HMS Queen Elizabeth (1913)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | 21 October 1912 |
| Launched: | 16 October 1913 |
| Commissioned: | 1915 |
| Decommissioned: | 1948 |
| Struck: | 7 July 1948 |
| Fate: | Scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | As built: 33,020 tons deep |
| Length: | 640 ft 10.5 in (195.34 m) (overall) 646 ft 1 in (196.9 m) (with stern-walk fitted) 601 ft 4.5 in (183.30 m) (waterline) |
| Beam: | 90 feet 6 inches |
| Draught: |
30 feet 6 inches–30 feet 11.5 inches (mean) 33 feet 10 inches–34 feet 2.5 inches (deep) |
| Propulsion: | 24 × boilers at 285 psi maximum pressure 4 × direct drive turbines 4 × shafts 75,000 shp at 300 rpm 2 × oil driven 450 kW dynamos 1 × reciprocating engine driven 200 kW dynamo added shortly after commissioning |
| Speed: | 24 knots (design) |
| Endurance: | 8,600 nmi (16,000 km) at 12.5 knots (23 km/h) 3,900 nmi (7,200 km) at 21 knots (39 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 3,300 tons of oil 100 tons of coal |
| Complement: | 950 - 1300 |
| Armament: | As built: 4 × twin Mk I 15-inch/42 guns 12 × single Mk XII 6-inch guns 2 × single 3-inch high-angle guns 4 × single 3-pdr (47 mm) saluting guns 4 × 21-inch submerged torpedo tubes |
| Armour: | As built armour: Belt: 13 inch tapering to 6 inch forward and 4 inch aft Upper belt: 6 inches Bulkheads: 6 inch and 4 inch forward; 6 in ch and 4 inch aft 15 inch Turrets: 11 inch sides; 13 inch faces; 4.25 inch top Barbettes: 10 to 7 inches above belt; 6 to 4 inches below belt 6 inch guns: 6 inch Conning tower: 11 inch side; 3 inch roof; 4 inch revolving hood Conning tower tube: 6 inches to upper deck; 4 inches below Torpedo conning tower: 6 inch Torpedo conning tower tube: 4 inches to upper deck As built protective plate: Vertical: Torpedo bulkheads: 1 inch + 1 inch Magazine-end bulkheads: 1 inch + 1 inch (extra 1 inch layer added after Battle of Jutland) Funnel uptakes: 1.5 inches Horizontal: Forecastle: 1 inch over 6 inch battery Upperdeck 2 to 1.25 inches from A–Y barbettes Main deck: 1.25 inches at forward and aft ends Middle deck: 1 inch (2 inches after Battle of Jutland) Lower deck: 3 inches at extreme ends; 2.25 inches over steering gear; 1 inch forward |
HMS Queen Elizabeth (pennant number 00) was the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of Dreadnought battleships, named in honour of Elizabeth I of England. She saw service in both World Wars.
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[edit] History
[edit] World War One
She was launched on 16 October 1913 at Portsmouth, Hampshire, and entered service in January 1915 during World War I.
While still undergoing testing in the Mediterranean, the Queen Elizabeth was sent to the Dardanelles for the Allied attempt to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war. The Queen Elizabeth was the only modern battleship to participate, though a number of battlecruisers and pre-dreadnought battleships were also involved. She became the flagship for the preliminary naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign, leading the first line of British battleships in the decisive battle of 18 March 1915. During the military invasion of the Gallipoli on 25 April, the Queen Elizabeth was the flagship for General Sir Ian Hamilton, commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. However, after the sinking of HMS Goliath by a Turkish torpedo boat on 12 May, the Queen Elizabeth was immediately withdrawn to a safer position.
She joined Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas's 5th Battle Squadron (consisting of Queen Elizabeth-class battleships) of the Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow, but she missed the Battle of Jutland due to being in dock for maintenance.
[edit] Inter war period
Between the wars she was the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet from 1919 to 1924. From 1924 she was the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. She was extensively re-built, coming out of refit with an all new superstructure, her 6 inch (152 mm) guns removed and in their place she received 20 4.5 in (114 mm) guns and several smaller anti-aircraft guns. She also received facilities for aircraft with a launching catapult amidships. During the Spanish Civil War she participated in the non-intervention blockade. The future First Sea Lord John H. D. Cunningham served aboard her as Master of the Fleet, in 1922.
[edit] World War Two
During World War II, she was part of the Mediterranean Fleet. She along with HMS Valiant was mined and sunk by Italian frogmen in an attack on 18 December 1941 in shallow water in the harbour at Alexandria, Egypt, with the loss of nine men of her complement. Although low in the water, her decks were clear and the Italian crews were captured. She was able to maintain the illusion of full operational status, concealing the weak British position in the Mediterranean, until raised and patched up for the journey to the United States Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia where she was repaired. From there she was sent to the Pacific, where she served from 1944, taking part in raids on Japanese bases in Indonesia. She returned to Britain in July 1945, and was sold for scrap in March 1948.
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