HMS Albemarle (1901) facts for kids
HMS Albemarle
|
|
Quick facts for kids History |
|
|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
|
| Name | HMS Albemarle |
| Namesake | George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle. |
| Builder | Chatham Dockyard |
| Laid down | 1 January 1900 |
| Launched | 5 March 1901 |
| Completed | November 1903 |
| Commissioned | 12 November 1903 |
| Decommissioned | April 1919 |
| Fate | Broken up, 1920 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Duncan-class pre-dreadnought battleship |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 432 ft (132 m) (loa) |
| Beam | 75 ft 6 in (23.01 m) |
| Draught | 25 ft 9 in (7.85 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Range | 6,070 nmi (11,240 km; 6,990 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 720 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour |
|
HMS Albemarle was a powerful warship known as a pre-dreadnought battleship. She was part of the Royal Navy and was named after George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, a famous historical figure. Albemarle was built to compete with fast Russian battleships. Because of her design, she and her sister ships could travel at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph), making them the fastest battleships in the world at the time!
The Duncan-class battleships, like Albemarle, were armed with four large 12-inch (305 mm) guns. They were similar to the London-class battleship class but were a bit lighter and had thinner armour. This design was an improved version of the earlier, lighter Canopus-class battleship ships. Albemarle was built between January 1900 and November 1903.
Her time in service was mostly calm. She first served in the Mediterranean Fleet from 1903 to 1905, then moved to the Channel Fleet. Later, she joined the Atlantic Fleet and then the Home Fleet. When World War I started, she patrolled with the Grand Fleet. In 1916, she was sent to Murmansk, Russia, to act as a guard ship and icebreaker. After returning to England, she was put into reserve for the rest of the war. Albemarle was taken out of service in April 1919 and was later scrapped in 1920.
Contents
Ship Design and Features
The six ships of the Duncan class class were ordered because Russia had launched its fast Peresvet-class battleships in 1898. William Henry White, who designed ships for the British Navy, wanted the Duncan class to be just as fast as the Russian ships. To make them faster without making them too big, he had to reduce their armour protection. This made the Duncan-class ships larger and better versions of the 1896 Canopus-class battleship class, rather than stronger ships like the Majestic or London classes. Even though their defence was weaker, the Duncan ships were still much better than the Russian Peresvet ships they were built to fight.
Size and Speed
Albemarle was 432 feet (132 m) long from end to end. She was 75 ft 6 in (23.01 m) wide (her beam) and sat 25 ft 9 in (7.85 m) deep in the water (her draft). When empty, these battleships weighed between 13,270 to 13,745 long tons (13,483 to 13,966 t) (this is called normal displacement). When fully loaded, they weighed up to 14,900 to 15,200 long tons (15,100 to 15,400 t). A crew of 720 officers and sailors worked on board.
The Duncan-class ships were powered by two large 4-cylinder triple-expansion engines. These engines turned two screws to move the ship. Steam for the engines came from 24 Belleville boilers. The smoke from these boilers went up two funnels in the middle of the ship. These ships could reach a top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) thanks to their 18,000 indicated horsepower (13,000 kW) engines. This made Albemarle and her sister ships the fastest battleships in the world for several years! At a slower speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), the ship could travel for 6,070 nautical miles (11,240 km; 6,990 mi) without needing to refuel.
Weapons and Protection
Albemarle had a main set of weapons called the main battery. These were four 12-inch (305 mm) guns. They were placed in two gun turrets, one at the front and one at the back of the ship. She also had a secondary battery of twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns, which were placed in armoured rooms called casemates. For defence against smaller, faster torpedo boats, she carried ten 3 in (76 mm) guns and six 47 mm (1.9 in) guns. Like most battleships of that time, she also had four 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes built into the side of her hull, below the waterline.
To protect herself, Albemarle had a thick armoured belt around her middle, which was 7 in (178 mm) thick. The walls (called bulkheads) at the back of this belt were between 7 to 11 in (178 to 279 mm) thick. The sides of her main gun turrets were 8 to 10 in (203 to 254 mm) thick, sitting on top of 11 in (279 mm) barbettes. The casemate guns were protected by 6 in (152 mm) of Krupp steel. The conning tower, where the ship was commanded from, had 12 in (305 mm)-thick sides. She also had two armoured decks, 1 and 2 in (25 and 51 mm) thick, to protect against attacks from above.
Service History
Early Years (Before World War I)
HMS Albemarle was built at Chatham Dockyard. Her construction started on 1 January 1900, and she was launched on 5 March 1901. Lady Kennedy, the wife of Admiral Sir William Kennedy, officially named the ship. She was finished in November 1903. Albemarle was officially put into service (or commissioned) on 12 November 1903. She first served in the Mediterranean Fleet as a special flagship for the Rear Admiral.
In February 1905, she moved to the Channel Fleet to be the second flagship for that fleet's deputy commander. On 31 January 1907, she was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet, again serving as a second flagship. While under the command of Captain Robert Falcon Scott (who later became a famous Antarctic explorer), she had a minor collision with another battleship, HMS Commonwealth, on 11 February 1907. Her front (bow) was slightly damaged.
In July 1908, Albemarle visited Canada for the Quebec Tercentenary celebration. She was joined by her sister ships Exmouth, Duncan, and Russell. In January 1909, she became the flagship for the Rear Admiral at Gibraltar. She then went to Malta for repairs and upgrades (a refit) from May to August 1909. Her time with the Atlantic Fleet ended in February 1910.
On 25 February 1910, Albemarle was put back into service for the 3rd Division of the Home Fleet at Portsmouth. She was taken out of service for another refit at Portsmouth Dockyard on 30 October 1911. This refit lasted from January to December 1912. After her repairs, Albemarle was recommissioned at Portsmouth to serve in the 4th Battle Squadron of the First Fleet. On 15 May 1913, her crew was reduced to a small "nucleus crew," and she was assigned to the 6th Battle Squadron of the Second Fleet to be a training ship for gunnery practice.
World War I Service
When World War I began in August 1914, Albemarle and several other battleships were supposed to form the 6th Battle Squadron. Their job was to patrol the English Channel and protect British troops moving to France. However, the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, asked for Albemarle and her four surviving sister ships to join the 3rd Battle Squadron in the Grand Fleet. They were needed for patrol duties because the Grand Fleet didn't have enough cruisers.
So, the 6th Battle Squadron was temporarily stopped. Albemarle joined the 3rd Battle Squadron at Scapa Flow on 8 August 1914. She worked with the Grand Fleet's cruisers on the Northern Patrol, watching for enemy ships.
On 2 November 1914, Albemarle and her four Duncan-class sisters, along with some King Edward VII-class battleships, were temporarily moved to the Channel Fleet. This was to make the Channel Fleet stronger because the Imperial German Navy was active in that area. The very next day, the German fleet attacked Yarmouth. At that time, Albemarle and the 3rd Squadron were spread out on patrol and couldn't help during the attack.
On 13 November 1914, the King Edward VII-class ships went back to the Grand Fleet. But Albemarle and the other Duncan ships stayed in the Channel Fleet. On 14 November 1914, they formed the 6th Battle Squadron again. This squadron was given the task of attacking German submarine bases on the coast of Belgium. They were based at Portland, but moved to Dover right away. However, Dover didn't have enough protection against submarines, especially after the harbour's anti-submarine barrier was swept away in a strong storm (a gale). So, the squadron returned to Portland on 19 November 1914. The squadron's main purpose was to guard against any attempt by the German fleet to invade Britain.
The 6th Battle Squadron returned to Dover in December 1914. Then, on 30 December 1914, they moved to Sheerness to take over from the 5th Battle Squadron in guarding against a German invasion of the United Kingdom. Between January and May 1915, the 6th Battle Squadron was split up. Albemarle left the squadron in April 1915 and rejoined the 3rd Battle Squadron in the Grand Fleet. She had a refit at Chatham Dockyard in October 1915.
In November 1915, Albemarle was ordered to move to the Mediterranean with a part of the 3rd Battle Squadron. This group also included the battleships Hibernia and Zealandia. The ships left Scapa Flow on 6 November 1915. That night, they ran into extremely bad weather in the Pentland Firth. Albemarle, which was carrying a lot of extra ammunition, was badly damaged early on 7 November in the rough seas. Her front bridge was washed away, and everyone on the bridge died. Her front superstructure (the parts of the ship above the main deck) was also severely damaged.
After her repairs were finished in December 1915, Albemarle was ordered to rejoin the Grand Fleet. This meant she was the only Duncan-class ship (besides Montagu, which had been wrecked before the war) that didn't serve in the Mediterranean during the war. In January 1916, Albemarle was sent away from the Grand Fleet to serve in North Russia at Murmansk. Her job there was to be a guard ship and an icebreaker for ships trying to reach Arkhangelsk. At Murmansk, she also served as the main ship for the Senior Naval Officer.
Albemarle returned to the United Kingdom in September 1916. She was taken out of service at Portsmouth so her crew could be used on anti-submarine vessels. She began a refit at Liverpool in October 1916. When it was finished in March 1917, she went into reserve at Devonport Dockyard. Between September 1916 and May 1917, her 6-inch (152 mm) guns on the main deck were removed and replaced with four 6-inch (152 mm) guns on her battery deck.
Albemarle remained in reserve until April 1919. During this time, she was used as an extra accommodation ship for sailors at the naval barracks in Devonport. In 1919, she was also attached to the Gunnery School. The ship was put on the list to be gotten rid of in April 1919 and on the sale list in August 1919. She was sold to Cohen Shipbeaking Company on 19 November 1919 to be scrapped. She arrived at Swansea to be broken up in April 1920.
