View source for Majestic Class Battleship (1894)

==Searchlights==
In 1907, these ships, along with battleships of the [[Canopus Class Battleship (1897)|''Canopus'']], [[London Class Battleship (1899)|''London'']], and [[Duncan Class Battleship (1901)|''Duncan'']] classes, along with armoured cruisers of the [[Powerful Class Cruiser (1895)|''Powerful'']], [[Drake Class Cruiser (1901)|''Drake'']], [[Cressy Class Cruiser (1899)|''Cressy'']], [[Monmouth Class Cruiser (1901)|''Monmouth'']] and [[Devonshire Class Cruiser (1903)|''Devonshire'']] classes were to land their searchlights from their tops and obtain two additional 24-inch models from their dockyards for  placement on the shelter or boat deck. These were to be augmented by (or further upgraded to?) a pair of 36-in searchlights when they became available.{{ARTS1907|p. 35.  The location for each ship type was placement stipulated in C.N.2 11884/13066, 13.12.1906}}

==Armament==
During the war, along with those of other older ships, the eight 6-inch guns casemated on the first deck proved of little use in practical sea states.  It was decided, on ''Hannibal'' and ''Magnificent'' to remove the eight casemate guns, plate their ports over and move 4 of them to the upper deck.  Four of the twelve 12-pdr guns were also surrendered due to this alteration.  The other vessels were disarmed and their guns repurposed.<ref>''Technical History and Index'' Vol. 4, Part 36, p. 9.</ref>

===Main Battery===
The 12-in guns were Mark VIII, though the turrets used differed by ship:<ref>''The Sight Manual, 1916'', p. 109.</ref>
{|border=1
|'''Mounting'''||'''Ships'''
|-
|B III||''Caesar'', ''Illustrious''
|-
|B II||''Jupiter'', ''Prince George''
|-
|B ???||Others
|}

The ''Prince George'' only (perhaps) had 5-hp electrical motors to assist hand-training gear and smaller motors to raise pressure in an auxiliary hydraulic system for elevation and running out the guns.{{ARTS1896|p. 58, Plate 17}}

===Secondary Battery===

===Other Guns===
Twelve 12-pdr guns, later reduced to eight in ''Hannibal'' and ''Magnificent'' when their 6-in casemate guns were relocated.

===Torpedoes===
The aft submerged torpedo tubes were angled 20 degrees abaft the beam.{{ARTS1896|p. 40}}

==Fire Control==
Though it may have little relevance given the age difference, the general system of wiring between the TSs in ships prior to [[Lord Nelson Class Battleship (1906)|''Lord Nelson'' class]] is illustrated in ''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914''.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).</ref>

===Rangefinders===

===Evershed Bearing Indicators===
It is unlikely that this equipment was ever provided.{{INF}}

===Directors===
These ships never received directors for main or secondary batteries.<ref>''Director Firing Handbook, 1917'', pp. 142-3.</ref>

===Gunnery Control===
The ship's guns were organized in 3 groups:<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 8.</ref>
# Two 12-in turrets
# Starboard 6-in guns ('A' & 'X')
# Port 6-in guns ('B' & 'Y')

===Local Control in Turrets===
There was no provision in these ships for local turret control wherein the receivers in the turret could be driven by transmitters in the officer's position at the back of the turret.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 50.</ref>

===Transmitting Stations===
These ships likely had fore and aft [[TS]]es.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).</ref>{{INF}}

A [[C.O.S.]] allowed{{INF}} control options of
# Fore
# After
# Separate

Each control group had range, order and deflection transmitters with a pair of receivers, one wired directly to the transmitter as a ''tell-tale'', and the other fed off the wires going to the distant guns (i.e., the aft guns for the fore TS and vice-versa) as a ''repeat''.  "These repeat receivers are necessary to keep the idle transmitters in step; when changing back from separate control they are required to enable both halves of the group to be set alike before being paralleled on to one transmitter."<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', pp. 50-1.</ref>

===Dreyer Table===
These ships never received Dreyer tables.<ref>''Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables'', p. 3.</ref>

===Fire Control Instruments===
By 1909, the ships were equipped with [[Barr and Stroud]] Mark II instruments for range and rate, Barr and Stroud Mark I for orders, and [[Vickers]] deflection instruments, except ''Illustrious'' and ''Victorious''.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909'', pp. 56-7, 59.</ref>

For the majority of the ships (probably excluding ''Illustrious'' and ''Victorious'' with their dissimilar equipment), the ''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909'' lists the equipment on this class as:<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909'', p. 59.</ref>
* Range (B. & S. Mark II):  6 transmitters, 30 receivers
* Orders (B. & S. Mark I): 6 transmitters, 20 receivers
* Rate (B. & S. Mark II): 4 transmitters, 8 receivers
* Deflection (Vickers): 6 transmitters, 26 receivers
Additionally, this class had the following Siemens fire control equipment:<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909'', p. 59.</ref>
* Group Switches:  3 (converted by Chatham)
* Turret fire gongs: 8 with 2 keys
* Fire Gongs: 12 with 4 keys
* Captain's Cease Fire Bells:  18 with 1 key

''Illustrious'' and ''Victorious'' had [[Vickers|Vickers, Son and Maxim]] equipment as well as Barr and Stroud [[Range Rate|rate]] instruments<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909'', pp. 56-7, 59.</ref> as follows:<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909'', p. 60.</ref>

* Vickers range transmitters:  6
* Vickers deflection transmitters:  6
* Vickers combined range and deflection receivers: 6
* Vickers C.O.S.: 3
* Vickers Check fire switches: 6
* Barr and Stroud rate transmitters: 4 
* Barr and Stroud rate receivers: 8
* Siemens turret fire gongs: 8 with 2 keys
* Vickers fire gongs: 12 with 4 keys 
* Captain's Cease Fire Bells:  18 with 1 key (supplier not stated)

These ships lacked ''Target Visible'' and ''Gun Ready'' signals.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 11.</ref>

===Torpedo Control===

==See Also==
{{WP|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majestic_class_battleship}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{UKTHVol4Part34}}
*{{HFCI1909}}
*{{HFCI1914}}
*{{DirectorH}}
*{{DreyerH}}
*{{ParkesBritishBattleships}}
* Karl Lautenschlager.  ''A Majestic Revolution'' in [[Warship (Journal)|Warship]], Volume VII, Issues 25-6.
* R A Burt.  ''The Majestic Pre-Dreadnought'' in [[Warship (Journal)|Warship]], Volume VII, Issues 27-8.
{{refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Majestic}}

{{CatClassPreDreadnought|UK}}

{{Footer Majestic Class Battleship (1894)}}


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