Monmouth Class Cruiser (1901)

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The ten armoured cruisers of the Monmouth class were completed in 1903 and 1904. They were sometimes referred to as the Kent class, and sometimes, along with the succeeding Devonshire class, referred to as "County Class" cruisers.

Binoculars

In September 1914, the ships were allowed four additional pairs of Pattern 343 Service Binoculars.[1]

Searchlights

In 1907, these ships, along with the Powerful, Drake, Cressy, and Devonshire classes and battleships of the Majestic, Canopus, London, and Duncan classes, were to land their searchlights from their tops and obtain two additional 24-inch models from their dockyards for placement on the shelter or boat deck. These were to be augmented by (or further upgraded to?) a pair of 36-in searchlights when they became available.[2]

Armament

During the war, along with those of other older ships, the six 6-inch guns in lower casemates proved of little use in practical sea states. They were moved to the upper deck in spray shields and their old positions plated up. Six 12-pdr guns so displaced were relocated to the forward casemates and after shelter deck. The alteration greatly improved the sea-keeping qualities of the ships.[3]

Guns

In February, 1913, the 6-in mountings, along with many other 4-in and 6-in mountings in various capital ships and cruisers were to have illumination added for their training index racers.[5]

Torpedoes

  • two 18-in submerged broadside tubes forward, depressed three degrees and bearing abeam; axis of tube was 7 foot 6 inches below load water line and 1 feet 6 inches above deck.[6]

Dreyer Table

These ships had no fire control tables.[7]

Fire Control Instruments

By 1909, the 10 ships in this class were evenly split into two different types of fire control equipment.

Bedford, Essex, Kent, Monmouth and Suffolk were fitted with Barr and Stroud Mark II equipment with a few gongs and bells from other sources:[8]

  • Combined Range, Order, Deflection: 6 transmitters, 27 receivers
  • Group Switches: 3
  • Rate: 4 transmitters, 8 receivers
  • Bearing: none
  • Range: none

Additionally, this class had the following fire control equipment:[9]

  • Siemens Fire Gongs (turrets): 4 with 2 keys
  • Vickers Fire Gongs (elsewhere): 10 with 4 keys
  • Siemens Captain's Cease Fire Bells: 16 with 1 key

Berwick, Cornwall, Cumberland, Donegal and Lancaster were equipped with Vickers instruments for range, deflection and orders and with Barr and Stroud rate instruments:[10]

  • Vickers range transmitters: 6
  • Vickers deflection transmitters: 6
  • Vickers combined range and deflection receivers: 21
  • Vickers C.O.S.: 3
  • Vickers Check fire switches: 6
  • Barr and Stroud rate transmitters: 4
  • Barr and Stroud rate receivers: 8
  • Siemens Fire Gongs (turrets): 4 with 2 keys
  • Vickers Fire Gongs (elsewhere): 6 with 2 keys
  • Siemens Captain's Cease Fire Bells: 16 with 1 key

None of the ships had Target Visible or Gun Ready signals.[11]

In mid-1913 it was approved that the nine remaining ships receive a Mark III Dumaresq, Pattern 760. Having been supplied with the Mark III variant, they were to surrender a Mark I instrument.[12]

See Also

Footnotes

  1. Admiralty Weekly Order No. 331 of 8 Sep, 1914.
  2. Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1907. p. 35. The location for each ship type was placement stipulated in C.N.2 11884/13066, 13.12.1906.
  3. The Technical History and Index, Vol. 4, Part 36. p. 9-10.
  4. The Sight Manual, 1916. pp. 7-8.
  5. Admiralty Weekly Orders. The National Archives. ADM 182/4. 21 Feb, 1913 entries. pp. 3-4.
  6. Torpedo Manual, Vol. III, 1909. p. 265.
  7. Handbook of Captain F. C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, 1918. p. 3.
  8. Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909. pp. 56, 58.
  9. Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909. p. 58.
  10. Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909. pp. 56, 60.
  11. Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914. p. 11.
  12. Admiralty Weekly Order No. 283 of 6 June, 1913.

Bibliography

  • Friedman, Norman (2012). British Cruisers of the Victorian Era. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1591140684 (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
  • McBride, Keith (1988). Grant, Ian. ed. "The First County Class Cruisers of the Royal Navy, Part II: The Devonshires". Warship (Volume XII, Issue 47): pp. 19-23.
  • Admiralty, Technical History Section (1920). The Technical History and Index: Alteration in Armaments of H.M. Ships during the War. Vol. 4, Part 34. C.B. 1515 (34) now O.U. 6171/20. At The National Archives, Kew, United Kingdom.
  • Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1910). Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909. Copy No. 173 is Ja 345a at Admiralty Library, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
  • Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1914). Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914. G. 01627/14. C.B. 1030. Copy 1235 at The National Archives. ADM 186/191.
  • Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1918). Handbook of Captain F. C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, 1918. C.B. 1456. Copy No. 10 at Admiralty Library, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.


Monmouth Class Armoured Cruiser
Bedford Berwick Cornwall Cumberland Donegal
Essex Kent Lancaster Monmouth Suffolk
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