CHAPTER II
The British Navy
BRITISH BATTLESHIPS
DREADNOUGHTS
IRON DUKE CLASS.
IRON DUKE
(Flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleets).
MARLBOROUGH.
EMPEROR OF INDIA.
BENBOW.
(Completed 1914.)
These fine ships are the very latest additions to the British battle-fleet. The displacement is 25,000 tons, but with a full supply of coal, ammunition, and stores on board the actual figure is nearly 27,000 tons. The length over all is 645 ft., the maximum breadth is 891⁄2 ft., and under normal conditions the ship draws 28 ft. of water. Parsons’ turbines, designed for 29,000 h.p., give a speed of 21 knots, which was exceeded by over one knot on trial. An extremely powerful armament is carried. It consists of ten 13·5-in. and twelve 6-in. guns, with some small quick-firers on high-angle mountings for use against aircraft.
The big guns, mounted in twin turrets, are all on the centre line, and can thus be trained on either broadside, while four train ahead and the same number astern. Ten of the 6-in. guns are disposed in an upper-deck battery forward, the remaining two in casemates right at the stern. This disposition was adopted owing to the fact that torpedo attacks are usually delivered from ahead, and it is necessary, therefore, that as many quick-firing guns as possible can be trained on the approaching boats before they are able to discharge their torpedoes.
Armour protection is very complete in this class. On the waterline there is a 12-in. belt, with 10-in. armour rising above this as far as the upper deck. The belt thins to 6-in. forward and aft, but the extreme ends of the ship are unarmoured. On the turrets there is 12-in. armour, with 6-in. plating over the secondary battery. Four 21-in. submerged torpedo tubes are fitted. The fuel supply is well over 3,000 tons. The complement of these ships totals more than 1,000 officers and men. They each cost over £2,000,000 to complete.
AGINGOURT.
(Completed 1914.)
This battleship, although she was only launched in January, 1913, has had a very chequered career. Originally laid down as the Rio de Janeiro for the Brazilian Government at Elswick, she was purchased before completion by Turkey, and was on the point of leaving for Turkish waters under the name of Osman I., when she was taken over by the British Admiralty on the outbreak of war with Germany. Turkey is understood to have made a protest, but the transfer is an accomplished fact, and this fine vessel has already passed into our battle fleet. She is quite unique in design. The displacement is 27,500 tons, length 632 ft., and the designed speed, which was made on trial, 22 knots.
Her main armament consists of no fewer than fourteen 12-in. guns, mounted in seven double turrets on the centre-line, an arrangement which permits all fourteen weapons to be fired on either broadside. In the secondary battery are mounted twenty 6-in. quick-firing guns, and the tale of weapons is completed by sixteen small quick-firers and three torpedo tubes. The ship is armoured with 9-in. plates amidships, tapering to 6 in. and 4 in. at the ends. Armour of the same thickness (9-in.) protects the 12-in. turrets, and there is 6-in. plating over the secondary guns. The maximum coal capacity is 3,500 tons. A complement of 1,100 officers and men is required to work this huge vessel, which cost nearly £2,700,000 to build and equip.