Swiftsure class (1903)
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|---|---|
| Swiftsure class | |
 HMS Swiftsure off Gallipoli , 1915 |
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| Overview | |
| Type | Ship of the line |
| units | 2 |
| Keel laying | February 26, 1902 |
| Launch | January 12th and 15th, 1903 |
| delivery | June 21, 1904 |
| Decommissioning |
Swiftsure retired April 1917 |
| Whereabouts |
Triumph sunk May 25, 1915 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement | |
| length |
146.23 m above all |
| width |
21.64 m |
| Draft |
7.72 m |
| crew |
500 men |
| drive |
|
| speed |
19 kn |
| Range |
6,210 nautical miles (11,501 km) at 10 kn |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
| deck |
1–3 inch (25–76 mm) |
| Belt (side) |
3–7 inches (76–172 mm) |
| Bulkheads |
2–6 inches (51–152 mm) |
| Barbeds |
2–10 inches (51–254 mm) |
| Armored domes twin towers |
8–10 inches (203–254 mm): |
| Central battery |
7 inch (178 mm) |
| Casemates |
7 inch (178 mm) |
| Command tower |
11 inch (279 mm) |
The Swiftsure class was a class of pre- dreadnought battleships in the Royal Navy . Originally destined for Chile , both ships were taken over by the Royal Navy in 1903 before completion. After initial use in local waters, both ships came to the Mediterranean . At the beginning of the First World War , the Swiftsure was in East India and the Triumph in Hong Kong. The Triumph took part in the hunt for the supplies of the German cruiser squadron under Maximilian Graf von Spee and in the siege of Tsingtau (now Qingdao ). Both ships were used in 1915 in an unsuccessful attack on Smyrna and during the Dardanelles campaign in support of the troops that landed on Gallipoli . The Triumph was sunk there on May 25, 1915 by U 21 .
history
In the second half of 1901, Chile and Argentina were close to the outbreak of war. Chile was concerned about the inability of its own navy to combat the protected cruisers Rivadavia and Moreno , which Argentina had ordered from Italy later that year . Sir Edward Reed, then chief designer of the Admiralty , was staying in Chile at this time for health reasons. At a meeting with officers of the Chilean navy, the idea of buying or building two fast, heavily armed battleships with low displacement was discussed. Since the purchase of existing ships was virtually impossible, the Chileans asked Reed to design such a ship in the United Kingdom . Chile ordered the ships on February 26, 1902. The Constitución was built by Armstrong Whitworth in Elswick , the Libertad by Vickers in Barrow-in-Furness .
However, the crisis between Argentina and Chile subsided. Argentina advertised the Rivadavia and the Moreno for sale before they went into service. Due to financial problems, Chile put the Constitución and the Libertad up for sale at the beginning of 1903. Chile assumed that the Russian Navy would buy the ships. However, Great Britain stepped in and took over the unfinished ships on December 3, 1903 for £ 2,432,000. Although designed for Chilean rather than British requirements, and although some modifications were made after purchase, fundamental changes to the design were not necessary. Both ships were completed and taken over by the Royal Navy in June 1904, Constitución as HMS Swiftsure and Libertad as HMS Triumph .
construction
The ships were lighter constructed, armed and armored than other British battleships and thus second-class battleships. HMS Swiftsure suffered from structural weaknesses during her service and required reinforcements of the hull, at HMS Triumph such problems did not arise. Chile had requested dimensions that would allow use of the dry dock in Talcahuano , so the ships were longer and narrower than the British standard. In appearance they differed significantly from the other British battleships, with longer, narrower funnels and a pair of deck cranes amidships. Details of the masts and anchors as well as the arrangement of magazines and ammunition loads also differed from British standards.
The armament of the ships was completely different from the standard of the Royal Navy, as it was specially tailored to the requirements of the Chilean Navy.
The ships carried as the first British battleships since the HMS Centurion and the HMS Barfleur ( Centurion class ) and as the last British battleships at all a main armament of the caliber 10 inch (254 mm). The guns used differed on both ships: Swiftsure carried Armstrong guns (Armstrong was the shipbuilder's yard) with the designation Mark VI, Triumph Vickers guns (shipyard) with the designation Mark VII. The main armament was, as was customary at the time, erected in two twin towers fore and aft. According to the Royal Navy, the caliber was ineffective against modern battleships. The armor of the newest German and Russian battleships could be penetrated, but not the armor of the better armored French battleships. The caliber was considered useful in fighting cruisers, but the ships were too slow to catch up with cruisers and put them into action.
The secondary armament was powerful. No other British battleships were equipped with the 7.5 inch (190.5 mm) caliber (standard 6 inch until the appearance of the intermediate caliber 8 or 9.2 inch). The guns differed from the 7.5-inch guns later used on British cruisers. Here, too, the designs of the guns differed according to the shipyard: Swiftsure carried Mark III guns from Armstrong, Triumph Mark IV guns from Vickers. Ten of the guns were set up in a central battery on the main deck, but this setup was criticized as a waste of space, the remaining four guns were placed in casemates at the height of the masts on the upper deck.
For the fight against torpedo boats, the ships carried a tertiary armament of 3-inch guns that fired projectiles with a projectile weight of 14 pounds (hence called 14 pounders). In theory, this was a heavier armament than the 12-pounders common on British battleships (which fired projectiles with a projectile weight of 12 pounds), but in practice there were no differences in the target. These were the only such weapons in service in the Royal Navy, and in practice the same 12.5 pound projectiles were used as the standard 3-inch cannon.
The armor was most comparable to that of the Duncan- class . The stability against foreign first-class battleships was only estimated at a few volleys. Although the armor accounted for the same percentage of displacement as in the Duncan class, the main difference was the concentration of the armor for the secondary armament in the central battery compared to the installation in casemates in the Duncan class.
The ships had balanced rudders and an improved hull shape, which increased maneuverability. When built, they were fitted with the latest British boilers, making them the fastest pre-dreadnoughts ever built. The Triumph reached 20.17 knots and the Swiftsure 20.87 knots in short sprints under ideal conditions. In use, speeds of 19 knots were driven, making them slightly faster than the ships of the Duncan class.
Designed based on the requirements of a foreign navy, the ships did not meet Royal Navy standards. The main armament required the manufacture of special 10-inch ammunition. The use was problematic because they were too weakly armed and armored to fight against enemy battleships, too slow to fight against enemy cruisers. When the HMS Dreadnought entered service at the end of 1906, they were already out of date. Still, they proved useful and played a role in theaters of war overseas during the first half of the First World War .
Fleet use
Both ships started their service in local waters before they were transferred to the Mediterranean . They then served in various naval associations overseas. The Triumph took part in the hunt for the supplies of the German cruiser squadron under Maximilian Graf von Spee and in the fighting against German troops in Tsingtau . Both ships were used in 1915 in an unsuccessful attack on Smyrna and during the Dardanelles campaign in support of the troops that landed on Gallipoli . The Triumph was sunk by U 21 on May 25th . The Swiftsure then served until it was decommissioned and scrapped by the Atlantic Patrol .
Ships
Swiftsure
The Swiftsure was laid down as Constitución 1902 for the Chilean Navy, bought by Great Britain on December 3, 1903 and renamed Swiftsure on December 7, 1903 . It was used in 1904 in the Home Fleet , 1905–1908 in the Channel Fleet , 1909–1912 in the Mediterranean Fleet , and again in 1912/13 in the Home Fleet. At the outbreak of war she was assigned to the East Indies station (1913-1915). In 1914/15 she served in the Suez Canal Patrol and took part in the fight against Turkish troops during the Dardanelles campaign in 1915/16. After being used in the Atlantic in 1916–1917, she was added to the reserve and in 1920 was sold for scrapping.
triumph
The Triumph was laid down as Libertad in 1902 for the Chilean Navy, bought by Great Britain on December 3, 1903 and renamed Triumph on December 7, 1903 . It was used in 1904 in the Home Fleet, 1905–1909 in the Channel Fleet, 1909–1912 in the Mediterranean Fleet, and again in 1912/13 in the Home Fleet. Since 1913 it had been assigned to the China Station , but was in reserve in Hong Kong . In 1914 she took part in the campaign against the German colony in Tsingtau (China). Then she took part in the fight against Turkish troops during the Dardanelles Campaign 1915-1916. On May 25, 1915, she sank near Gaba Tepe after a torpedo hit by the German submarine U 21 .
literature
- Burt, RA: British Battleships 1889-1904 . Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1988. ISBN 0-87021-061-0 .
- Chesneau, Roger, and Eugene M. Kolesnik (Editors): Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships, 1860-1905 . New York: Mayflower Books, Inc., 1979. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4 .
- Gibbons, Tony: The Complete Encyclopedia of Battleships and Battlecruisers: A Technical Directory of All the World's Capital Ships From 1860 to the Present Day . London: Salamander Books Ltd., 1983.
