HMS Revenge (1892)
 Revenge at anchor, about 1897 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
| |
| Name: | Revenge |
| Builder: | Palmers |
| Laid down: | 12 February 1891 |
| Launched: | 3 November 1892 |
| Commissioned: | March 1894 |
| Decommissioned: | October 1915 |
| Renamed: | Redoubtable, August 1915 |
| Fate: | Sold December 1919 and scrapped |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class and type: | Royal Sovereign-class predreadnought battleship |
| Displacement: | 14,150 long tons (14,380 t) (normal) |
| Length: | 380 ft (115.8 m) (pp) |
| Beam: | 75 ft (22.9 m) |
| Draught: | 27 ft 6 in (8.4 m) |
| Installed power: |
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| Propulsion: | 2 shafts; 2 Triple-expansion steam engines |
| Speed: | 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) |
| Range: | 4,720 nmi (8,740 km; 5,430 mi) @ 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement: | 695 (as flagship, 1903) |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: | |
HMS Revenge was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Royal Sovereign class of the British Royal Navy. She was renamed HMS Redoubtable in 1915. Revenge notably served as the flagship of the Flying Squadron and bombarding the coast of Flanders during World War I before being refitted as an accommodation ship in 1915. As the last surviving member of her class, she was sold for scrap in December 1919.
Design and description
The design of the Royal Sovereign-class ships was derived from that of the Admiral-class ironclad battleships, greatly enlarged to improve seakeeping and to provide space for a secondary armament as in the preceding Trafalgar-class ironclad battleships.[1] The ships displaced 14,150 long tons (14,380 t) at normal load and 15,580 long tons (15,830 t) at deep load. They had a length between perpendiculars of 380 feet (115.8 m) and were 410 feet 6 inches (125.1 m) long overall, a beam of 75 feet (22.9 m), and a draught of 27 feet 6 inches (8.4 m).[2] As a flagship, Revenge's crew consisted of 695 officers and ratings in 1903.[3]
The Royal Sovereigns were powered by a pair of three-cylinder, vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft. Her Humphrys & Tennant engines[2] were designed to produce a total of 11,000 indicated horsepower (8,200 kW) and a maximum speed of 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) using steam provided by eight cylindrical boilers with forced draught. The ships carried a maximum of 1,420 long tons (1,443 t) of coal which gave them a range of 4,720 nautical miles (8,740 km; 5,430 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[3]
Their main armament consisted of four breech-loading (BL) 13.5-inch (343 mm) guns mounted in two twin-gun barbettes, one each fore and aft of the superstructure.[4] Each gun was provided with 80 rounds.[3] Their secondary armament consisted of ten quick-firing (QF) 6-inch (152 mm) guns.[2] 200 rounds per gun were carried by the ships.[3] Sixteen QF 6-pounder (2.2 in (57 mm)) and a dozen QF 3-pounder (1.9 in (47 mm)) Hotchkiss guns were fitted for defence against torpedo boats. The two 3-pounders in the upper fighting top were removed in 1903–04 and all of the remaining light guns from the lower fighting tops and main deck followed in 1905–09. The Royal Sovereign-class ships mounted seven 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes, although Revenge had four of hers removed in 1902.[5]
The Royal Sovereigns' armour scheme was similar to that of the Trafalgars, as the waterline belt of compound armour only protected the area between the barbettes. The 14–18-inch (356–457 mm) belt was 238 feet (72.5 m) long and had a total height of 8 feet 8 inches (2.6 m) of which 5 feet (1.5 m) was below water. Transverse bulkheads 14–16 inches (356–406 mm) thick closed off the ends of the belt. Above the belt was a strake of 4-inch (102 mm) nickel-steel armour closed off by 3-inch (76 mm) transverse bulkheads.[2]
The barbettes were protected by compound armour, ranging in thickness from 11 to 17 inches (279 to 432 mm) and the casemates for the 6-inch guns were protected by an equal thickness of armour. The thicknesses of the armour deck ranged from 2.5 to 3 inches (64 to 76 mm). The walls of the forward conning tower were 12–14 inches (305–356 mm) thick and the aft conning tower was protected by 3-inch plates.[3]
Construction and career
Revenge was laid down by Palmers on 12 February 1891, launched on 3 November 1892, and completed in March 1894. Upon completion in March 1894, HMS Revenge commissioned into reserve at Portsmouth, United Kingdom. On 14 January 1896 she commissioned there as flagship of the Particular Service Squadron, soon renamed the Flying Squadron; she was flagship of the squadron, which was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet briefly in the middle of 1896, throughout its existence. The deployment was due to increased international tensions following the Jameson Raid.[6] When the squadron was disbanded, Revenge paid off at Portsmouth on 5 November 1896, and recommissioned the same day to relieve battleship HMS Trafalgar as flagship of the second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet.[7]
From February 1897 to December 1898, Revenge served in the International Squadron blockading Crete during the Greco-Turkish uprising there. During this duty, she landed a force of Royal Marines on Crete to seize Fort Tzeddin, and in September 1898 she went to Candia to support the British garrison there.[7]
On 15 December 1899, Revenge recommissioned at Malta to continue Mediterranean Fleet service. In April 1900, battleship HMS Victorious relieved her and she returned to the United Kingdom, paying off into Fleet Reserve at Chatham.[7] While in dock she was refitted, including installation of a wireless telegraph.
On 18 April 1901, Revenge commissioned at Chatham by Captain Frederic Fisher to relieve HMS Alexandra as both coast guard ship at Portland and flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Gerard Noel, Admiral Superintendent of Naval Reserves.[8] In March 1902 she arrived at Portsmouth for repairs, including the provision of casemates for her upper-deck 6 inch guns, and her crew was temporarily transferred to HMS Hercules which also took on her duties at Portland.[9] Captain Fisher and his crew was back on board in early June, following gun trials after the repairs.[10] After the refit, she commissioned in late 1902 to serve as flagship of the Home Squadron upon its creation.[7]
In April 1904, Revenge and her sister ship HMS Royal Oak both struck a submerged wreck off the Scilly Isles while serving with the Home Fleet. Revenge suffered bottom damage.[11]
In July 1905, Revenge participated in maneuvers with the Reserve Fleet. She paid off at Portsmouth on 31 August 1905, then recommissioned on 1 September 1905 in the Portsmouth Reserve Division.[7]
In June 1906, Revenge relieved battleship HMS Colossus as gunnery training ship at Portsmouth and as tender to shore establishment HMS Excellent.[7]
On 13 June 1908, Revenge collided with the merchant ship SS Bengore Head. In October 1908, she tested a new model of 13.5-inch (343-mm) gun in firing and explosives tests against battleship HMS Edinburgh. On 7 January 1912 she suffered hull damage when, during a gale a Portsmouth, she broke from her moorings and collided with battleship HMS Orion. She was relieved as gunnery training ship by battleship HMS Albemarle and paid off on 15 May 1913. She went ito reserve, and then was laid up at Motherbank, awaiting disposal.[7]
World War I
Unlike her sister ships, Revenge was given a reprieve from the scrapyard by the outbreak of World War I in August 1914. It was decided to bring her back into service for use in coastal bombardment duties off the coast of Flanders. In September and October 1914, she was refitted at Portsmouth for this mission, including the relining of her 13.5-inch (343-mm) guns to 12-inch (305-mm) caliber. Her refit completed, she was ordered on 31 October 1914 to stand by to relieve battleship HMS Venerable as flagship there.[7]
Revenge was declared ready for service on 5 November 1914, and formed the Channel Fleet's new 6th Battle Squadron with battleships HMS Albemarle, HMS Cornwallis, HMS Duncan, HMS Exmouth. and HMS Russell. Plans for the squadron to participate in an attack on German submarine bases were cancelled due to bad weather on 14 November 1914, and instead Revenge and battleship HMS Majestic left Dover, England, for Dunkirk, France.[7]
Revenge took her first action of the war when she joined gunboat HMS Bustard, six British and four French destroyers and a French torpedo boat in bombarding German troops from off of Nieuwpoort, Belgium, on 22 November 1914. She was recalled to Dover the same day.
On 15 December 1914, Revenge returned to her bombardment duties, joining Majestic in searching for and bombarding German heavy artillery sites. She took two 8-inch (203-mm) shell hits, one of which penetrated her hull below the waterline and caused a serious leak. She again bombarded the Flanders coast on 16 December 1914.[7]
In April and May 1915 she underwent a refit at Chatham in which she had antitorpedo bulges fitted, the first ship to be fitted with them operationally.[12] In August 1915, she was renamed HMS Redoubtable.[7]
On 7 September 1915, she returned to combat, joining gunboats HMS Bustard and HMS Excellent in bombarding German troops at Ostend and German barracks and gun positions at Westende, inflicting much damage on the Germans.[7] One of her antitorpedo bulges was deliberately flooded to impart a list that would increase the range of her main battery.[7]
Decommissioning and subsidiary duties
Redoubtable underwent another refit from October to December 1915. Afterwards, she was not recommissioned, instead serving as an accommodation ship at Portsmouth until February 1919.[13]
Disposal
The last surviving member of her class, Redoubtable was sold for scrapping in December 1919.[13]
See also
Notes
- ↑ Gardiner, p. 116; Parkes, pp. 359
- 1 2 3 4 Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 32
- 1 2 3 4 5 Burt, p. 73
- ↑ Parkes, p. 355
- ↑ Burt, pp. 73, 85, 87, 94
- ↑ Stilwell, Alexander (2009). The Story of HMS Revenge. Pen & Sword Maritime. pp. 147–149. ISBN 978-1-84415-981-9.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Burt, p. 83
- ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Friday, 19 April 1901. (36433), p. 10.
- ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Monday, 17 March 1902. (36717), p. 10.
- ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Friday, 16 May 1902. (36769), p. 11.
- ↑ Burt, p. 82
- ↑ Burt, p. 80
- 1 2 Burt, p. 84
References
- Brown, David K. (1997). Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860–1905. London: Chatham. ISBN 1-86176-022-1.
- Burt, R. A. (2013). British Battleships 1889–1904. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-065-8.
- Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.
- Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1992). Steam, Steel and Shellfire: The Steam Warship 1815–1905. Conway's History of the Ship. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 1-55750-774-0.
- Parkes, Oscar (1990). British Battleships (reprint of the 1957 ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-075-4.
- Phillips, Lawrie; Lieutenant Commander (2014). Pembroke Dockyard and the Old Navy: A Bicentennial History. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-5214-9.
- Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0.
External sources
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMS Revenge (1892). |
- The Dreadnought Project has a list of commanders
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