The four armoured cruisers of the 1903–1904 Naval Programme were originally intended to be repeats of the preceding Duke of Edinburgh class, but complaints from the fleet that the low placement of the secondary armament of earlier ships of this type meant that the guns could not be fought in anything other than a dead calm sea caused the issue to be reviewed by the Board of Admiralty in late 1903 and early 1904. Based on the Duke of Edinburghs, the Warriors were expected to be lighter, which allowed weight to be used for changing the secondary armament. Officers from the fleet suggested changing the armament to four 7.5-inch (191mm) guns in single-gun turrets raised to the upper deck. As the ships had only just begun construction, the change would cost a total of £250,000 for all four ships and the Admiralty approved the change on 30 March 1904.[1]
The Warrior-class ships were designed to displace13,550 long tons (13,770t), but they proved to be lighter as built, even after the change in armament, displacing 13,200–13,350 long tons (13,410–13,560t) at normal load and 14,500 long tons (14,700t) (fully loaded).[2] The ships had an overall length of 505feet 6inches (154.1m) and a length between perpendiculars of 480ft (146.3m). They had a beam of 73feet 6inches (22.4m) and a deep draught of 26feet 6inches (8.1m) forward and 27feet 6inches (8.4m) aft.[3]
The ships' complement was 770 officers and enlisted men.[3] They were much steadier gun platforms than their predecessors with a metacentric height of 2.75 feet (0.8m)[4] So much so that Achilles and Natal were the best-shooting ships in the fleet in 1907 and 1909 respectively. Very good sea boats, according to naval historian Oscar Parkes, "they gained the reputation of being the best cruisers we (the British) ever built."[5]
The cruisers were powered by two 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, which produced a total of 23,500 indicated horsepower (17,520kW) and gave a maximum speed of 23 knots (43km/h; 26mph). The engines were powered by steam from 19 Yarrow boilers and six cylindrical boilers that had a working pressure of 225psi (1,551kPa; 16kgf/cm2).[6] The ships carried a maximum of 2,050 long tons (2,080t) of coal[7] and an additional 600 long tons (610t) of fuel oil that was sprayed on the coal to increase its burn rate. At full capacity, they could steam for 7,960 nautical miles (14,740km; 9,160mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19km/h; 12mph).[8]
Armament
The Warriors' main armament consisted of six 45-calibreBL 9.2-inch Mk X guns in single-gun turrets. The guns were distributed in two centreline turrets, one each fore and one aft of the superstructure, and four wing turrets disposed in the corners about the funnels. The centreline turrets could traverse a total of 285° while the wing turrets were limited to 120° on the broadside due to muzzle blast.[9] The gun had an elevation range of −5° to +15°. The 9.2-inch (234mm) shell weighed 380 pounds (172.4kg) and was fired at a maximum muzzle velocity of 2,778ft/s (847m/s). This gave it a range of 15,500 yards (14,200m) at maximum elevation. The gun's rate of fire was about three rounds per minute[10] and the ships carried 100 rounds for each gun.[3]
Their secondary armament of four 50-calibre BL 7.5-inch Mk II guns was arranged in four turrets amidships. The guns could only traverse about 110° on the broadside.[9] They had an elevation range of −7.5° to +15° that gave them a range of 14,238 yards (13,019m) at an elevation with their 200-pound (90.7kg) shell. The guns had a rate of fire of about four rounds per minute[11] and each gun was provided with 100 rounds.[3]
Twenty-four Vickers quick-firing (QF)3-pounder guns were fitted for defence against torpedo boats, six on turret roofs and eighteen in the superstructure, all on pivot mounts. These guns were too small to be useful against the torpedo boats before they got within torpedo range.[12] They fired a 47-millimetre (1.9in) shell that weighed 3.3 pounds (1.5kg) and was fired at a maximum muzzle velocity of 2,587ft/s (789m/s). This gave it a range of 7,550 yards (6,900m) at an elevation of +20°.[13] 250 rounds were carried for each gun.[3]
The ships also mounted three submerged 18-inchtorpedo tubes.[7][Note 1] They carried a total of eighteen torpedoes in addition to the six 14-inch (356mm) torpedoes that could be used by the two 45-foot (13.7m) steam pinnaces.[15]
Armour
The Warrior-class ships had a 6-inch (152mm)waterlinearmour belt of Krupp cemented armour that covered 260 feet (79.2m) of the hull amidships.[7] It covered the side of the ship up to the upper deck, a height of 14feet 6inches (4.42m) above the waterline and reached 4feet 10inches (1.47m) below it. Between the central citadel and the bow, the belt armour was 4 inches (102mm) thick and it extended to the stern with a thickness of 3 inches (76mm). Transverse bulkheads six inches thick protected the citadel from raking fire.[16]
The faces of the main gun turrets were 7.5 inches thick with 5.5-inch (140mm) sides and a 2-inch (51mm) roof.[17] The secondary gun turrets were a newer design and had armour 6–8-inch (152–203mm) thick and the same roof thickness as the other turrets.[11] The barbettes were protected by six inches of armour as were the ammunition hoists, although the armour for those thinned to three inches between the armour belt. The thickness of the lower deck was only .75 inches (19mm) except for a patch of 1.5-inch (38mm) armour over the steering gear and another 2 inches (51mm) thick over the engine cylinders.[7] The sides of the conning tower were 10 inches (254mm) thick.[2]
Modifications
Only the modifications for Cochrane are known in detail, but it is likely that her sisters received the same modifications at some point. The funnels proved to be too short in service and they were raised around 1912 to keep the superstructure free of smoke in a following wind. A single Hotchkiss QF 6-pounderanti-aircraft gun on a high-angle mounting was mounted on the quarterdeck in 1915.[18] It had a maximum depression of 8° and a maximum elevation of 60°. The gun fired a 6-pound (2.7kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1,765ft/s (538m/s) at a rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute. They had a maximum ceiling of 10,000ft (3,000m), but an effective range of only 1,200 yards (1,100m).[19] It was replaced by a QF 3 inch 20 cwt[Note 2] guns on a high-angle mount in 1916.[18] This gun had a maximum depression of 10° and a maximum elevation of 90°. It fired a 12.5-pound (5.7kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 2,500ft/s (760m/s) at a rate of 12–14 rounds per minute. It had a maximum effective ceiling of 23,500ft (7,200m).[20] A pair of Vickers QF three-pounders on high-angle mountings were probably installed amidships during 1915–16.[18] They could elevate to +80° and depress to -5°. This gun had a rate of fire of 25 rounds per minute and a maximum ceiling of 15,000ft (4,600m), but an effective range of only 2,000 yards (1,800m).[21]
The guns on top of Cochrane's centreline 9.2-inch turrets were removed in 1915–16. The aftermost 3-pounder guns on the superstructure were removed during 1917 as well as the guns on top of the forward 9.2-inch wing turrets. This reduced her total to twenty 3-pounder guns, excluding the AA guns. Cochrane's foremast was converted to a tripod mast to support the weight of a fire-control director in 1917, but the director was not actually fitted until August 1918.[18]
After completion, the four sisters were assigned to the cruiser squadrons of the Channel and Home Fleets. Natal and Cochrane escorted the royal yacht in 1911–12 for the newly crowned King George V's trip to India to attend the Delhi Durbar[23] and Natal carried the body of the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain, Whitelaw Reid, back to New York City in December 1912.[24]Warrior was transferred to the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1913.[25]
At the beginning of World War I, Natal, Achilles and Cochrane were assigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet and Warrior was in the Mediterranean. The latter ship was involved in the pursuit of the Goeben and Breslau, but the squadron commander, Rear AdmiralErnest Troubridge, declined to engage the German ships. Warrior remained in the Mediterranean until she was assigned the Grand Fleet in December 1914[23] and rejoined the 1st Cruiser Squadron. The other three ships remained with the 2nd Cruiser Squadron for most of their careers and did not participate in any of the early naval battles of the war.[25]Natal was sunk by a magazine explosion near Cromarty on 30 December 1915, killing an estimated 390–421 persons on board. Most of her wreck was slowly salvaged over the decades until the remnants were demolished in the 1970s so they were no longer a hazard to navigation.[26]
Achilles was refitting in May 1916 and did not participate in the Battle of Jutland, although both of her surviving sisters did.[23]Warrior was heavily damaged by German capital ships during the battle,[27] losing 71 crewmen killed and 36 wounded. She took on a lot of water and foundered the following morning after her crew was evacuated.[28] The 2nd Cruiser Squadron was not engaged during the battle and did not fire a shot.[29]Achilles was assigned blockade duties in the North Sea after the battle and sank the German raider Leopard in early 1917.[30] Both of the surviving ships were briefly transferred to the North America and West Indies Station in late 1917 for convoy escort duties before returning home in early 1918.[18][31]Achilles began a lengthy refit in February 1918[25] while Cochrane was based in Murmansk in mid-1918 during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. She became stranded in the Mersey on 14 November 1918 and broke in two. The wreck was broken up in place by June 1919.[18]Achilles, the last surviving sister, became a training ship in late 1918 and was sold for scrap in May 1921.[32]
Notes
↑ While most sources show the ships with three torpedo tubes,[7][8] the ship plans for the Duke of Edinburgh class included in McBride do not show a stern torpedo room[14] and Friedman only lists two torpedo tubes.[3]
↑ "Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.
Related Research Articles
HMS Bacchante was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy around 1900. Upon completion she was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet as flagship of the fleet's cruiser squadron. She was reduced to reserve upon her return home in 1905 before returning to the Mediterranean in 1906. Six years later she returned home and was again placed in reserve. Recommissioned at the start of World War I, Bacchante became flagship of the 7th Cruiser Squadron. She was present at the Battle of Heligoland Bight a few weeks after the war began, but saw no combat.
The Lord Nelson class consisted of a pair of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the twentieth century. Although they were the last British pre-dreadnoughts, both were completed and commissioned well over a year after HMS Dreadnought had entered service in late 1906. Lord Nelson and Agamemnon were assigned to the Home Fleet when completed in 1908, with the former ship often serving as a flagship. The sister ships were transferred to the Channel Fleet when the First World War began in August 1914. They were transferred to the Mediterranean Sea in early 1915 to participate in the Dardanelles Campaign.
The Minotaur class was a three-ship class of armoured cruisers built in the first decade of the twentieth century for the Royal Navy. These were the last class of armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy, with that role being substantially replaced by the first battlecruisers. These initially served with the Home Fleet, generally as the flagships of cruiser squadrons. Minotaur became flagship of the China Station in 1910 and Defence served as flagship of the 1st Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean from 1912; Shannon remained at home as flagship of several different squadrons.
The Duke of Edinburgh-class cruiser was a class of two armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. They were the first British armoured cruisers designed to work with the battlefleet rather than protect merchant shipping. After commissioning, they were assigned to the Atlantic, Channel and Home Fleets until 1913 when they were transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet. After the start of World War I in August 1914, the sister ships participated in the pursuit of the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and light cruiser SMS Breslau. After the German ships reached their refuge in Ottoman Turkey, the ships were ordered to the Red Sea for convoy escort duties. They captured three German merchant ships before they returned to home at the end of the year.
HMS Swiftsure, originally known as Constitución, was the lead ship of the Swiftsure-class pre-dreadnought battleships. The ship was ordered by the Chilean Navy, but she was purchased by the United Kingdom as part of ending the Argentine–Chilean naval arms race. In British service, Swiftsure was initially assigned to the Home Fleet and Channel Fleets before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1909. She rejoined Home Fleet in 1912 and was transferred to the East Indies Station in 1913, to act as its flagship.
HMS Suffolk was one of 10 Monmouth-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. Upon completion she was assigned to the 3rd Cruiser Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet and was then assigned to the 5th Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean in 1909 after a lengthy refit. She returned home for another refit in 1912 and became the flagship of the 4th Cruiser Squadron on the North America and West Indies Station in 1913.
HMS Cochrane was a Warrior-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She served in the 2nd Cruiser Squadron during the First World War under Rear-Admiral Herbert Heath, taking part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. She was based in Murmansk in mid-1918 during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. She became stranded in the River Mersey on 14 November 1918 and broke in two. The wreck was broken up in place by June 1919.
HMS Achilles was a Warrior-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She served with the 2nd Cruiser Squadron for most of the First World War. The ship did not participate in the Battle of Jutland in 1916, but did sink the German raider Leopard in 1917. Achilles became a training ship in 1918 and was sold for scrap in 1921.
HMS Sutlej was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy around 1900. Upon completion she was assigned to the China Station. In 1906 she became a training ship for the North America and West Indies Station before returning home and being assigned as the flagship of the reserve Third Fleet in 1909. Relieved as flagship in 1910, she remained in reserve until the beginning of World War I in August 1914.
HMS King Alfred was one of four Drake-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy around 1900. She served as flagship of the China Station from 1906 until relieved in 1910. Upon her return home that year, she was placed in reserve before being recommissioned in mid-1914. She was assigned to the 6th Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet at the beginning of World War I. She was transferred to the 9th Cruiser Squadron in 1915 and assigned to convoy protection duties by the end of the year. King Alfred participated in the unsuccessful searches for the German commerce raider SMS Möwe in 1916–17 before beginning to escort convoys later that year. The ship was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1918, but returned to service. She was sold for scrap in 1920.
HMS Leviathan was one of four Drake-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy around 1900. She was assigned to the China Station upon completion and then served in the Mediterranean Fleet in 1905–06. She was assigned to the 7th Cruiser Squadron in 1907 before she was briefly reduced to reserve. Leviathan was recommissioned in 1909 for service with the 4th Cruiser Squadron before she was placed in reserve in 1913.
HMS Berwick was one of 10 Monmouth-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She was assigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Channel Fleet upon completion in 1903 and was transferred to the Home Fleet in 1906. She accidentally rammed and sank a British destroyer in 1908. Berwick was refitted in 1908–09 before she was transferred to the 4th Cruiser Squadron on the North America and West Indies Station later that year.
HMS Cumberland was one of 10 Monmouth-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She was assigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Channel Fleet upon completion in 1903. After a refit in 1907–1908 she became a training ship in the Home Fleet. She was sent to West Africa after the beginning of World War I in August 1914 and captured 10 German merchant ships in September. Cumberland spent the rest of the war on convoy escort duties and patrolling for German commerce raiders. She was sold for scrap in 1921 and broken up two years later.
HMS Donegal was one of 10 Monmouth-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She was initially assigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron upon completion in 1903 and ran aground en route to the China Station in 1906. She was briefly placed in reserve after repairs before she was assigned to the Home Fleet in 1907. She joined the 4th Cruiser Squadron on the North America and West Indies Station in 1909 before returning home for an assignment with the Training Squadron in 1912. Donegal was reduced to reserve before World War I began in August 1914 as part of the Third Fleet
HMS Lancaster was one of 10 Monmouth-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. Upon completion she was assigned to the 3rd Cruiser Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet. She remained there until 1912 when she returned home to be placed in reserve. The ship was recommissioned in 1913 for service with the 4th Cruiser Squadron on the North America and West Indies Station. She remained there until she was assigned to the Grand Fleet in 1915. She was transferred to the Pacific in 1916 and she became flagship of the Eastern Squadron in 1918. The ship was sold for scrap in 1920.
HMS Devonshire was the lead ship of her class of six armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She was assigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the Channel Fleet upon completion in 1905 and was transferred to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet in 1907. She was assigned to the reserve Third Fleet in 1909 and then to the 3rd Cruiser Squadron of the reserve Second Fleet in 1913.
HMS Antrim was a Devonshire-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She was assigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the Channel Fleet upon completion in 1905 and was transferred to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet in 1907. She was assigned to the reserve Third Fleet in 1909 and then became flagship of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron of the reserve Second Fleet in 1913.
HMS Roxburgh was one of six Devonshire-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She was assigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the Channel Fleet upon completion and was transferred to the reserve Third Fleet in 1909. She was then assigned to the 5th Cruiser Squadron of the reserve Second Fleet in 1912 and the 3rd Cruiser Squadron the following year.
HMS Shannon was a Minotaur-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1900s. Before the First World War, she served with the Home Fleet, generally as the flagship of a cruiser squadron. The ship remained with the Grand Fleet, as the Home Fleet was renamed when the war began, for the entire war, but only participated in a single battle, the Battle of Jutland in May 1916. Shannon spent most of the war unsuccessfully patrolling the North Sea for German warships and commerce raiders. She was paid off in 1919 and sold for scrap in 1922.
The Katori class was a two-ship class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the early 1900s. As Japan lacked the industrial capacity to build such warships itself, they were designed and built in the UK. They were the last pre-dreadnought battleships to be built for Japan at overseas shipyards, and the last to be equipped with a ram. The ships were delivered after the end of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. They saw no action during World War I, although both were present when Japan joined the Siberian Intervention in 1918. They were disarmed and scrapped in 1923–1925 in accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922.
Corbett, Julian (March 1997). Naval Operations to the Battle of the Falklands. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol.I (2nd, reprint of the 1938ed.). London and Nashville, Tennessee: Imperial War Museum and Battery Press. ISBN0-89839-256-X.
Friedman, Norman (2012). British Cruisers of the Victorian Era. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN978-1-59114-068-9.
Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN978-1-84832-100-7.
McBride, Keith (1990). "The Dukes and the Warriors". Warship International. International Naval Research Organization. XXVII (4): 362–93. ISSN0043-0374.
Newbolt, Henry (1996). Naval Operations. History of the Great War Based on Official Documents. Vol.IV (reprint of the 1928ed.). Nashville, Tennessee: Battery Press. ISBN0-89839-253-5.
Newbolt, Henry (1997). Naval Operations. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol.V (reprint of the 1931ed.). London and Nashville, Tennessee: Imperial War Museum and Battery Press. ISBN1-870423-72-0.
Parkes, Oscar (1990). British Battleships (reprint of the 1957ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-075-4.
Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp.1–104. ISBN0-85177-245-5.
Roberts, John (October 1989). "HMS Cochrane". Warship. Warship. Vol.III. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp.34–36. ISBN0-85177-204-8.
Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN0-88254-979-0.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Royal Navy 
