View source for H.M.S. Vanguard (1909)

<div name=fredbot:career>{{ShipCareer|fullname=H.M.S. ''Vanguard'' (1909)|fate2=accident
|comm=1 Mar, 1910
|fatedate=9 Jul, 1917{{DittColl|p. 32}}
|order=1907
|name=Vanguard
|launch=22 Feb, 1909{{Conways1906|p. 23}}
|builder=[[Vickers]], Barrow-in-Furness
|laid=2 Apr, 1908{{Conways1906|p. 23}}
|fate=Exploded
|pend=39 (1914){{DittColl|p. 32}}
|fg=white|bg=crimson}}</div name=fredbot:career>
'''H.M.S. ''Vanguard''''' (ex-''Rodney'') was one of three [[St. Vincent Class Battleship (1908)|''St. Vincent'' class battleships]], built at Vickers in Barrow-in-Furness.  

==Service==
Vickers won the contract for the construction of ''Vanguard'' with a tender of £628,000 for the hull and machinery.  The unsuccessful tenders were: John Brown and Company, £667,000; William Beardmore and Company, £704,000; Palmer Shipbuilding and Iron Company, £712,000; Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, £734,000; Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Company, £738,000; Scott's Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, £764,000.<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Thursday, 2 January, 1908.  Issue '''38532''', col C, p. 8.</ref>

Laid down in mid-1908, she completed in early 1910, joining the {{UK-BS|1}}.  She would serve with this squadron until April, 1916.  At the outbreak of war, the two 4-in guns on "A" turret were removed.  On 1 September, 1914 she fired on a suspected enemy submarine at [[Scapa Flow]] in a case of friendly fire.

The Lords of the Admiralty were pleased to commend [[Devonport Royal Dockyard]] for taking just 23 hours to clean and paint ''Vanguard'''s bottom and repair underwater defects between 17-18 September, having her back afloat at 5pm.{{AWO1914|469 of 9 Oct, 1914}}

On 22 January, 1916 Captain [[James Douglas Dick|J. D. Dick]] (late of {{UK-BlackPrince}}) became captain of ''Vanguard''.

''Vanguard'' was fitted with a director for her main battery after December, 1915 but prior to the [[Battle of Jutland]].<ref>''The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in HM Ships'', pp. 9-11.</ref>

===Jutland===
:{{Main|H.M.S. Vanguard at the Battle of Jutland}}

At the [[Battle of Jutland]] she sailed under the command of Captain [[James Douglas Dick|James D. Dick]] in the 4th Division of the [[Fourth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)|Fourth Battle Squadron]] in company with the Commander-in-Chief, [[John Rushworth Jellicoe, First Earl Jellicoe|Admiral Sir John Jellicoe]] and [[Frederick Charles Doveton Sturdee, First Baronet|Vice-Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee]].  She fired eighty 12-inch rounds without suffering damage.

After the battle she participated in North Sea sweeps with the rest of the Grand Fleet, spending the rest of her time in the anchorage at Scapa Flow.  On 15 August, 1916 she was joined by an observer from the Imperial Japanese Navy, Commander Kyosuke Eto, a decorated gunnery officer.  He was no doubt hosted to a degree by the ship's own Gunnery Officer, Lieutenant-Commander [[Wilfred Neville Custance]], who had been assigned to the ship in 1913.  In the end, Eto would die aboard the ship and Custance would be the senior officer to avoid this fate in July 1917.

===Explosion===
The ship exploded shortly before midnight on 9 July 1917.  Approximately twenty-four of her crew survived the event, as they were not on board at the time.  Two were loaned to destroyers, and two were supporting submarine operations, but the largest parcel of men thus spared was comprised of sixteen of her crew which were visiting {{UK-RoyalOak}} for an evening of entertainment.<ref>{{TNA|ADM 137/3680.|}} f. 445.</ref>

==Habitability==
In October 1914, the ship was to be given 2 Pattern 1582 Electric Radiators to warm cabins whose stoves could not be used for heating them.{{AWO1914|512 of 16 Oct, 1914}}

==Radio==
By the end of 1913, she and the rest of the {{UK-BS|1}} were all equipped with [[British_Wireless_Systems#Short_Distance_Set|Battleship Auxiliary W/T sets]].{{ARTS1913|W/T Appendix, p. 13}}

==Ship's Logs==
{{refbegin}}
*ADM 53/31468 through ADM 53/31471, for 1 March, 1910 to 29 March, 1913.
*ADM 53/66864 through ADM 53/66893 for 20 March, 1913 to 30 June, 1917.
{{refend}}

==Captains==
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
<div name=fredbot:officeCapt otitle="Captain of H.M.S. ''Vanguard''">
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptRN}}|name=John Bridges Eustace|nick=John B. Eustace|appt=1 March, 1910<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Wednesday, 2 March, 1910.  Issue '''39209''', col B, p. 4.</ref>{{NLApr11|p. 388}}|end=23 September, 1911<ref>Eustace Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/38.|D7601101}} f. 429.</ref>|precBy=New Command}}
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=Arthur David Ricardo|nick=Arthur D. Ricardo|appt=23 September, 1911<ref>Ricardo Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 464.</ref>{{NLAug12|p. 388}}|end=6 June, 1913<ref>Ricardo Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 464.</ref>}}
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=Cecil Spencer Hickley|nick=Cecil S. Hickley|appt=5 June, 1913<ref>Hickley Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 330.</ref>|end=21 January, 1916<ref>Hickley Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/88.}}  f. 57.</ref>}}
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=James Douglas Dick|nick=James D. Dick|appt=22 January, 1916<ref>Dick Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 204.</ref>|succBy=Vessel Lost|note=died when vessel exploded under his command|end=9 July, 1917<ref>Dick Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 204.</ref>}}
</div name=fredbot:officeCapt>

==See Also==
{{refbegin}}
* [[Salvage of H.M.S. Vanguard]]
{{WP|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Vanguard_(1909)}}
*[http://www.gwpda.org/naval/a1373681.htm Transcript of the Report of the Court of Enquiry.  G.W.P.D.A.]
{{refend}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{DittColl}}
*{{UKNavalOpsI}}
*{{FCHMShips}}
*{{ParkesBritishBattleships}}
{{refend}}

{{Footer St. Vincent Class Battleship (1908)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanguard}}

{{CatShipDreadnought|UK}}
{{CatShipLostAccident|UK}}