THUNDERER HMS 1912

[aukepalmhof]

HMS THUNDERER was the third Orion class battleship built for the Royal Navy and was the last vessel to be constructed by Thames Iron Works. She was the last and largest warship ever built on the River Thames, and after her completion her builders declared bankruptcy.
By a margin of £1000 she was the most expensive battleship of the 1909 construction programme built. The Admiralty had called for six new 'super-Dreadnoughts' in 1909 to counter the German naval expansion. The Treasury economists would offer only four, but politics intervened in a year of two general elections, and when the cry went up, "We want eight, and we won't wait!", the Orions were built as part of an unusual compromise of four ships in 1910 and four more in 1911. HMS THUNDERER and her sisters were huge ships of 22,000 tons, with ten 13.5 inch guns in super-firing turrets, all mounted on the centerline. Her machinery consisted of new steam turbines and her electrics were provided by four 200 KW generators, installed in separate compartments and capable of isolation if damaged - an important innovation.
Her design was dominated by wireless equipment. The Royal Navy led the world in the adoption of the Marconi system, and Admiral Fisher was adamant that the new ships should have "No masts or fighting tops, only a pole for wireless. The necessity for masts and yards for signaling does not exist." So only a single tripod was fitted to carry a tall WT pole; eliminating the after mast, and slinging the aerials down to a short stump aft saved 50 tons of top-weight.
HMS THUNDERER was fitted with the Deyer fire-control table designed by Frederic Charles Dreyer, which was effectively the world's first automatic computer and ten years ahead of any other navy's developments. She was also the first of her class to carry Captain Percy Scott's new director firing system, which made her top-shooting ship in the 1912 trials, when she delivered over six times the hits of HMS Orion into her sister's target in just 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
On commissioning in June 1912 HMS THUNDERER and her three Orion class sisters – HMS Orion, HMS Conqueror and HMS Monarch formed the 2nd Division of the 2nd Battle-squadron (BS) and she remained with her sisterships throughout. At Jutland on the 31st May 1916 all four of the Orions were present under the leadership of Rear Admiral Arthur Leveson flying his flag in HMS Orion, her CO was Captain O. Backhouse, followed by HMS Monarch – Captain G.H. Borret, HMS Conqueror - Captain H.H.D. Tothill and HMS THUNDERER- Captain J.A. Fergusson.
HMS THUNDERER first came to action at 1830 when ranges of 22,000 to 18,000 yards were obtained on some German ships. She did not open fire at this time as she was at the rear of the 2nd division and her visibility would have been affected by the smoke of the three leading ships. At 1915 HMS THUNDERER sighted two enemy battleships visible between HMS Royal Oak and HMS Iron Duke. She fired two salvoes of Common Percussion Capped shell at the leading ship but no hits were made and the second salvo was fired over the top of HMS Iron Duke. HMS THUNDERER did not sight the enemy again during the German fleets’ run to the south after they broke off the engagement.
The Moltke sighted four large ships at 2240; these were the four Orion class ships, so she had a lucky escape as the British lookouts did not see her. In total HMS THUNDERER fired just 37 rounds of 13.5” all being Common Percussion Capped, she did not use her 4 in batteries at all.
Post Jutland the Orion class ships spent their time on routine fleet manoeuvres and in 1917 HMS THUNDERER was fitted with flying-off platforms on her upper turrets – B & X. Following the war she became a cadet training ship in 1921 and as such out-lived the others of her class, if she had not been a training ship she would have been scrapped that year under the terms of the Washington treaties.
In November 1926 HMS THUNDERER was sold for scrap to Hughes Bolckow of Blyth, Northumberland. However, she was too deep drafted to enter Blyth so was partially stripped down at Rosyth, Scotland, even so she grounded at the entrance to Blyth Harbour and it took six days to get her light enough to be floated to Hughes Bolckow for scrapping. Although stripped of her guns and large amounts of her upperworks she still arrived under her own steam, although with only the fore funnel remaining. Only the forward group of six boilers would have been working (the other 12 used the aft funnel) also just two of the four shafts would probably have been in use.
Class and type: Orion class battleship
Name: HMS THUNDERER
Ordered: 1909
Builder: Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company
Cost: £1,892,823.
Laid down: 13 April 1910
Launched: 1 February 1911
Commissioned: May 1912
Decommissioned: 1921
Fate: Cadet ship; sold for scrap
Displacement: 22,200 long tons (22,600 t) standard
25,870 long tons (26,290 t) maximum
Length: 581 ft (177 m)
Beam: 88 ft (27 m)
Draught: 24 ft (7.3 m)
Propulsion: 4 × Parsons Steam turbines
18 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers
driving 4 shafts creating 27,000 hp (20,000 kW)
Speed: 20.79 kn (38.50 km/h) (trials)
Range: 6,300 nmi (11,700 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h)
4,100 nmi (7,600 km) at 19 kn (35 km/h)
Complement: 752 – 1100
Armament: 10 × BL 13.5-inch (342.9 mm) Mk V guns
16 × BL 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk VII guns
4 × 47 mm
3 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (submerged)
Maldive Islands 1974 3la sg537, scott526. (she is the second ship in line on stamp) Delandre Label
Source: Wikipedia

Peter Crichton

[Arturo]

HMS Thunderer 1912

She is the second ship in the formation. First ship is HMS Conquerer

See Topic: "Conquerer 1911"

Maldive Islands 1974, S.G.: 537, Scott: 526.