Lord Clive class monitor
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 HMS General Crauford |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Lord Clive |
| Operators: |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by: | Abercrombie class |
| In commission: | June 1915 - 1927 |
| Completed: | Eight |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Monitor |
| Displacement: | 6,150 tons |
| Length: | 335 ft (102 m) |
| Beam: | 87 ft (27 m) |
| Draught: | 9 ft 7 in (2.9 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 shafts, reciprocating steam engines, 2 boilers, 2,310 hp |
| Speed: | 6.5 knots (12.0 km/h) |
| Complement: | 194 |
| Armament: | Originally two 12-inch (305 mm) guns in a single turret, two 3-inch (76 mm) guns, Lord Clive and General Wolfe had a single 18-inch (457 mm) gun in 1918 installed amidships. Similar work on Prince Eugene was not completed because of the end of the war. |
| Armour: | Belt: 6 inch Turret: 10.5 inch Barbette 8 inch Deck 2 inch |
The Lord Clive class, sometimes referred to as the General Wolfe class, of monitors were ships designed for shore bombardment and were constructed for the British Royal Navy during the First World War.
The Lord Clives, all named after military rather than naval leaders, followed the Abercrombie class of four monitors.
The class consisted of:
- Lord Clive, named after Clive of India, built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast, Launched June 1915. Served in the Dover monitor squadron and as a gunnery trials ship after the war. Broken up in 1927.
- General Crauford, Built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast, Launched July 1915, Served with the Dover Monitor squadron. Broken up in 1921.
- Earl of Peterborough, built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast, Launched August 1915. Served in the Mediterranean during World War I. Broken up in 1921.
- Sir Thomas Picton, named after Sir Thomas Picton, built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast. Launched 1915, served in the Mediterranean. Broken up in 1921.
- Prince Eugene, named after Prince Eugene of Savoy, built by Harland and Wolff, Govan. Launched September 1915. Served in the Dover Monitor Squadron. Broken up in 1921.
- Prince Rupert, named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Built by Hamilton. Launched 1915, served in the Dover Monitor Squadron. Broken up in 1923.
- Sir John Moore, named after Sir John Moore, built by Scotts, Glasgow. Launched in 1915. Served in the Dover Monitor squadron. Broken up in 1921.
- General Wolfe, named after James Wolfe, built by Palmers, Newcastle. Launched September 1915. Served in the Dover Monitor Squadron. Broken up in 1921.
The main armament consisted of a single twin 12-inch (305 mm) gun turret taken from decommissioned Majestic class pre-dreadnought battleships.
[edit] 18 inch conversions
Three of the ships, HMS General Wolfe, Lord Clive and Prince Eugene, were to be converted to take the BL 18 inch guns that had originally been allocated to HMS Furious. The guns were fixed, firing to starboard, in a large housing amidships with control for elevation only, the ship being turned to effect traverse. The enormous rounds and charges were transported to the gunhouse on a light railway fixed to the main deck. Work was completed on two of the ships but the end of World War I intervened before Prince Eugene was finished. Both of the converted ships saw action. The original 12 inch turret was left in place to maintain stability.
General Wolfe fired on a railway bridge at Snaeskerke, four miles (6 km) south of Ostend, Belgium, on 28 September 1918. The range of 36,000 yards (33 km) made this the greatest range at which a Royal Navy vessel has ever engaged an enemy target using guns. Lord Clive fired a mere four rounds with the replacement gun at enemy targets.
The guns used were as follows[1]:
- The gun from the rear turret of Furious was to have been fitted to Prince Eugene.
- The gun intended for the forward turret of Furious was fitted to General Wolfe.
- The gun fitted to Lord Clive was a spare.
[edit] References
- Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1922
- British 18"/40 (45.7 cm) Mark I at NavWeaps website
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