H.M.S. Dreadnought (1906)

H.M.S. Dreadnought
Career	Details
Pendant Number:	73 (April, 1918)
Built By:	Portsmouth Royal Dockyard
Ordered:	1905
Laid down:	2 October, 1905
Launched:	10 February, 1906
Commissioned:	2 December, 1906
Sold:	9 May, 1921
Fate:	Scrapped
Specifications
Displacement:	18,420 tons
Length:	527 feet (160 metres)
Beam:	82 feet (25 metres)
Draught:	26 feet (8 metres)
Armour:	Belt: 4 to 11 inch (100 to 280 mm) midship, 2.5 inch (64 mm) at ends Deck: up to 3 inch (75 mm) Turrets: 11 inch (280 mm) Barbettes: up to 11 inch (280 mm) Conning tower: 11 inch (280 mm)
Armament:	10 × BL 12 in / 45 Mark X gun (30.5 cm) in five twin Vickers BIX mountings 27 × BL 12 pounder (4 inch / 102 mm) in single mounts 5 × 18 in (457 mm) Whitehead torpedoes
Propulsion:	Boilers: 18 Babcock & Wilcox 3 drum type Turbines: 4 Parsons geared steam turbines Power: 22,500 shp (17 MW) Speed: 21 knots (39 km/h) Bunkerage: 900/2,900 tons coal, 1,120 tons oil
Range:	6,620 nautical miles (12 260 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h), 4,910 nautical miles (9090 km) at 18.4 knots (34 km/h)
Complement:	695–773

Construction

Before construction of Dreadnought began extraordinary steps had been taken to ensure a swift delivery time. The hull structure had been designed to be as simple as possible while being able to withstand the shock of firing a broadside of eight guns. The variety of types of steel size was kept to a minimum and where possible the size of armour plating, in its various thicknesses, was standardised. As much materiel as possible was ordered in quantity and stockpiled in advance. By the time construction began, £12,217 had been spent on labour; £29,078 had been spent on materiel and 1,100 men had been engaged.

Armament

The BVIII mounting was designed by Vickers and tendered in July, 1905. "X" and "Y" mountings were built by Vickers at a cost of £69,860 per mounting. Armstrong constructed "A", "P" and "Q" mountings, at a tendered cost of £70,092.

Career

Captain Archibald G. H. W. Moore succeeded Captain Madden on 1 December, 1908.

Bloomsbury Hoax

On 10 February, 1910 she attracted the attention of notorious hoaxer Horace de Vere Cole, who persuaded the Royal Navy to arrange for a party of Abyssinian royals to be given a tour of a ship at Weymouth. In reality, the "Abyssinian royals" were some of Cole's friends in blackface and disguise, including a young Virginia Woolf and her Bloomsbury Group friends; it became known as the Dreadnought hoax. Cole had picked Dreadnought because she was at that time the most prominent and visible symbol of Britain's naval might.

Pre war

On 27 July, 1910, soon after ascending to the throne, HM King George V visited Dreadnought at Torbay. For two days Dreadnought, under the command of Captain Herbert Richmond in company with the Commander-in-Chief William May went to sea on exercises.

War service

On 19 March 1915, Dreadnought was part of the Fourth Battle Squadron and under the command of Captain Alderson when she rammed and sank U.29, which had fired torpedoes at the ships as they steamed back to Cromarty.

Alterations

John Roberts compiled a variety of important modifications to Dreadnought over her service life:

• 1908-1909
  • Main T.S. moved from middle deck to lower deck, old space being made into a plotting room.
• 1912-1913
  • Turrets provided with local control transmitters in the officer's position.
  • Turrets 'A' & 'Y' configured as alternate control positions.
• 30 April 1913
  • 9-foot F.T. 8 rangefinder added to 'A' turret (with data ties to T.S.s).
  • 9-foot F.Q. 2 rangefinder added to compass platform.
• 2 April 1914
  • Evershed Bearing Indicators added to fore top
• 7 June 1915
  • Fore top rebuilt to receive director tower
  • 36-in searchlight platforms added to foremast struts
  • 9-foot F.T. 8 R.F.s added to 'P', 'Q', 'X', and 'Y' turrets
  • bridge wings removed
  • searchlight control gear installation begins
  • open sights added to all turrets
  • 12-pdr guns removed from 'A' turret and placed on quarterdeck
  • two 6-pdr H.A. guns added to quarterdeck
  • aft control position atop signal tower removed.
• by mid 1916, perhaps ending on May 25th
  • torpedo nets removed
  • director for her main battery added to roof of fore top
  • given a Dreyer Table Mark I in main T.S.
• late 1916
  • 6-pdr H.A. guns replaced by two 3-in HA guns
• 27 Jan 1917
  • extra 0.75 to 1-in armor added to middle deck over magazines
• 19 August 1917
  • anti-flash scuttles added to magazine doors
  • Type 16 W/T installed in former Lamp Room
  • Four 36-in searchlights replace main top with control position underneath
  • stern torpedo tube removed
  • upper 12-pdr magazine converted into TS
  • Two 12-pdrs on quarterdeck converted to HA mountings
  • pedestals for Evershed equipment added in fore bridge
  • bearing indicators added to 3-in and 12-pdr HA guns
  • Henderson gear being added to director
  • adding a Sperry gyrocompass
• 1917
  • deflection scales painted on 'A' and 'Y'
• 1917-1918
  • semaphore machine on bridge removed
• 1 June 1918
  • converted upper 12-pdr magazine to Type 31 W/T room
• 31 December 1918
  • wind screen added to director tower
  • turrets get open director sights
  • open trainer's sight added to director canopy
  • 'A' turret's F.T. 8 R.F. replaced by 9-foot F.T. 24
  • Henderson gear and Sperry gyro completely installed
  • Argo RF moved to aft end of fore top, able to train all around
  • aircraft flying platforms added to 'A' and 'Y'
  • new 36-in searchlights installed

Fire Control Systems

Rangefinders

Dreadnought was completed with 2 9-foot rangefinders, and a variety of other 9-foot instruments were added over her service life:

Rangefinders
Period	9-foot Barr and Stroud RFs
1906-1912:	one F.Q. 2 on M.P. 2 mounting in fore top one F.Q. 2 on M.P. 2 mounting on signal tower
1912-1915:	one F.Q. 2 on Argo mounting in fore top one F.Q. 2 on M.P. 2 mounting on signal tower 1 FT8 on MG3 in 'A' turret 1 FQ2 on MN1 on compass platform
1915-1918:	one F.Q. 2 on Argo mounting in fore top five F.T. 8s on M.G. 3s in the turrets one F.Q. 2 on M.N. 1 on compass platform
1915-1918:	one F.Q. 2 on Argo mounting in fore top one F.T. 24 on M.G. 3 in 'A' turret four F.T. 8s on M.G. 3s in other turrets one F.Q. 2 on M.N. 1 on compass platform

Directors

Main Battery

Dreadnought was completed without a director but by mid 1916 was fitted with a geared tripod-type director in a light aloft tower on the fore top along with a directing gun in 'Y' turret. The battery was not divisible into groups for split director firing.

Secondary Battery

The 12-pdrs never had directors installed.

Control was exercised from either the spotting or main top, with the control officer in the top communicating via navyphone to the sightsetters of his assigned groups of 12-pdrs who wore telaupads.

Dreyer Table

Dreadnought was retro-fitted around mid 1916 with a Mark I Dreyer Table, but was never given Dreyer Turret Control Tables.

Miscellaneous

Dreadnought was fitted with Evershed Bearing Indicators in fore top between in extended work between a stop in Portsmouth 9 August, 1913 and one in Gibraltar, 2 April, 1914.

9-foot rangefinders in armoured hoods were added to all 5 turrets, tied to the T.S.s by range transmitters and receivers.

Commanding Officers

Dates of appointment given:

• Captain Reginald H. S. Bacon, 2 July, 1906.
• Captain Charles E. Madden, 12 August, 1907.
• Captain A. Gordon H. W. Moore, 1 December, 1908.
• Captain Herbert W. Richmond, 30 July, 1909.
• Captain Sydney R. Fremantle, 28 March, 1911.
• Captain Wilmot S. Nicholson, 16 December, 1912.
• Captain William J. S. Alderson, 10 June, 1914.
• Captain John W. L. McClintock, 19 July, 1916.
• Captain Arthur C. S. H. D'Aeth, 1 December, 1916.
• Captain Maurice S. FitzMaurice, ?.

See Also

• Wikipedia
• Youtube video of the ship
• 3D Models available for licensing

Bibliography

• Template:BibUKDirectorFiringHandbook1917
• Template:BibUKDreyerTableHandbook1918
• Template:BibBrooksDreadnoughtGunnery
• Template:BibRobertsAnatomyDreadnought
• Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.