HMS Royal Sovereign (05)

History

The Vengeance-class battleships of the Royal Navy were ordered before the First World War (1914-1918). The class was originally intended to have a total of eight ships, but one was eventually cancelled (HMS Resistance) and the other two were repainted to form the new Prestige class.

As a result, only five of the original Vengeance ships were built - including the HMS Royal Sovereign (05).

HMS Royal Sovereign built and laid on 15 January 1914 at Portsmouth Royal Dockyard. She was launched on April 29, 1915 - as World War I was raging - and commissioned in May 1916. To survive the conflict, she entered the interwar years, and in 1944 served in the Royal Navy and the Soviet Navy (the latter known as "Arkhangelsk") during World War II ("Arkhangelsk"). 1939-1945) in service.

She returned to the Royal Navy in early service in 1949 and was scrapped shortly thereafter.

When completed, the Royal Sovereign will have a displacement of 30,450 tons, a length of 620.6 feet, a beam of 88.5 feet, and a draft of 33.6 feet. Power comes from 18 Babcock & Wilcox boiler units feeding 4 40,000hp steam turbines on 4 shafts. Performance includes speeds of nearly 23 knots and a cruising range of up to 8,000 miles at 10 knots.

Her crew numbered 1,240. Armor protection reaches 13 inches at the waistband and 4 inches along the deck. The turret is covered with up to 10 inches of armor and the turret reaches 13 inches of protection. The turret was 11 inches high and the bulkheads were reinforced to 6 inches.

Mounted armament consists of 8 x 15 inch main guns arranged in four twin turrets. There are 14 x 6" guns on single gun turrets around the superstructure, and 2 x 76mm 20 center guns (on single gun mounts). For anti-aircraft service (AA). Carry 4 x 3 pounders and 4 x 21" Torpedo tube.

During the First World War, the HMS Royal Sovereign was not ready for prime-time service, so she missed the action at the Battle of Jutland - the biggest naval battle of the war. After the war she lost her 3-inch guns, replaced by 2 x QF 4-inch Mk V guns, and served in the Atlantic Fleet until 1926 before being placed in the reserve. During this downtime, she underwent modifications (1929) which included removing some 6" guns and adding more 4" guns.

She joined the Mediterranean Fleet and was modernized for the new decade, receiving the Pom Pom gun in 1932 and losing some torpedo firing capabilities. Work began in 1937 to remove the remaining torpedo weapons.

During World War II, her armament was modified again. In 1941, 10 x 20 mm Oerlikon guns were installed to increase her anti-aircraft protection. More pom-pom guns were installed the following year, and in 1943 she received more 20mm guns. Her first contribution was an escort escort role as part of the Home Fleet.

She was transferred to the Mediterranean and stationed in Alexandria during the war. She participated in the Battle of Calabria (July 1940), but did not claim any enemies. In August 1940, she survived an Italian submarine attack before returning to the Atlantic.

From there, she was assigned to the Pacific Theater to deter any Japanese aggression against British interests.

After serving in the Pacific, Indian Oceans and the Middle East, she was returned to British home waters. On May 30, 1944, she officially transferred to the Soviet Navy, and her service with the weary ship in the Royal Navy was almost over. She served as her new owner's flagship and was used to protect Allied convoys trying to reinforce Soviet supplies - which ended her tenure in World War II. On February 4, 1949, she was sent back to England.

Her condition was so bad that the steel beast was beyond salvage and she was struck off the naval register, officially retired and sold for scrap.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing