H.M.S. Benbow (1913)
| H.M.S. Benbow (1913) | |
|---|---|
| Pendant Number: | 75 (Aug 1914) 14 (Jan 1918) 51 (Apr 1918)[1] |
| Builder: | William Beardmore & Company[2] |
| Ordered: | 1911 Programme[3] |
| Laid down: | 30 May, 1912 |
| Launched: | 12 Nov, 1913[4] |
| Commissioned: | 7 Oct, 1914 |
| Sold: | Mar, 1931[5] |
| Fate: | Scrapped |
Launch
Benbow was launched on 13 November, 1913 by Lady Randolph Churchill, widow of the former government minister and mother of the First Lord of the Admiralty. In honour of the occasion she was presented with a Brazilian diamond necklet by Messrs. William Beardmore and Company.
Torpedoes
In a torpedo firing practice exercise on 1 July, 1918, Benbow reloaded a submerged tube in a one minute, and fired the second shot after a further delay of one minute, seven seconds.[6]
Boats
In July 1914, the ship was appropriated 42-foot motor launch No. 193, though the boat was not yet delivered from the contractor.[7]
Alterations
Benbow received a main battery director after completion, sometime prior to May, 1915.[8] Her class received their directors after King George V received hers, and likely to a similar design, placing the light aloft tower atop the spotting top.[9]
She received a temporary director system for her secondary battery in November-December, 1916 which was replaced by a proper one sometime in 1917.[10]
Service
Benbow joined the Fourth Battle Squadron in December 1914 and remained there through the Battle of Jutland. In June 1916, she went with many of her squadron mates to the First Battle Squadron. She served with the First until the end of the war.[11]
Jutland
- Main article: H.M.S. Benbow at the Battle of Jutland
The ship, as flagship to Vice-Admiral Frederick Sturdee's Fourth Battle Squadron, led the Fourth Division under the command of Captain Henry W. Parker.
Post-War
In March 1919, as part of a post-war reorganization, she was placed in "miscellaneous service" with a number of other battleships. [12] This nebulous status persisted until July 1919, when she underwent a refit at Malta in anticipation of joining a Mediterranean battle squadron of three battleships under Iron Duke.[13]
Benbow was commissioned at Malta on 11 November, 1919 as flagship of Rear-Admiral of Fourth Battle Squadron.[14]
In 1924, in competitive firing trials as part of the Mediterranean Fleet, her forward torpedo flat fired at intervals of 135, 70, 65 and 96 seconds, and the aft flat at 64, 89, 82, and 122 seconds.[15]
Benbow's sale was announced on 6 March, 1931.
A photo of her being towed from Devonport for breaking in Rosyth appeared in The Daily Telegraph of 28 March, 1931.[16]
Captains
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
- Captain James A. Fergusson, 14 May, 1914[17] – 24 August, 1915[18] (and as Flag Captain)
- Captain Henry W. Parker, 24 August, 1915[19] – June, 1916[20] (and as Flag Captain)
- Captain Lewis Clinton-Baker, June, 1916[21] – 28 September, 1917[22]
- Captain Arthur K. Waistell, 28 September, 1917[23][24] – 21 February, 1919[25]
- Captain Charles D. Carpendale, 21 February, 1919[26][27] – 9 February, 1921[28]
- Captain H. Ralph Crooke, 21 February, 1921[29] – 1 April, 1921[30]
- Captain Arthur E. F. Bedford, 1 April, 1921 – 9 September, 1922 (and as Flag Captain to R/A Webb)
- Captain James F. Somerville, 20 August, 1922[31] – 31 October, 1924[32] (as Flag Captain to R.A. John D. Kelly and then to Hugh D. R. Watson)
- Captain Kenelm E. L. Creighton, 1 November, 1923[33] – 27 February, 1924[34] (temporary)
- Captain John M. Casement, 20 October, 1924[35][36] – 10 April, 1926[37]
- Captain Ambrose M. Peck, 10 April, 1926[38] – 15 August, 1927[39]
- Captain Alfred F. B. Carpenter, 15 August, 1927[40] – 1 May, 1928[41]
- Captain Frederick C. Fisher, 1 May, 1928 – 12 May, 1928
- Captain Francis M. Austin, 12 May, 1928[42] – 8 May, 1929[43] (and as Flag Captain and Chief of Staff to R.A. Casement)
- Captain William F. Sells, 7 May, 1929[44] – 1 April, 1930[45]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 33.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 31.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 31.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 33.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 33.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1918. pp. 266-7.
- ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 122 of 10 July, 1914.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in HM Ships, pp. 9-10.
- ↑ Letter in D'Eyncourt Papers at the National Maritime Museum's Caird Library, DEY/27
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 23. p. 16.
- ↑ See Fourth Battle Squadron and First Battle Squadron for citations.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1919). p. 21.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (July, 1919). p. 21.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1921). p. 732.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1927. p. 54.
- ↑ Excerpt contained in Albert Francis Barclay Bridges papers at The Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum. [BRG 1/1]
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1914). p. 281.
- ↑ Fergusson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43 f. 199.
- ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 392j.
- ↑ Parker Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 156.
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1916). p. 392k.
- ↑ Clinton-Baker Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 394.
- ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 740.
- ↑ Waistell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 179/344.
- ↑ Waistell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 179/344.
- ↑ The Navy List. (August, 1919). p. 739.
- ↑ Carpendale Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 443.
- ↑ Carpendale Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 443.
- ↑ Crooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 36.
- ↑ Crooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 36.
- ↑ Somerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47. f. 292.
- ↑ Somerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47. f. 292.
- ↑ Creighton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/141. f. 345.
- ↑ Creighton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/141. f. 345.
- ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1926). p. 217.
- ↑ Casement Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 381.
- ↑ Casement Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 381.
- ↑ Peck Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/324. f. 364.
- ↑ Peck Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/324. f. 364.
- ↑ Carpenter Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 162.
- ↑ Carpenter Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 162.
- ↑ Austin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 78.
- ↑ Austin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 78.
- ↑ Sells Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45. f. 196.
- ↑ Sells Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45. f. 196.
Bibliography
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
- Admiralty, Technical History Section (1919). The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in H.M. Ships. Vol. 3, Part 23. C.B. 1515 (23) now O.U. 6171/14. At The National Archives. ADM 275/19.
- Parkes, O.B.E., Ass.I.N.A., Dr. Oscar (1990). British Battleships 1860–1950. London: Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0850526043. (on Bookfinder.com).
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