Burt - British Battleships 1889-1904 New Revised Edition

Canopus 1901. A typical Victorian colour scheme for a ship of the day. Sometimes the masts would be yellow ochre as on the funnels, and then shades of brown (light to dark) were also in use. There were a few cases in the 1870s and 1880s where the funnels were painted all black, but this was rare in battleships.

Queen , 1912, showing standard funnel bands (for recognition).

Swiftsure painted white and buff for service on the China Station in 1913.

Experimental paintwork on Canopus whilst on the Malta Station during 1902: grey upper works with the lower part of the hull left black.

Title page: As completed in 1898 the Majestic class were the largest group of battleships ever built for the Royal Navy. Their all-round qualities proved the most efficient of any capital ship of that period. Majestic is shown here when she was Fleet Flagship and preparing for HM Queen Victorias Jubilee Fleet Review in June 1897. Note the paintwork on the conning tower platform (see colour artwork).

To the late W. P.Trotter, MC* and founder members of the Oscar Parkes Society

During the preparation of this book I have received assistance from several quarters. In particular, I acknowledge with appreciation the help given freely by Dr Morris and Michael Webb of the Manuscript Department, and G. Slatter of the Draught Room, at the National Maritime Museum. Many thanks are extended also to A. J. Francis of the Naval Historical Library (MOD);T. H. King of the Naval Ordnance Museum; and D.W. Robinson of Vickers Shipbuilding Group. Good friends must be mentioned: John Roberts and Alan Norris who helped with significant material and comments. I should like to express my indebtedness to my publishers and their production team; to David Gibbons, Beryl Gibbons and Anthony Evans, who have been tireless in their efforts to comply with my wishes. A special thank you is given to my editor, Michael Boxall. Finally, I must express my sincere gratitude to my wife Janice, who has been a peerless tower of strength throughout, and who encouraged me greatly if I showed signs of flagging. The photographs are all from the authors collection. The drawings are based on the shipbuilders draughts, now held at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

R.A.B.

Copyright R A Burt 1988

This edition first published in Great Britain in 2013 by
Seaforth Publishing,
Pen & Sword Books Ltd,
47 Church Street,
Barnsley S70 2AS

www.seaforthpublishing.com

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84832 173 1
eISBN 9781473826519

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing of both the copyright owner and the above publisher.

The right of R A Burt to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A fter the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Great Britain enjoyed a naval supremacy that was virtually unchallenged until the turn of the 19th century. During this period, which was more or less free from major sea wars, the battlefleet quickly became a political force as well as a practical one and never more so than during the reign of Queen Victoria. By 1890 the combined British fleets enjoyed a numerical superiority hitherto unknown; the pride of the British people focused on the Royal Navy, which seemed to embody all that was quintessentially English to the man in the street. No matter what qualities or defects the ships possessed, he saw the battlefleet as the true backbone of the country and the empire.

For an island nation, it was paramount that command of the seas by a superior force be kept in a state of readiness and generally this was accomplished, even if there were periods when it seemed that the lion was asleep.

From about 1900, matters relating to naval affairs, strategy, design of warships and general administration changed somewhat, and the decline of Great Britain as a two-power naval force began. Other nations were beginning to flex their muscles and, looking at the Royal Navy, and what it had achieved over the past fifty years, began to build warships and invest heavily in the development of their own nautical interests. Not to be outdone, however, the Royal Navy showed that the experience gained during the Victorian era had not been wasted, and began a new battleship building programme second to none, but that is another story.

This book deals with the vessels which formed the battlefleet from 1876 through to the innovatory Dreadnought of 1905, and ultimately, the shock of the First World War. Most of the information has been drawn from official sources, although it was found that many of the older documents had either perished, been mislaid or simply destroyed over a period of time; so there is less data available for the Victorian period than for 192045. This is a great pity because that era was one of transition and very rapid technological advance.

A rare view taken from Majestic of the assembled fleet as it prepares for the Coronation Fleet Review (HM King Edward VII) in August 1902. This was the last Royal Navy review where all the ships were in Victorian colours. Within months of the review finishing most ships were painted all grey.

1 Sir William Henry White

Born in Devonport 2 February 1845 and educated at the Royal School of Naval Architecture. In 1883 he joined Sir William Armstrong and developed many new techniques within the firm.

He became Director of Naval Construction (DNC) in 1885 and held that post until 1902. While DNC he virtually revolutionized battleship design and created a fleet which was the envy of the civilized world. Made KCB in 1895. He wrote the classic Manual of Naval Architecture and many papers on naval affairs. He left office in 1902, but sustained his naval interest until his death in 1913, never to see how the fleet he created would fare in a world war.

2 John Arbuthnot Fisher (First Baron Fisher of Kilverstone)

Born at Rambodde 25 January 1841 and entered the navy on 12 June 1854, on board the Victory at Portsmouth, penniless, friendless, and forlorn, as he once wrote of himself. Active service in Calcutta with the Baltic Fleet during the Crimean War and later in China. Promoted to Captain in 1874, he commanded the battleship Inflexible at the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882, landing there with the Naval Brigade, and using an armoured train which he commanded in several engagements, receiving the CB for his services. In February 1892 he was appointed to the Board of Admiralty as Controller (Third Sea Lord) and held that post until 1897. From 1899 to 1902 he was Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet where he worked on designs for the all big gunned battleship. Responsible for many changes within the system of the Royal Navy and introduced a scheme of entry and training for naval officers which abolished the Britannia (training school) and substituted colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth which trained executive officers, engineers and marines up to the rank of lieutenant. Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth from 1903 to 1904. Made First Sea Lord 21 October 1904 and held office until 1910. Knighted in 1894.