HMS Vanguard (23)
Encyclopedia
HMS Vanguard was a British fast battleship
built during World War II
and commissioned after the end of the war. She was the only ship of her class and was the biggest, fastest and last of the Royal Navy
's dreadnought
s, and the final battleship
to be launched
in the world. Work on the ship's design commenced before the war because the Royal Navy anticipated being outnumbered by the combined German and Japanese battleships in the early 1940s. The British had enough guns and gun turret
s in storage to equip one battleship that could be built relatively quickly. The design was modified to suit the different main armament to save time, but the work was started and stopped several times during the war. Her design was revised several times, even after construction had begun, to reflect war experience and these changes prevented her from being completed during the war.
Vanguards first task after completing her sea trial
at the end of 1946 was, early the next year, to convey King George VI
and his family on the first Royal Tour of South Africa
by a reigning monarch. While refitting after her return, she was selected for another Royal Tour of Australia
and New Zealand in 1948. This was cancelled, however, by King George's growing ill health, and Vanguard briefly became flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet
in early 1949. After her return home in mid-1949, she became flagship of the Home Fleet Training Squadron. Throughout her career, the battleship usually served as the flagship of whichever unit she was assigned to. During the early 1950s, Vanguard was involved in a number of training exercises with NATO forces. In 1953 she participated in Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Review. While she was refitting in 1955, the Admiralty
announced that the ship was going to be put into reserve
upon completion of the work. Vanguard was sold for scrap
in late 1959 and was broken up beginning in 1960.
s and during World War I and were removed during the conversions of these ships to aircraft carrier
s in the 1920s. To save time, the Lion design was modified to accommodate the four turrets and preliminary design work began in July 1939. The flat transom
stern was retained as it was estimated to improve speed at full power by ⅓ of a knot. This made Vanguard the only British battleship built with a transom stern.
Design work was suspended on 11 September after the start of World War II, but resumed in February 1940 after the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill
, expressed an interest in the ship. The design was modified to increase protection against shell splinters on the unprotected sides of the ship's hull, the armour of the secondary armament was increased to resist 500 pounds (226.8 kg) semi-armour-piercing
bombs and the splinter belt's
thickness fore and aft of the main armour belt was reduced by 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) in compensation. A small conning tower
was added aft and four Unrotated Projectile
mounts were added to supplement the six octuple-barrel 2-pounder
anti-aircraft
mounts already planned.
More pressing commitments forced the preliminary design work to be suspended again in June and, when it resumed in October, the design was modified again in light of recent war experience. Greater fuel capacity was added and the armour protection improved, but these changes deepened the design's draught
so that it exceeded the 34 feet (10.4 m) limit of the Suez Canal
. The thickness of the main belt was reduced by 1 inches (2.5 cm) to save weight, but the primary method chosen to reduce the draught was to increase the beam
by 2.5 foot (0.762 m). This exceeded the width of the docks
at Rosyth
and Plymouth
, which severely limited the number of docks that could handle the ship, but these changes were approved by the Board of Admiralty on 17 April 1941.
Vanguards design was revised again, while the ship was under construction in 1942, to reflect lessons learned from the loss of the King George V-class
battleship and operations with the other battleships. The space between the inboard and outboard propeller shafts was increased from 33.5 to 51.5 ft (10.2 to 15.7 ) to prevent a single torpedo from wrecking both shafts and watertight access trunks were added to all spaces below the deep waterline to prevent progressive flooding through open watertight doors and hatches as happened to Prince of Wales. This change and the relocation of some of the 5.25 inches (13 cm) ammunition handling rooms from the lower deck to the middle deck seriously delayed the ship's completion. The design requirement that the guns of 'A' turret be capable of firing straight ahead at 0° of elevation was sacrificed to allow her freeboard
forward to be increased and her bow was reshaped to make it less prone to shipping water and throwing sea spray
in head seas. The ship's fuel supply was increased to 4850 LT to prevent the fuel shortage problems suffered by and during their pursuit of the . The Unrotated Projectile mounts were deleted from the design and the light anti-aircraft
armament was increased to a total of 76 2-pounders in one quadruple and nine octuple mounts and 24 Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
were also added in 12 twin mounts. Space for these was made available by removing the two floatplane
s, the catapult
, and their associated facilities.
A proposal was made in 1942 to convert Vanguard to an aircraft carrier and the Director of Naval Construction
said that doing so along the lines of the would present no major difficulties, but would require six months to redesign the ship. The proposal was formally rejected on 17 July.
5 feet (1.5 m) deep and she was divided into 27 main compartments by watertight bulkheads
.
Vanguard was well regarded as a good seaboat, able to keep an even keel in rough seas. This was due to the large flare applied to the bows after experience with her predecessors, the King George V-class ships. The latter had been built with almost no sheer to the main deck forwards to allow 'A' turret to fire straight forward at zero elevation, resulting in a poor seaboat that took a lot of water over the bows. During NATO exercises in the 1950s Vanguards main deck
was dry in heavy North Atlantic swells while the forward turrets of American Iowa-class
battleships were awash. At full load, Vanguard had a metacentric height
of 8.2 feet (2.5 m).
As a fleet flagship
, her complement was 115 officers and 1,860 men in 1947. Air conditioning
was provided for many of the ship's control spaces and asbestos
insulation was provided on exposed surfaces. Steam heating was provided for her armament, instruments, look-out positions and other equipment to make Vanguard suitable for operations in the Arctic
. An Action Information Centre was fitted below the main armour deck with facilities to track aircraft and ships around Vanguard.
s housed in separate engine rooms. Each set consisted of one high-pressure and one low-pressure turbine, driving a propeller
that was 14 in 9 in (4.5 m) in diameter. The turbines were powered by eight Admiralty-type three-drum water-tube boiler
s in four boiler rooms at a working pressure of 350 pound per square inch and temperature of 700 °F (371.1 °C). The engines were designed to produce a total of 130000 shp and a speed of 30 knots (16.3 m/s), but achieved more than 136000 shp during the ship's sea trial
s in July 1946, when she reached a speed of 31.57 knots. After trials, the three-bladed propellers on the inboard shafts were replaced by five-bladed propellers in an unsuccessful attempt to reduce vibrations of the inboard propeller shafts.
Vanguard was designed to carry 4423 long tons (4,494 t) of fuel oil
and 427 long tons (433.9 t) of diesel fuel. With a clean bottom, she could steam at a speed of 15 knots for 8250 nautical miles (15,279 km). The ship had four 480 kW turbogenerators and four 450 kW diesel generator
s that supplied the common ring main at 220 volt
s. Their total output of 3720 kW was the largest of any British battleship.
BL 15-inch Mk I guns in four twin hydraulically powered gun turret
s designated 'A', 'B', 'X' and 'Y' from bow to stern. When the turrets were modernised their maximum elevation was increased to +30°, although the guns were loaded at +5°. They fired 1938 pounds (879 kg) projectiles at a muzzle velocity
of 2458 ft/s (749.2 m/s); this provided a maximum range of 36500 yards (33,375.6 m). Their rate of fire was two rounds per minute. Vanguard carried 100 shells per gun.
The 15-inch turrets had been designed when the customary practice was to place the magazine
above the shell room and it was not cost-effective to modify the ammunition hoists to accommodate the opposite arrangement adopted after the Battle of Jutland
demonstrated the dangers of the exposing the magazines to long-range gunfire. The ship was provided with a powder-handling room above the shell room to mimic the arrangement that turret's hoists were designed to handle and another set of hoists moved the propellant charges from the magazines to the powder-handling room. The charges were stowed in cases to reduce their exposure to fire.
The secondary armament consisted of sixteen 50-calibre QF 5.25-inch Mk I dual purpose gun
s in eight twin gun mounts. They had a maximum depression of −5° and a maximum elevation of 70°. They fired a 80 pounds (36.3 kg) high-explosive shell at a muzzle velocity of 2672 ft/s (814.4 m/s). Their normal rate of fire was about 7–8 rounds per minute. At maximum elevation, the guns had a maximum range of 24070 yards (22,009.6 m). 391 rounds were provided for each gun.
Short-range air defence was provided by 73 Bofors 40 mm AA guns in a variety of mountings. Vanguard had ten sextuple-barrel power-operated mounts concentrated in the superstructure and stern, a twin-barrel mount on 'B' turret, and 11 power-operated single mounts on the upper deck and rear superstructure. All mounts could depress to −10° and elevate to a maximum of +90°. The 40 millimetres (1.6 in) gun fired a 1.97 pound (0.8935769689 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 2890 ft/s (880.9 m/s) to a distance of 10750 yards (9,829.8 m). The gun's rate of fire was approximately 120 rounds per minute. Space was not available to stow the standard allowance of 1564 rounds per gun and Vanguard only carried 1269 rounds per gun. Two of the single guns on the quarterdeck were removed in 1949 and five others during a major refit in 1954. All of her multiple Bofors mounts were removed at this same time.
Mk X for surface fire control of the main armament. There were two director control towers (DCT) for the 15-inch guns, each carrying a "double cheese" Type 274 fire-control radar for range finding and spotting the fall of shot. Each DCT could control all four turrets while 'B' turret could control 'A' and 'X' turrets. 'X' turret could only control 'Y' turret. There were four American Mark 37 DCTs for the 5.25-inch guns, each carrying the twin domes of Type 275 gunnery radar. Lastly, each Mark VI sextuple 40 mm Bofors mounting was provided with a separate CRBF ("close range blind fire") director
fitted with a Type 262 radar, although the ship never mounted her complete outfit of those directors. The STAAG Mk II 40 mm Bofors mounting carried its own Type 262 on the mounting itself. Other radar sets carried were Type 960 air and surface search, Type 293 target indication and Type 277 height finding.
When the 15-inch gun turrets were modernised, their existing 15 feet (4.6 m) rangefinder
s were replaced by 30 feet (9.1 m) ones in all except for 'A' turret and they were fitted for RPC in azimuth only. The turrets were also provided with de-humidifying equipment and insulation to improve their habitability.
belt and more splinter protection. Originally the belt armour was equal to that of the older ships, but it had to be reduced to offset weight increases when the design was modified to reflect wartime experience. The 460 feet (140.2 m) main belt was composed of Krupp cemented armour
(KCA) 13 inches (330 mm) thick, but increased to 14 inches (356 mm) abreast the magazines. It was 24 feet (7.3 m) high and tapered to a thickness of 4.5 inches (114 mm) at the bottom edge of the belt. Fore and aft of the 12 inches (305 mm) transverse bulkheads that closed off the central citadel, the belt continued almost to the ends of the ship. Forward it tapered to a thickness of 2 inches (5.1 cm) and a height of 8 feet (2.4 m) and aft to the same thickness, but a height of 11 feet (3.4 m). At the aft end of the steering gear compartment was a 4 inches (10.2 cm) transverse bulkhead. After the Battle of the Denmark Strait
in 1941, 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) non-cemented armour bulkheads were added on the sides of the magazines to protect them from splinters from any hits from diving shells that might have penetrated the ship's side beneath her belt.
When the gun turrets from the World War I
-era battlecruisers were modernised, their KCA faceplates were replaced by new ones 13 inches thick and their roofs were replaced by 6 inches (15 cm) non-cemented armour plates. Their sides remained 7–9 in (17.8–22.9 ) in thickness. The barbette
s for the 15-inch guns were 13 inches thick on the sides, but tapered to 11–12 in (27.9–30.5 ) closer to the centreline of the ship. The thickness of the side and roof armour of the 5.25-inch turrets was 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) in thickness. Their ammunition hoists were protected by armour 2–6 in (5.1–15.2 ) thick.
Intended to resist the impact of a 1000 pounds (453.6 kg) armour-piercing bomb dropped from a height of 14000 feet (4,267.2 m), Vanguards deck protection was identical to that of the King George V class. It consisted of six-inch non-cemented armour over the magazines that reduced to 5 inches (13 cm) over the machinery spaces. The armour continued forward and aft of the citadel at the lower-deck level. Forward it tapered in steps from five inches down to 2.5 inches near the bow. Aft, it protected the steering gear and propeller shafts with 4.5 inches of armour before tapering to a thickness of 2.5 inches near the stern. Unlike the Germans, French and Americans, the British no longer believed that heavy armour for the conning tower served any real purpose given that the chance of hitting it was very small; Vanguards conning tower was therefore protected with 3 inches (8 cm) of armour on the face and 2.5 inches on the sides and rear. The secondary conning tower aft had 2 inches (5 cm) of armour on its sides.
Vanguards underwater protection was enhanced when she was redesigned in 1942 to reflect the lessons learned when Prince of Wales was sunk by Japanese torpedo bomber
s. It still consisted of a three-layer system of voids and liquid-filled compartments meant to absorb the energy of an underwater explosion. It was bounded on the inside by the 1.75 inch torpedo bulkhead
. Her enlarged oil tanks reduced the empty spaces that could flood and cause the ship to list and greater provision was made to pump these spaces out. The longitudinal bulkheads of the side protection system were raised one deck higher to further sub-divide the spaces behind the waterline armour belt. The side protection system had a maximum depth of 15 feet (4.6 m), but this decreased significantly as the ship narrowed at its ends. Over the length of the citadel, this system was found to be proof against 1000 pounds (453.6 kg) of TNT during full-scale trials.
, Scotland
, with the yard number of 567, and she was given an A1 priority after the Japanese invasion of Malaya
in December in the hope of finishing her by the end of 1944. Construction of the light cruiser
HMS Bellerophon
and some merchant shipping was halted to expedite the ship's completion. This was unsuccessful because the bottleneck in building the ship was the amount of skilled labour working on the ship and these measures did not make more available. She was launched on 30 November 1944 by Princess Elizabeth and Captain
W. G. Agnew assumed command on 15 October 1945. As a result of Japan's surrender, there was no need to rush her into service and the ship was not commissioned
until 28 March 1946. Vanguard cost a total of £11,530,503, including £3,186,868 for the modernisation of the main armament.
After commissioning, the ship spent the next several months conducting sea trials and training until she began the necessary modifications to serve as a royal yacht
in August for the forthcoming royal tour of South Africa. The Admiral's suite was reworked into accommodations for the Royal Family and their staff while the anti-aircraft mount on top of 'B' turret was replaced by a saluting platform. Agnew was promoted to Rear-Admiral with effect from 8 January 1947. The alterations were complete by December and Vanguard made a shakedown cruise into the Central Atlantic and made a port visit to Gibraltar
on the return voyage. Initially escorted by the destroyers , , , , and , the ship rendezvoused with the Home Fleet to receive a 21-gun salute led by the battleships , and the aircraft carrier on 1 February 1947. Later that morning, a Sikorsky R-4
helicopter
landed aboard to pick up mail and photographic film.
Vanguard arrived in Cape Town
on 17 February, escorted by the South African frigates Good Hope, Transvaal, and Natal on the last leg of her voyage. While the royal family toured the country on the first visit by a reigning monarch to South Africa, the ship exercised with ships of the South African and Royal Navies stationed there and made port visits to a number of South African cities. She sailed for home on 22 April and made brief visits to Saint Helena
and Ascension Island
en route. Vanguard arrived in Portsmouth
on 11 May and Captain F. R. Parham relieved the newly promoted Agnew on 29 May. The ship began an overhaul in Devonport
in July that lasted until August 1948. While she was refitting, Vanguard was tasked to carry the royal family on a tour of Australia and New Zealand, planned for January 1949. On 31 August, she began a shakedown cruise to the Mediterranean and returned to Devonport on 12 November. Around this time, Vanguard was considered, along with a number of other large warships, for conversion to carry anti-aircraft missiles, but nothing further was done along these lines.
George VI was now too ill for travel and the royal tour was indefinitely postponed later that month. Vanguard became the flagship of Admiral
Sir Arthur Power
, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet on 1 March 1949, and the ship made port visits to Algeria, France, Italy, Cyprus, Libya, Lebanon, Greece and Egypt before she arrived back at Devonport on 21 July. The newly promoted Rear Admiral Parham was relieved by Captain G. V. Gladstone a week later. The ship became the flagship of the Home Fleet Training Squadron under Rear Admiral Edward Evans-Lombe
on 12 November. While returning from a brief training sortie to Gibraltar, Vanguard went to the aid of a small French merchantman whose cargo had shifted in a severe storm on 13 February 1950. The ship was able to tow until the storm abated, the cargo was redistributed and Boffa was able to resume her voyage under her own power. After reaching Weymouth Bay the following day, she saluted Vincent Auriol
, President of France, during his state visit
to Great Britain the next month.
1.jpg)
Admiral Sir Philip Vian
hoisted his flag as Commander in Chief, Home Fleet on 13 September 1950 and Vanguard joined the rest of Home Fleet on exercises with the Royal Canadian Navy
and the Mediterranean Fleet. On 19 December, Admiral Vian transferred his flag to the carrier which collided with Vanguard as the the carrier was docking at Gibraltar on 10 February 1951. The hole in the battleship's stern was not serious and Admiral Vian re-hoisted his flag in Vanguard shortly afterwards. After manoeuvres with Indomitable, during which her aircraft "sank" the battleship, the ship made port visits in Genoa
and Villefranche-sur-Mer
before returning for a brief refit in Devonport on 14 March. After completing her refit in May, she became flagship of the Home Fleet Training Squadron under Rear Admiral R. M. Dick at the Isle of Portland
. Four months later the admiral transferred his flag to the carrier as Vanguard began another refit in preparation for becoming the flagship of Home Fleet again.
Buckingham Palace
announced in November that King George VI was planning to take a short cruise for his health aboard Vanguard, which meant that her Admiral's suite again had to be modified to accommodate him and his staff. Captain John Litchfield
assumed command on 21 December while the ship was still refitting, but the King died on 6 February 1952 before he could make his cruise. A detachment from the ship participated in his funeral procession before she departed for her post-refit shakedown cruise on 22 February. After exercising with Implacable, Indomitable and the fast minelayer
, Vanguard returned home on 29 March. She became flagship of Home Fleet again on 13 May when Admiral Sir George Creasy
hoisted his flag. She participated in exercises with the Dutch
and American navies, before returning to Portsmouth for the holidays. Captain Litchfield was relieved by Captain R. A. Ewing on 19 January 1953 before departing the next day for a brief refit at Gibraltar. After its completion on 2 March, the ship trained with several of the Royal Navy's carriers before arriving back at Portsmouth on 25 March. Vanguard participated in Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Review at Spithead
on 14 or 15 June. The following September, she participated in the NATO Exercise Mariner in the Denmark Strait
.
Admiral Sir Michael Denny
replaced Creasy as Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet on 5 January 1954 and Vanguard participated in Exercise Medflex A with Dutch and French ships in March. During the rest of the year she participated in anti-submarine and anti-aircraft exercises as well as making port visits to Oslo
and Kristiansand
, Norway and Helsingborg
, Sweden. She was inspected on 11 July by King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
before returning home later that month. Admiral Denny struck his flag on 15 September and Vanguard sailed to Devonport for a £220,000 refit 10 days later. She was placed in reserve when it was completed in 1955 and she became flagship of the Royal Navy Reserve Fleet when Vice Admiral
Richard Onslow
hoisted his flag on 28 November. While moored in Fareham Creek
, during her time in the reserve fleet, scenes for the film Sink the Bismarck!
were filmed aboard, with Vanguard playing Bismarck.
The Admiralty announced on 9 October 1959 that Vanguard would be scrapped in 1960, considered obsolete and too expensive to maintain, and she was sold for £560,000 to the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain
that year. On 4 August 1960, when she was to be towed from Portsmouth
to the breakers yard at Faslane, Scotland, the whole of the Southsea
sea front was packed with people to see her off. As she was being towed towards the harbour entrance, she slewed across the harbour and went aground near the Still & West pub. She was pulled off by five tugboats an hour later, and made her exit from Portsmouth. Five days later she arrived at Faslane and by mid-1962 Vanguard ceased to exist, the last British battleship to be scrapped.
Sections of 150 millimetres (5.9 in) thick steel plate were recovered from the scrapping of Vanguard and used for the shielding of the whole body monitor at the Radiobiological Research Laboratory (now DSTL
) at Alverstoke
, Gosport
, Hampshire
, England.
Fast battleship
Historically, a fast battleship was a battleship which emphasized speed without - in concept - undo compromise of either armor or armament. The term is especially appropriate when applied to a design which was not only faster than the preceding battleship class, but faster than subsequent classes...
built during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and commissioned after the end of the war. She was the only ship of her class and was the biggest, fastest and last of the 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...
's 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, and the final battleship
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...
to be 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...
in the world. Work on the ship's design commenced before the war because the Royal Navy anticipated being outnumbered by the combined German and Japanese battleships in the early 1940s. The British had enough guns and 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 in storage to equip one battleship that could be built relatively quickly. The design was modified to suit the different main armament to save time, but the work was started and stopped several times during the war. Her design was revised several times, even after construction had begun, to reflect war experience and these changes prevented her from being completed during the war.
Vanguards first task after completing her sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
at the end of 1946 was, early the next year, to convey King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
and his family on the first Royal Tour of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
by a reigning monarch. While refitting after her return, she was selected for another Royal Tour of Australia
Royal visits to Australia
Since 1867, there have been over fifty visits by a member of the Royal Family to Australia, though only six of those came before 1954. Elizabeth II is the only reigning monarch of Australia to have set foot on Australian soil; she first did so on 3 February 1954...
and New Zealand in 1948. This was cancelled, however, by King George's growing ill health, and Vanguard briefly became flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
in early 1949. After her return home in mid-1949, she became flagship of the Home Fleet Training Squadron. Throughout her career, the battleship usually served as the flagship of whichever unit she was assigned to. During the early 1950s, Vanguard was involved in a number of training exercises with NATO forces. In 1953 she participated in Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Review. While she was refitting in 1955, the 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...
announced that the ship was going to be put into reserve
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
upon completion of the work. Vanguard was sold for scrap
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
in late 1959 and was broken up beginning in 1960.
Design and description
By early 1939 it was clear that the first two Lion-class battleships could not be delivered before 1943 at the earliest and that further battleship construction would be necessary to match the German and Japanese battleships already under construction. The main constraint of the construction of any new battleships was the limited capacity available to build large-calibre guns and their gun turrets. Using four twin 15 inches (38.1 cm) mountings in storage offered the possibility of bypassing this bottleneck and allowed the construction of a single fast battleship more quickly than building more Lion-class ships. The turrets were originally used by the battlecruiserBattlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
s and during World War I and were removed during the conversions of these ships to aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s in the 1920s. To save time, the Lion design was modified to accommodate the four turrets and preliminary design work began in July 1939. The flat transom
Transom (nautical)
In naval architecture, a transom is the surface that forms the stern of a vessel. Transoms may be flat or curved and they may be vertical, raked forward, also known as a retroussé or reverse transom, angling forward from the waterline to the deck, or raked aft, often simply called "raked", angling...
stern was retained as it was estimated to improve speed at full power by ⅓ of a knot. This made Vanguard the only British battleship built with a transom stern.
Design work was suspended on 11 September after the start of World War II, but resumed in February 1940 after the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, expressed an interest in the ship. The design was modified to increase protection against shell splinters on the unprotected sides of the ship's hull, the armour of the secondary armament was increased to resist 500 pounds (226.8 kg) semi-armour-piercing
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...
bombs and the splinter belt's
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....
thickness fore and aft of the main armour belt was reduced by 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) in compensation. A small 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....
was added aft and four Unrotated Projectile
Unrotated Projectile
The Unrotated Projectile, or UP, was a short range rocket-firing anti-aircraft weapon developed for the Royal Navy to supplement the 2 pounder Pom-Pom gun due to a critical lack of close-range anti-aircraft weapons. It was used extensively by British ships during the early days of World War II...
mounts were added to supplement the six octuple-barrel 2-pounder
QF 2 pounder naval gun
The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...
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...
mounts already planned.
More pressing commitments forced the preliminary design work to be suspended again in June and, when it resumed in October, the design was modified again in light of recent war experience. Greater fuel capacity was added and the armour protection improved, but these changes deepened the design's draught
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
so that it exceeded the 34 feet (10.4 m) limit of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
. The thickness of the main belt was reduced by 1 inches (2.5 cm) to save weight, but the primary method chosen to reduce the draught was to increase the beam
Beam (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...
by 2.5 foot (0.762 m). This exceeded the width of the docks
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
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....
and Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, which severely limited the number of docks that could handle the ship, but these changes were approved by the Board of Admiralty on 17 April 1941.
Vanguards design was revised again, while the ship was under construction in 1942, to reflect lessons learned from the loss of the King George V-class
King George V class battleship (1939)
The King George V-class battleships were the most modern British battleships used during World War II. Five ships of this class were built and commissioned: King George V , Prince of Wales , Duke of York , Howe , and Anson .The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 limiting all of the number,...
battleship and operations with the other battleships. The space between the inboard and outboard propeller shafts was increased from 33.5 to 51.5 ft (10.2 to 15.7 ) to prevent a single torpedo from wrecking both shafts and watertight access trunks were added to all spaces below the deep waterline to prevent progressive flooding through open watertight doors and hatches as happened to Prince of Wales. This change and the relocation of some of the 5.25 inches (13 cm) ammunition handling rooms from the lower deck to the middle deck seriously delayed the ship's completion. The design requirement that the guns of 'A' turret be capable of firing straight ahead at 0° of elevation was sacrificed to allow her freeboard
Freeboard (nautical)
In sailing and boating, freeboardmeans the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship...
forward to be increased and her bow was reshaped to make it less prone to shipping water and throwing sea spray
Sea spray
Sea spray is a spray of water that forms when ocean waves crash.-Make up:As a result, salt spray contains a high concentration of mineral salts, particularly chloride anions.-Effects:...
in head seas. The ship's fuel supply was increased to 4850 LT to prevent the fuel shortage problems suffered by and during their pursuit of the . The Unrotated Projectile mounts were deleted from the design and the light 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...
armament was increased to a total of 76 2-pounders in one quadruple and nine octuple mounts and 24 Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
were also added in 12 twin mounts. Space for these was made available by removing the two floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
s, the catapult
Aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...
, and their associated facilities.
A proposal was made in 1942 to convert Vanguard to an aircraft carrier and the Director of Naval Construction
Director of Naval Construction
The Director of Naval Construction was a senior British civil servant post in the Admiralty, that part of the British Civil Service that oversaw the Royal Navy. The post existed from 1860 to 1966....
said that doing so along the lines of the would present no major difficulties, but would require six months to redesign the ship. The proposal was formally rejected on 17 July.
General characteristics
Vanguard had an overall length of 759 in 4 in (231.44 m), a beam of 108 feet (32.9 m), and a draught of 36 feet (11 m) at deep load. She displaced 44500 long tons (45,214.2 t) at standard load and 51420 long tons (52,245.3 t) at deep load. The ship was significantly larger than her predecessors of the class, being almost 50 feet (15.2 m) longer and displaced about 6000 long tons (6,096.3 t) more than the older ships at deep load. Some 2200 LT of this was because Vanguard was overweight. The ship had a complete double bottomDouble 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...
5 feet (1.5 m) deep and she was divided into 27 main compartments by watertight bulkheads
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:...
.
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...
was dry in heavy North Atlantic swells while the forward turrets of American Iowa-class
Iowa class battleship
The Iowa-class battleships were a class of fast battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940 to escort the Fast Carrier Task Forces which would operate in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Six were ordered during the course of World War II, but only four were completed in...
battleships were awash. At full load, Vanguard 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 8.2 feet (2.5 m).
As a fleet flagship
Flagship
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...
, her complement was 115 officers and 1,860 men in 1947. Air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
was provided for many of the ship's control spaces and asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
insulation was provided on exposed surfaces. Steam heating was provided for her armament, instruments, look-out positions and other equipment to make Vanguard suitable for operations in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
. An Action Information Centre was fitted below the main armour deck with facilities to track aircraft and ships around Vanguard.
Propulsion
In the interests of saving time, the four-shaft unit machinery design from the was duplicated with alternating boiler and engine rooms. Vanguard had four sets of single-reduction geared Parsons 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 housed in separate engine rooms. Each set consisted of one high-pressure and one low-pressure turbine, driving a propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
that was 14 in 9 in (4.5 m) in diameter. The turbines were powered by eight Admiralty-type three-drum 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 four boiler rooms at a working pressure of 350 pound per square inch and temperature of 700 °F (371.1 °C). The engines were designed to produce a total of 130000 shp and a speed of 30 knots (16.3 m/s), but achieved more than 136000 shp during the ship's sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s in July 1946, when she reached a speed of 31.57 knots. After trials, the three-bladed propellers on the inboard shafts were replaced by five-bladed propellers in an unsuccessful attempt to reduce vibrations of the inboard propeller shafts.
Vanguard was designed to carry 4423 long tons (4,494 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...
and 427 long tons (433.9 t) of diesel fuel. With a clean bottom, she could steam at a speed of 15 knots for 8250 nautical miles (15,279 km). The ship had four 480 kW turbogenerators and four 450 kW diesel generator
Diesel generator
A diesel generator is the combination of a diesel engine with an electrical generator to generate electrical energy....
s that supplied the common ring main at 220 volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
s. Their total output of 3720 kW was the largest of any British battleship.
Armament
The ship's main armament consisted of eight 42-calibreCaliber (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 15-inch Mk I guns in four twin hydraulically powered 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 designated 'A', 'B', 'X' and 'Y' from bow to stern. When the turrets were modernised their maximum elevation was increased to +30°, although the guns were loaded at +5°. They fired 1938 pounds (879 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 2458 ft/s (749.2 m/s); this provided a maximum range of 36500 yards (33,375.6 m). Their rate of fire was two rounds per minute. Vanguard carried 100 shells per gun.
The 15-inch turrets had been designed when the customary practice was to place 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:...
above the shell room and it was not cost-effective to modify the ammunition hoists to accommodate the opposite arrangement adopted after 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...
demonstrated the dangers of the exposing the magazines to long-range gunfire. The ship was provided with a powder-handling room above the shell room to mimic the arrangement that turret's hoists were designed to handle and another set of hoists moved the propellant charges from the magazines to the powder-handling room. The charges were stowed in cases to reduce their exposure to fire.
The secondary armament consisted of sixteen 50-calibre QF 5.25-inch Mk I dual purpose gun
Dual purpose gun
A dual purpose gun is a naval artillery mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets.-Description:Second World War-era capital ships had four classes of artillery: the heavy main battery, intended to engage opposing battleships and cruisers ; a secondary battery for use against enemy...
s in eight twin gun mounts. They had a maximum depression of −5° and a maximum elevation of 70°. They fired a 80 pounds (36.3 kg) high-explosive shell at a muzzle velocity of 2672 ft/s (814.4 m/s). Their normal rate of fire was about 7–8 rounds per minute. At maximum elevation, the guns had a maximum range of 24070 yards (22,009.6 m). 391 rounds were provided for each gun.
Short-range air defence was provided by 73 Bofors 40 mm AA guns in a variety of mountings. Vanguard had ten sextuple-barrel power-operated mounts concentrated in the superstructure and stern, a twin-barrel mount on 'B' turret, and 11 power-operated single mounts on the upper deck and rear superstructure. All mounts could depress to −10° and elevate to a maximum of +90°. The 40 millimetres (1.6 in) gun fired a 1.97 pound (0.8935769689 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 2890 ft/s (880.9 m/s) to a distance of 10750 yards (9,829.8 m). The gun's rate of fire was approximately 120 rounds per minute. Space was not available to stow the standard allowance of 1564 rounds per gun and Vanguard only carried 1269 rounds per gun. Two of the single guns on the quarterdeck were removed in 1949 and five others during a major refit in 1954. All of her multiple Bofors mounts were removed at this same time.
Fire control
Vanguard was unique among British battleships in having remote power control (RPC) for her main, secondary and the tertiary guns along with the Admiralty Fire Control TableAdmiralty Fire Control Table
thumb|Admiralty Fire Control Table in the transmitting station of [[HMS Belfast |HMS Belfast]].The Admiralty Fire Control Table was an electromechanical analogue computer fire-control system that calculated the correct elevation and deflection of a Royal Navy cruiser or battleships' main armament,...
Mk X for surface fire control of the main armament. There were two director control towers (DCT) for the 15-inch guns, each carrying a "double cheese" Type 274 fire-control radar for range finding and spotting the fall of shot. Each DCT could control all four turrets while 'B' turret could control 'A' and 'X' turrets. 'X' turret could only control 'Y' turret. There were four American Mark 37 DCTs for the 5.25-inch guns, each carrying the twin domes of Type 275 gunnery radar. Lastly, each Mark VI sextuple 40 mm Bofors mounting was provided with a separate CRBF ("close range blind fire") director
Director (military)
A director, also called an auxiliary predictor, is a mechanical or electronic computer that continuously calculates trigonometric firing solutions for use against a moving target, and transmits targeting data to direct the weapon firing crew....
fitted with a Type 262 radar, although the ship never mounted her complete outfit of those directors. The STAAG Mk II 40 mm Bofors mounting carried its own Type 262 on the mounting itself. Other radar sets carried were Type 960 air and surface search, Type 293 target indication and Type 277 height finding.
When the 15-inch gun turrets were modernised, their existing 15 feet (4.6 m) 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...
s were replaced by 30 feet (9.1 m) ones in all except for 'A' turret and they were fitted for RPC in azimuth only. The turrets were also provided with de-humidifying equipment and insulation to improve their habitability.
Protection
The ship's armour scheme was based on that of the King George V class with a thinner waterlineWaterline
The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship...
belt and more splinter protection. Originally the belt armour was equal to that of the older ships, but it had to be reduced to offset weight increases when the design was modified to reflect wartime experience. The 460 feet (140.2 m) main belt was composed of Krupp 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...
(KCA) 13 inches (330 mm) thick, but increased to 14 inches (356 mm) abreast the magazines. It was 24 feet (7.3 m) high and tapered to a thickness of 4.5 inches (114 mm) at the bottom edge of the belt. Fore and aft of the 12 inches (305 mm) transverse bulkheads that closed off the central citadel, the belt continued almost to the ends of the ship. Forward it tapered to a thickness of 2 inches (5.1 cm) and a height of 8 feet (2.4 m) and aft to the same thickness, but a height of 11 feet (3.4 m). At the aft end of the steering gear compartment was a 4 inches (10.2 cm) transverse bulkhead. After the Battle of the Denmark Strait
Battle of the Denmark Strait
The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a Second World War naval battle between ships of the Royal Navy and the German Kriegsmarine, fought on 24 May 1941...
in 1941, 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) non-cemented armour bulkheads were added on the sides of the magazines to protect them from splinters from any hits from diving shells that might have penetrated the ship's side beneath her belt.
When the gun turrets from the 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...
-era battlecruisers were modernised, their KCA faceplates were replaced by new ones 13 inches thick and their roofs were replaced by 6 inches (15 cm) non-cemented armour plates. Their sides remained 7–9 in (17.8–22.9 ) in thickness. The 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...
s for the 15-inch guns were 13 inches thick on the sides, but tapered to 11–12 in (27.9–30.5 ) closer to the centreline of the ship. The thickness of the side and roof armour of the 5.25-inch turrets was 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) in thickness. Their ammunition hoists were protected by armour 2–6 in (5.1–15.2 ) thick.
Intended to resist the impact of a 1000 pounds (453.6 kg) armour-piercing bomb dropped from a height of 14000 feet (4,267.2 m), Vanguards deck protection was identical to that of the King George V class. It consisted of six-inch non-cemented armour over the magazines that reduced to 5 inches (13 cm) over the machinery spaces. The armour continued forward and aft of the citadel at the lower-deck level. Forward it tapered in steps from five inches down to 2.5 inches near the bow. Aft, it protected the steering gear and propeller shafts with 4.5 inches of armour before tapering to a thickness of 2.5 inches near the stern. Unlike the Germans, French and Americans, the British no longer believed that heavy armour for the conning tower served any real purpose given that the chance of hitting it was very small; Vanguards conning tower was therefore protected with 3 inches (8 cm) of armour on the face and 2.5 inches on the sides and rear. The secondary conning tower aft had 2 inches (5 cm) of armour on its sides.
Vanguards underwater protection was enhanced when she was redesigned in 1942 to reflect the lessons learned when Prince of Wales was sunk by Japanese torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s. It still consisted of a three-layer system of voids and liquid-filled compartments meant to absorb the energy of an underwater explosion. It was bounded on the inside by the 1.75 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...
. Her enlarged oil tanks reduced the empty spaces that could flood and cause the ship to list and greater provision was made to pump these spaces out. The longitudinal bulkheads of the side protection system were raised one deck higher to further sub-divide the spaces behind the waterline armour belt. The side protection system had a maximum depth of 15 feet (4.6 m), but this decreased significantly as the ship narrowed at its ends. Over the length of the citadel, this system was found to be proof against 1000 pounds (453.6 kg) of TNT during full-scale trials.
Career
Vanguard was laid down on 2 October 1941 by John Brown and Company, ClydebankClydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, with the yard number of 567, and she was given an A1 priority after the Japanese invasion of Malaya
Japanese Invasion of Malaya
The Japanese Invasion of Malaya, or Battle of Kota Bharu, began just after midnight on 8 December 1941 before the attack on Pearl Harbor...
in December in the hope of finishing her by the end of 1944. Construction of the light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
HMS Bellerophon
HMS Blake (C99)
HMS Blake was a guided missile cruiser of the Tiger class of the Royal Navy, the last of the Royal Navy cruisers. She was named after Admiral Robert Blake, a 17th century admiral who was the "Father of the Royal Navy". She was ordered in 1942 as one of the Minotaur class of light cruisers...
and some merchant shipping was halted to expedite the ship's completion. This was unsuccessful because the bottleneck in building the ship was the amount of skilled labour working on the ship and these measures did not make more available. She was launched on 30 November 1944 by Princess Elizabeth and Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
W. G. Agnew assumed command on 15 October 1945. As a result of Japan's surrender, there was no need to rush her into service and the ship 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 28 March 1946. Vanguard cost a total of £11,530,503, including £3,186,868 for the modernisation of the main armament.
After commissioning, the ship spent the next several months conducting sea trials and training until she began the necessary modifications to serve as a royal yacht
Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...
in August for the forthcoming royal tour of South Africa. The Admiral's suite was reworked into accommodations for the Royal Family and their staff while the anti-aircraft mount on top of 'B' turret was replaced by a saluting platform. Agnew was promoted to Rear-Admiral with effect from 8 January 1947. The alterations were complete by December and Vanguard made a shakedown cruise into the Central Atlantic and made a port visit to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
on the return voyage. Initially escorted by the destroyers , , , , and , the ship rendezvoused with the Home Fleet to receive a 21-gun salute led by the battleships , and the aircraft carrier on 1 February 1947. Later that morning, a Sikorsky R-4
Sikorsky R-4
The Sikorsky R-4 was a two-place helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky with a single, three-bladed main rotor and powered by a radial engine. The R-4 was the world's first large-scale mass-produced helicopter and the first helicopter to enter service with the United States Army Air Forces, Navy, and...
helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
landed aboard to pick up mail and photographic film.
Vanguard arrived in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
on 17 February, escorted by the South African frigates Good Hope, Transvaal, and Natal on the last leg of her voyage. While the royal family toured the country on the first visit by a reigning monarch to South Africa, the ship exercised with ships of the South African and Royal Navies stationed there and made port visits to a number of South African cities. She sailed for home on 22 April and made brief visits to Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
and Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
en route. Vanguard arrived in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
on 11 May and Captain F. R. Parham relieved the newly promoted Agnew on 29 May. The ship began an overhaul in Devonport
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
in July that lasted until August 1948. While she was refitting, Vanguard was tasked to carry the royal family on a tour of Australia and New Zealand, planned for January 1949. On 31 August, she began a shakedown cruise to the Mediterranean and returned to Devonport on 12 November. Around this time, Vanguard was considered, along with a number of other large warships, for conversion to carry anti-aircraft missiles, but nothing further was done along these lines.
George VI was now too ill for travel and the royal tour was indefinitely postponed later that month. Vanguard became the flagship of Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Sir Arthur Power
Arthur Power
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur John Power GCB, GBE, CVO was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service in World War I and World War II.-Naval career:Power joined the Royal Navy in 1909 and served in World War I...
, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet on 1 March 1949, and the ship made port visits to Algeria, France, Italy, Cyprus, Libya, Lebanon, Greece and Egypt before she arrived back at Devonport on 21 July. The newly promoted Rear Admiral Parham was relieved by Captain G. V. Gladstone a week later. The ship became the flagship of the Home Fleet Training Squadron under Rear Admiral Edward Evans-Lombe
Edward Evans-Lombe
Vice Admiral Sir Edward Malcolm Evans-Lombe KCB was a Royal Navy officer who became Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff.-Naval career:...
on 12 November. While returning from a brief training sortie to Gibraltar, Vanguard went to the aid of a small French merchantman whose cargo had shifted in a severe storm on 13 February 1950. The ship was able to tow until the storm abated, the cargo was redistributed and Boffa was able to resume her voyage under her own power. After reaching Weymouth Bay the following day, she saluted Vincent Auriol
Vincent Auriol
Vincent Jules Auriol was a French politician who served as the first President of the Fourth Republic from 1947 to 1954. He also served as interim President of the Provisional Government from November to December 1946, making him one of only three people who were heads of state of the French...
, President of France, during his state visit
State visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a foreign head of state to another nation, at the invitation of that nation's head of state. State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, and are marked by ceremonial pomp and diplomatic protocol. In parliamentary democracies, heads...
to Great Britain the next month.
Philip Vian
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Philip Louis Vian, GCB, KBE, DSO & Two Bars was a British naval officer who served in both World Wars....
hoisted his flag as Commander in Chief, Home Fleet on 13 September 1950 and Vanguard joined the rest of Home Fleet on exercises with the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
and the Mediterranean Fleet. On 19 December, Admiral Vian transferred his flag to the carrier which collided with Vanguard as the the carrier was docking at Gibraltar on 10 February 1951. The hole in the battleship's stern was not serious and Admiral Vian re-hoisted his flag in Vanguard shortly afterwards. After manoeuvres with Indomitable, during which her aircraft "sank" the battleship, the ship made port visits in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
and Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
before returning for a brief refit in Devonport on 14 March. After completing her refit in May, she became flagship of the Home Fleet Training Squadron under Rear Admiral R. M. Dick at the Isle of Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
. Four months later the admiral transferred his flag to the carrier as Vanguard began another refit in preparation for becoming the flagship of Home Fleet again.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
announced in November that King George VI was planning to take a short cruise for his health aboard Vanguard, which meant that her Admiral's suite again had to be modified to accommodate him and his staff. Captain John Litchfield
John Litchfield (politician)
Captain John Shirley Sandys Litchfield, OBE, RN was a British Royal Navy officer and politician who became Conservative Member of Parliament for Chelsea. He was noted for his connections with the Royal family.-Education:...
assumed command on 21 December while the ship was still refitting, but the King died on 6 February 1952 before he could make his cruise. A detachment from the ship participated in his funeral procession before she departed for her post-refit shakedown cruise on 22 February. After exercising with Implacable, Indomitable and the fast minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
, Vanguard returned home on 29 March. She became flagship of Home Fleet again on 13 May when Admiral Sir George Creasy
George Creasy
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Elvey Creasy GCB CBE DSO MVO was a senior Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.-Naval career:...
hoisted his flag. She participated in exercises with the Dutch
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and American navies, before returning to Portsmouth for the holidays. Captain Litchfield was relieved by Captain R. A. Ewing on 19 January 1953 before departing the next day for a brief refit at Gibraltar. After its completion on 2 March, the ship trained with several of the Royal Navy's carriers before arriving back at Portsmouth on 25 March. Vanguard participated in Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Review 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...
on 14 or 15 June. The following September, she participated in the NATO Exercise Mariner in the Denmark Strait
Denmark Strait
The Denmark Strait or Greenland Strait |Sound]]) is an oceanic strait between Greenland and Iceland...
.
Admiral Sir Michael Denny
Michael Denny
Admiral Sir Michael Maynard Denny GCB CBE DSO was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Third Sea Lord.-Naval career:...
replaced Creasy as Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet on 5 January 1954 and Vanguard participated in Exercise Medflex A with Dutch and French ships in March. During the rest of the year she participated in anti-submarine and anti-aircraft exercises as well as making port visits to Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
and Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
, Norway and Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
, Sweden. She was inspected on 11 July by King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
Gustaf VI Adolf - Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf - was King of Sweden from October 29, 1950 until his death. His official title was King of Sweden, of the Goths and of the Wends. He was the eldest son of King Gustaf V and his wife Victoria of Baden...
before returning home later that month. Admiral Denny struck his flag on 15 September and Vanguard sailed to Devonport for a £220,000 refit 10 days later. She was placed in reserve when it was completed in 1955 and she became flagship of the Royal Navy Reserve Fleet when Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral (Royal Navy)
Vice admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It equates to the NATO rank code OF-8 and is immediately superior to rear admiral and is subordinate to the full admiral rank.The Royal Navy has had vice admirals since at least the 16th century...
Richard Onslow
Richard Onslow (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Sir Richard George Onslow KCB DSO & Three Bars DL was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth.-Naval career:...
hoisted his flag on 28 November. While moored in Fareham Creek
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
, during her time in the reserve fleet, scenes for the film Sink the Bismarck!
Sink the Bismarck!
Sink the Bismarck! is a 1960 black-and-white British war film based on the book, the "Last Nine Days of the Bismarck" by C. S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More and Dana Wynter and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. To date, it is the only movie made that deals directly with the operations, chase, and...
were filmed aboard, with Vanguard playing Bismarck.
The Admiralty announced on 9 October 1959 that Vanguard would be scrapped in 1960, considered obsolete and too expensive to maintain, and she was sold for £560,000 to the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain
Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain
The Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain was a nationalised industry, set up in 1949 by Clement Attlee's Labour government.The Iron & Steel Act 1949 took effect on 15 February 1951, the Corporation becoming the sole shareholder of 80 of the principal iron and steel companies...
that year. On 4 August 1960, when she was to be towed from Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
to the breakers yard at Faslane, Scotland, the whole of the Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
sea front was packed with people to see her off. As she was being towed towards the harbour entrance, she slewed across the harbour and went aground near the Still & West pub. She was pulled off by five tugboats an hour later, and made her exit from Portsmouth. Five days later she arrived at Faslane and by mid-1962 Vanguard ceased to exist, the last British battleship to be scrapped.
Sections of 150 millimetres (5.9 in) thick steel plate were recovered from the scrapping of Vanguard and used for the shielding of the whole body monitor at the Radiobiological Research Laboratory (now DSTL
Dstl
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is a trading fund of the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom. Responsibility for Dstl lies with the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, currently Peter Luff....
) at Alverstoke
Alverstoke
Alverstoke is a parish in the borough of Gosport, Hampshire, England, that encompasses land stretching from Haslar to Stokes Bay. Alverstoke lies within half a mile of the shore of Stokes Bay and near the head of a creek which extends a mile westward from Portsmouth Harbour...
, Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England.