H.M.S. Montagu (1901)
| H.M.S. Montagu (1901) | |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Devonport Royal Dockyard |
| Ordered: | 1899-1900 Programme[1] |
| Laid down: | 23 Nov, 1899[2] |
| Launched: | 5 Mar, 1901[3] |
| Completed: | Nov, 1903[4] |
| Commissioned: | 27 Jul, 1903[5] |
| Wrecked: | 30 May, 1906[6] |
| Fate: | Scrapped in situ |
H.M.S. Montagu was one of six Duncan class pre-dreadnought battleships completed for the Royal Navy in 1903 and 1904.
Service
Montagu was launched on 5 March, 1901, and was named by Lady Scott, wife of the Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, Admiral Lord Charles Scott, who was also present. Also in attendance were Rear-Admiral Thomas S. Jackson, the Admiral Superintendent of Devonport Dockyard, and other naval and military officers.[7]
Montagu commissioned at Devonport on Monday, 27 July, 1903 under the command of Captain John Denison, for service on the Mediterranean Station.[8]
On 28 May 1906 she left Portland for Penzance, but ran aground in a dense fog at 2.10am the morning of the 30th on the south shore of Lundy Island off North Devon. The ship struck the rocks so heavily and in such a dangerous position that news stories issued the next day concluded upon a simple description of the accident that, while her guns might be salvaged, her hull was likely a total loss.[9]
Magazines
In December, 1904, Captain Adair submitted concerns regarding the candle-boxes used to illuminate the magazines as a fallback to the electric lighting. They had no air supply given them and it was noticed that the candles would always be extinguished about one or two hours after lighting. Furthermore, some lightboxes cast light into two adjoining spaces, and the watertightness of their glass would be a weak link in watertight integrity. Adair was not comfortable that the Manual of Gunnery noted on page 260 that these doors could be left open "slightly" to permit oxygen. His objections had merit, prompting the decision in early 1905 to abolish the use of candles as emergency lighting, in favour of Prested's electric lamps which could be placed in the same light boxes.[10]
Captains
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
- Captain John Denison, 28 July, 1903[11] – 30 September, 1904[12]
- Captain Thomas B. S. Adair, 12 September, 1904[13] – 20 August, 1906[14] (removed from the hard grounded ship by Court Martial)
Torpedoes
In 1904, in a competition to investigate how rapidly submerged tubes could be fired four times sequentially, starting with the tube loaded and the bar out, the ship's crew undertook two trials and achieved times of 11 minutes and 8:17. The best time was achieved by Cressy at 50.75 seconds, though 2:30 was more typical.[15]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 37.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 37.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 6 March, 1901. Issue 36395, col A, p. 10.
- ↑ Burt. British Battleships: 1889-1904. p. 232.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 30 July, 1903. Issue 37146, col B, p. 6.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 30.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 6 March, 1901. Issue 36395, col A, p. 10.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 30 July, 1903. Issue 37146, col B, p. 6.
- ↑ "H.M.S. Montagu Ashore." The Times (London, England), 31 May 1906, p. 11.
- ↑ Principal Questions Dealt with by the Director of Naval Ordnance, 1905. pp. 429-30.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 9 July, 1903. Issue 37128, col F, p. 5.
- ↑ Denison Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/19. f. 125.
- ↑ Adair Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 8.
- ↑ Adair Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 8.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1904. pp. 45-7.
Bibliography
- Parkes, O.B.E., Ass.I.N.A., Dr. Oscar (1990). British Battleships 1860–1950. London: Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0850526043. (on Bookfinder.com).
| Duncan Class Pre-dreadnought | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Albemarle | Cornwallis | Duncan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exmouth | Montagu | Russell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| <– | London Class | Battleships (UK) | Triumph Class | –> | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
