H.M.S. Hood (1918)

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H.M.S. Hood
Career Details
Pendant Number: 34 (April, 1918)[1]
Built By: John Brown, Clydebank
(Ship no. 460)[2]
Laid Down: 1 September, 1916
Launched: 22 August, 1918
Commissioned: 29 March, 1920
Sunk: 24 May, 1941
Fate: Sunk


Design Genesis

At the end of 1915 Treasury approval was granted for construction of an experimental battleship whose design would be based on war experience. What was desired was a ship with the armament and speed of the Queen Elizabeth Class battleship, of improved seaworthiness with a high freeboard uninterrupted by casemates for the secondary battery. Improved underwater protection was also specified, along with a shallow draught to minimise the possibility of underwater damage. Between November, 1915 and January, 1916 a number of battleship designs were prepared by the Director of Naval Construction (D.N.C.).[3] The designs were submitted to the Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe in January for comment. He replied that the fleet needed other than escorts were battle cruisers, in light of the battle cruisers supposed to be under construction in Germany, three of which were believed to be capable of 30 knots and armed with 15.2-inch guns. The Renown Class battle cruisers were judged to be insufficient for fleet needs owing to their inferior armour protection. Consequently, the D.N.C. switched to preparing battle cruiser designs.[4]

On 7 April, 1916 design "B" was approved by the Board of Admiralty. On 19 April orders for three ships were placed with John Brown, Cammell Laird and Fairfields, and a fourth was ordered on 13 July. On 14 July the four ships were given the names Hood, Howe, Rodney and Anson, respectively.

On 2 September, 1916, Tudor (Third Sea Lord) minuted:

I do not consider vessels of the proposed modified design to be battleships, or even hybrids like the "QUEEN ELIZABETH" as they are fully capable of working with battle cruisers, and in my opinion the battleship proper should make up for reduced speed by augmented number of guns and even greater armour protection than now proposed.[5]

Construction

A battle cruiser was ordered on 19 April, 1916 from John Brown of Clydebank.[6] Laid down on 31 May, 1916, construction was immediately suspended following the Battle of Jutland, in which three British battle cruisers had been lost.[7] On 14 July, the ship was named Hood.[8] The ship was laid down again on 1 September.[9]

Captains

Dates of appointment given:


Machinery

Generators

In 1916, it was approved that the ships were to be given eight 200 kw dynamos at 220 volts — four reciprocating, two turbo, 2 oil.[22]

Armament

15-in Guns

5.5-in Guns

The guns had armoured shields of 1.5 inches on the face and top, and 1 inch on the sides, weighing 4.25 tons.[23]

Torpedoes

Two Service Bar 21-in submerged broadside tubes forward undepressed (or perhaps depressed 2 degrees) and bearing 90.[24]

Fire Control

Range Dials

As of 1920, Hood was to be equipped with a four Range Dial Type Ds.[25]

Rangefinders

The ships were to have three 15-foot Barr and Stroud Rangefinders dedicated to supporting torpedo control. That under the armoured hood in the T.C.T. was likely an F.T. 24 or F.T. 25 on an M.W. 1, based on the description that it could independently traverse 5 degrees on either side of the mean line. The other two were in hand-worked mountings with fields of view from 10 degrees to 170 degrees sited in a pair of splinter-proof towers abreast the funnels. All three featured Barr and Stroud's hand following mechanisms for transmitting ranges to the torpedo transmitting station as well as Evershed Bearing Indicators.[26]

Evershed Bearing Indicators

Hood had a very complete installation. I have made some inferences in transmitter/indicator designations, but it is not wholly clear.[27][Inference]

Main battery:

  • 1 transmitter in 15-in spotting top
  • 2 transmitters on fore bridge
  • 2 transmitters in 15-in Control Tower
  • presumably, indicators in all 4 turrets

Secondary battery:

  • 2 transmitters in 5.5-in spotting tops
  • 2 transmitters (indicators?) in 5.5-in control towers
  • 2 transmitters on fore bridge
  • presumably, indicators in all casemate guns

Searchlights:

  • 2 transmitters on fore bridge
  • 4 indicators on night defence position aft

Starshells:

  • 2 transmitters on fore bridge
  • presumably, indicators on those guns able to fire starshells

Mechanical Aid-to-Spotter

At some point, Hood was probably equipped with four Mechanical Aid-to-Spotter Mark IIs or Mark II*s:

  • one on each side of the foretop, driven by flexible shafting from the Evershed rack on the director
  • one on each side of the Gun Control Tower employing an electrical F.T.P. system.

As the need for such gear was apparently first identified in early 1916, it seems likely that these installations were effected well after Jutland.[28]

Directors

Main Battery

Hood was fitted with two tripod-type directors, one in an armoured tower and one in a light aloft tower. Both were to be fitted with double cam grooves and two rollers.[29] Each 15-in turret also featured an Open Director Sight.[30]

Secondary Battery

Her 5.5-in guns were to be served by a pair of pedestal-mounted directors situated high on her forward superstructure.[31]

Transmitting Stations

Dreyer Table

Hood had a Mark V Dreyer table.[32] It was probably the only one ever to go to sea.

Torpedo Control

The planned torpedo control equipment, c1918. [33]

There is a wealth of information on Hood's planned torpedo control arrangements in Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1918. I will slowly incorporate the material here, as it will be the subject of some discussion. This editor's view is that the torpedo control outlay in this ship illustrates a gross over-emphasis on the value of these weapons in ships with such large outfits of long-ranged guns. — TONY LOVELL, Editor.

See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Dittmar; Colledge.
  2. ↑ Johnston. Clydebank Battlecruisers, Footers.
  3. ↑ Roberts. Battlecruisers. p. 55.
  4. ↑ Roberts. Battlecruisers. p. 56.
  5. ↑ "Design of Battle-Cruisers with Increased Protection." ADM 1/9209. Unnumbered folio.
  6. ↑ Roberts. Battlecruisers. p. 58.
  7. ↑ Roberts. The Battle Cruiser Hood. p. 8.
  8. ↑ Roberts. Battlecruisers. p. 58.
  9. ↑ G.W.P.D.A. Date of Laying Down of HMS Hood.
  10. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  11. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  12. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  13. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  14. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  15. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  16. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  17. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  18. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  19. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  20. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  21. ↑ Taylor. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 230.
  22. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School', 1916', p. 120. More detail thereat.
  23. ↑ Technical History and Index, Vol 3, Part 28, p. 18.
  24. ↑ Two degree depression cited in Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, p. 36, no depression indicated in Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 35.
  25. ↑ Manual of Gunnery of H.M. Fleet, Volume III, 1920, p. 44.
  26. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1917, p. 198.
  27. ↑ Roberts. Anatomy of the Ship: The Battlecruiser Hood. [The Battlecruiser Hood.] pp. 18, 86-7.
  28. ↑ The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in HM Ships, 1919. pp. 25-6.
  29. ↑ The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. p. 142.
  30. ↑ Roberts. The Battlecruiser Hood. p. 18.
  31. ↑ The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. p. 143.
  32. ↑ Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables. p. 3.
  33. ↑ The Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1918, Plate 132.

Bibliography

  • Template:BibUKDirectorFiringHandbook1917
  • Template:BibUKDreyerTableHandbook1918
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
  • Roberts, John (1997). Battlecruisers. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 186176006X. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1557500681. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
  • Roberts, John (1982, 2001). Anatomy of the Ship: The Battlecruiser Hood London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 085177900X. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
  • Johnston, Ian (2011). Clydebank Battlecruisers: Forgotten Photographs from John Brown's Shipyard. South Yorkshire: Seaforth Publishing, Pen & Sword Books. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
  • Taylor, Dr. Bruce (2005). The Battlecruiser Hood: An Illustrated Biography 1916-1941. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1 86176 216 X.


Battlecruiser H.M.S. Hood
<– Hawkins Class Major Cruisers (UK) Kent Class –>



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