Majestic Class Battleship (1894)

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Searchlights

In 1907, these ships, along with battleships of the Canopus, London, and Duncan classes, along with armoured cruisers of the Powerful, Drake, Cressy, Monmouth and Devonshire 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.[1]

Armament

During the war, along with those of other older ships, the eight 6-inch guns casemated on the first deck proved of little use in practical sea states. It was decided, on Hannibal and Magnificent to remove the eight casemate guns, plate their ports over and move 4 of them to the upper deck. Four of the twelve 12-pdr guns were also surrendered due to this alteration. The other vessels were disarmed and their guns repurposed.[2]

Main Battery

The 12-in guns were Mark VIII, though the turrets used differed by ship:[3]

Mounting Ships
B III Caesar, Illustrious
B II Jupiter, Prince George
B ??? Others

The Prince George only (perhaps) had 5-hp electrical motors to assist hand-training gear and smaller motors to raise pressure in an auxiliary hydraulic system for elevation and running out the guns.[4]

Secondary Battery

Other Guns

Twelve 12-pdr guns, later reduced to eight in Hannibal and Magnificent when their 6-in casemate guns were relocated.

Torpedoes

The aft submerged torpedo tubes were angled 20 degrees abaft the beam.[5]

Fire Control

Though it may have little relevance given the age difference, the general system of wiring between the TSs in ships prior to Lord Nelson class is illustrated in Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914.[6]

Rangefinders

Evershed Bearing Indicators

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

Directors

These ships never received directors for main or secondary batteries.[7]

Gunnery Control

The ship's guns were organized in 3 groups:[8]

  1. Two 12-in turrets
  2. Starboard 6-in guns ('A' & 'X')
  3. Port 6-in guns ('B' & 'Y')

Local Control in Turrets

There was no provision in these ships for local turret control wherein the receivers in the turret could be driven by transmitters in the officer's position at the back of the turret.[9]

Transmitting Stations

These ships likely had fore and aft TSes.[10][Inference]

A C.O.S. allowed[Inference] control options of

  1. Fore
  2. After
  3. Separate

Each control group had range, order and deflection transmitters with a pair of receivers, one wired directly to the transmitter as a tell-tale, and the other fed off the wires going to the distant guns (i.e., the aft guns for the fore TS and vice-versa) as a repeat. "These repeat receivers are necessary to keep the idle transmitters in step; when changing back from separate control they are required to enable both halves of the group to be set alike before being paralleled on to one transmitter."[11]

Dreyer Table

These ships never received Dreyer tables.[12]

Fire Control Instruments

By 1909, the ships were equipped with Barr and Stroud Mark II instruments for range and rate, Barr and Stroud Mark I for orders, and Vickers deflection instruments, except Illustrious and Victorious.[13]

For the majority of the ships (probably excluding Illustrious and Victorious with their dissimilar equipment), the Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909 lists the equipment on this class as:[14]

  • Range (B. & S. Mark II): 6 transmitters, 30 receivers
  • Orders (B. & S. Mark I): 6 transmitters, 20 receivers
  • Rate (B. & S. Mark II): 4 transmitters, 8 receivers
  • Deflection (Vickers): 6 transmitters, 26 receivers

Additionally, this class had the following Siemens fire control equipment:[15]

  • Group Switches: 3 (converted by Chatham)
  • Turret fire gongs: 8 with 2 keys
  • Fire Gongs: 12 with 4 keys
  • Captain's Cease Fire Bells: 18 with 1 key

Illustrious and Victorious had Vickers, Son and Maxim equipment as well as Barr and Stroud rate instruments[16] as follows:[17]

  • Vickers range transmitters: 6
  • Vickers deflection transmitters: 6
  • Vickers combined range and deflection receivers: 6
  • Vickers C.O.S.: 3
  • Vickers Check fire switches: 6
  • Barr and Stroud rate transmitters: 4
  • Barr and Stroud rate receivers: 8
  • Siemens turret fire gongs: 8 with 2 keys
  • Vickers fire gongs: 12 with 4 keys
  • Captain's Cease Fire Bells: 18 with 1 key (supplier not stated)

These ships lacked Target Visible and Gun Ready signals.[18]

Torpedo Control

See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ Technical History and Index Vol. 4, Part 36, p. 9.
  3. ↑ The Sight Manual, 1916, p. 109.
  4. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1896. p. 58, Plate 17.
  5. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1896. p. 40.
  6. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).
  7. ↑ Director Firing Handbook, 1917, pp. 142-3.
  8. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 8.
  9. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 50.
  10. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).
  11. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, pp. 50-1.
  12. ↑ Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, p. 3.
  13. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, pp. 56-7, 59.
  14. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 59.
  15. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 59.
  16. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, pp. 56-7, 59.
  17. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 60.
  18. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 11.

Bibliography

  • 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 (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.
  • Parkes, O.B.E., Ass.I.N.A., Dr. Oscar (1990). British Battleships 1860–1950. London: Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0850526043. (on Bookfinder.com).
  • Karl Lautenschlager. A Majestic Revolution in Warship, Volume VII, Issues 25-6.
  • R A Burt. The Majestic Pre-Dreadnought in Warship, Volume VII, Issues 27-8.



Majestic Class Pre-dreadnought
Cæsar Hannibal Illustrious Jupiter Magnificent
  Majestic Mars Prince George Victorious  
<– Centurion Class Battleships (UK) H.M.S. Renown –>


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