat and 2.75 inches (70 mm) where it sloped down to meet the bottom edge of the main belt. Over the magazine
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
for 'A' and 'Y' turrets it was 3 inches thick, on slope and flat both. The lower deck armour was 1.5 inches (38 mm) forward and 2 inches aft where it increased to 3 inches to protect the steering gear.
The sides of the conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
were 11 inches thick and it had a 3 inch roof of KNC. It had a communications tube with 8 inch walls of mild steel down to the Transmitting Station on the middle deck. The walls of the signal tower were 8 inches thick while it had a roof of 3 inches of KNC armour. 2 inch torpedo bulkhead
Torpedo bulkhead
A torpedo bulkhead is a type of armor common on the more heavily armored warships, especially battleships and battlecruisers of the early 20th century. It is designed to keep the ship afloat even if the hull was struck underneath the belt armor by a shell or by a torpedo...
s were fitted abreast the magazines
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
and shell rooms of 'A', 'X' and 'Y' turrets, but this increased to 4 inches abreast 'P' and 'Q' turrets to compensate for their outboard location.
In common with all major warships of her day, Dreadnought was fitted with anti-torpedo nets, but these were removed early in the war, since they caused considerable loss of speed and were easily defeated by torpedoes fitted with net-cutters.
Crew accommodation
Officers were customarily housed aft, but Dreadnought reversed the old arrangement, so that the officers were closer to their action stations. This was very unpopular with the officers, not least because they were now berthed near the noisy auxiliary machinery while the turbines made the rear of the ship much quieter than they had been in earlier steamships. This arrangement lasted among the British dreadnoughts until the King George V classKing George V class battleship (1911)
The King George V class battleships were a series of four Royal Navy super-dreadnought battleships built just prior to and serving in the First World War.The King George V class immediately followed the Orion class upon which they were based....
of 1910.
Construction and trials
HMNB Portsmouth
Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...
which was regarded as the fastest-building shipyard in the world. Christened
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
with a bottle of Australian wine
Australian wine
The Australian Wine Industry is the fourth largest exporter of wine around the world, with 760 million litres a year to a large international export market and contributes $5.5 billion per annum to the nation's economy...
, Dreadnought was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
by King Edward VII on 10 February 1906, after only four months on the ways. She went to sea on 3 October 1906 for her steam trials, only a year and a day after construction started, although she was not commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
until 11 December 1906, fifteen months after she was laid down. The suggestion that her building had been sped up by using guns and/or turrets originally designed for the s which preceded her is not borne out as the guns and turrets were not ordered until July 1905. It seems more likely that Dreadnoughts turrets and guns merely received higher priority than those of the earlier ships.
Dreadnought sailed for the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
for extensive trials in December 1906 and then to Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
in January 1907. Her engines and guns were given a thorough workout by Captain Reginald Bacon
Reginald Bacon
Admiral Sir Reginald Hugh Spencer Bacon, KCB, KCVO, DSO was an officer in the Royal Navy noted for his technical abilities who was described by the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Jacky Fisher, as the man "acknowledged to be the cleverest officer in the Navy".-Family:Reginald was born at Wiggonholt in...
, Fisher's former Naval Assistant and a member of the Committee on Designs. His report stated, "No member of the Committee on Designs dared to hope that all the innovations introduced would have turned out as successfully as had been the case." During this time she averaged 17 knots (9.3 m/s), slowed only by a damaged rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
, an unprecedented high-speed performance. This shakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Shakedown cruises are also used to familiarize the ship's crew with operation of the craft....
revealed several issues that were dealt with in subsequent refits, notably the replacement of her steering engines and the addition of cooling machinery to reduce the temperature levels in her magazines (cordite
Cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom from 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. Like gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates and consequently low brisance...
degrades more quickly at high temperatures). The most important issue, which was never addressed in her lifetime, was that the placement of her foremast behind the forward funnel put the spotting top right in the plume of hot exhaust gases, much to the detriment of her fighting ability.
Career
From 1907–1911, Dreadnought served as flagshipFlagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. In 1910, she attracted the attention of notorious hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
er Horace de Vere Cole
Horace de Vere Cole
William Horace de Vere Cole was a British eccentric prankster and poet...
, who persuaded the Royal Navy to arrange for a party of Abyssinian
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
royals to be given a tour of a ship. In reality, the "Abyssinian royals" were some of Cole's friends in blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
and disguise, including a young Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century....
and her Bloomsbury Group
Bloomsbury Group
The Bloomsbury Group or Bloomsbury Set was a group of writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists who held informal discussions in Bloomsbury throughout the 20th century. This English collective of friends and relatives lived, worked or studied near Bloomsbury in London during the first half...
friends; it became known as the Dreadnought hoax
Dreadnought hoax
The Dreadnought Hoax was a practical joke pulled by Horace de Vere Cole in 1910. Cole tricked the Royal Navy into showing their flagship, the warship HMS Dreadnought to a supposed delegation of Abyssinian royals...
. Cole had picked Dreadnought because she was at that time the most prominent and visible symbol of Britain's naval might. She was replaced as flagship of the Home Fleet by in March 1911 and was assigned to the 1st Division
1st Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)
The British 1st Battle Squadron was a squadron of battleships, initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet, renamed the Grand Fleet during World War I...
of the Home Fleet. She participated in King George V's
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
Coronation Fleet Review in June 1911.
Dreadnought became flagship of the 4th Battle Squadron
4th Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)
The British Royal Navy 4th Battle Squadron was a squadron consisting of battleships. The 4th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During World War I the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet...
in December 1912 after her transfer from the 1st Battle Squadron, as the 1st Division had been renamed earlier in the year. Between September and December 1913 she was training in the Mediterranean Sea. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, she was flagship of the 4th Battle Squadron in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, based at Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
. She was relieved as flagship on 10 December by .
Ironically for a vessel designed to engage enemy battleships, her only significant action was the ramming and sinking of German submarine , skippered by K/Lt Otto Weddigen
Otto Weddigen
Otto Eduard Weddigen was a German U-boat commander during World War I.-Biography and career:He was born in Herford and started his military career in the Kaiserliche Marine in 1901...
(of fame), on 18 March 1915. U-29 had broken the surface immediately ahead of Dreadnought after firing a torpedo at HMS Neptune and Dreadnought cut the submarine in two after a short chase. She almost collided with who was also attempting to ram. Dreadnought thus became the only battleship ever to sink a submarine.
She was refitting from 18 April to 22 June 1916 and missed the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
on 31 May, the most significant fleet engagement of the war. Dreadnought became flagship of the 3rd Battle Squadron
3rd Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)
The British Royal Navy 3rd Battle Squadron was a naval squadron consisting of battleships and other vessels, active from at least 1914 to 1945. The 3rd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During the First World War, the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet...
on 9 July, based at Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
on the Thames, part of a force of pre-dreadnoughts intended to counter the threat of shore bombardment by German battlecruisers. During this time she fired her AA guns at German aircraft that passed over her headed for London. She returned to the Grand Fleet in March 1918, resuming her role as flagship of the Fourth Battle Squadron, but was paid off in July to begin another refit. Dreadnought was put into reserve at Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
in February 1919. Dreadnought was put up for sale on 31 March 1920 and sold for scrap to T.W. Ward & Company on 9 May 1921 for the sum of £44,000. She was broken up at Ward's new premises at Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing is a town and a royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. According to population estimates , the town has a population of 5,265. The port town was given burgh status by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century and is situated about 9 miles north from...
, Scotland, upon arrival on 2 January 1923.
Significance
Her design so thoroughly eclipsed earlier types that subsequent battleships of all nations were generically known as "dreadnoughts" and older battleships disparaged as "pre-dreadnoughts". Her very short construction time was intended to demonstrate that Britain could build an unassailable lead in the new type of battleships. Her construction sparked off a naval arms race, and soon all major fleets were adding Dreadnought-like ships.The modern acoustic guitar developed with square shoulders was named the Dreadnought shape
Dreadnought (guitar type)
Dreadnought is a type of acoustic guitar body developed by guitar manufacturers C.F. Martin & Company. The Dreadnought style has since been copied by other guitar manufacturers and is now a common style of guitar body...
after this iconic ship.
External links
- Dreadnought Project Technical material on the weaponry and fire control for the ships
- The Royal Navy's official Dreadnought site
- United States military history page on the Dreadnought
- History, with several period photographs
- An illustration of the contemporary naval arms race which Dreadnought sparked
- A thorough guide to the 12 inches (305 mm) guns which made Dreadnought so distinctive
- Maritimequest HMS Dreadnought Photo Gallery