Royal Navy dreadnought-class battleships: HMS St Vincent, HMS Collingwood, HMS Vanguard

Royal Navy dreadnought-class battleships: HMS St Vincent, HMS Collingwood, HMS Vanguard

The St Vincent-class was a line of three, originally four, dreadnought battleships, HMS St Vincent, HMS Collingwood, and HMS Vanguard. With the exception of their more powerful 50-calibre Mk. XI (305 mm) main guns and twenty 50-calibre Mk VII (102 mm) secondaries, the St Vincent class closely followed the design of the Bellerophon class.[43][44] Two sets of Parsons steam turbines and the four shafts they powered gave the 536-foot (163 m) long sisters a top speed of 21.7 knots (40.2 km/h; 25.0 mph) despite a displacement of 19,700 long tons (20,000 t). Finally, the sisters were protected by a Krupp cemented armour belt 8–10 inches (203–254 mm) thick, as was the case for the Bellerophon class.

Upon commissioning, the St Vincent-class battleships were all assigned to the 1st Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet. The ships were present at the Coronation Review of King George V on 24 June 1911 and HMS Collingwood became the flagship of the 1st Squadron two days later. After a lengthy refit in mid-1914, the sisters participated in the mobilisation and British responses to the July Crisis and joined the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow on 22 July 1914. All three sisters participated in the Battle of Jutland and fired upon SMS Wiesbaden; Collingwood and Vanguard also fired at SMS Moltke and SMS Derfflinger. The three sisters inflicted little damage, despite firing 98 shots during the battle. After the battle, Collingwood and St Vincent joined their sister Vanguard in the 4th Squadron, who had been transferred there in April 1916, and continued to serve with the Home Fleet until the end of the war. On 9 July 1917, one of Vanguard’s magazines exploded, killing 840 of her crew and two Australian sailors aboard HMAS Sydney. After the war, St Vincent became a gunnery training ship March 1919, before being made the flagship of the Reserve Fleet in June. In December, she was relieved and then sold for scrap 1 December 1921. Collingwood was also assigned to the Reserve Fleet, briefly served as a training vessel, and then was also sold for scrap 12 December 1922. (Wikipedia)

HMS St Vincent

(USN Photo)

HMS St Vincent was the lead ship of her class of three dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. After commissioning in 1910, she spent her whole career assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets, often serving as a flagship. Aside from participating in the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, during which she damaged a German battlecruiser, and the inconclusive action of 19 August several months later, her service during the First World War generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea. The ship was deemed obsolete after the war and was reduced to reserve and used as a training ship. St Vincent was sold for scrap in 1921 and broken up the following year. (Wikipedia)

(IWM Photo, Q 21794)

HMS St Vincent, 1910.

(IWM Photo, Q 75225)

HMS St Vincent, 1910.

HMS Collingwood

(IWM Photo, Q 38493)

HMS Collingwood was a St Vincent-class dreadnought battleship built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She spent her whole career assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets and often served as a flagship. Prince Albert (later King George VI) spent several years aboard the ship before and during World War I. At the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, Collingwood was in the middle of the battleline and lightly damaged a German battlecruiser. Other than that battle, and the inconclusive action of 19 August, her service during the war generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea. The ship was deemed obsolete after the war; she was reduced to reserve and used as a training ship before being sold for scrap in 1922. (Wikipedia)

(IWM Photo, Q 21101)

HMS Collingwood.

(Royal Navy Photo)

HMS Collingwood.

HMS Vanguard

(IWM Photo, Q 40389)

HMS Vanguard was one of three St Vincent-class dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She spent her career assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets. Aside from participating in the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 and the inconclusive action of 19 August several months later, her service during World War I mostly consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea.

Shortly before midnight on 9 July 1917 at Scapa Flow, Vanguard suffered a series of magazine explosions. She sank almost instantly, killing 843 of the 845 men aboard. The wreck was heavily salvaged after the war, but was eventually protected as a war grave in 1984. It was designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, and diving on the wreck is generally forbidden. (Wikipedia)

(Royal Navy Photo)

Aft Mk. XI 12-inch guns of HMS Vanguard.

(Royal Navy Photo)

HMS Vanguard.

(Royal Navy Photo)

HMS Vanguard.

18:30 on 9 July 1917 after having spent the afternoon practicing the routine for abandoning ship HMS Vanguard dropped anchor in the Northern part of Scapa Flow. Vanguard was a St Vincent Class Dreadnought, laid down at Vickers 2 April 1908, launched 22 April 1909, and commissioned 1 March 1910. She was armed with 5 × twin 12-inch guns, 20 × single 4-inch guns, and 3 × 18-inch torpedo tubes. She had a displacement of 19,000 tons and a top speed of 21 knots.
At around 23:20 there began a series of explosions with in the ship. She sank almost instantly, with only three of the crew surviving, one of whom died soon afterwards. 843 Officers and men were lost with her, including two Australian stokers from the light cruiser HMAS Sydney who were serving time in the battleship’s brig, and Captain Kyōsuke Eto, a military observer from the Imperial Japanese Navy. Only 22 bodies of those lost were recovered, 17 plus that of Lieutenant Commander Alan Duke, who died after being rescued, were buried at the Royal Naval Cemetery at Lyness, not far from the site of the explosion. The rest of those lost are commemorated on the Naval War Memorials Chatham, Plymouth and Portsmouth.
A Board of Inquiry based on evidence provided, concluded that the first explosion had been, relatively small, witnesses saw a white glare between the foremast and ‘A’ turret. There then followed 2 much larger explosions. Based on the position of the visible first explosion, the board agreed that the main explosions came from detonations in either ‘P’ magazine, ‘Q’ magazine, or both.
Debris from the explosions, showered nearby ships, a section of plating measuring approximately six by four feet landed on HMS Bellerophon. When it was examined, it was It was found to be from the No. 2 Hydraulic Room abaft ‘A’ barbette. It showed no signs of a blast from ‘A’ magazine, which reinforced the visual evidence suggesting that the explosion took place in the central part of the ship.
The explosion was clearly caused by a detonation of the cordite charges in a main magazine. There were several theories as to what caused the cordite to explode. During the inquiry, it was discovered that some of the cordite on board Vanguard, was past its stated safe life. Consideration was given to this cordite spontaneously exploding. At the time of the explosion, several of the ships boilers, were still fired, some watertight doors, were open as the ship was in port, which in other circumstances would have been closed. Thus another theory is that the temperature on board reached a dangerous level, and this may have caused the detonation of cordite. Somehow an unnoticed fire had started aboard the ship, in the vicinity or in the 4″ magazine, which in turn spread to one of the main magazines, which then exploded.
Vanguard’s wreck was heavily salvaged in search of non-ferrous metals before it was declared a war grave in 1984. Some of the main armament and armour plate was also removed. Her wreck and its associated debris cover a large area and is lying at a depth of approximately 34 metres. The amidships portion of the ship is almost completely gone and ‘P’ and ‘Q’ turrets were blown some 40 metres away. The bow and stern areas are almost intact. The wreck was designated as a controlled site in 2002 and cannot be dived upon except with permission from the Ministry of Defence.
The centenary of Vanguard’s loss was commemorated on 9 July 2017. Descendants of the crew laid 40 wreaths above the wreck site, whilst Royal Navy divers placed a new Union Jack on her. There is also a ceremony at Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery.
Following is an extract from a notebook maintained by Able Seaman Ernest “Mick” Moroney who witnessed the Vanguard explosion when on watch duty aboard HMAS Melbourne at Scapa Flow, 9th July 1917. Courtesy of Paul Moroney of Australia.
“HMS Vanguard Battleship blown up in Scarpa Flo Hbr all hands lost, spectator 9 July 17. 2 saved.
HMS VANGUARD Scarpa Flow North Scotland at 11.20 pm on the 9 th July a great explosion occurred in the midst of the Grand Fleet, a terrible detonation took place lighting the whole fleet as if it were daylight there was a crash and one of the big boats went sky high with a crew of 900 men all searchlights were switched on immediately but not a thing was to be seen.
A trawler which was close by got smothered in blood and pieces of human flesh, and afterwards picked up half the body of a marine the only body recovered up to date. I happened to be on watch and saw nearly everything no one knows how she went up, but seeing she had a new ships company it is surmised that it was the work of German spies (Later) 2 men saved 1 Marine and 1 AB, 1 Officer died immediately after. (Jeff Hancock)

Newsletter

Only new articles and noteworthy updates, delivered with intention.

Subscribe