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HMS King George V (1911)
Encyclopedia
The first HMS King George V was a King George V-class
King 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 1911 dreadnought
HMS Dreadnought (1906)
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 "dreadnoughts", as well as the class of...
, with a displacement of 23,400 tonnes and an armament of ten 13.5 inch guns in twin gun turrets and a secondary armament of sixteen 4 inch guns and had a crew complement of 870, though this increased substantially by 1916 to 1,110, and had a length of 597 feet.
She took part in 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...
, being the lead ship of the 1st Division of the 2nd Battle Squadron
2nd Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)
The British Royal Navy 2nd Battle Squadron was a naval squadron consisting of battleships. The 2nd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After World War I the Grand Fleet was reverted back to its original name, the Atlantic Fleet...
. Her sister-ships were , and . HMS Audacious was sunk by a mine off the northern coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
; the rest survived 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...
and were all decommissioned by 1924. King George V herself was decommissioned in 1919, used as a training ship between 1923–26 and scrapped in 1926.
1914 Kiel Regatta
George V and a squadron of British ships were invited to attend the Kiel regattaKiel Week
Kiel Week is an annual sailing event in Kiel, Germany. It is the largest sailing event in the world, and also one of the largest Volksfest in Europe.- Procedure :...
in 1914 just before World War I. The visit was described by a German officer, Georg von Hase, who was assigned as aide to Vice Admiral Warrender and lived on board during the visit. He described the admiral's quarters, which included a large office, capacious bedroom, bathroom and dressing room. The dining room for the admiral's mess, where the visitors were entertained, occupied the entire width of the ship. A separate drawing room accompanied it. A second smaller suite was available, which Hase temporarily enjoyed before the arrival on board of the British ambassador to Germany, Edward Goschen. Thereafter he had to make do with a cabin on a lower deck, which was still roomy compared to German naval ships, but uncomfortable and hot. Cabins were not equipped with steam heating, as on German ships, but instead most had fireplaces. Each cabin had a large leather club chair and mahogany furniture. There was a separate wardroom for the officers, consisting of a dining room and separate lounge furnished with club chairs and leather sofas.
Hase described life for an English sailor, which might typically involve a tour of duty of two years on board ship, followed by a six month period ashore in which the crew might have leave. Sporting competitions were arranged in Kiel between English and German teams. Hase noted that the Germans won most of the events, except for football. He described the English sailors as noticeably small, that 70 men from George V were under 17, while he considered that there was also a disproportionate number of older men. Comparing notes with the Gunnery Officer, Commander Brownrigg, he noted that whereas gunnery posts were considered the most prestigious on British ships, the torpedo division was the preferred appointment for German officers. Brownrigg discussed successful practice firings at ranges of 15 km, which seemed an enormous range to Hase. A few years later in World War I both sides strove to engage at even greater ranges.
Kaiser Wilhelm II visited the ship on an inspection tour, signing the visitors book which already contained the names of many famous people. An 'at home' was held on board to which all the notables of Kiel were invited, with Admiral Warrender's wife acting as hostess.