WARSPITE

Fleet

Royal Navy

Ship Type

Battleship

Nickname

The Grand Old Lady (Cunningham 1943)

Ship Class

Queen Elizabeth

Grouping

5th Battle Squadron

Command

Battle-cruiser Fleet

Builder's Yard

HM Dockyard Devenport

Budget Year

–

Construction Notes

Philip Watts' (DNC) design was based on Plan RIII which looked for a ship 3 kts faster than Iron Duke with 4 not 5 turrets but with a heavier broadside weight. Cost £2,363.000.

Date Laid Down

12.10.1912

Launch Date

26.11.1913

Completed date

–

Commission date

08.03.1915

Year laid down

1912

Year launched

1913

Year completed

–

Commission Year

1915

Pennant No

–

Photo Details

Warspite in 1916

Related stories

–

Sister ships

Queen Elizabeth, Barham, Malaya and Valiant

Eventual Fate

scrapped 1950s

Jutland result

Scored her first hit on von der Tann in the Run to the south. After the Run to the North, a bearing in her rudder gears over heated and jammed her into a circle that took her back within range of the HSF guns.Captain Philpotts kept her in the turn at speed but she was hit 13 times. After 2 turns, control was regained but only A turret could fire. She'd been holed 150 times and eventually the decision was taken that she go back to Rosyth. On the way a U-boat unsuccesfully attempted to torpedo her.

Ready for action after dock repairs

–

Commander

Captain Edward M. Philpotts

Noteable Officers

Warrant Officer Walter Yeo, one of the wounded, was the first man to receive facial reconstructive surgery.

Crew complement

925 - 1,220

Officers

–

Ratings

–

Killed

14

Wounded

32 (16 Wiki)

Prisoners

46

Displacement full Load (tons)

33,410

Artefacts Data

–

Ship's Model

–

Length (ft)

639' 6"

Length (mtrs)

14.89

Beam (ft)

90' 6"

Beam (mtrs)

27.58

Draught (ft)

30' 6"

Draught (mtrs)

9.3

Max. Speed (knots)

24

Range (miles)

–

Range (kilometres)

–

Fuel

3,300 tons oil and 100 tons coal

Propulsion

4 direct drive turbine engines heating 24 Babcock and Wilcox boilers driving 4 shafts. Rated at 75,000 shp.

Armour Main Belt

13" - 6

Deck Armour

–

Turret Armour IN CM

–

Conning Tower Armour

–

Barbette Armour

–

Weight of armour

–

Armour / Displacement Ratio

–

Watertight compartments

–

General Notes

–

Fire Control Table

Dreyer Table Mk 1V, Dreyer Turret Control Table

Fire Control - Clock

–

Primary Gun calibre

BL 15" Mk I guns

No. Primary Turrets

4

Guns (No.barrels)

8

Primary gun layout

–

Rounds per main gun

–

Effective broadside guns

–

Primary shell Weight (inches or cm)

1,920

Primary Broadside Weight

15,360

Secondary Gun Calibre

BL 6" Mk XII guns

Guns (No.barrels) 2

12

Rounds per secondary

–

Other Armament

Two QF 3" 20 cwt AA guns, four Single 47 mm (1.9”) 3-pdr saluting guns,

Elevation (degrees)

20

Gunnery Range (yards)

24400

Gunnery Range (metres)

–

Rate of Fire (rds per minute)

–

Shells expended Main

–

Mines dropped

–

Shells expended Secondary

–

Torpedoes fired

–

Gunnery Notes

–

Torpedo Type IN

21” (533 mm) Whitehead

No. tubes

3

Torpedo Type MM

–

No. Mines

–

Torpedo Notes

submerged

References & sources

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