St Vincent-class battleship

Unveiling the St Vincent-Class Battleships

The St Vincent-class battleships were three dreadnoughts built for the Royal Navy between 1907 and 1912, serving primarily on routine patrols and training exercises during World War I. These mighty vessels, Vanguard, St Vincent, and Norfolk, were designed to be the pinnacle of naval power in their era.

Imagine a world where these ships were not just floating fortresses but the very embodiment of British might. The design of the St Vincent class was influenced by the Bellerophon class, with increased firepower and size. These battleships had powerful guns, including the new 50-calibre Mark XI gun, and a range of over 6,900 nautical miles. They were powered by two sets of Parsons direct-drive steam turbines, which gave them a maximum speed of 21 knots.

These ships were not just about brute force; they were marvels of engineering. With an overall length of 536 feet and a beam of 84 feet, the St Vincent class was a formidable presence on any sea. They displaced 19,700 long tons at normal load and 22,800 long tons at deep load. The armament included four 12-inch guns per ship, with Vanguard initially having three 13.5-inch guns. The ships had ten Mark XI guns in five hydraulically powered twin-gun turrets, three along the centerline and two as wing turrets.

Fire control involved data from coincidence rangefinders, mechanical computers, and Vickers range clocks integrated to produce elevation and deflection data for use by the guns. Mounted high in the ship, a fire-control director provided data to the turrets via a pointer on a dial, which the turret crewmen only had to follow. The director layer fired the guns simultaneously, aiding in spotting shell splashes and minimising the effects of roll on dispersion.

But like all great stories, this one has its twists and turns. Vanguard’s wreck was extensively salvaged before being declared a war grave in 2002. The remaining ships were designated as controlled sites under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, with diving on the wrecks generally forbidden.

Service and Legacy

The St Vincent-class ships had a waterline belt of Krupp cemented armour that was 10 inches thick between the fore and aftmost barbettes, reducing to 2 inches before reaching the ship’s ends. The side of the hull from the middle deck down was covered by an 8-inch armour strake.

Upon commissioning, all three ships were assigned to the 1st Division of the Home Fleet, with St Vincent becoming the flagship’s second-in-command. The 1st Division was renamed the 1st Battle Squadron (BS) on May 1, 1912, and each sister underwent a lengthy refit before the First World War began in mid-1914.

During the war, these ships were equipped with Mark I Dreyer Fire-control Tables by early 1916, which combined the functions of the Dumaresq and range clock. The three armoured decks ranged in thickness from 0.75 to 3 inches, with the greatest thickness outside the central armoured citadel.

Approximately 50 long tons of additional deck armour were added after the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, and by April 1917, the sisters mounted thirteen 4-inch anti-torpedo boat guns as well as single 4-inch and 3-inch AA guns. Between 17-20 July 1914, the sisters participated in a test mobilisation and fleet review.

After the British declaration of war on Germany, the Home Fleet was reorganised as the Grand Fleet under Admiral John Jellicoe. The Grand Fleet spent time training in the North Sea, punctuated by missions to intercept German raids or major fleet sorties.

The Battle of Jutland

In April 1916, Vanguard was transferred to the 4th Battle Squadron while her sisters remained in the 1st Battle Squadron. The German High Seas Fleet departed the Jade Bight on May 31, 1916, in support of Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper’s battlecruisers. The British code breakers had decoded German radio traffic and ordered the Grand Fleet to sortie the night before.

The Grand Fleet rendezvoused with the 2nd Battle Squadron on the morning of May 31 and deployed to the left, forming line astern in anticipation of encountering the High Seas Fleet. Vanguard and St Vincent fired at the crippled light cruiser SMS Wiesbaden, while Collingwood hit the battlecruiser SMS Moltke twice. However, the sisters failed to achieve any significant hits against German capital ships.

After the battle, St Vincent and Collingwood joined Vanguard in the 4th BS. The Grand Fleet sortied on August 18 to ambush the High Seas Fleet but was unable to intercept it due to communication failures and mistakes. The Admiralty decided not to risk the major units of the fleet to German submarines and mines south of 55° 30′ North, resulting in fewer sorties by the Grand Fleet.

Postwar Years

In late February 1917, the 4th BS conducted tactical exercises for a few days, and on April 23, Collingwood was present at Rosyth when the German fleet surrendered. Vanguard sank on July 9, 1917, with an explosion that killed 842 men.

St Vincent was reduced to reserve and became a gunnery training ship at Portsmouth. She then became flagship of the Reserve Fleet in June and was relieved as gunnery training ship in December, when she was transferred to Rosyth. There she remained until listed for disposal in March 1921; she was sold for scrap on 1 December 1921 and demolished.

In January 1919, Collingwood was transferred to Devonport and assigned to the Reserve Fleet. Upon the dissolution of the Grand Fleet on 18 March, the Reserve Fleet was renamed the Third Fleet and Collingwood became its flagship. She became a tender to HMS Vivid on 1 October and served as a gunnery and wireless telegraphy training ship until early August 1920, when the ship returned to the reserve.

Collingwood served as a boys’ training ship on 22 September 1921 until she was paid off on 31 March 1922. Much of Vanguard’s wreck was salvaged before it was declared a war grave in 1984. The amidships portion of the ship is almost completely gone and ‘P’ and ‘Q’ turrets are some 40 metres (130 ft) away, presumably blown there by the magazine explosions.

The bow and stern areas are almost intact as has been revealed by a survey authorised by the Ministry of Defence in 2016. These ships may be gone, but their legacy lives on through the stories they tell and the lessons they impart about naval warfare and engineering.

The St Vincent-class battleships were not just relics of a bygone era; they were the epitome of naval might and innovation. Their story is one of power, strategy, and sacrifice. As we look back at these mighty vessels, we are reminded of the importance of understanding our past to shape a better future.