.jpg) HMSVengeance in harbour, prior to theRoyal Navy's 1903 adoption of the overall grey warship colour scheme. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSVengeance |
| Ordered | 1897 Programme |
| Builder | Vickers,Barrow-in-Furness |
| Laid down | 23 August 1898 |
| Launched | 25 July 1899 |
| Completed | April 1902 |
| Commissioned | 8 April 1902 |
| Decommissioned | 9 July 1920 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping 1 December 1921 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Canopus-classpre-dreadnoughtbattleship |
| Displacement | Full load: 14,300long tons (14,500 t) |
| Length | 421 ft 6 in (128.5 m) (loa) |
| Beam | 74 ft (22.6 m) |
| Draught | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 18knots (33 km/h) |
| Complement | 682 |
| Armament |
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| Armour |
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HMSVengeance was apre-dreadnoughtbattleship of the BritishRoyal Navy and a member of theCanopus class. Intended for service in Asia,Vengeance and hersister ships were smaller and faster than the precedingMajestic-class battleships, but retained the same battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns. She also carried thinner armour, but incorporated newKrupp steel, which was more effective than theHarvey armour used in theMajestics.Vengeance waslaid down in August 1898,launched in July 1899, andcommissioned into the fleet in April 1902.
On entering service,Vengeance was assigned to theChina Station, but theAnglo-Japanese Alliance rendered her presence there unnecessary, and she returned to European waters in 1905. Late that year, she underwent a refit that lasted into 1906. She then served in theChannel Fleet until 1908, when she moved to theHome Fleet, thereafter serving in secondary roles, including as atender and a gunnerytraining ship. In 1913, she was transferred to the6th Battle Squadron of theSecond Fleet.
FollowingBritain's entrance into theFirst World War in August 1914,Vengeance patrolled theEnglish Channel with the8th Battle Squadron before moving toAlexandria to protect theSuez Canal in November 1914. She then joined theDardanelles Campaign in January 1915, where she saw extensive action trying to force theDardanelles strait in February and March and later supporting the fighting ashore during theGallipoli Campaign in April and May. Worn out from these operations, she returned to Britain for a refit. She was recommissioned in December 1915 for service inEast Africa, during which she supported the capture ofDar es Salaam inGerman East Africa. She returned to Britain again in 1917 and was decommissioned, thereafter serving in subsidiary roles until 1921, when she was sold forscrap.Vengeance wasbroken up the following year.
Vengeance and her fivesister ships were designed for service in East Asia, where the new rising power Japan was beginning to build a powerful navy, though this role was quickly made redundant by theAnglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902. The ships were designed to be smaller, lighter and faster than their predecessors, theMajestic-class battleships.Vengeance was 421 feet 6 inches (128.47 m)long overall, with abeam of 74 ft (23 m) and adraught of 26 ft 2 in (7.98 m). Shedisplaced 13,150long tons (13,360 t) normally and up to 14,300 long tons (14,500 t)fully loaded. Her crew numbered 682 officers andratings.[1]
TheCanopus-class ships were powered by a pair of 3-cylindertriple-expansion engines, with steam provided by twentyBelleville boilers. They were the first British battleships withwater-tube boilers, which generated more power at less expense in weight compared with thefire-tube boilers used in previous ships. The new boilers led to the adoption of fore-and-aft funnels, rather than the side-by-side funnel arrangement used in many previous British battleships. TheCanopus-class ships proved to be good steamers, with a high speed for battleships of their time—18knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) from 13,500indicated horsepower (10,100 kW)—a full two knots faster than theMajestics.[2]
Vengeance had amain battery of fourBL 12 in (305 mm) 35-caliber Mk VIII guns mounted in twin-gun turrets fore and aft; these guns were mounted in circularbarbettes that allowed all-around loading, although at a fixed elevation. The ships also mounted asecondary battery of twelve6-inch (152 mm) 40-calibre guns mounted incasemates, in addition to ten12-pounder guns and six3-pounder guns for defence againsttorpedo boats. As was customary for battleships of the period, she was also equipped with four18-inch (457 mm) torpedotubes submerged in thehull, two on eachbroadside near the forward and aft barbette.[1][3]
To save weight,Vengeance carried less armour than theMajestics—6 inches (152 mm) in thebelt compared to 9 in (229 mm)—although the change fromHarvey armour in theMajestics toKrupp armour inVengeance meant that the loss in protection was not as great as it might have been, Krupp armour having greater protective value at a given thickness than its Harvey equivalent. Similarly, the other armour used to protect the ship could also be thinner; thebulkheads on either end of the belt were 6 to 10 in (152 to 254 mm) thick. The main battery turrets were 8 in thick, atop 12 in (305 mm) barbettes, and the casemate battery was protected with 5 in (127 mm) of Krupp steel. Herconning tower had 12 in thick sides as well. She was fitted with two armoured decks, 1 and 2 in (25 and 51 mm) thick, respectively.[2]
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HMSVengeance was laid down byVickers atBarrow-in-Furness on 23 August 1898 and launched on 25 July 1899. Her completion was delayed by damage to the fitting-out dock, and she was not completed until April 1902. She was the first British battleship completely built, armed, and engined by a single company.[4] HMSVengeance was commissioned atPortsmouth by CaptainLeslie Creery Stuart on 8 April 1902 for service with theMediterranean Fleet.[5] She left the United Kingdom early the following month,[6] arriving atMalta on 12 May.[7] In September 1902 she visited theAegean Sea with other ships of the station for combined manoeuvres nearNauplia,[8] and two months later she was back visitingPlataea.[9] In July 1903 she transferred to theChina Station to relieve her sister shipGoliath, and underwent a refit atHong Kong in 1903–1904.[10]
In 1905, the United Kingdom and Japan ratified a treaty of alliance, reducing the need for a largeRoyal Navy presence on the China Station and prompting a recall of all battleships from the station.[11]Vengeance was recalled on 1 June 1905[10] and proceeded toSingapore, where she and her sister shipAlbion rendezvoused with their sisterOcean and the battleshipCenturion. The four battleships departed Singapore on 20 June 1905 and steamed home in company, arriving atPlymouth on 2 August 1905.[11]Vengeance paid off into theDevonport Reserve on 23 August 1905, and underwent a refit that lasted into 1906[10] during which her machinery was repaired.[12]
On 15 May 1906,Vengeance commissioned for service in theChannel Fleet. She transferred to theHome Fleet on 6 May 1908, and on 13 June 1908 was damaged in a collision with the merchant shipSS Begore Head at Portsmouth.[10] She moved to theNore Division, Home Fleet, at theNore in February 1909, where she became a parent ship to special service vessels, and grounded in theThames Estuary on 28 February 1909 without damage. In April 1909, she becametender to theChatham Dockyard gunnery school, where she acted as a gunnery drill ship. On 29 November 1910,Vengeance suffered another mishap when she collided in fog with the merchant shipSS Biter, suffering damage to her side, net shelf, and net booms.Vengeance then served in the6th Battle Squadron based atPortland, then became a gunnery training ship at the Nore in January 1913.[12][13]The 6th Squadron, together with the5th Battle Squadron, formed the core of theSecond Fleet.[14]
On the outbreak of theFirst World War in August 1914, the Royal Navymobilised to meet the GermanHigh Seas Fleet. On 7 August, the 6th Battle Squadron was dissolved, the more modernDuncan-class battleships being transferred to theGrand Fleet;[15]Vengeance was assigned to the8th Battle Squadron, Channel Fleet. The 8th Squadron was tasked with patrol duties in theEnglish Channel andAtlantic,[12] thoughVengeance was quickly transferred to the7th Battle Squadron on 15 August 1914 to relieve the battleshipPrince George as the squadronflagship. Shortly thereafter, half of the 7th Squadron battleships were dispersed to strengthen the detached cruiser squadrons patrolling for Germancommerce raiders, leaving onlyVengeance,Prince George,Caesar, andGoliath and theprotected cruiserProserpine. She covered the landing of thePlymouth Marine Battalion atOstend, Belgium, on 25 August 1914. For this operation, she and the other five ships of the squadron, along with sixdestroyers, escorted thetroopships; at the same time, elements of the Grand Fleetattacked the German patrol line off Heligoland to occupy the High Seas Fleet.[13][16]
In November 1914, she was transferred toAlexandria to replace a pair of older French vessels, the battleshipBouvet and thearmoured cruiserAmiral Charner that had in turn relieved the armoured cruisersBlack Prince andWarrior asguard ships for theSuez Canal.[17] She later moved on to theCape Verde-Canary Islands Station to relieveAlbion as guard ship atSaint Vincent.[18][12]
On 22 January 1915,Vengeance was selected to take part in theDardanelles campaign. She stopped atGibraltar that month to embark AdmiralJohn de Robeck and become second flagship of the Dardanelles squadron, and arrived at theDardanelles in February 1915.[12][19][20] AdmiralSackville Carden, the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, devised a plan to force the straits and attack the Ottoman capital by neutralising the Ottoman coastal defences at long range, clearing the minefields in the Dardanelles, and then entering theSea of Marmara.[21]
Vengeance participated in the opening bombardment of theOttoman Turkish entrance forts on 18 February and 19 February 1915, though her role as de Robeck's flagship limited her to observing the fire of the other ships in his formation. The battleshipCornwallis developed problems with hercapstan and so could not anchor in her firing position, forcingVengeance to take her place. She bombarded the Orkanie fortress withdirect fire, but aerial reconnaissance proved that the fortress guns had not been disabled. Nevertheless, Carden orderedVengeance and several other battleships to close with their targets and engage them at close range. The French battleshipSuffren joinedVengeance in shelling Orkanie. Later in the afternoon, both ships began to engage a battery atKumkale with their main guns, while their secondary battery kept firing at Orkanie. At 16:10, Carden ordered them to cease fire and inspect the fortification. On closing,Vengeance came under heavy fire from Orkanie and a battery atCape Helles.Contre-amiral (Rear Admiral)Émile Guépratte, the commander of the French contingent, later wrote that "the daring attack of theVengeance in flinging herself against the forts when their fire was in no way reduced was one of the finest episodes of the day." She suffered some damage to her masts and rigging from gunfire from the forts, but she was not hit directly. Several other battleships came to her aid, and at 17:20, Carden ordered a retreat.[19][22]
On 25 February,Vengeance took part in another attack on the Dardanelles fortresses. Along withCornwallis and the French battleshipsSuffren andCharlemagne, she led the assault, which was supported by one French and three British battleships. Once the four supporting battleships had taken up their positions and begun firing at long range to suppress the Ottoman batteries,Vengeance andCornwallis made the first pass at close range, intending to destroy the guns with direct hits. De Robeck tookVengeance to within 4,000 yards (3,700 m) of the fortifications at Kumkale and fired for ten minutes, before turning about to allowCornwallis to engage the guns. The two French ships then followed, and by 15:00, the Ottoman guns had been effectively silenced, allowing for minesweepers to advance and attempt to clear the minefields; most of the fleet withdrew while the minesweepers worked, thoughVengeance and the battleshipsAlbion andTriumph remained behind to cover them.By clearing these fields, Allied warships could now enter the Dardanelles themselves, opening the route to attack additional fortifications around the town ofDardanus. While other vessels shelled the forts there,Vengeance and the battleshipIrresistible sent men ashore to destroy an abandoned artillery battery near Kumkale, with both ships remaining off shore to support the raid. The men landed unopposed, but the detachment fromVengeance quickly came under fire from Ottoman infantry on the far side of Kumkale.Lieutenant-CommanderEric Gascoigne Robinson, who ledVengeance's demolition party, went forward by himself to destroy an Ottoman anti-aircraft gun, then led his detachment to destroy a second anti-aircraft gun and the one remaining gun at the Orkanie battery. For his actions, he was awarded theVictoria Cross. Ottoman resistance prevented any further action, and the men returned toVengeance.[23]
By late February,Vengeance was in need of boiler maintenance, so de Robeck transferred his flag toIrresistible whileVengeance went toMudros for repairs. She had returned by 6 March, in time for another bombardment of the Ottoman defences; de Robeck again transferred his flag back to the ship for the operation. This time, the plan involved usingAlbion to spot for the powerfuldreadnought battleshipQueen Elizabeth, which was to fire indirectly in the hopes of being able to neutralise the Ottoman guns at a range at which they could not respond.Vengeance and three other battleships coveredAlbion inside the straits. The ships quickly silenced the Ottoman guns at Dardanus, but mobile artillery batteries continually forced bothAlbion andQueen Elizabeth to shift position, largely preventing the latter from firing and the former from relaying corrections for the few shotsQueen Elizabeth had been able to make. Nightfall and the lack of progress led to the operation being called off. Two days later,Queen Elizabeth was sent into the straits in an attempt to destroy the guns with direct fire, whileVengeance and three other battleships covered her from the mobile howitzers. Poor visibility hamperedQueen Elizabeth's gunners, and at 15:30 Carden called off the attack, having achieved nothing.[24]
Vengeance also took part in the main attack on the Narrows forts on 18 March 1915, by which time Carden had fallen ill and had to resign, leaving de Robeck to take overall command of the fleet. He therefore shifted his flag toQueen Elizabeth, andVengeance returned to the Second Division as aprivate ship.Vengeance did not engage the Ottomans until later in the afternoon, afterBouvet had been mined and sunk.Vengeance attacked the Ottoman "Hamidieh" battery, but most of her shells fell harmlessly in the center of the fortification, away from the guns. When it became clear that the Ottoman fortresses could not be silenced in time to allow the minesweepers to begin clearing the minefields further in the straits, de Robeck ordered the fleet to withdraw. In the process, two British battleships were also mined and sunk, and thebattlecruiserInflexible had also struck a mine, though she managed to return to Malta for repairs.[25]
By late-April, the First Squadron includedVengeance, seven other battleships, and four cruisers, and was commanded byRear AdmiralRosslyn Wemyss. The First Squadron was tasked with supporting theLanding at Cape Helles, which took place on 25 April.Vengeance and the battleshipLord Nelson were initially assigned to support the landing atMorto Bay, taking up their firing positions at 05:00 and opening fire at Ottoman positions in the heights around the bay shortly thereafter.Lord Nelson was later sent to support other landing beaches further south on the peninsula, andVengeance was joined byPrince George. As the allied ground forces advanced onKrithia,Vengeance and several other battleships provided fire support, though the Ottomans blocked the attack in theFirst Battle of Krithia.[26]
Through early May, she remained off the beachhead, supporting the allied right flank along withLord Nelson and the French battleshipJauréguiberry.[27] She supported the ground troops during the Ottoman attack on Allied positions atAnzac Cove on 19 May 1915,[19] before retiring to Mudros to replenish her fuel and ammunition. She returned toGallipoli on 25 May to relieve her sisterCanopus. Asubmarine attacked her that day while she was steaming up from Mudros, butVengeance quickly turned to starboard to avoid the torpedo and fired several shots at the submarine'speriscope, forcing her to withdraw.[28] By July 1915,Vengeance had boiler defects that prevented her from continuing combat operations, and she returned to the United Kingdom and paid off that month. She was under refit at Devonport until December 1915.[19]
Vengeance recommissioned in December 1915 and left Devonport on 30 December 1915 for a deployment toEast Africa.[19] The Royal Navy had begun sending reinforcements to the area in November to support theEast African Campaign; on her arrival there, she joined threemonitors, two cruisers, two armed merchant vessels, and twogunboats.[29] While there, she supported operations leading to the capture ofDar es Salaam in 1916. In February 1917,Vengeance returned to the United Kingdom and paid off. She was laid up until February 1918, when she recommissioned for use in experiments with anti-flash equipment for the fleet's guns. She completed these in April 1918, and then was partially disarmed,[19] with four 6-inch (152-mm) main-deck casemate guns removed and four 6-inch guns being installed in open shields on the battery deck.[12] She became an ammunition store ship in May 1918.Vengeance was placed on the sale list at Devonport on 9 July 1920, and was sold for scrapping on 1 December 1921. She had an eventful trip to the scrapyard. After she departed Devonport under tow on 27 December 1921 en route toDover, her tow rope parted in the English Channel on 29 December 1921. Frenchtugs located her and towed her toCherbourg, France. From there she was towed to Dover, where she finally arrived for scrapping on 9 January 1922.[19]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1908 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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