H.M.S. Warspite (1913)

H.M.S. Warspite (1913)
Pendant Number:	57 (Aug 1914) A9 (Jan 1918) 12 (Apr 1918)
Builder:	Devonport Royal Dockyard
Ordered:	1912 Programme
Laid down:	31 Oct, 1912
Launched:	26 Nov, 1913
Commissioned:	8 Mar, 1915
Wrecked:	23 Apr, 1947
Fate:	Scrapped

Service

Launch

Warspite was launched on 26 November, 1913, in "beautiful" weather at 15:15. Mrs. Austen Chamberlain launched the ship, accompanied by Mr. Austen Chamberlain and their son. Also in attendance were the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill; Sir Sir Francis J. S. Hopwood, Civil Lord of the Admiralty; the Naval Secretary to the First Lord, Dudley R. S. de Chair; Sir James Marshall, Director of Dockyards; Sir George Le C. Egerton, Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth; Vice-Admiral Robert H. S. Stokes, Admiral Superintendent; Admiral Charles H. Cross; Rear-Admiral Arthur H. Christian, Commanding the Devonport Division of the Home Fleets, and Admiral William Marrack.

Also present were Lady Chesterfield, Lady Valletort, the Hon. John and Lady Boscawen, Lady Gwendoline Churchill, Lady Vivian, Mr. and the Hon. Mrs. Rochfort Maguire, the Hon. Mrs. Cyril Ward, Colonel the Hon. Charles Edgcumbe, Sir Ernest Cassel, the Bishop of Exeter, Commander Eklund and Commander Froding of the Royal Swedish Navy, Major Morrison-Bell, M.P., Lady St. Levan, Lady St. Germans, the Hon. Mrs. Tremayne, Lady Jackson, Lady Buller and Lady Egerton.

Captain Edward M. Phillpotts was appointed in command of Warspite on 22 February, 1915, and she was commissioned on 8 March, 1915. At Midnight on 8/9 April she left Devonport for Scapa Flow, arriving there early on the 13th.

Jutland

Main article: H.M.S. Warspite at the Battle of Jutland

Captain Edward Montgomery Phillpotts was in command.

Warspite collided with her sister battleship Valiant and nearly also with Erin on 24 August, 1916 while the squadron was engaged in a night firing exercise without lights. Valiant was in dockyard hands for six weeks and Warspite for three months to make the needed repairs. Captain Phillpotts of Warspite was tried by Court Martial on 5/6 October 1916 on a charge of having hazarded his vessel, and was sentenced to be reprimanded for not having made definite arrangements for the programme. The sentence was cancelled when it was argued that the squadron's Rear-Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas was responsible for making such arrangements.

Post-War

Warspite paid off into Dockyard Control at the Nore on 1 November, 1924.

She commissioned 6 Apri, 1926.

Reduced to two-fifths complement at Portsmouth on 8 November, 1928.

Re-commissioned at Portsmouth on 23 January, 1929. By mid-1931 she was operating with the Second Battle Squadron in the Atlantic Fleet, bearing Rear-Admiral 2BS. She re-commissioned at Portsmouth on 3 September, 1931.

She was taken into Dockyard Control at Portsmouth on 27 March, 1934.

She commissioned at Portsmouth on 24 February, 1937.

On 18 March, 1937, Warspite returned to Portsmouth to conduct gunnery and aircraft catapult trials. While firing her 15-inch guns in misty weather, Gunnery Officer Stephen Roskill nearly struck a Royal Mail passenger liner with two shells, which fortunately missed. Roskill declined to admit his involvement with the incident in his history of the ship.

Boats

In July 1914, the ship was appropriated 42-foot motor launch No. 247, though the boat was not yet delivered from the contractor.

Alterations

Warspite was either completed with a director firing installation or received one soon after, as she had one by May, 1915, and it had been decided that all capital ships were to be completed with directors on 2 January, 1915.

In March, 1915, Open Director Sights were ordered for all^[Inference] her turrets. As she was commissioned on the 8th, hey were not likely in place by her completion despite a post-war accounting.

By the end of 1915, she (along with Queen Elizabeth) had been equipped with a Torpedo Control Plotting Instrument Mark II in her TCT.

Her secondary battery directors were installed in July, 1917.

At some point, she and her sisters were also outfitted with Turret Control Tables, although there is no indication whether this was one table per ship, or two in the controlling turrets, or one in all four turrets.

Rangefinders

When in 1918 it was desired to give each capital ship possible an additional effective 9-foot rangefinder to support torpedo control, Warspite reported that the top of the charthouse was not available and a directional W/T office sat atop the beef screen and so proposed one on either side of Number 1 searchlight which should then be fitted with weather and blast screens.

Captains

Dates of appointment are provided when known.

• Captain Edward M. Phillpotts, 22 February, 1915 – 18 December, 1916  (in command at the Battle of Jutland)
• Captain Charles Martin-de-Bartolomé, 16 December, 1916 – May, 1918
• Captain Hubert Lynes, May, 1918 – 17 January, 1919
• Captain Ernest K. Loring, 17 January, 1919 – 4 May, 1920
• Captain Francis C. Brown, 4 May, 1920 – 4 May, 1922
• Captain Robert N. Bax, 4 May, 1922 – 5 April, 1923
• Captain Rudolf M. Burmester, 5 April, 1923 – 4 January, 1926
• Commander Stephen St. L. Moore, 2 September, 1924 – October, 1924
• Captain Humphrey T. Walwyn, 1 March, 1926 – 17 March, 1926
• Captain George K. Chetwode, 17 March, 1926 – August, 1927  (and as Flag Captain to Admiral Keyes)
• Captain Thomas N. James, 6 August, 1927  (and as Flag Captain to Admiral Keyes)
• Captain Hubert S. Monroe, after 2 September, 1927
• Captain James F. Somerville, December, 1927 – 1 September, 1928
• Captain John W. Carrington, 1 September, 1928 – 9 January, 1929
• Captain Arthur H. Walker, 9 January, 1929 – 8 July, 1930  (and as Flag Captain)
• Captain Oswald H. Dawson, 6 September, 1930 – 25 April, 1931
• Captain Charles A. Scott, 8 July, 1930 – 6 September, 1930
• Captain St. Aubyn B. Wake, 27 April, 1931 – 10 August, 1932  (and as Flag Captain and Chief Staff Officer to Rear Admiral French on transfer of flag)
• Commander Amyot J. Mitchell, 5 August, 1932 – 27 August, 1932  (temporary)
• Captain Lachlan D. I. MacKinnon, 10 August, 1932 – 16 January, 1934
• Captain Arthur G. Talbot, 17 January, 1934 – 27 March, 1934  (beginning year not clearly legible)
• Captain Victor A. C. Crutchley, 1 May, 1937 – 31 December, 1939
• Captain Douglas B. Fisher, 27 April, 1940 – 8 June, 1942
• Captain FitzRoy E. P. Hutton, 27 March, 1942 – 23 March, 1943
• Captain Herbert A. Packer, 1 April, 1943 – 11 October, 1943
• Captain The Hon. David Edwardes, 12 October, 1943 – 17 March, 1944
• Captain Marcel H. A. Kelsey, 17 March, 1944 – 29 August, 1944  (sick)
• Captain Charles P. Frend, 29 August, 1944 – 14 September, 1944  (temporary)
• Captain Marcel H. A. Kelsey, 14 September, 1944 – 28 December, 1944
• Captain Markham H. Evelegh, 30 December, 1944 – 8 February, 1945
• Commander George F. Blaxland, 9 February, 1945 – 14 March, 1945
• Captain (retired) Philip H. Calderon, 14 March, 1945 – 26 July, 1945

See Also

• Transcribed Ship Logs at naval-history.net
• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• 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.
• Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
• 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.
• Roskill, Captain Stephen Wentworth (1974). H.M.S. Warspite. London: Futura Publications. ISBN 0860071723.
• Watton, Russ (2002). The Battleship Warspite. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0851779212.