Lord Clive Class Monitor (1915)
Overview of 8 vessels | |||||
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Citations for this data available on individual ship pages | |||||
Name | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
Earl of Peterborough | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 16 Jan, 1915 | 28 Aug, 1915 | Oct, 1915 | Sold 8 Nov, 1921 |
General Craufurd | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 9 Jan, 1915 | 8 Jul, 1915 | Aug, 1915 | Sold 9 May, 1921 |
General Wolfe | Palmer Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Hebburn | Jan, 1915 | 9 Sep, 1915 | Nov, 1915 | Sold 9 May, 1921 |
Lord Clive | Harland & Wolff | 9 Jan, 1915 | 10 Jun, 1915 | Jul, 1915 | Sold Oct, 1927 |
Prince Eugene | Harland & Wolff, Govan | 1 Feb, 1915 | 14 Jul, 1915 | Sep, 1915 | Sold 9 May, 1921 |
Prince Rupert | William Hamilton & Company | 12 Jan, 1915 | 20 May, 1915 | Jul, 1915 | Sold May, 1923 |
Sir John Moore | Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company | 13 Jan, 1915 | 31 May, 1915 | Jul, 1915 | Sold 8 Nov, 1921 |
Sir Thomas Picton | Harland & Wolff | 16 Jan, 1915 | 30 Sep, 1915 | 15 Nov, 1915 | Sold 8 Nov, 1921 |
Armament
The ships were armed as follows.[1]
As built:
- two B.L. 12-in
- two 12-pdr 12 cwt Q.F. guns[Inference]
Sir John Moore and Prince Rupert:
- two B.L. 12-in
- two 12-pdr 12 cwt Q.F. guns
Prince Eugene and General Craufurd:
- two B.L. 12-in
- two 3-pdr Vickers H.A. or two 3-in H.A. Mark II
Earl of Peterborough, Lord Clive and General Wolfe:
- two B.L. 12-in
- two 2-pdr pom-poms
In November 1918:
- two B.L. 12-in
- two 12-pdr 12 cwt Q.F. guns[Inference]
- one 6-in Mark XII
Sir John Moore and Prince Rupert:
- two B.L. 12-in
- two 12-pdr 12 cwt Q.F. guns
- two 6-in Mark VII
- two B.L. 12-in
- two 3-pdr Vickers H.A. or two 3-in H.A. Mark II
- two 6-in Mark VII
Earl of Peterborough (unchanged):
- two B.L. 12-in
- two 2-pdr pom-poms
- one B.L. 18-in
- two B.L. 12-in
- two 6-in Mark VII
- two 2-pdr pom-poms
- two 3-in H.A.
- one B.L. 18-in
- two B.L. 12-in
- four 4-in Mark IX
- two 2-pdr pom-poms
- two 3-in H.A.
18-inch Monitors
The delivery and installation of 18-in guns suffered from a frustrating series of delays. When the guns were first to be tried in Silloth on May 17th, the rammer motor was found too weak to seat the projectile. Nine days later, a more powerful motor made firing trials possible.
General Wolfe conducted the shipborne trials of the 18-in gun off the Isle of Wight on August 7th, 1918. Though the specification was a mere one round per six minutes, the gun in General Wolfe could fire one round every four minutes, though it was noted to create a great deal of work in the shell room. Lessons taken from this resulted in alterations to Lord Clive.[2]
Rate of fire improved with wartime practice. On September 28th, the ship fired 45 rounds at the German-held coast with an average of 2 minutes 38 seconds. A further 18 rounds came the next day, and no delays due to breakdown resulted.[3]
Lord Clive had her gun fitted and ran her trials on October 13th, but cessation of operations against the Belgian coast left her without battle experience. A third gun meant for Prince Eugene was delivered to Portsmouth, but its fitting within her was cancelled on October 22.[4]
Fire Control
Directors
All eight ships were fitted with directors in 1915.[5] General Wolfe, Lord Clive and Prince Eugene were later fitted with 18-in guns, requiring their directors to be updated in 1918, although this new director was never fitted in Prince Eugene.[6]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 4, Part 28. p. 36.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 4, Part 28. p. 35.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 4, Part 28. p. 35-6.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 4, Part 28. p. 36.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 23. p. 13.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 23. p. 14.
Bibliography
- Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1917). The Director Firing Handbook. O.U. 6125 (late C.B. 1259). Copy No. 322 at The National Archives. ADM 186/227.
- 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.
- Buxton, Ian L. (1978). Big Gun Monitors: The History of the Design, Construction and Operation of the Royal Navy's Monitors. Tynemouth: World Ship Society. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
Lord Clive Class Monitor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Earl of Peterborough | General Craufurd | General Wolfe | Lord Clive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prince Eugene | Prince Rupert | Sir John Moore | Sir Thomas Picton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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