Warrior class (1905)
| Warrior class | |
|---|---|
.jpg) HMS Warrior |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Armored cruiser |
| units | 4th |
| 1. Period of service |
|
| period of service |
1907-1921 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
13,550 ts |
| length |
L pp = 146.4 m |
| width |
22.4 m |
| Draft |
8.1-8.4 m |
| crew |
770 men |
| drive |
|
| speed |
22.3 kn |
| Armament |
|
| Bunker supply |
2,000 ts of coal |
| Armor |
Sides: 76–152 mm |
The Warrior-class was a class of armored cruisers owned by the British Royal Navy that consisted of four ships. It was very similar to the previous Duke of Edinburgh class and was in turn developed into the Minotaur class . All ships were launched in 1905.
Design history
The ships were part of the 1903/04 building structure and were intended to be a repeat of the Duke of Edinburgh class, with their Babcock & Wilcock boilers being replaced by Yarrow boilers. The keels of the ships were stretched between November 1903 and March 1904.
However, there were objections in the British Navy to the 15.2 cm guns of the medium artillery set up deep in the hull of the Duke of Edinburgh class , as these could only be used when the sea was completely calm. Therefore, there were considerations to replace the middle artillery set up in an armored battery with 8 15.2 cm guns in 4 twin towers on the upper deck. At the end of December, the idea arose of installing 4 19 cm guns in 4 individual towers instead of the twin towers.
In the meantime it became known that the ships of the Duke of Edinburgh class displaced almost 300 tons less than originally calculated. This meant that there was not only enough weight available for the 19 cm guns with their turret and barbette armor, but also that the high side armor that had protected the middle artillery on the previous ships could be retained.
At the end of April 1904 - by this time all ships were already under construction - the final decision was made in favor of the middle artillery. 19 cm caliber. The additional cost of the four Warrior class ships was estimated at £ 250,000 . A similar change to the two Duke of Edinburgh class ships, which are under construction, would have cost an estimated 398,000 pounds sterling.
technology
The Warrior class carried their main armament of six 23.4 cm guns in single turrets: two on the midship line in front and behind and two each on both sides of the ship. Between these, the middle artillery of two 19-cm guns was set up in individual turrets on each side.
The protective devices corresponded to those usual for armored cruisers at the time. The waterline was protected by an armored belt with a maximum thickness of 152 mm, and the arched armored deck, which touched the lower edge of the armored belt, was 19 mm thick. Another 25 mm thick armored deck connected the upper edges of the two armored belts. The armor of the turrets of the main artillery was 152 mm to 203 mm thick, that of the middle artillery 152 mm. The barbeds had an armor of 178 mm and the command tower of 254 mm.
The ships were propelled by two of the triple expansion engines common at the time for larger warships. The ships had 19 water tube boilers of the Yarrow type and 6 cylinder boilers . The boilers were coal-fired with additional oil firing. With a forced pull, the drive system achieved an output of 23,500 PSi for 22.3 knots , in normal operation 16,000 PSi for 20 knots.
During the First World War, armored cruisers were generally outdated, but the ships were still used.
Whereabouts
The career of the Warrior class was altogether hapless, only one ship survived the First World War.
- HMS Natal exploded due to an ammunition chamber explosion on December 30, 1915.
- HMS Warrior took part in the Battle of the Skagerrak , was badly damaged and sank as a result the following day (June 1, 1916).
- HMS Cochrane ran aground on November 14, 1918 in the River Mersey and was a total loss.
- HMS Achilles was sold for scrapping on May 9, 1921.
Remarks
- ↑ L pp = length between perpendiculars or length between perpendiculars: distance between the axis of the rudder stock and the trailing edge of the leading edge in the construction waterline.
- ↑ QF is the abbreviation for "quick fire" and means that the grenade and cartridge were connected to one another, which shortened the loading time.
literature
- Norman Friedman: British Cruisers of the Victorian Age . Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley 2012, ISBN 978-1-84832-099-4 .
- John Roberts, HC Timewell, Roger Chesneau (Eds.), Eugene M. Kolesnik (Eds.): Warships of the World 1860 to 1905 - Volume 1: Great Britain / Germany . Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Koblenz 1983, ISBN 3-7637-5402-4 .
Footnotes
- ↑ a b c d e Hugh and David Lyon: Warships from 1900 to today: Technology and Commitment. Buch-und-Zeit-Verlagsgesellschaft, Cologne 1979, p. 45.
- ↑ a b c Bruno Weyer (Ed.): Taschenbuch der Kriegsflotten 1914. New edition 1968, JF Lehmann's Verlag 1914.
- ↑ All information, unless otherwise stated, from: Norman Friedman: British Cruisers of the Victorian Age.