H.M.S. Thunderer (1911)
| H.M.S. Thunderer | |
| Career | Details |
|---|---|
| Pendant Number: | 36 (April, 1918)[1] |
| Built By: | Thames Iron Works, Millwall |
| Ordered: | 1909 |
| Laid Down: | 13 April, 1910 |
| Launched: | 1 February, 1911 |
| Commissioned: | 15 June, 1912 |
| Sold: | 17 December 1926 |
| Fate: | Scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 22,200 tons standard/25,870 tons max |
| Length: | 581 feet (177.1 m) |
| Beam: | 88 feet (26.8 m) |
| Draught: | 24 feet (7.3 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 × Parsons Steam turbines 18 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers driving 4 shafts creating 27,000 hp |
| Speed: | 20.79 kt (trials) |
| Range: | 6300 NM at 10 kt 4100 NM at 19 kt |
| Complement: | 752–1100 |
| Armament: | 10 × 13.5 in (343 mm) guns 16 × 4 in (102 mm) guns 4 × 47 mm 3 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (submerged) |
H.M.S. Thunderer was a dreadnought battleship of the Orion Class in the Royal Navy. Her class was the first of the so-called super-dreadnought battleships armed with the heavier calibre 13.5-inch guns.
Contents
Construction
The Mayor of Poplar, J. E. Le Manquais, along with Members of Parliament (including John H. Bethell) made numerous deputations for a vessel of the new programme to be built on the Thames. Thames Iron Works Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Canning-town was invited to tender for one of the ships. In early December the tender was provisionally accepted. In February, 1910 the contract for the majority of the steel to be used in the Thunderer was awarded to Messrs. H. J. Skelton and Company.
On Wednesday, 13 April, 1910 the keel plate of Thunderer was laid by Mrs Arnold F. Hills, the wife of the chairman of Thames Iron Works. In attendence were the mayors of Poplar and West Ham and the M.P.s mostly responsible for the Admiralty contract being given to the Thames; William J. Thorne, Bethell and Charles F. G. Masterman.
On 10 May a worker, John Joseph Aylatt, was killed when a 5½ cwt section plate dropped on him, the chain raising it having broken. At the inquest it was determined that the chain had been old and had broken due to a "latent defect". On 13 December another worker, a plater, was killed. Frederick Coates had been working late and while walking across the upper deck to leave the ship, his candle was blown out and he fell down a hatch to the engine room to his death. At the inquest it was recommended that deck lights, which would normally have been lit, should be turned on for longer.
Launch
The Thunderer was launched in the afternoon of Wednesday, 2 February, 1911 by the wife of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mrs Randall Davidson. In attendance were the directors of Thames Iron Works led by Arnold Hill, the First Lord of the Admiralty Reginald McKenna, the Secretary of State for the Colonies Lewis Harcourt and numerous other dignitaries, among whom was also the former Director of Naval Construction Sir William White. When the tide had flooded, the ship was launched by Mrs. Davidson at three in the afternoon. The ship took 2 minutes 45 seconds to go down the ways to the sound of "Rule Britannia".
Fitting Out and Completion
Thames Iron Works' growing financial woes (due to trade union intransigence and a lack of orders) led to the fitting out of Thunderer being delayed considerably. In January, 1912 trials were delayed by at least two weeks for unrevealed reasons.
Commanding Officers
Dates of appointment given:
- Captain Henry F. Oliver, 25 January, 1912.[2]
- Captain Guy R. A. Gaunt, 12 September, 1912.[3]
- Captain Thomas Jackson, 1 November, 1913.[4]
- Captain Charles L. Vaughan-Lee, 18 December, 1914.[5]
- Captain James A. Fergusson, 14 August, 1915.[6]
- Captain Thomas D. Pratt, August, 1917.[7]
- Captain Frederick A. Powlett, 13 August, 1919.[8]
- Captain Alexander P. Davidson, 1 June, 1920.[9]
- Captain R. A. Hornell, undated.
- Captain Colin Mackenzie (and as Senior Officer, Portland Reserve), 1 October, 1920.[10]
- Captain Oliver E. Leggett, .
- Captain Hubert S. Monroe, .
Main Armament
Thunderer was built with 13.5-inch Mk II mountings for her guns.[11]
Alterations
In 1912, Thunderer received one of the first directors for her main battery. It was a prototype system which was updated to the new standard developed in Neptune as part of the twelve ship order placed in 1913.[12]
In 1916 or soon thereafter, she would have received Evershed Bearing Indicators for her main battery, as approved in 1916.[13]
Fate
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 33.
- ↑ Oliver Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 319.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 13 September, 1913. Issue 40316, col C, pg. 4.
- ↑ Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
- ↑ Vaughan-Lee Service Record. ADM 196/42. f. 441.
- ↑ Fergusson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 199.
- ↑ Navy List (November, 1917). p. 398k.
- ↑ "Naval Appointments" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 9 August, 1919. Issue 42174, col F, pg. 15.
- ↑ "Naval Appointments" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 18 May, 1920. Issue 42413, col F, pg. 16.
- ↑ "Naval Appointments" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 28 September, 1920. Issue 42527, col E, pg. 18.
- ↑ Hodges. The Big Gun. p. 62.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in HM Ships. pp. 9-10.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 145.
Bibliography
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
- Template:BibParkesBritishBattleships
- Template:BibUKFireControlInHMShips1919
