Post by simon darkshade on Nov 28, 2021 12:13:40 GMT
The text of a long out of print book from a subsequently dead publisher, provided to give a little insight into the description and perceptions of the past for youthfully innocent eyes.
A Boy's Own Book of Warships
Drawn and Written by D. F. McDowell (1952)
The Battleship
Affectionately known as the “Battle-waggon” by her crew, the battleship is the big sister of all fighting ships. Officially she is termed a “Capital” ship and is not only the largest, but also the most powerful vessel in the Fleet, capable of giving – and taking – the heaviest blows in any sea action. Battleship design is constantly changing, but the “King George V” pictured opposite, may be taken as typical of the modern British capital ship. She has ten heavy guns, 14 inches in diameter, carried in three swinging turrets, two forward and one aft. This is known as her “main armament”. For the “secondary” armament she is equipped with sixteen 5.25-inch guns with many anti-aircraft guns and smaller guns.
Aircraft which can be launched from catapults amidships are carried in special hangars. To protect her vital parts against enemy bombing, gunfire and torpedo attacks, she has a belt of armour-plate, 16 inches thick in some places, over her decks and hull. With a tonnage of 35,000, she carries a crew of 1,500, and has a speed of 30 knots. The spectacle of a squadron of these “floating fortresses” plunging through a North Sea gale is one of tremendous power and majesty.
The Light Cruiser
The difference between the heavy and light cruiser classes is not so much in tonnage or dimensions, as in the calibre, or size, of the guns they carry. Thus the "Sheffield", pictured on the page opposite, is almost as big in length and tonnage as a "County" class cruiser, though her biggest guns do not exceed 6 inches. Light cruisers differ a great deal in design and tonnage, small ships of the Carlisle class, for instance, having only a tonnage of 4200 and mounting 4 inch guns.
The Sheffield is a light cruiser of the Town class, named after the principal towns in this country. She has a tonnage of a little over 9000, and mounts twelve 6 inch, with eight 4 inch and many smaller guns. In addition to six torpedo tubes, she carries three aircraft housed in a special hangar, with a catapult amidships for launching them. The boiler and engine rooms are protected by a belrt of armour plate 4 inches thick. This shapely vessel has a speed of 32 knots and carries 700 men.
The Aircraft Carrier
This strange, lop-sided type of ship is practically a newcomer to the Fleet, but has already given magnificent war service. She is, in fact, a "floating aerodrome", her sole purpose being to carry, fly and service fighting aeroplanes and their crews. With her long, open "flight deck" and the superstructure and funnel built well over to the starboard or right-hand side of the ship, she is totally unlike any other warship type in appearance. Fifty to eight planes are housed in large hangars below decks, and brought up by means of electric lifts. The ship is then swun round with her bows to the win, to allow the machines to take off, the process being reversed for landing and housing them.
As the carrier's only defence is the fighting power of her own planes and her light guns, an escort of destroyers is usually provided for her protection. Working with the big ships of the Fleet, a high speed is called for, and these ungainly-looking ships can steam at 31 or 32 knots. The vessel pictured here is the "Indomitable", completed in 1941. She is of 23,000 tons and carries 1,600 men, including airmen. Her armament consists of sixteen 4.5-inch guns, with many smaller guns, and she has a speed of 31 knots.
The Submarine
One of the smallest vessels in the Navy, yet in many ways the most deadly, the submarine might be described as the "opposite number" to the aircraft carrier, for while the activities of the carrier are confined to the surface and the air, the submarine operates mostly under the level of the sea. Her main weapon is the torpedo, though one or more guns may be carried, and some vessels are fitted for minelaying. Propulsion is by means of Diesel engines on the surface, and by electric motors when submerged, her speed under water being greatly reduced. Her greatest enemy is the destroyer, which is fitted with special devices to detect and sink her.
Diving and surfacing is achieved by means of special horizontal rudders and water-ballast tanks, and can be accomplished in under a minute. Accommodation for the crew is very cramped, most of the space in the cigar-shaped hull being taken up by engines, motors, and complicated machinery. The vessel pictured on the opposite page is the "Trident". She carries a crew of 53, is armed with one 4-inch and two smaller guns, and has ten torpedo tubes. On the surface her speed is 15 1/4 knots, reduced to 9 when submerged.
The Battle Cruiser
This class of warship, designed to combine qualities of a battleship with those of a heavy cruiser, is fast disappearing, and the "Renown", illustrated here, is the only one now remaining in the British Fleet. The battle cruiser is a capital ship, heavily armed, but with a certain amount of her gunpower and much of her armour sacrificed to obtain more speed. The increased speeds achieved by modern battleships, however, have outdated the battle cruiser. In appearance she resembles the battleship with her high "fighting-tops", control towers, big gun turrets, aircraft hangars and catapults.
The "Renown" was built in 1916 and has seen much war service. Her main armament consists of six 15-inch guns in three turrets, two forward and one aft, with twenty 4.5-inch and many smaller guns to make up the secondary armament. She has a 9-inch belt of armour along her waterline, and 11 inches over the gun turrets. With a tonnage of 32,000, she carries almost 1,200 men and has a speed of 29 knots. This fast hard-hitting type of warship has added many glorious pages to naval history.
The Sloop
Sometimes called the "little sister" of the cruiser, the sloop is a small vessel, not unlike the frigate in appearance, built mostly for patrol and escort duties. In peacetime, however, she may be seen 'showing the flag' in many of our outlying naval stations in different parts of the world. Here she works with the cruiser squadrons, so it will be seen that although she is a small ship, and her fighting value considered very low, she has a wide range of action, and fine seakeeping qualities. Lightly armed, but strongly built, these hardy little vessels played a big part in the convoy battles during the war, working in company with the corvettes and frigates. Some of them have been fitted for minelaying and others specially armed for anti-aircraft work. The subject of our illustration is the "Lowestoft", a sloop of 990 tons, built in 1934. With a crew of 100, she is armed with two 4.7-inch, one 3-inch anti-aircraft and several smaller guns, and is also fitted with depth-charges. Her speed is 16 1/2 knots.
The Cruiser
The cruiser of to-day is the direct descendant of the old sailing frigate of Nelson's time. A fast ship, she acts as the "Eyes of the Fleet", scouting out and keeping contract with enemy squadrons, and screening the capital ships against surprise attack. She also acts as "policeman of the ocean lanes" escorting wartime convoys and patrolling the shipping routes along which they sail. Cruisers vary greatly in size, design and gun-power, and while they are vastly inferior to capital ships in everything by speed and handiness, they are much more powerful than any other type of warship.
The vessel pictured opposite is the "Devonshire", of the "County" class, designated as a heavy cruiser. She is armed with eight 8-inch guns, in four small turrets or gun-houses, eight 4-inch anti-aircraft and many smaller weapons. Three aircraft are carried, launched from a catapult amidships, and she is fitted with eight torpedo tubes. She has 2 inches of armour over her gun-houses, 4 inches over the vital parts of the deck and her hull is specially protected by 'bulges' against torpedo attack. Like all naval vessels, she burns oil fuel and has a speed of 32 1/4 knots. Her tonnage is almost 10,000 and she carries a crew of 650.
The Escort Aircraft Carrier
The brilliant war-work of the Fleet aircraft carriers led to the introduction of a smaller carrier, to be used chiefly in convoy work, and for the "spotting" and destruction of U-boats. These "Woolworth Carriers", as the sailors promptly dubbed them, came out in great numbers as the war progressed, and were of great value in the anti-submarine warfare. They are mostly merchant ships, converted for the purpose by having their upperworks cut down, and long "flying decks" fitted instead. In design, they resemble the Fleet carrier, but are considerably smaller and much slower.
As a rule, they have no funnels, the long, flat decks being left clear for flying purposes, though it gives them a rather derelict appearance. Hangars and lifts for the planes, and accommodation for the aircrews, are provided within the hull, and a battery of light guns fitted along each side of the flight deck. Our picture shows the "Biter", a typical ship of this class, and formerly an American merchantman. She performed yeoman service in the Atlantic battle with German submarines.
The Corvette
In the early years of the war, the Admiralty introduced a small, hardy type of vessel, suitably armed, for escort and convoy work in the Atlantic war against German submarines. This was the corvette. She was an immediate success, and her name will always be associated with convoys, and the wonderful protection she gave them. These fine ships are built on trawler lines, with the same seaworthy qualities, though they are, of course, much bigger than the fishing craft. They were strongly built to brave the worst Atlantic weather, and carried an armament for which the U-boats had a healthy respect.
The vessel shown on the opposite page is a corvette of the "Flower" class. The "Anchusa" is of 925 tones, and carries a crew of over 80. Her speed is 17 knots, which was found to be too slow to catch up with the sea-going submarine, and later vessels were much faster. One 4-inch anti-aircraft gun, one pom-pom or multiple gun, and several smaller, make up her armament, with depth-charge throwers on her after deck.
The Motor Torpedo Boat
Better known as the "M.T.B.", this tiny vessel is by far the fastest of all naval craft, and despite her size, carries a deadly "punch". Powerfully armed for her small tonnage, and moving at tremendous speed, the M.T.B. usually works at night and proves a very elusive target. No task is too difficult or daring for her adventurous crew, even battleships with their protection "screens" being considered "fair game" when the opportunity offers. With torpedoes, light guns and depth-charges, her lightning attacks are a source of constant worry to enemy submarines and coastal craft.
The M.T.B. usually hunts and fights in flotillas, or packs, and the picture presented by one of these flotillas at speed is indeed a thrilling one. The vessel illustrated here is a motor torpedo boat of modern design. Powerful motors can drive her at a speed of up to 48 knots, through she has a set of auxiliary engines, less powerful and practically silent, for use in rough weather, or for a surprise approach to her target. With two torpedo tubes, fitted on either side to fire forward along the deck, some quick-firing guns and accommodation for depth-charges, she is an aggressive little vessels indeed.
The Destroyer
Originally built to seek out and "destroy" the little torpedo boats which were considered so dangerous at the beginning of this century, the destroyer is now the "arch-enemy" of the submarine. She harries them relentlessly, like a terrier, on or under the surface, and will even attack a battleship or cruiser if she can get close enough. She is not a big ship, but she carries tremendous power in her long, sleek hull, with engines capable of driving her at 36 knots or more. Speed is the first consideration in her design, and is her only protection, for beyond her own thin plates she carries no armour.
This deadly little vessel is called to perform many duties besides submarine hunting. She may be detailed for all kinds of escort work, scouting, laying smoke-screens and engaging enemy ships of her own class. The vessel pictured here is the "Eskimo" of the "Tribal" class, a modern British destroyer. She is of 1,870 tons, carries a crew of 190 and has a speed of 36 1/2 knots. Besides six 4.7-inch guns, her armament contains two 4-inch anti-aircraft and seven smaller guns, with four torpedo tubes and depth-charges.
The River Gunboat
Built for service on the upper reaches of big rivers in China and Africa, this little gunboat is more important on her own outlandish "station" than the battleship in home waters. Many fierce actions have been fought and great services rendered by river gunboats, operating far from civilization. In time of war, however, their work is not always confined to the areas and service for which they were built, for several of them have seen action in the Mediterranean, and were employed in the invasion of Southern France. With a light tonnage and a very shallow draught (in some cases as little as 3 1/2 feet), this little "monitor" carries a heavy armament for a ship of her size.
The interesting vessel on the opposite page is the "Aphis", a river gunboat of the "Insect" class. Built in 1916 for service in China, she displaces 625 tons and is manned by a crew of 60. To enable her to navigate against strong river currents, she is fitted with powerful engines, with special tunnels for the propeller and triple rudders to assist in steering. Armed with two 6-inch guns, one 3-inch anti-aircraft and ten machine guns, she is a formidable little vessel. Her speed is 14 knots.
The Flotilla Leader
Destroyers generally work in groups of eight ships, or flotillas, under the command of a "leader", a ship of the same class, fitted out for the purpose. Formerly, the flotilla leader was much larger and better armed than the destroyer she led, but nowadays there is little difference beyond the leader's extra accommodation for the flotilla captain and his staff. Two or three flotillas, in turn, are commanded by a Rear-admiral, who flies his flag in a light cruiser. Life in these little "Greyhounds of the Fleet" is not an easy one, especially in dirty weather, yet large numbers of navymen prefer it to comparative comfort of the bigger ships.
There are certainly better chances of promotion, more action, and more of a family atmosphere in the destroyer service than in the battleship and cruiser squadrons. The vessel illustrated in the "Saumarez", a modern leader of 1,920 tons and a speed of 36 1/2 knots. She carries six 4.70-inch guns, one 3-inch anti-aircraft and several smaller guns, with four torpedo tubes. Like all vessels in the destroyer service, she has an excellent war record.
The Target Ship
A ship of over 25,000 tons, steaming along under her own power, "zig-zagging", and altering course to dodge shell-fire, yet without one man of a crew on board, is surely one of the strangest vessels that the ingenuity of man has yet designed. This unique ship in the "Centurion", a former battleship with a fine war history. Disarmed in 1927, she was extensively altered, and utilized as a target ship, to be pounded by the guns of the Fleet. Controlled by wireless from an attendant destroyer, she can be made to twist and turn, and even put up a smoke-screen, just like a fully-manned warship.
During her long career as a floating target, the "Centurion" has been damaged by thousands of shells, and after a "shoot" present a sorry sight. Her armour, however, is of special thickness, and she is soon patched up again.
With a speed of 16 knots, she carries a crew of 250 when not under fire. This interesting old ship is pictured on the opposite page, stripped of her fighting-tops, guns, and turrets. During the invasion operations on the Normandy beaches, she formed part of the breakwater of ships protecting the artificial harbour.
The Armed Trawler
Before the war there were about seventy vessels classed as trawlers in the Navy. With the outbreak of hostilities, however, large number of fishing trawlers were pressed into service, suitably armed and equipped, and player a magnificent part in the war at sea. For the most part, their crews went with them, a hardy race of men who knew their ships and could handle them. The tasks assigned to the armed trawler were many and various. Large numbers, of course, were fitted as minesweepers, trawling for a more deadly catch than they ever did in peace-time, while others were engaged on escort work with the convoys.
Their wonderful sea-keeping qualities made them very suitable for this and the many other dangerous duties they were called upon to perform. The vessel pictured here is the "Lundy", a Fleet trawler specially built for the Navy and one of a class named after British islands. Details regarding her have not yet been disclosed, but she is approximately 400 tons, with one 4-inch gun and some smaller ones.
The Monitor
In appearance, the monitor might easily be mistaken for a small battleship. At a distance she has the superstructure of a capital ship, on a limited scale, but here the similarity ends, for the monitor's main purpose is the bombardment of land targets, not to fight in a fleet. Her shallow "draught", that is the space between keel and water-line, permits her to approach coastal areas, which would be closed to a battleship. On her foredeck she carries two 15-inch guns in an armoured turret, mounted on a huge "barbette", or loading tower, raised well above deck-level.
The monitor is a slow, unwieldy ship with a broad beam, and though designed for inshore work is quite seaworthy. No details have yet been released of our latest monitors, but the "Erebus", illustrated opposite, has all the main features of this class of vessel. With a tonnage of 7,200, she carries a crew of 315 and has a speed of roughly 12 knots. Two 15-inch guns are mounted in the forward turret, with two 4-inch, two 3-inch and several smaller guns in the secondary battery. Her sister-ship, the "Terror", was lost during the war.
The Armed Merchant Cruiser
With the outbreak of war, many merchant ships are taken from their peace-time jobs, converted into warships and detailed to the different duties for which they are considered most suitable. Trawlers, drifters, yachts, and other "small fry" may be armed and utilised as gunboats, patrol or escort ships, minesweepers and so on, while cross-channel steamers make ideal hospital ships and transports. By far the biggest type of ship to be converted to naval purposes is the passenger liner. She may be used for transporting troops, or refitted, armed, and commissioned as an armed merchant cruiser.
Given a coat of "navy-grey" paint, stripped of all her fineries and armed with 6-inch guns, the liner has proved very suitable for this work, especially on patrol or escort duties. Many fine vessels have served in this way and many of them have been lost. The ship pictured on the opposite page is the "Transylvania", a typical merchant cruiser in her "war-paint". Formerly a popular 17,000 tons Atlantic liner belonging to the Anchor Line, she had a speed of 16 1/2 knots. Take over at the beginning of the war, she gave faithful service till she was torpedoed and sunk in 1940.
The Minesweeper
In wartime, no ship of any size can safely navigate coastal waters, suspected of having been mined, until such areas have been "swept" and a channel cleared. This dangerous job is performed by the minesweeper, a little vessel, but in many ways one of the most important in the Navy. Her "draught", that is the depth of water she displaces, is very small, and she is fitted with long wires, or sweeps, which are spread out and towed along the channel to be cleared. The sweeps may be towed between a pair of minesweepers, or by a single vessel towing a wire on a single side. On contact with the mooring of the mine, the deadly "egg" is brought to the surface, and exploded by rifle or machine-gun fire.
In addition to the Fleet minesweepers, specially built for the purpose, large numbers of fishing craft and paddle pleasure steamers were fitted out for this service during the war, and given a few light guns for their protection. The illustration opposite shows a typical Fleet minesweeper, the "Bangor", of 672 tons. With a crew of 60 men, and a speed of approximately 16 knots, she is armed with one 4-inch anti-aircraft, one 3-inch anti-aircraft and some smaller guns.
The Gunnery Training Ship
Until recently employed as a special service vessel for instruction in gunnery, the "Iron Duke" was flagship of the Grand Fleet in 1916 and carried Admiral Jellicoe's flag when the British and German battleships clashed at Jutland. Discarded as a fighting ship under a Naval Treaty in 1930, she had some of her big guns dismantled, her torpedo tubes removed, and her boilers so altered that her speed was reduced to 18 knots.
Of her original turrets or armoured gun-houses, two were removed, leaving three turrets mounting six 13.5-inch guns, with a secondary armament of twelve 6-inch and many smaller weapons, all of which were used for training purposes only.
Having shed her side armour, this fine old battleship was then fitted out as a gunnery training ship, making regular cruises with parties of officers and mane who were taking special gunnery courses. Still looking every inch a battleship, as many be seen by the picture on the opposite page, she has, unfortunately, recently passed to the shipbreakers.
The Frigate
The frigate, like the sloop and the corvette, revives memories of old classes of sailing warships, famous in Nelson's day, which disappeared with the introduction of steam to the Navy. The old-time frigate was a fast, lightly armed ship, equivalent to the modern light cruiser. The frigate of to-day, however, is an ocean-going escort vessel, "big sister" to the corvette, and similar in build to the sloop. She was designed as an improvement to the corvette, and joined her in the fight against submarines. In those dark days of the war, when our "life-lines" were so seriously threatened, the tireless work of these little ships did much to stave off disaster and keep the sea-lanes open.
Larger than the corvette, the frigate carries a bigger crew and is more heavily armed, but perhaps the greatest improvement is in speed, with an increase of at least 3 knots. The subject of our illustration is the "Bentinck", a frigate of the "Captain" class, named after famous Naval officers. With a tonnage of 1,200, she is armed with three 3-inch dual-purpose guns, two Bofors and four smaller guns. Her speed is 20 knots.
The Submarine Tender
Officially known as a submarine depot ship, this interesting vessels is a "home from home" for the under-water sailor. Here he may enjoy his "off duty" spells, and expand a little, after the cramped living quarters of the submarine. Rest and recreation, in the form of baths, canteens, libraries and so on, are provided in her spacy decks, and a large modern hospital, complete with operating theatre and X-ray rooms to deal with casualties.
But this is only one side of the "mother-ship's" service, for she also takes charge of the submarine, supplies her with torpedoes, ammunition and other stores, and makes any necessary repairs. For this purpose she carries a big workshop, capable of making the most extensive repairs, and staffed by a small army of skilled workers. The "Medway" may be taken as typical of a large submarine depot ship. Completed in 1929, with a tonnage of 15,000, she could "mother" as many as 18 submarines. Armed with two 4-inch, and four 4-inch anti-aircraft guns, and many smaller weapons, she had a speed of 16 knots. She was lost, unfortunately, during the war.
The Minelayer
Several types of ships, including submarines are fitted for minelaying, and aircraft can also lay mines on a small scale. Merchant ships, too, have been converted for the job, but most of this dangerous work is performed by the Fleet minelayers, specially designed ships of considerable tonnage and high speed. There is, perhaps, no more dangerous job in the Navy, and a "layer" with a cargo of these deadly mines, pitching into a head sea, or risking a single hit from enemy ships or aircraft, is not a comfortable vessel to be in.
Minelaying is essentially a secretive business, usually performed during the hours of darkness, and requires a "roomy" vessel with a high turn of speed. Such a ship is the "Adventure", classed as a cruiser-minelayer, and the only one of that type in the Fleet. It will be noticed that gun-power has been sacrificed to allow for the weight of the 340 large mines she carries. Displacing 6740 tons, she is armed four 4.7-inch anti-aircraft guns, four 3-pounder, and many smaller guns. Her engine room is protected by a thin belt of armour and she has a speed of 28 knots.
A Boy's Own Book of Warships
Drawn and Written by D. F. McDowell (1952)
The Battleship
Affectionately known as the “Battle-waggon” by her crew, the battleship is the big sister of all fighting ships. Officially she is termed a “Capital” ship and is not only the largest, but also the most powerful vessel in the Fleet, capable of giving – and taking – the heaviest blows in any sea action. Battleship design is constantly changing, but the “King George V” pictured opposite, may be taken as typical of the modern British capital ship. She has ten heavy guns, 14 inches in diameter, carried in three swinging turrets, two forward and one aft. This is known as her “main armament”. For the “secondary” armament she is equipped with sixteen 5.25-inch guns with many anti-aircraft guns and smaller guns.
Aircraft which can be launched from catapults amidships are carried in special hangars. To protect her vital parts against enemy bombing, gunfire and torpedo attacks, she has a belt of armour-plate, 16 inches thick in some places, over her decks and hull. With a tonnage of 35,000, she carries a crew of 1,500, and has a speed of 30 knots. The spectacle of a squadron of these “floating fortresses” plunging through a North Sea gale is one of tremendous power and majesty.
The Light Cruiser
The difference between the heavy and light cruiser classes is not so much in tonnage or dimensions, as in the calibre, or size, of the guns they carry. Thus the "Sheffield", pictured on the page opposite, is almost as big in length and tonnage as a "County" class cruiser, though her biggest guns do not exceed 6 inches. Light cruisers differ a great deal in design and tonnage, small ships of the Carlisle class, for instance, having only a tonnage of 4200 and mounting 4 inch guns.
The Sheffield is a light cruiser of the Town class, named after the principal towns in this country. She has a tonnage of a little over 9000, and mounts twelve 6 inch, with eight 4 inch and many smaller guns. In addition to six torpedo tubes, she carries three aircraft housed in a special hangar, with a catapult amidships for launching them. The boiler and engine rooms are protected by a belrt of armour plate 4 inches thick. This shapely vessel has a speed of 32 knots and carries 700 men.
The Aircraft Carrier
This strange, lop-sided type of ship is practically a newcomer to the Fleet, but has already given magnificent war service. She is, in fact, a "floating aerodrome", her sole purpose being to carry, fly and service fighting aeroplanes and their crews. With her long, open "flight deck" and the superstructure and funnel built well over to the starboard or right-hand side of the ship, she is totally unlike any other warship type in appearance. Fifty to eight planes are housed in large hangars below decks, and brought up by means of electric lifts. The ship is then swun round with her bows to the win, to allow the machines to take off, the process being reversed for landing and housing them.
As the carrier's only defence is the fighting power of her own planes and her light guns, an escort of destroyers is usually provided for her protection. Working with the big ships of the Fleet, a high speed is called for, and these ungainly-looking ships can steam at 31 or 32 knots. The vessel pictured here is the "Indomitable", completed in 1941. She is of 23,000 tons and carries 1,600 men, including airmen. Her armament consists of sixteen 4.5-inch guns, with many smaller guns, and she has a speed of 31 knots.
The Submarine
One of the smallest vessels in the Navy, yet in many ways the most deadly, the submarine might be described as the "opposite number" to the aircraft carrier, for while the activities of the carrier are confined to the surface and the air, the submarine operates mostly under the level of the sea. Her main weapon is the torpedo, though one or more guns may be carried, and some vessels are fitted for minelaying. Propulsion is by means of Diesel engines on the surface, and by electric motors when submerged, her speed under water being greatly reduced. Her greatest enemy is the destroyer, which is fitted with special devices to detect and sink her.
Diving and surfacing is achieved by means of special horizontal rudders and water-ballast tanks, and can be accomplished in under a minute. Accommodation for the crew is very cramped, most of the space in the cigar-shaped hull being taken up by engines, motors, and complicated machinery. The vessel pictured on the opposite page is the "Trident". She carries a crew of 53, is armed with one 4-inch and two smaller guns, and has ten torpedo tubes. On the surface her speed is 15 1/4 knots, reduced to 9 when submerged.
The Battle Cruiser
This class of warship, designed to combine qualities of a battleship with those of a heavy cruiser, is fast disappearing, and the "Renown", illustrated here, is the only one now remaining in the British Fleet. The battle cruiser is a capital ship, heavily armed, but with a certain amount of her gunpower and much of her armour sacrificed to obtain more speed. The increased speeds achieved by modern battleships, however, have outdated the battle cruiser. In appearance she resembles the battleship with her high "fighting-tops", control towers, big gun turrets, aircraft hangars and catapults.
The "Renown" was built in 1916 and has seen much war service. Her main armament consists of six 15-inch guns in three turrets, two forward and one aft, with twenty 4.5-inch and many smaller guns to make up the secondary armament. She has a 9-inch belt of armour along her waterline, and 11 inches over the gun turrets. With a tonnage of 32,000, she carries almost 1,200 men and has a speed of 29 knots. This fast hard-hitting type of warship has added many glorious pages to naval history.
The Sloop
Sometimes called the "little sister" of the cruiser, the sloop is a small vessel, not unlike the frigate in appearance, built mostly for patrol and escort duties. In peacetime, however, she may be seen 'showing the flag' in many of our outlying naval stations in different parts of the world. Here she works with the cruiser squadrons, so it will be seen that although she is a small ship, and her fighting value considered very low, she has a wide range of action, and fine seakeeping qualities. Lightly armed, but strongly built, these hardy little vessels played a big part in the convoy battles during the war, working in company with the corvettes and frigates. Some of them have been fitted for minelaying and others specially armed for anti-aircraft work. The subject of our illustration is the "Lowestoft", a sloop of 990 tons, built in 1934. With a crew of 100, she is armed with two 4.7-inch, one 3-inch anti-aircraft and several smaller guns, and is also fitted with depth-charges. Her speed is 16 1/2 knots.
The Cruiser
The cruiser of to-day is the direct descendant of the old sailing frigate of Nelson's time. A fast ship, she acts as the "Eyes of the Fleet", scouting out and keeping contract with enemy squadrons, and screening the capital ships against surprise attack. She also acts as "policeman of the ocean lanes" escorting wartime convoys and patrolling the shipping routes along which they sail. Cruisers vary greatly in size, design and gun-power, and while they are vastly inferior to capital ships in everything by speed and handiness, they are much more powerful than any other type of warship.
The vessel pictured opposite is the "Devonshire", of the "County" class, designated as a heavy cruiser. She is armed with eight 8-inch guns, in four small turrets or gun-houses, eight 4-inch anti-aircraft and many smaller weapons. Three aircraft are carried, launched from a catapult amidships, and she is fitted with eight torpedo tubes. She has 2 inches of armour over her gun-houses, 4 inches over the vital parts of the deck and her hull is specially protected by 'bulges' against torpedo attack. Like all naval vessels, she burns oil fuel and has a speed of 32 1/4 knots. Her tonnage is almost 10,000 and she carries a crew of 650.
The Escort Aircraft Carrier
The brilliant war-work of the Fleet aircraft carriers led to the introduction of a smaller carrier, to be used chiefly in convoy work, and for the "spotting" and destruction of U-boats. These "Woolworth Carriers", as the sailors promptly dubbed them, came out in great numbers as the war progressed, and were of great value in the anti-submarine warfare. They are mostly merchant ships, converted for the purpose by having their upperworks cut down, and long "flying decks" fitted instead. In design, they resemble the Fleet carrier, but are considerably smaller and much slower.
As a rule, they have no funnels, the long, flat decks being left clear for flying purposes, though it gives them a rather derelict appearance. Hangars and lifts for the planes, and accommodation for the aircrews, are provided within the hull, and a battery of light guns fitted along each side of the flight deck. Our picture shows the "Biter", a typical ship of this class, and formerly an American merchantman. She performed yeoman service in the Atlantic battle with German submarines.
The Corvette
In the early years of the war, the Admiralty introduced a small, hardy type of vessel, suitably armed, for escort and convoy work in the Atlantic war against German submarines. This was the corvette. She was an immediate success, and her name will always be associated with convoys, and the wonderful protection she gave them. These fine ships are built on trawler lines, with the same seaworthy qualities, though they are, of course, much bigger than the fishing craft. They were strongly built to brave the worst Atlantic weather, and carried an armament for which the U-boats had a healthy respect.
The vessel shown on the opposite page is a corvette of the "Flower" class. The "Anchusa" is of 925 tones, and carries a crew of over 80. Her speed is 17 knots, which was found to be too slow to catch up with the sea-going submarine, and later vessels were much faster. One 4-inch anti-aircraft gun, one pom-pom or multiple gun, and several smaller, make up her armament, with depth-charge throwers on her after deck.
The Motor Torpedo Boat
Better known as the "M.T.B.", this tiny vessel is by far the fastest of all naval craft, and despite her size, carries a deadly "punch". Powerfully armed for her small tonnage, and moving at tremendous speed, the M.T.B. usually works at night and proves a very elusive target. No task is too difficult or daring for her adventurous crew, even battleships with their protection "screens" being considered "fair game" when the opportunity offers. With torpedoes, light guns and depth-charges, her lightning attacks are a source of constant worry to enemy submarines and coastal craft.
The M.T.B. usually hunts and fights in flotillas, or packs, and the picture presented by one of these flotillas at speed is indeed a thrilling one. The vessel illustrated here is a motor torpedo boat of modern design. Powerful motors can drive her at a speed of up to 48 knots, through she has a set of auxiliary engines, less powerful and practically silent, for use in rough weather, or for a surprise approach to her target. With two torpedo tubes, fitted on either side to fire forward along the deck, some quick-firing guns and accommodation for depth-charges, she is an aggressive little vessels indeed.
The Destroyer
Originally built to seek out and "destroy" the little torpedo boats which were considered so dangerous at the beginning of this century, the destroyer is now the "arch-enemy" of the submarine. She harries them relentlessly, like a terrier, on or under the surface, and will even attack a battleship or cruiser if she can get close enough. She is not a big ship, but she carries tremendous power in her long, sleek hull, with engines capable of driving her at 36 knots or more. Speed is the first consideration in her design, and is her only protection, for beyond her own thin plates she carries no armour.
This deadly little vessel is called to perform many duties besides submarine hunting. She may be detailed for all kinds of escort work, scouting, laying smoke-screens and engaging enemy ships of her own class. The vessel pictured here is the "Eskimo" of the "Tribal" class, a modern British destroyer. She is of 1,870 tons, carries a crew of 190 and has a speed of 36 1/2 knots. Besides six 4.7-inch guns, her armament contains two 4-inch anti-aircraft and seven smaller guns, with four torpedo tubes and depth-charges.
The River Gunboat
Built for service on the upper reaches of big rivers in China and Africa, this little gunboat is more important on her own outlandish "station" than the battleship in home waters. Many fierce actions have been fought and great services rendered by river gunboats, operating far from civilization. In time of war, however, their work is not always confined to the areas and service for which they were built, for several of them have seen action in the Mediterranean, and were employed in the invasion of Southern France. With a light tonnage and a very shallow draught (in some cases as little as 3 1/2 feet), this little "monitor" carries a heavy armament for a ship of her size.
The interesting vessel on the opposite page is the "Aphis", a river gunboat of the "Insect" class. Built in 1916 for service in China, she displaces 625 tons and is manned by a crew of 60. To enable her to navigate against strong river currents, she is fitted with powerful engines, with special tunnels for the propeller and triple rudders to assist in steering. Armed with two 6-inch guns, one 3-inch anti-aircraft and ten machine guns, she is a formidable little vessel. Her speed is 14 knots.
The Flotilla Leader
Destroyers generally work in groups of eight ships, or flotillas, under the command of a "leader", a ship of the same class, fitted out for the purpose. Formerly, the flotilla leader was much larger and better armed than the destroyer she led, but nowadays there is little difference beyond the leader's extra accommodation for the flotilla captain and his staff. Two or three flotillas, in turn, are commanded by a Rear-admiral, who flies his flag in a light cruiser. Life in these little "Greyhounds of the Fleet" is not an easy one, especially in dirty weather, yet large numbers of navymen prefer it to comparative comfort of the bigger ships.
There are certainly better chances of promotion, more action, and more of a family atmosphere in the destroyer service than in the battleship and cruiser squadrons. The vessel illustrated in the "Saumarez", a modern leader of 1,920 tons and a speed of 36 1/2 knots. She carries six 4.70-inch guns, one 3-inch anti-aircraft and several smaller guns, with four torpedo tubes. Like all vessels in the destroyer service, she has an excellent war record.
The Target Ship
A ship of over 25,000 tons, steaming along under her own power, "zig-zagging", and altering course to dodge shell-fire, yet without one man of a crew on board, is surely one of the strangest vessels that the ingenuity of man has yet designed. This unique ship in the "Centurion", a former battleship with a fine war history. Disarmed in 1927, she was extensively altered, and utilized as a target ship, to be pounded by the guns of the Fleet. Controlled by wireless from an attendant destroyer, she can be made to twist and turn, and even put up a smoke-screen, just like a fully-manned warship.
During her long career as a floating target, the "Centurion" has been damaged by thousands of shells, and after a "shoot" present a sorry sight. Her armour, however, is of special thickness, and she is soon patched up again.
With a speed of 16 knots, she carries a crew of 250 when not under fire. This interesting old ship is pictured on the opposite page, stripped of her fighting-tops, guns, and turrets. During the invasion operations on the Normandy beaches, she formed part of the breakwater of ships protecting the artificial harbour.
The Armed Trawler
Before the war there were about seventy vessels classed as trawlers in the Navy. With the outbreak of hostilities, however, large number of fishing trawlers were pressed into service, suitably armed and equipped, and player a magnificent part in the war at sea. For the most part, their crews went with them, a hardy race of men who knew their ships and could handle them. The tasks assigned to the armed trawler were many and various. Large numbers, of course, were fitted as minesweepers, trawling for a more deadly catch than they ever did in peace-time, while others were engaged on escort work with the convoys.
Their wonderful sea-keeping qualities made them very suitable for this and the many other dangerous duties they were called upon to perform. The vessel pictured here is the "Lundy", a Fleet trawler specially built for the Navy and one of a class named after British islands. Details regarding her have not yet been disclosed, but she is approximately 400 tons, with one 4-inch gun and some smaller ones.
The Monitor
In appearance, the monitor might easily be mistaken for a small battleship. At a distance she has the superstructure of a capital ship, on a limited scale, but here the similarity ends, for the monitor's main purpose is the bombardment of land targets, not to fight in a fleet. Her shallow "draught", that is the space between keel and water-line, permits her to approach coastal areas, which would be closed to a battleship. On her foredeck she carries two 15-inch guns in an armoured turret, mounted on a huge "barbette", or loading tower, raised well above deck-level.
The monitor is a slow, unwieldy ship with a broad beam, and though designed for inshore work is quite seaworthy. No details have yet been released of our latest monitors, but the "Erebus", illustrated opposite, has all the main features of this class of vessel. With a tonnage of 7,200, she carries a crew of 315 and has a speed of roughly 12 knots. Two 15-inch guns are mounted in the forward turret, with two 4-inch, two 3-inch and several smaller guns in the secondary battery. Her sister-ship, the "Terror", was lost during the war.
The Armed Merchant Cruiser
With the outbreak of war, many merchant ships are taken from their peace-time jobs, converted into warships and detailed to the different duties for which they are considered most suitable. Trawlers, drifters, yachts, and other "small fry" may be armed and utilised as gunboats, patrol or escort ships, minesweepers and so on, while cross-channel steamers make ideal hospital ships and transports. By far the biggest type of ship to be converted to naval purposes is the passenger liner. She may be used for transporting troops, or refitted, armed, and commissioned as an armed merchant cruiser.
Given a coat of "navy-grey" paint, stripped of all her fineries and armed with 6-inch guns, the liner has proved very suitable for this work, especially on patrol or escort duties. Many fine vessels have served in this way and many of them have been lost. The ship pictured on the opposite page is the "Transylvania", a typical merchant cruiser in her "war-paint". Formerly a popular 17,000 tons Atlantic liner belonging to the Anchor Line, she had a speed of 16 1/2 knots. Take over at the beginning of the war, she gave faithful service till she was torpedoed and sunk in 1940.
The Minesweeper
In wartime, no ship of any size can safely navigate coastal waters, suspected of having been mined, until such areas have been "swept" and a channel cleared. This dangerous job is performed by the minesweeper, a little vessel, but in many ways one of the most important in the Navy. Her "draught", that is the depth of water she displaces, is very small, and she is fitted with long wires, or sweeps, which are spread out and towed along the channel to be cleared. The sweeps may be towed between a pair of minesweepers, or by a single vessel towing a wire on a single side. On contact with the mooring of the mine, the deadly "egg" is brought to the surface, and exploded by rifle or machine-gun fire.
In addition to the Fleet minesweepers, specially built for the purpose, large numbers of fishing craft and paddle pleasure steamers were fitted out for this service during the war, and given a few light guns for their protection. The illustration opposite shows a typical Fleet minesweeper, the "Bangor", of 672 tons. With a crew of 60 men, and a speed of approximately 16 knots, she is armed with one 4-inch anti-aircraft, one 3-inch anti-aircraft and some smaller guns.
The Gunnery Training Ship
Until recently employed as a special service vessel for instruction in gunnery, the "Iron Duke" was flagship of the Grand Fleet in 1916 and carried Admiral Jellicoe's flag when the British and German battleships clashed at Jutland. Discarded as a fighting ship under a Naval Treaty in 1930, she had some of her big guns dismantled, her torpedo tubes removed, and her boilers so altered that her speed was reduced to 18 knots.
Of her original turrets or armoured gun-houses, two were removed, leaving three turrets mounting six 13.5-inch guns, with a secondary armament of twelve 6-inch and many smaller weapons, all of which were used for training purposes only.
Having shed her side armour, this fine old battleship was then fitted out as a gunnery training ship, making regular cruises with parties of officers and mane who were taking special gunnery courses. Still looking every inch a battleship, as many be seen by the picture on the opposite page, she has, unfortunately, recently passed to the shipbreakers.
The Frigate
The frigate, like the sloop and the corvette, revives memories of old classes of sailing warships, famous in Nelson's day, which disappeared with the introduction of steam to the Navy. The old-time frigate was a fast, lightly armed ship, equivalent to the modern light cruiser. The frigate of to-day, however, is an ocean-going escort vessel, "big sister" to the corvette, and similar in build to the sloop. She was designed as an improvement to the corvette, and joined her in the fight against submarines. In those dark days of the war, when our "life-lines" were so seriously threatened, the tireless work of these little ships did much to stave off disaster and keep the sea-lanes open.
Larger than the corvette, the frigate carries a bigger crew and is more heavily armed, but perhaps the greatest improvement is in speed, with an increase of at least 3 knots. The subject of our illustration is the "Bentinck", a frigate of the "Captain" class, named after famous Naval officers. With a tonnage of 1,200, she is armed with three 3-inch dual-purpose guns, two Bofors and four smaller guns. Her speed is 20 knots.
The Submarine Tender
Officially known as a submarine depot ship, this interesting vessels is a "home from home" for the under-water sailor. Here he may enjoy his "off duty" spells, and expand a little, after the cramped living quarters of the submarine. Rest and recreation, in the form of baths, canteens, libraries and so on, are provided in her spacy decks, and a large modern hospital, complete with operating theatre and X-ray rooms to deal with casualties.
But this is only one side of the "mother-ship's" service, for she also takes charge of the submarine, supplies her with torpedoes, ammunition and other stores, and makes any necessary repairs. For this purpose she carries a big workshop, capable of making the most extensive repairs, and staffed by a small army of skilled workers. The "Medway" may be taken as typical of a large submarine depot ship. Completed in 1929, with a tonnage of 15,000, she could "mother" as many as 18 submarines. Armed with two 4-inch, and four 4-inch anti-aircraft guns, and many smaller weapons, she had a speed of 16 knots. She was lost, unfortunately, during the war.
The Minelayer
Several types of ships, including submarines are fitted for minelaying, and aircraft can also lay mines on a small scale. Merchant ships, too, have been converted for the job, but most of this dangerous work is performed by the Fleet minelayers, specially designed ships of considerable tonnage and high speed. There is, perhaps, no more dangerous job in the Navy, and a "layer" with a cargo of these deadly mines, pitching into a head sea, or risking a single hit from enemy ships or aircraft, is not a comfortable vessel to be in.
Minelaying is essentially a secretive business, usually performed during the hours of darkness, and requires a "roomy" vessel with a high turn of speed. Such a ship is the "Adventure", classed as a cruiser-minelayer, and the only one of that type in the Fleet. It will be noticed that gun-power has been sacrificed to allow for the weight of the 340 large mines she carries. Displacing 6740 tons, she is armed four 4.7-inch anti-aircraft guns, four 3-pounder, and many smaller guns. Her engine room is protected by a thin belt of armour and she has a speed of 28 knots.
