Difference between revisions of "H.M.S. Bellerophon (1907)"

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<div name=fredbot:career>{{ShipCareer|fullname=H.M.S. ''Bellerophon'' (1907)|fate2=Scrapped
 
<div name=fredbot:career>{{ShipCareer|fullname=H.M.S. ''Bellerophon'' (1907)|fate2=Scrapped
−
|comm=20 Feb, 1909
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|comm=20 Feb, 1909<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 22 February, 1909.  Issue '''38889''', col A, p. 9.</ref>
 
|fatedate=8 Nov, 1921{{DittColl|p. 32}}
 
|fatedate=8 Nov, 1921{{DittColl|p. 32}}
 
|order=
 
|order=
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|builder=[[Portsmouth Royal Dockyard]]{{DittColl|p. 32}}
 
|builder=[[Portsmouth Royal Dockyard]]{{DittColl|p. 32}}
 
|laid=3 Dec, 1906{{Conways1906|p. 22}}
 
|laid=3 Dec, 1906{{Conways1906|p. 22}}
 +
|comp=20 Feb, 1909{{UKDockyardExpenseAccounts1908|p. 36}}
 
|fate=Sold
 
|fate=Sold
 
|pend=72 (1914)<br>11 (Jan 1918)<br>63 (Apr 1918){{DittColl|p. 32}}
 
|pend=72 (1914)<br>11 (Jan 1918)<br>63 (Apr 1918){{DittColl|p. 32}}
 
|fg=white|bg=crimson}}</div name=fredbot:career>
 
|fg=white|bg=crimson}}</div name=fredbot:career>
−
'''H.M.S. ''Bellerophon''''' was a [[dreadnought]] [[battleship]] of the British [[Royal Navy]]. She was the lead ship of the [[Bellerophon Class Battleship (1907)|''Bellerophon'' class]], and the fourth Royal Navy vessel to bear the name of the mythic Greek hero.  Built at the Royal Dockyard in Portsmouth and completed in 1909, ''Bellerophon'' first joined the First Division of the [[Home Fleet (Royal Navy)|Home Fleet]] (from 1912 the [[First Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)|First Battle Squadron]] of the [[Home Fleets (Royal Navy)|Home Fleets]]), and shortly before the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in August, 1914, she joined the [[Fourth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)|Fourth Battle Squadron]], where she remained until 1919.  She was present at the [[Battle of Jutland]] on 31 May, 1916, where she fired sixty-two 12-inch rounds and received no damage.  At the end of the war she was placed in the Reserve Fleet and sold for scrap in 1921, before being taken to the breakers two years later.
+
'''H.M.S. ''Bellerophon''''' was a [[dreadnought]] [[battleship]] of the British [[Royal Navy]]. She was the lead ship of the [[Bellerophon Class Battleship (1907)|''Bellerophon'' class]], and the fourth Royal Navy vessel to bear the name of the mythic Greek hero.  A previous ''Bellerophon'' had brought Napoleon from France to England after his defeat at Waterloo. 
 +
 
 +
Completed in 1909, she joined the First Division of the [[Home Fleet (Royal Navy)|Home Fleet]] (from 1912 the [[First Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)|First Battle Squadron]] of the [[Home Fleets (Royal Navy)|Home Fleets]]), and shortly before the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in August, 1914, she joined the [[Fourth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)|Fourth Battle Squadron]], where she remained until 1919.  She was present at the [[Battle of Jutland]] on 31 May, 1916, where she fired sixty-two 12-inch rounds and received no damage.  At the end of the war she was placed in the Reserve Fleet and sold for scrap in 1921, before being taken to the breakers two years later.
  
 
==Design==
 
==Design==
−
Due to the scaling down of coal bunkerage, she had a modest range of 5,720 miles at 10 knots.  Her four Parsons single reduction steam turbines were constructed by [[The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company]].
+
Due to the scaling down of coal bunkerage, she had a modest range of 5,720 miles at 10 knots.  Her four Parsons single reduction steam turbines were constructed by the [[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company]].
  
 
During the war she was fitted with a [[Dreyer Table Mark I]] and the Vickers Director system for her main battery.
 
During the war she was fitted with a [[Dreyer Table Mark I]] and the Vickers Director system for her main battery.
Line 19: Line 22:
 
==Navigational Equipment==
 
==Navigational Equipment==
 
The ship was one of seven which tested [[Willis and Robinson Electric Revolution Telegraph]]s.  Testing was completed in late 1913.{{AWO1913|607 of 24 Oct, 1913}}
 
The ship was one of seven which tested [[Willis and Robinson Electric Revolution Telegraph]]s.  Testing was completed in late 1913.{{AWO1913|607 of 24 Oct, 1913}}
 +
 +
==Radio==
 +
 +
At the end of 1909, she was to receive one of eleven [[British_Wireless_Systems#Short_Distance_Set|Short Distance Radio Sets]], to be installed at her next refit behind armour near the fore bridge, intended to supplant flag signaling.{{ARTS1909|Wireless Appendix, p. 25}}  In mid-1913, this gear was redesignated as '''Type 3'''.{{AWO1913|306 of 20 June, 1913}}
  
 
==Performance==
 
==Performance==
 
Her tactical turning diameter was 445 yards at full speed (worst of the class), with the rudder being put over in 8 seconds.{{Burt1986|p. 69}}
 
Her tactical turning diameter was 445 yards at full speed (worst of the class), with the rudder being put over in 8 seconds.{{Burt1986|p. 69}}
  
−
==Career==
+
==Service==
 
Laid down the month {{UK-Dreadnought|f=p}} was commissioned and largely mimicking her design, ''Bellerophon'' was the name ship of her three-ship class and was the first to be completed.
 
Laid down the month {{UK-Dreadnought|f=p}} was commissioned and largely mimicking her design, ''Bellerophon'' was the name ship of her three-ship class and was the first to be completed.
  
 
She was launched on Saturday, 27 July, 1907, by Princess Henry of Battenberg.  The ship went down the ways to the sound of "God Save the King" and "Rule Britannia."<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 29 July, 1907.  Issue '''38397''', col D, p. 8.</ref>
 
She was launched on Saturday, 27 July, 1907, by Princess Henry of Battenberg.  The ship went down the ways to the sound of "God Save the King" and "Rule Britannia."<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 29 July, 1907.  Issue '''38397''', col D, p. 8.</ref>
  
−
The cost of building was £1,763,491, making her the most expensive of her class.  She was laid down on December 06, 1906, launched on July 27, 1907 and commissioned into the fleet in February 20, 1909.  On trials she made 21.25 knots, a speed lower than that of her sisters due to inferior shp; 25,061 shp as opposed to {{UK-Superb}}'s 27,407 shp and {{UK-Temeraire}}'s 26,966 shp.
+
The cost of building was £1,763,491, making her the most expensive of her class.  She was laid down on December 06, 1906, launched on July 27, 1907. She was commissioned on 20 February, 1909, by Captain [[Hugh Evan-Thomas]] with the nucleus crew of the [[H.M.S. Vengeance (1899)|''Vengeance'']] and drafts from the [[Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth|naval barracks]].<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 22 February, 1909. Issue '''38889''', col A, p. 9.</ref> On trials she made 21.25 knots, a speed lower than that of her sisters due to inferior shp; 25,061 shp as opposed to {{UK-Superb}}'s 27,407 shp and {{UK-Temeraire}}'s 26,966 shp.
  
−
Upon completion she joined the First Division of the [[Home Fleet (Royal Navy)|Home Fleet]].  On May 26, 1911, she was in collision with the battle cruiser {{UK-Inflexible}}.  ''Bellerophon'' received damage whilst ''Inflexible'' took bow damage which put her in the dockyard until November.  In the 1913 Battle Practice the ship came 7th out of fifteen dreadnoughts and battle cruisers with a score of 550.  During December she visited with the First Battle Squadron the ports of Toulon, Gibraltar, Salamis and Barcelona.  Upon the commissioning of {{UK-IronDuke}} on 10 March, 1914 into the First Battle Squadron, ''Bellerophon'' was transferred to the [[Fourth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)|Fourth Battle Squadron]].  While at Cromarty on 5 June, 1914, she suffered a coal gas explosion which injured four stokers.
+
Upon completion she joined the First Division of the [[Home Fleet (Royal Navy)|Home Fleet]].  On May 26, 1911, she collided with the {{UK-Inflexible|f=t}}.  ''Bellerophon'' received damage whilst ''Inflexible'' took bow damage which put her in the dockyard until November.  In the 1913 Battle Practice the ship came 7th out of fifteen dreadnoughts and battle cruisers with a score of 550.  During December she visited with the First Battle Squadron the ports of Toulon, Gibraltar, Salamis and Barcelona.  Upon the commissioning of {{UK-IronDuke}} on 10 March, 1914 into the {{UK-BS|1}}, ''Bellerophon'' was transferred to the {{UK-BS|4}}, slated to join it on 8 April, 1914.{{NLApr14|p. 284}}
  
−
On the journey to the fleet anchorage at [[Scapa Flow]], ''Bellerophon'' collided with the vessel S.S. ''St Clair'' on 27 August off the Orkney Islands and sustained no major damage.  In May, 1915, she headed to [[Devonport Royal Dockyard]] for a refit.
+
While at Cromarty on 5 June, 1914, she suffered a coal gas explosion which injured four stokers.
  
−
==Jutland==
+
On the journey to the fleet anchorage at [[Scapa Flow]], ''Bellerophon'' collided with the vessel S.S. ''St Clair'' on 27 August 1914 off the Orkneys and sustained no major damage. 
−
:[[H.M.S. Bellerophon at the Battle of Jutland|<small>Main article</small>]]
+
  
−
At the [[Battle of Jutland]] the vessel was under the command of Captain [[Edward Francis Bruen|Edward F. Bruen]] in the Second Division (commanded by Rear-Admiral [[Alexander Ludovic Duff|Alexander L. Duff]]) of the {{UK-BS|4}} under Vice-Admiral [[Frederick Charles Doveton Sturdee, First Baronet|Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee, Bart.]]  The Fourth Battle Squadron deployed behind the [[Second Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)|Second Battle Squadron]] in line ahead in the main part of the battle, and ''Bellerophon'' fired sixty-two 12 inch rounds without being hit in return.
+
In May, 1915, she headed to [[Devonport Royal Dockyard]] for a refit.
  
−
==Late War==
+
===Jutland===
−
After the battle she sweeped with the other vessels of the Grand Fleet regularly.  Between June and September, 1917 she served as the flagship of the Second-in-Command of the Fourth Battle Squadron, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral [[Roger John Brownlow Keyes, First Baron Keyes|Roger J. B. Keyes]] and then Rear-Admiral [[Douglas Romilly Lothian Nicholson|Douglas R. L. Nicholson]].  Unlike her sister ships, she was not deployed to the [[Mediterranean Station|Eastern Mediterranean]] in October, 1918.
+
:{{Main|H.M.S. Bellerophon at the Battle of Jutland}}
  
−
Placed in reserve in 1919 at Sheerness as part of the Nore Reserve, she and her sister ship {{UK-Superb}} were used as Gunnery School (Turret Drill) ships. On 20 September, 1919, ''Bellerophon'' was ordered to be paid off after receiving her annual refit in Devonport.  On 20 May orders were given that her mechanical dough-kneaders were to be removed; a sure sign of disposal.  She was sold to the [[Slough Trading Company]] on 8 November, 1921, and departed Britain for breakers in Germany on 14 September, 1922.
+
At the [[Battle of Jutland]] the vessel was under the command of Captain [[Edward Francis Bruen|Edward F. Bruen]] in the Second Division (commanded by Rear-Admiral [[Alexander Ludovic Duff|Alexander L. Duff]]) of the {{UK-BS|4}} under Vice-Admiral [[Frederick Charles Doveton Sturdee, First Baronet|Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee, Bart.]] The Fourth Battle Squadron deployed behind the {{UK-BS|2}} in line ahead in the main part of the battle, and ''Bellerophon'' fired sixty-two 12 inch rounds without being hit in return.
  
−
==Ship's Logs==
+
===Late War===
−
*ADM 53/35034 through ADM 53/35053 for 1 April, 1913 to 25 September, 1919.
+
After the battle she sweeped with the other vessels of the Grand Fleet regularly.  Between June and September, 1917 she served as the flagship of the Second-in-Command of the Fourth Battle Squadron, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral [[Roger John Brownlow Keyes, First Baron Keyes|Roger J. B. Keyes]] and then Rear-Admiral [[Douglas Romilly Lothian Nicholson|Douglas R. L. Nicholson]].  Unlike her sister ships, she was not deployed to the [[Mediterranean Station|Eastern Mediterranean]] in October, 1918.
  
−
==Alterations==
+
Placed in reserve in 1919 at Sheerness as part of the Nore Reserve, she and her sister ship {{UK-Superb}} were used as Gunnery School (Turret Drill) ships.  On 20 September, 1919, ''Bellerophon'' was ordered to be paid off after receiving her annual refit in Devonport, and she indeed paid off five days later.{{NLJan21|p. 731}}  On 20 May, orders were given that her mechanical dough-kneaders were to be removed; a sure sign of disposal.  She was sold to the [[Slough Trading Company]] on 8 November, 1921, and departed Britain for breakers in Germany on 14 September, 1922.
  
 +
==Alterations==
 
In October 1914, the ship was to be given 5 Pattern 1582 Electric Radiators to warm cabins whose stoves could not be used for heating them.{{AWO1914|512 of 16 Oct, 1914}}
 
In October 1914, the ship was to be given 5 Pattern 1582 Electric Radiators to warm cabins whose stoves could not be used for heating them.{{AWO1914|512 of 16 Oct, 1914}}
  
 
===Directors===
 
===Directors===
−
''Bellerophon'' was fitted with a director after December, 1915 but prior to the [[Battle of Jutland]].{{FCHMShips|pp. 9-11}}
+
''Bellerophon'' was fitted with a director after December, 1915 but prior to the [[Battle of Jutland]],{{FCHMShips|pp. 9-11}} seemingly, very soon, as it appears that her director was not wired up fully prior to the battle, and she fought without using it.{{FawcettHooper|p. 181}}
  
 
===Spotting===
 
===Spotting===
Line 59: Line 66:
 
==Captains==
 
==Captains==
 
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
 
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
−
*{{CaptRN}} [[Hugh Evan-Thomas]], 14 December, 1908.<ref>Evan-Thomas Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42}}.  f. 105.</ref>
+
<div name=fredbot:officeCapt otitle="Captain of H.M.S. ''Bellerophon''">
−
*Captain [[Trevylyan Dacres Willes Napier|Trevylyan D. W. Napier]], 16 August, 1910.<ref>Napier Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42}}.  f. 440.</ref>
+
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptRN}}|name=Hugh Evan-Thomas|nick=Hugh Evan-Thomas|appt=14 December, 1908<ref>Evan-Thomas Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}} f. 105.</ref>|end=16 August, 1910<ref>Evan-Thomas Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}} f. 105.</ref>|precBy=New Command}}
−
*Captain [[Charles Lionel Vaughan-Lee|Charles L. Vaughan-Lee]], 16 August, 1912.<ref>Vaughan-Lee Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42}}.  f. 441.</ref>
+
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=Trevylyan Dacres Willes Napier|nick=Trevylyan D. W. Napier|appt=16 August, 1910<ref>Napier Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}} f. 440.</ref>{{NLApr11|p. 283}}|end=16 August, 1912<ref>Napier Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}} f. 440.</ref>}}
−
*Captain [[Edward Francis Bruen|Edward F. Bruen]], 18 August, 1913.<ref>''The Navy List'' (December, 1914).  p. 280.</ref>
+
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=Charles Lionel Vaughan-Lee|nick=Charles L. Vaughan-Lee|appt=16 August, 1912<ref>Vaughan-Lee Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}} f. 441.</ref>|end=18 August, 1913<ref>Vaughan-Lee Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}} f. 441.</ref>}}
−
*Captain [[Hugh Dudley Richards Watson|Hugh D. R. Watson]], 31 August, 1916.<ref>''The Navy List'' (December, 1916).  p. 392''k''.</ref>
+
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=Edward Francis Bruen|nick=Edward F. Bruen|appt=18 August, 1913<ref>Bruen Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 418.</ref>|end=31 August, 1916<ref>Bruen Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 418.</ref>|note=in command at the [[Battle of Jutland]]}}
−
*Captain [[Vincent Barkley Molteno|Vincent B. Molteno]], 13 February, 1918.<ref>Molteno Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/44}}.  f. 260.</ref>
+
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=Hugh Dudley Richards Watson|nick=Hugh D. R. Watson|appt=31 August, 1916<ref>Watson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 272.</ref>|end=13 February, 1918<ref>Watson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 272.</ref>}}
−
*Captain [[Francis Herbert Mitchell|Francis H. Mitchell]], 12 October, 1918.<ref>Mitchell Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/44}}.  f. 134.</ref>
+
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=Vincent Barkly Molteno|nick=Vincent B. Molteno|appt=13 February, 1918<ref>Molteno Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/44.}} f. 260.</ref>|end=12 October, 1918<ref>Molteno Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/44.}} f. 260.</ref>}}
−
*Captain [[Humphrey Wykeham Bowring|Humphrey W. Bowring]], 15 March, 1919.<ref>''The Monthly Navy List'' (August, 1919).  p. 739.</ref>
+
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=Francis Herbert Mitchell|nick=Francis H. Mitchell|appt=12 October, 1918<ref>Mitchell Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/44.}} f. 134.</ref>|end=11 March, 1919<ref>Mitchell Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/44.}} f. 134.</ref>}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=Humphrey Wykeham Bowring|nick=Humphrey W. Bowring|appt=15 March, 1919{{NLAug19|p. 739}}<ref>Bowring Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 317.</ref>|end=25 September, 1919<ref>Bowring Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 317.</ref>}}
 +
</div name=fredbot:officeCapt>
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==
−
{{WP|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bellerophon_(1907)}}
+
{{refbegin}}
 +
{{WP|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bellerophon_(1907)}}
 +
* Ship's Logs at {{TNA|ADM 53/35034}} through ADM 53/35053 for 1 April, 1913 to 25 September, 1919.
 +
* National Maritime Museum holdings: [http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!csearch;authority=subject-90352;collectionReference=subject-90352;innerSearchTerm=Bellerophon+1907 plans] ([http://www.rmg.co.uk/contact/buy-ship-plans/ ordering info]), [http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!csearch;authority=subject-90518;collectionReference=subject-90518;innerSearchTerm=Bellerophon+1907 photos], and [http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!csearch;authority=subject-90258;collectionReference=subject-90258;innerSearchTerm=Bellerophon+1907 fine art].
 +
{{refend}}
  
 
==Footnotes==
 
==Footnotes==

Latest revision as of 10:16, 26 September 2022

H.M.S. Bellerophon (1907)
Pendant Number: 72 (1914)
11 (Jan 1918)
63 (Apr 1918)[1]
Builder: Portsmouth Royal Dockyard[2]
Laid down: 3 Dec, 1906[3]
Launched: 27 Jul, 1907[4]
Completed: 20 Feb, 1909[5]
Commissioned: 20 Feb, 1909[6]
Sold: 8 Nov, 1921[7]
Fate: Scrapped

H.M.S. Bellerophon was a dreadnought battleship of the British Royal Navy. She was the lead ship of the Bellerophon class, and the fourth Royal Navy vessel to bear the name of the mythic Greek hero. A previous Bellerophon had brought Napoleon from France to England after his defeat at Waterloo.

Completed in 1909, she joined the First Division of the Home Fleet (from 1912 the First Battle Squadron of the Home Fleets), and shortly before the outbreak of the First World War in August, 1914, she joined the Fourth Battle Squadron, where she remained until 1919. She was present at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May, 1916, where she fired sixty-two 12-inch rounds and received no damage. At the end of the war she was placed in the Reserve Fleet and sold for scrap in 1921, before being taken to the breakers two years later.

Design

Due to the scaling down of coal bunkerage, she had a modest range of 5,720 miles at 10 knots. Her four Parsons single reduction steam turbines were constructed by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company.

During the war she was fitted with a Dreyer Table Mark I and the Vickers Director system for her main battery.

Navigational Equipment

The ship was one of seven which tested Willis and Robinson Electric Revolution Telegraphs. Testing was completed in late 1913.[8]

Radio

At the end of 1909, she was to receive one of eleven Short Distance Radio Sets, to be installed at her next refit behind armour near the fore bridge, intended to supplant flag signaling.[9] In mid-1913, this gear was redesignated as Type 3.[10]

Performance

Her tactical turning diameter was 445 yards at full speed (worst of the class), with the rudder being put over in 8 seconds.[11]

Service

Laid down the month H.M.S. Dreadnought was commissioned and largely mimicking her design, Bellerophon was the name ship of her three-ship class and was the first to be completed.

She was launched on Saturday, 27 July, 1907, by Princess Henry of Battenberg. The ship went down the ways to the sound of "God Save the King" and "Rule Britannia."[12]

The cost of building was £1,763,491, making her the most expensive of her class. She was laid down on December 06, 1906, launched on July 27, 1907. She was commissioned on 20 February, 1909, by Captain Hugh Evan-Thomas with the nucleus crew of the Vengeance and drafts from the naval barracks.[13] On trials she made 21.25 knots, a speed lower than that of her sisters due to inferior shp; 25,061 shp as opposed to Superb's 27,407 shp and Temeraire's 26,966 shp.

Upon completion she joined the First Division of the Home Fleet. On May 26, 1911, she collided with the battlecruiser Inflexible. Bellerophon received damage whilst Inflexible took bow damage which put her in the dockyard until November. In the 1913 Battle Practice the ship came 7th out of fifteen dreadnoughts and battle cruisers with a score of 550. During December she visited with the First Battle Squadron the ports of Toulon, Gibraltar, Salamis and Barcelona. Upon the commissioning of Iron Duke on 10 March, 1914 into the First Battle Squadron, Bellerophon was transferred to the Fourth Battle Squadron, slated to join it on 8 April, 1914.[14]

While at Cromarty on 5 June, 1914, she suffered a coal gas explosion which injured four stokers.

On the journey to the fleet anchorage at Scapa Flow, Bellerophon collided with the vessel S.S. St Clair on 27 August 1914 off the Orkneys and sustained no major damage.

In May, 1915, she headed to Devonport Royal Dockyard for a refit.

Jutland

Main article: H.M.S. Bellerophon at the Battle of Jutland

At the Battle of Jutland the vessel was under the command of Captain Edward F. Bruen in the Second Division (commanded by Rear-Admiral Alexander L. Duff) of the Fourth Battle Squadron under Vice-Admiral Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee, Bart. The Fourth Battle Squadron deployed behind the Second Battle Squadron in line ahead in the main part of the battle, and Bellerophon fired sixty-two 12 inch rounds without being hit in return.

Late War

After the battle she sweeped with the other vessels of the Grand Fleet regularly. Between June and September, 1917 she served as the flagship of the Second-in-Command of the Fourth Battle Squadron, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral Roger J. B. Keyes and then Rear-Admiral Douglas R. L. Nicholson. Unlike her sister ships, she was not deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean in October, 1918.

Placed in reserve in 1919 at Sheerness as part of the Nore Reserve, she and her sister ship Superb were used as Gunnery School (Turret Drill) ships. On 20 September, 1919, Bellerophon was ordered to be paid off after receiving her annual refit in Devonport, and she indeed paid off five days later.[15] On 20 May, orders were given that her mechanical dough-kneaders were to be removed; a sure sign of disposal. She was sold to the Slough Trading Company on 8 November, 1921, and departed Britain for breakers in Germany on 14 September, 1922.

Alterations

In October 1914, the ship was to be given 5 Pattern 1582 Electric Radiators to warm cabins whose stoves could not be used for heating them.[16]

Directors

Bellerophon was fitted with a director after December, 1915 but prior to the Battle of Jutland,[17] seemingly, very soon, as it appears that her director was not wired up fully prior to the battle, and she fought without using it.[18]

Spotting

In late 1913, the ship landed a Pattern 740 Zeiss stereo spotting telescope Mark II at Portsmouth in order to take on a Ross Pattern 873 model for a three-month comparative evaluation.[19]

Captains

Dates of appointment are provided when known.

See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 32.
  2. ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 32.
  3. ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 22.
  4. ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 32.
  5. ↑ Navy (Dockyard Expense Accounts). 1908–1909. p. 36.
  6. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 22 February, 1909. Issue 38889, col A, p. 9.
  7. ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 32.
  8. ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 607 of 24 Oct, 1913.
  9. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1909. Wireless Appendix, p. 25.
  10. ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 306 of 20 June, 1913.
  11. ↑ Burt. British Battleships of World War One. p. 69.
  12. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 29 July, 1907. Issue 38397, col D, p. 8.
  13. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 22 February, 1909. Issue 38889, col A, p. 9.
  14. ↑ The Navy List. (April, 1914). p. 284.
  15. ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1921). p. 731.
  16. ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 512 of 16 Oct, 1914.
  17. ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 23. pp. 9-11.
  18. ↑ Fawcett & Hooper. The Fighting at Jutland. p. 181.
  19. ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 662 of 21 Nov, 1913.
  20. ↑ Evan-Thomas Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 105.
  21. ↑ Evan-Thomas Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 105.
  22. ↑ Napier Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 440.
  23. ↑ The Navy List. (April, 1911). p. 283.
  24. ↑ Napier Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 440.
  25. ↑ Vaughan-Lee Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 441.
  26. ↑ Vaughan-Lee Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 441.
  27. ↑ Bruen Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 418.
  28. ↑ Bruen Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 418.
  29. ↑ Watson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 272.
  30. ↑ Watson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 272.
  31. ↑ Molteno Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 260.
  32. ↑ Molteno Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 260.
  33. ↑ Mitchell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 134.
  34. ↑ Mitchell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 134.
  35. ↑ The Navy List. (August, 1919). p. 739.
  36. ↑ Bowring Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 317.
  37. ↑ Bowring Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 317.

Bibliography


Bellerophon Class Dreadnought
  Bellerophon Superb Temeraire  
<– H.M.S. Dreadnought Battleships (UK) St. Vincent Class –>
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