HMSAnson at Devonport, March 1945
History
United Kingdom
Name	Anson
Builder	Swan Hunter,Tyne and Wear
Laid down	20 July 1937
Launched	24 February 1940
Commissioned	14 April 1942
Decommissioned	November 1951
Stricken	18 May 1957
Motto	Nil desperandum ("Never Despair")
Fate	Scrapped, 17 December 1957
Notes	Pennant number 79
General characteristics
Class and type	King George V-classbattleship
Displacement	42,600 long tons (43,300 t) Trials 45,360 long tons (46,090 t)Deep load
Length	744 ft 11.50 in (227.1 m) Overall 740 ft 0 in (225.6 m) Waterline
Beam	103 ft 0.62 in (31.4 m)
Draught	34 ft 2.25 in (10.4 m)
Installed power	110,300 shp (82,300 kW) (trials)
Propulsion	4 shafts, 4 sets Parsons gearedturbines 8 Admiralty 3-drum small-tube boilers
Speed	29.25 knots (54.17 km/h; 33.66 mph)
Range	6,100 nmi (11,300 km; 7,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	1,553–1,558 peacetime 1,900 war
Armament	10 ×BL 14-inch (356 mm) Mark VII 16 ×QF 5.25-inch (133 mm) Mk. I 6 × 8-barrelledQF 2-pounder 1.575-inch (40.0 mm) Mk. VIII 18 ×20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon.
Armour	Main Belt: 14.7 inches (370 mm) Lower belt: 5.4 inches (140 mm) Deck: 5–6 inches (127–152 mm) Main turrets: 12.75 inches (324 mm) Barbettes: 12.75 inches (324 mm) Bulkheads: 10–12 inches (254–305 mm) Conning tower: 3–4 inches (76–102 mm).[1]
Aircraft carried	TwoSupermarine Walrusseaplanes, one double-ended catapult (removed early 1944)

HMSAnson was aKing George V-classbattleship of theRoyal Navy, named after AdmiralGeorge Anson. She was built bySwan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Shipyard on the River Tyne and launched on 24 February 1940, being completed on 22 June 1942. Her completion was delayed to allow the fitting of fire-control radar and additional anti-aircraft weapons. She was originally to have been namedJellicoe, but was renamedAnson in February 1940.

Anson saw service in theSecond World War, escorting nine Russianconvoys in the Arctic by December 1943. She took part in diversionary moves to draw attention away fromOperation Husky in July 1943. In October the same year she took part inOperation Leader. In February 1944 she provided cover forOperation Tungsten, the successful air strike against theGerman battleship Tirpitz. Rear AdmiralCecil Harcourt accepted the surrender of Japanese forces occupyingHong Kong on boardAnson in August 1945, and after the end of the war the vessel became theflagship of the 1st Battle Squadron of theBritish Pacific Fleet.

Anson arrived back in British waters on 29 July 1946, spending the next three years in active service with the post-war navy. She was finally placed inreserve and "mothballed" in 1949, spending eight years in this condition. On 17 December 1957 she was purchased for scrap by Shipbreaking Industries,Faslane.

In the aftermath of the First World War, theWashington Naval Treaty was drawn up in 1922 in an effort to stop anarms race developing between Britain, Japan, France, Italy and the United States. This treaty limited the number of ships each nation was allowed to build and capped the displacement of allcapital ships at 35,000long tons.^[2] These restrictions were extended in 1930 through theLondon Naval Treaty, however, in 1935 Japan and Italy would not agree to theSecond London Naval Treaty for further armament control.

Concerned by a lack of modern battleships within their navy, theAdmiralty ordered the construction of a new battleship class: theKing George V class. The calibre limitation clause introduced in the Second Treaty meant that the main armament of theKing George V class was limited to 14-inch (356 mm) and the unusual arrangement of the guns in the three turrets was an attempt to maximise firepower. Due to the pressing need for the ships, the British, unlike the US, could not delay to take advantage of an escalator clause that would allow 16-inch guns. The ships were the only ones to be built at the time to adhere to the treaty and even though it soon became apparent to the British that the other signatories to the treaty were ignoring its requirements, it was too late to change the design of the class before they were laid down in 1937.^[3]

The keel of the fourth ship of the class waslaid at the Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Shipyard on the River Tyne on 20 July 1937. She was originally to have been namedJellicoe, after AdmiralSir John Jellicoe, the commander of theGrand Fleet at theBattle of Jutland in 1916, but she was renamedAnson in February 1940.Anson was launched on 24 February 1940 and was completed on 22 June 1942. Completion was delayed largely because of the inclusion of fire-control radar, and additional anti-aircraft weapons.^[4]

Ansondisplaced 42,600 long tons (43,300 t) on trials in 1942 and 45,360 long tons (46,090 t) fully loaded in 1945. The ship had anoverall length of 745 feet (227.1 m), abeam of 103 feet (31.4 m) and adraught of 31 feet 3 inches (9.5 m). Her designedmetacentric height was 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) at normal load and 8 feet 1 inch (2.46 m) atdeep load.^[5][6][7]

She was powered byParsons gearedsteam turbines driving four propeller shafts. Steam was provided by eight Admiralty 3-drumwater-tube boilers which normally delivered 100,000shaft horsepower (75,000 kW), but could deliver 110,000 shp (82,000 kW) at emergency overload.^{[N 1]}This gaveAnson a top speed of 27.62knots (51.15 km/h; 31.78 mph).^[3][10] The ship carried 4,210 long tons (4,300 t) of fuel oil.^[11] At full speedAnson had a range of 3,150 nautical miles (5,830 km; 3,620 mi) at 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) while burning 36 long tons (37 t) of fuel per hour.^[12]

Anson's main armament was tenBL 14-inch (356 mm) Mk VII guns. The 14-inch guns were mounted in three turrets; one Mark III quadruple turret forward and oneaft, and one Mark II twin turret forward firing over the quadruple turret. The guns could be elevated 40 degrees and depressed 3 degrees. A full gunbroadside weighed 15,950 pounds (7.23 t), and asalvo could be fired every 40 seconds.^[13] Her secondary armament consisted of 16QF 5.25-inch (133 mm) Mk I guns which were mounted in eight twin mounts.^[14] The maximum range of the Mk I guns was 24,070 yards (22,009.6 m) at a 45-degree elevation, the anti-aircraft ceiling was 49,000 feet (14,935.2 m). The guns could be elevated to 70 degrees and depressed to 5 degrees.^[15] The normal rate of fire was ten to twelve rounds per minute, but in practice the guns could only fire seven to eightrounds per minute.^[14] Along with her main and secondary batteriesAnson carried six 8-barrelledQF 2-pounder Mk. VIII (40 mm) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns. These were supplemented by eighteen20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon light AA guns.^[16]

After her commissioning in 1942,Anson was sent to theArctic Sea with most of theHome Fleet as an escort ship for Russian convoys. On 12 September 1942Anson was part of the distant covering force forConvoy QP 14, along with her sister shipHMS Duke of York, the light cruiserHMS Jamaica and the destroyersHMS Keppel,Mackay,Montrose andBramham.^[17] On 29 DecemberAnson provided distant cover forConvoy JW 51B along with the cruiserHMS Cumberland and the destroyersHMS Forester,Icarus andImpulsive.^[18] On 23 and 24 January 1943Anson provided distant cover forConvoy JW 52 along with the cruiserHMS Sheffield and the destroyersHMS Echo,Eclipse,Faulknor,Inglefield,Montrose,Queenborough,Raider and the Polish destroyerOrkan. On 29 January,Convoy RA 52 departed from theKola inlet, with distant cover provided byAnson, the cruiserSheffield and the destroyersInglefield,Oribi,Obedient and the Polish destroyerOrkan from 30 January.^[19]

In June 1942, the pre-First World War battleshipHMS Centurion was disguised asAnson in theMediterranean Sea, acting as a decoy duringOperation Vigorous.^[20] In July 1943Anson took part in the diversionary moves designed to draw attention away from the preparations forOperation Husky, and in October that year, withDuke of York and the US cruiserTuscaloosa, provided cover forOperation Leader, in which the US aircraft carrierRanger mounted air strikes against German shipping off Norway. In February 1944, in company with theFrench battleship Richelieu and a force of cruisers and destroyers,Anson stood by in the same capacity while aircraft from the aircraft carrierHMS Furious carried out air strikes against German targets in Norway during Operation Bayleaf, and on 3 April she provided cover forOperation Tungsten, a successful air strike against theGerman battleship Tirpitz,^[21] during which she served as flagship forVice AdmiralSir Henry Moore.^[22]

Anson was decommissioned for a refit in June 1944 and did not return to the fleet until March 1945, when she sailed withDuke of York to join theBritish Pacific Fleet. By the time she arrived in the theatre, hostilities were all but over. She left Sydney on 15 August forHong Kong withDuke of York, and along with a task force of other ships from Britain and the Commonwealth, accepted the surrender of the Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong. She was also present inTokyo Bay during theofficial Japanese surrender aboardUSS Missouri.^[21]

It is reported thatAnson never once fired her main armament in anger.^[23]

Following the warAnson was the flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron of the British Pacific Fleet and helped to liberate Hong Kong. After a brief refit,Anson sailed fromSydney toHobart in February 1946 to collect theDuke andDuchess of Gloucester (the Duke was then Governor-General of Australia) and return them to Sydney.^[24]

Anson arrived back in British waters on 29 July 1946 and after a short refit was returned to peacetime duties. In July 1949Anson took part inExercise Verity. November 1949,Anson was placed in reserve and in 1951 she was towed toGare Loch.^[25] On 17 December 1957 she was purchased for scrap by Shipbreaking Industries, Faslane.^[4] A selection of her timbers would be reused to make souvenirs of different types.^[26]

During her career,Anson was refitted on several occasions in order to update her equipment. The following are the dates and details of the refits undertaken:^[27]

• Burt, R. A. (1986).British Battleships of World War One. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-863-8.
• Campbell, N. J. M. (1980). "Great Britain". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 2–85.ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
• Chesneau, Roger (2004).King George V Battleships. ShipCraft. Vol. 2. London: Chatham Publishing.ISBN 1-86176-211-9.
• Garzke, William H. Jr.; Dulin, Robert O. Jr. (1980).British, Soviet, French, and Dutch Battleships of World War II. London: Jane's.ISBN 0-7106-0078-X.
• Konstam, Angus (2009).British Battleships 1939–45 (2)Nelson andKing George V Classes. New Vanguard. Vol. 160. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing.ISBN 978-1-84603-389-6.
• Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1976).British Battleships of World War Two: The Development and Technical History of the Royal Navy's Battleship and Battlecruisers from 1911 to 1946. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-817-4.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
• Tarrant, V. E. (1991).King George V Class Battleships. London: Arms and Armour.ISBN 1-85409-026-7.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toHMS Anson (79).

• HMS Anson on naval-history.net
• Maritimequest HMS Anson Photo Gallery
• HMS Anson Association

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• 1940 ships

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