H.M.S. Invincible (1907)

H.M.S. Invincible
Career	Details
Pendant Number:	85 (1914)
Built By:	Armstrong's Elswick
Ordered:	1906 Naval Program
Laid Down:	2 April, 1906
Launched:	13 April, 1907
Commissioned:	20 March, 1909
Sunk:	31 May, 1916
Fate:	Sunk at the Battle of Jutland
General Characteristics
Displacement:	17,526 tons
Length:	567 ft (172.8 m)
Beam:	78 ft 6 in (23.9 m)
Draught:	25 ft (7.6 m) normal; 29 ft 7 in (9 m) deep
Armament:	Eight 12 inch (305 mm) 45 caliber (4x2) Sixteen 4 inch (102 mm) (16x1) Seven Maxim machine guns (7x1) Five 18 inch (45.7 mm) torpedo tubes (4 broadside, 1 stern) One 3 inch anti aircraft gun added 1914
Propulsion:	Parsons geared steam turbines producing 41,000 shp; 4 shafts
Speed:	25.5 knots
Range:	2,270 nautical miles at 23 knots 3,050 nautical miles at 23 knots using fuel oil
Complement:	722 (as designed) 1,032 (as a flagship, May, 1916)

H.M.S. Invincible was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class of three, and the first battlecruiser to be built by any country in the world. After an initial period of near-constant modification she became an active unit of the Battlecruiser Force. She participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, the Battle of the Falkland Islands and the Battle of Jutland, where she was sunk in action on 31 May, 1916.

Construction

Invincible was built at Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co., Ltd on Tyneside. She was laid down on 2 April 1906, and launched at 3 p.m. on 13 April 1907 by Lady Allendale.

She was constructed with a new form of turret operation, namely electically powered mountings for the 12" guns - a first in British naval construction. She was fitted with two turrets each built by Vickers Ltd. and the Elswick Ordnance Company. Her turbines were constructed by Humphreys of Tennant and was fitted with thirty-one Yarrow boilers.

On 28 December, while still fitting out, she was hit by the collier Oden, which resulted in the buckling of beams and frames in the hull and five bottom plates were stove in. On 8 September, 1908 Captain M.E.F. Kerr was appointed to command. She ran her gun trials on 30 October, 1908 off the Isle of Wight. She was officially completed on 16 March 1909, her completion having been delayed by the Oden incident and the installation of electric turrets. On 17 March, she sailed from the Tyne to Portsmouth, where she would be commissioned. On the way, she collided with the brigantine Mary Ann, and stood by until the lifeboat John Birch arrived from Yarmouth to take the brigantine in tow. She was commissioned into the fleet on 20 March 1909 and joined the 1st Cruiser Squadron (1st C.S.) of the 1st Division, Home Fleet.

Gun Trials

Captain Reginald Tupper of H.M.S. Excellent, who conducted the gun trials, later recalled:

Owing to the representations of our own electrical experts and commercial firms, and the apparently successful gunnery of the new American battleships that had been fitted with electrically manipulated turrets, the Admiralty decided to fit the Invincible with this gear. Two of the turrets were by Armstrong-Whitworth and two by Vickers, but unfortunately both of these firms lacked experience in electric fittings for turret guns, and therefore had to design them all from the beginning and manufacture them while they hoped for the best. This caused considerable delay, and the ship was not reported ready for trial until we were approaching last fortnight of the financial year. Then things had to be hustled, otherwise the money would have had to be returned to the Treasury.

When I went to superintend these gun trials, I was especially warned that if the ship failed to get through them a sum of about half a million pounds would be lost from the current Estimates, and that this would very seriously handicap new construction in the coming year Estimates.

Everything on board appeared to be in a very unfinished and dirty condition, but we put to sea from the Tyen with a good deal of our wiring still exposed and not all of the gear labelled. When the order was given to train the turret, elevate or run a gun in or out, it was only necessary to press a button or move a switch, but the result was often a flash of blue flame which seemed to fill a turret. Something had gone wrong and the fuses had burnt out, so the experts had to chase round and find out what was wrong. Smouldering cordite and red-hot residue was left in the breech of the gun and the water-douche did not work. Cordite from the magazine came up with a run and narrowly escaped being rammed straight on to the red-hot residue.

The trials took nearly three days, but finally we got through and saved the money. Certainly the proverbial little cherub was looking after us marvellously. This electric gear remained in the Invincible for some time, but it always gave trouble, and luckily, just before the War, orders were given that she was to be altered to the hydraulic gear, which we were all satisfied was much preferable to electricity for working heavy guns.

Early career

She participated in fleet manoeuvres in April and June of 1909, the Spithead Review on 12 June 1909, and the Fleet Review off Southend on 2 July. Periodically she had to be taken in hand at Portsmouth for repairs, alterations and additions until 27 March, 1911 when she was reduced to a nucleus crew in preparation for refit. On 28 March Captain Kerr was replaced by Captain R.P.F. Purefoy and the ship went into refit at Portsmouth until 2 June, when she recommissioned at Portsmouth for further service in the 1st C.S.. On 1 May, 1912 Captain M. Culme-Seymour replaced Captain Purefoy. On 1 January, 1913 the 1st C.S. became the 1st Battle Cruiser Squadron (1st B.C.S.). On 17 March, 1913 she collided with the submarine C-34 in Stokes Bay (in the Solent), suffering no damage in the process.

In August, 1913 Invincible joined the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron (2nd B.C.S.) in the Mediterranean Fleet after annual manoeuvres. At the same time Captain H.B. Pelly was appointed to command. From 30 October to 5 November, 1913 she was under refit at Malta. In December she returned to Britain to undertake a major refit which began in March, 1914. She was reduced to a nucleus crew while major work was done, Captain Pelly remaining in command until completion of work in July.

1914 refit

During the refit Invincible's 12" electrically-operated turrets were changed to operate on hydraulic power. The 4" guns atop A and Y turrets were removed to the forward superstructure, where they along with the others there were enclosed in unarmoured casemates. Two 4" guns were placed on the shelter deck between the fore funnels, and two 4" guns placed either side of the conning tower on the conning tower platform.

Her foretop was totally reconstructed and a gyro-stabilised Argo 9' rangefinder fitted aloft. Her chart house and compass platform were rebuilt, and her forward searchlight battery reorganised. Her torpedo nets and booms were removed entirely. A rangefinder hood (for a 9' baselength rangefinder) was added on A turret.

First World War

At the beginning of the First World War, she took part in the action at the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28 August 1914, before being sent along with her sister Inflexible to the South Atlantic where she fought in the first Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914.

Battle of the Falkland Islands

After the British defeat at the Battle of Coronel on 1 November, the Admiralty swiftly assembled a force to destroy Maximillian Graf von Spee's East Asia Squadron. On 5 November Invincible was detached from the 2nd B.S. for duty in the South Atlantic, along with her sister ship Inflexible. From 8 November to 11 November she was docked at HM Dockyard, Devonport refitting and preparing for the cruise ahead. On 9 November Rear-Admiral Frederick Charles Doveton Sturdee raised his flag in Invincible with Captain Tufton Percy Hamilton Beamish as flag captain. On 11 November Invincible sailed in company with Inflexible for South American waters.

On 7 December, Sturdee's force, known as the British South Pacific and Atlantic Squadron arrived in the Falkland Islands, the battlecruisers anchoring off Port William to draw provisions and coal. The next morning smoke was sighted, and while the guardship Kent sailed to investigate, Invincible and Inflexible ceased coaling and proceeded to raise steam. In the meantime Sturdee ordered the ships' companies to breakfast so as to be ready for the expected battle.

Battle of Jutland

At the end of May, 1916 the 3rd B.C.S. had joined the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow. When the fleet put to sea on 30 May the Commander-in-Chief Admiral Jellicoe ordered it twenty miles ahead of the battle fleet as a scouting force.

At the beginning of the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916 Invincible with the rest of the 3rd B.C.S. was steaming S.50ºE at 14 knots. At 14:23 H.M.S. Indomitable intercepted a signal from H.M.S. Galatea heralding Beatty's Battle Cruiser Fleet's (B.C.F.) sighting of the High Sea Fleet. At 16:00, after the B.C.F. had joined battle, Hood led the 3rd B.C.S. S.S.E. at full speed in order to reinforce Beatty, anticipating Jellicoe's order by five minutes.

By 17:35 the 3rd B.C.S., with Invincible in the van, was within earshot of the fighting. Having heard firing on his starboard beam Hood ordered his squadron turn through eight points. At 17:55 Invincible opened fire on a force of German light cruisers, followed by her sister ships a few minutes later. In a few minutes S.M.S. Pillau, S.M.S. Frankfurt were damaged and S.M.S. Wiesbaden was reduced to a floating wreck.

H.M.S. Lion appeared on Invincible's port side, heavily engaged with Vizeadmiral Hipper's I Scouting Group. Having reformed the 3rd B.C.S. in the aftermath of a German torpedo attack Hood's ships joined the B.C.F. from the east, whence Beatty ordered him to take the van. At 18:26 they took position and were taken under fire by Hipper's battlecruisers. Hood's vessels returned fire, and having the advantage of the light Invincible scored two hits on S.M.S. Lützow which ultimately led to Hipper's flagship sinking.

While engaging S.M.S. Derfflinger and S.M.S. Lützow she received at 18:32 a hit on the front of "Q" turret, which penetrated and detonated in the gunhouse, blowing off the roof and causing the "Q" magazine to explode, followed by that of "P". The resulting explosion raised debris four hundred feet into the air and forced Invincible to break in two and sink. Rear-Admiral Hood was killed along with sixty-one officers, nine hundred and sixty-five men and five civilians. Six men survived, among them the Commander (who was also the Gunnery Officer). Four of the five civilians were canteen staff.

H.M.S. Invincible was officially paid off by the Royal Navy on 3 June, 1916.

After the war, the wreckage was located by a minesweeper at 57-02-40 North Latitude, 06-07-15 East Longitude, 180 feet down.

Commander Hubert Edward Dannreuther, Lieutenant Cecil Stanley Sandford.

Roll of honour

List of Those who Died on H.M.S. Invincible at the Battle of Jutland

Alterations

In 1913, Invincible was slated as part of the seventeen ship order to receive a director. It was fitted sometime after the war started but prior to May, 1915.

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
• Template:BibUKFireControlInHMShips1919
• Template:BibParkesBritishBattleships
• Template:BibRobertsBattlecruisers