Memorandum Surveying the Progress made in rendering ships more immune from danger of destruction by Cordite fire or explosion due to enemy action

1. During the war the British Navy lost 8 ships due to Magazine explosions.
   4 in action, as a result of gun fire i.e., "Queen Mary", "Indefatigable", "Invincible", "Defence".
   4 blew and sank in harbour i.e., "Bulwark", "Natal", "Vanguard", "Glatton" (explosion did not sink the ship, which was intentionally sunk later to prevent further explosion due to fire following the first explosion).
   In 2 others namely "Russell" and "Britannia" explosions in magazines consequent on explosion of mines or torpedoes contributed to the loss of the ships. In 2 lost at Coronei the magazines were probably a contributory cause.
2. Charges were stowed in metal weakened cases in the magazines, the magazines being open to the handing room in action.
   The precautions existing against flash in those days were roughly :—
   A "broken" or "indirect" hoist from the guns to the handing rooms, including flash doors in the gunloading hoists and cages. The cordite was carried in a more or less closed cage in all stages during its passage from the handing room to the gunloading position.
   There were no antiflash arrangements for the secondary armament supply.
   The normal ships orders in vogue up to Jutland made it sure, by keeping all cages, waiting trays, etc. loaded with cordite, that there was a^{n excellent train of cordite laid from Gunhouse to Magazine.}
3. Jutland. Loss of ships showed that the danger had been gravely underestimated.
   "Queen Mary", "Indefatigable", "Invincible", and "Defence" lost.
   In "Lion" some time after Q turret had been hit, charges became ignited in the turret; flash penetrated to the shell room, but the magazine doors had previously been closed [Added in pencil: & the mag flooded] and the ship was saved.
   "Malaya" saved from explosion of 6" magazine and consequent loss by action of individual men only: flash from cordite fire penetrated the shell room to which the magazine was open.
4. Antiflash arrangements.
   AFTER JUTLAND.
   Immediate action taken to provide protection against flash danger.
   (a) Doors of all turret magazines kept closed in action, except when actually passing cordite, pending fitting of flashtight scuttles, trials started in "Excellent" to determine most suitable form of flashtight handing scuttles for Turret Magazines.
   (b) Handing rooms were built for all Secondary Armament B.L. Magazines, and a series of trials carried out in "Excellent" to determine the best type of scuttle for these handing rooms.
   No handing rooms were considered necessary or were fitted to Q.F. magazines, where the cartridges, being in brass cylinders were considered safe from flash.
   (c) Leather aprons fitted between fixed and revolving trunks of turrets.
   (d) Tops of ammunition hoists in older turrets covered in and trunks of all turrets examined and made as flashtight as possible.