Sir Eustace Henry William Tennyson-d'Eyncourt, 1st Baronet, KCB, FRS (1 April 1868 – 1 February 1951)[1] was a British naval architect and engineer. As Director of Naval Construction for the Royal Navy, 1912–1924, he was responsible for the design and construction of some of the most famous British warships. On 20 February 1915 Winston Churchill appointed Tennyson-d'Eyncourt Chairman of the Landships Committee at the Admiralty, which was responsible for the design and production of the first military tank.[2] Tennyson-D'Eyncourt was related to:
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In his battlecruisers, "large light cruisers" and the Hawkins class cruisers Tennyson-D'Eyncourt evolved a novel hull form: In cross-section the hull was an isosceles trapezoid, with the ship's sides sloping inboard at an angle of 10 degrees from the vertical, while outboard of this external bulges extended over the full length of the machinery spaces. This resulted in a hull structure of great strength, and the sloping sides increased the possible range of impact of shells, thus giving greater resistance to penetration.
The aesthetic side of naval architecture has seldom been given much attention, though it is as much of an art as the architecture of buildings; in general appearance (in terms of harmonious proportion as regards length, beam, and freeboard, as well as the size of the superstructure and funnels in relation to the hull), the opinion has been expressed that Tennyson D'Eyncourt created some of the most elegant and eye-pleasing warships ever designed, the prime example being the battle cruiser Hood.[3]
Tennyson-D'Eyncourt was not necessarily the principal designer of the vessels listed below, but had ultimate responsibility for them.
Monitors, Patrol boats, Minesweepers, Sloops, Gunboats for China Station, Merchant ship conversions into seaplane carrier
Tennyson-D'Eyncourt was chairman of the Landships Committee, created by Winston Churchill to oversee the design and production of man's first military tank (armor).[4] (See also the Mark VIII (tank).)
Tennyson-D'Eyncourt summarized his World War I work in an article "Naval Construction During the War", published in Engineering, 11 April 1919, pp. 482-490. He also published an autobiography entitled A Shipbuilder's Yarn (London: Hutchinson, c. 1940).
Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by New creation |
Baronet (of Carter's Corner Farm) |
Succeeded by Eustace Gervais Tennyson-d'Eyncourt |