Warrior Class Cruiser (1905)

The four armoured cruisers of the Warrior Class were completed in 1906 and 1907. Sometimes, the ships are considered a subclass of the preceding Duke of Edinburgh class, with 7.5-in guns rather than 6-in guns to augment the 9.2-in battery.

Overview of 4 vessels
Citations for this data available on individual ship pages
Name	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Completed	Fate
Achilles	Armstrong, Whitworth & Company, Elswick	22 Feb, 1904	17 Jun, 1905	22 Apr, 1907	Sold 9 May, 1921
Cochrane	Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company	24 Mar, 1904	20 May, 1905	18 Feb, 1907	Stranded 14 Nov, 1918
Natal	Vickers, Barrow	6 Jan, 1904	30 Sep, 1905	5 Mar, 1907	Exploded 31 Dec, 1915
Warrior	Pembroke Royal Dockyard	5 Nov, 1903	25 Nov, 1905	1 Jun, 1907	Sunk 1 Jun, 1916

Armament

9.2-in Guns

This section is sourced in The Sight Manual, 1916, except where noted.

The six 9.2-in B.L. guns Mark X were mounted in single Mark V S mountings, as they were in the King Edward V class battleships, able to elevate 15 degrees and depress 5 degrees. Here, they were disposed fore, aft, and two on each broadside enjoying considerable end-on arcs.

The turrets on each broadside were designated A1 and A2 on starboard and B1 and B2 to port.

The sights (also used in King Edward VII class) were gear-worked with a range gearing constant of 37.04, graduated to 15 degrees (or 15,400 yards, full charge). Range dials were provided for full charge at 2850 fps, a second for 2750 fps, reduced charge at 2225 fps and 3-pdr sub-calibre and .303-in aiming rifle. The 2850 fps dial was noted as having range errors exceeding 25 yards, as it employed the same cam cut for the 2750 fps dial. The 2750 fps dial would be used for calibrating the sight. MV was corrected by adjustable pointer allowing a 100 fps decrease (only).

The deflection was on a gearing constant of 77.98, 1 knot being 2.61 arc minutes, calibrated for 2750 fps at 5000 yards.

Drift was corrected by inclining the sight bracket 1.5 degrees. The sighting lines were 14.5 inches above the bore and 45 inches abreast the bore.

A "C" corrector was fitted, presumably also a temperature corrector.

7.5-in Guns

This section is sourced in The Sight Manual, 1916, except where noted.

The four 7.5-in B.L. guns Mark II were arranged in four single Mark II mountings on each broadside, able to elevate 15 degrees and depress 5 degrees. The turrets on each broadside were designated X1 and X2 on starboard and Y1 and Y2 to port. They could fire 2 CRH or 4 CRH shells.

The sights (also used in Minotaur class) were gear-worked with a range gearing constant of 49.28, graduated to 15 degrees (15,700 yards for 4 CRH, 14,200 for 2 CRH). Range dials were provided for full charge at 2800 fps, reduced charge at 2325 fps and 3-pdr sub-calibre and .303-in aiming rifle. MV was corrected by adjustable pointer to +/- 75 fps.

The deflection was on a gearing constant of 72.65, 1 knot being 2.70 arc minutes, calibrated for 2800 fps at 5000 yards. An arrow at 4.5 knots right deflection on the deflection dial was inscribed "Zero for sight testing".

Drift was corrected by inclining the sight carrier 2 degrees and by applying an additional 4.5 knots permanent left deflection when firing 4 CRH shells. The sighting lines with sight lines 11 inches above the bore and 32 inches abreast whereas the central position was 38 inches abreast the bore.A practice gun could be mounted ont he turret roof 65.12 inches above the gun bore.

A "C" corrector was fitted, presumably also a temperature corrector.

Torpedoes

The ships had three submerged 18-in torpedo tubes, the details may be the same as those of the Duke of Edinburgh class:^[Inference]

• two on broadside forward, depressed three degrees and bearing abeam; axis of tube was 8 foot 3 inches below load water line and 1 feet 6 inches above deck.
• one at the stern, undepressed and with the axis of tube was 3 feet 10 inches below load water line and 1 foot 6 inches above the deck

In 1913, it was approved, as part of a general reallocation of 18-in torpedoes, to replace the torpedoes on Invincible class and Warrior class (except Cochrane, except Shannon which received Fiume Mark III** H. torpedoes) with Mark VI** H. or Mark VI** H. torpedoes.

In early 1914, Warrior, Cochrane and Achilles had two Torpedo Director Pattern 2006s and were to have them exchanged for -A models which supported gyro angling. It is not clear why Natal is not part of this same list.

Fire Control

Evershed Bearing Indicators

It is unlikely that this equipment was ever provided.^[Inference]

Directors

In 1916, it was approved that the two surviving ships of this class should be retrofitted with directors as time, resources and opportunity permitted, but these ambitions were slow to execute. This intention was reiterated in 1917. Achilles eventually received one in October 1918, but the war ended before Cochrane received hers.

The Elevation Receivers for the 9.2-in and 7.5-in batteries were 4-in Triple Type with mechanical tilt correctors, Pattern H. 13. They could indicate elevations up to 15 degrees. The Small Type Training Receivers were pattern number 20 in the fore turret, A1, B1, X1, X2, Y1 and Y2, whereas the after turret and S2 and B2 had pattern number 21.

Dreyer Table

These ships never received Dreyer tables.

Fire Control Instruments

By 1909, all 4 ships were equipped with Vickers, Son and Maxim instruments for range, deflection and orders and with Barr and Stroud rate instruments as follows:

• Vickers range transmitters: 10
• Vickers deflection transmitters: 10
• Vickers combined range and deflection receivers: 31
• Vickers C.O.S.: 5
• Vickers Check fire switches: 10
• Barr and Stroud rate transmitters: 4
• Barr and Stroud rate receivers: 12
• Siemens turret fire gongs: 20 with 10 keys
• Vickers fire gongs: none
• Captain's Cease Fire Bells: 10 with 1 key (supplier not stated)

As in the Minotaur class, bearing instruments were installed in or by 1915. The centre line 9.2-in guns formed one group, and the mixed-caliber port and starboard broadsides two more. The receivers in the first group could be driven by a transmitter in the T.S. or switched to attend to either of two special Graham's type transmitters in the foretop.

The overall bill of fare ran to:

• 2 special bearing transmitters, Graham's type (in foretop, P&S)
• 3 Barr and Stroud bearing transmitters (2 in foretop P & S, 1 in fore T.S.)
• 15 bearing receivers:
  • 10 in the turrets (1 each)
  • 3 repeats in the fore T.S.
  • 2 repeats in the foretop
• Three C.O.S. (one in fore T.S., and two in foretop)

These ships lacked Target Visible and Gun Ready signals.

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• Friedman, Norman (2012). British Cruisers of the Victorian Era. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1591140684 (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
• 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 (1917). The Director Firing Handbook. O.U. 6125 (late C.B. 1259). Copy No. 322 at The National Archives. ADM 186/227.
• 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.
• 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.
• H.M.S. Vernon. (Jan 1916) Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915. C.B. 1166. Copy 1025 at The National Archives. ADM 189/35.
• McBride, Keith (1990). "The Dukes and the Warriors" Warship International 27 (4): pp. 362-393.