HMS New Zealand (1911)

HMS New Zealand (1911) History

HMS New Zealand was one of three Indomitable-class battlecruisers built to defend the British Empire. The ship was launched in 1911, funded by the New Zealand government as a gift to Great Britain, and commissioned with the Royal Navy in 1912.

She was originally intended for the Chinese station, but was approved by the New Zealand government to serve in British waters at the request of the Admiralty.

In 1913, New Zealand was sent by the British Dominions on a 10-month trip focused on visiting their namesake country. When World War I began, she returned to British waters as part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet, not the German High Seas Fleet.

During the war, the battlecruiser participated in all three major campaigns in the North Sea - Heligoland Bay, Dogger Beach and Jutland - and participated in air raids on Scarborough and Heligoland Bay Response to the Second Naval Battle. New Zealand contributed to the destruction of two cruisers during their service, and was hit only once by enemy fire without causing any casualties.

Crews attribute her "lucky ship" status to the Maori piupiu (warrior's skirt) and hei-tiki (pendant) worn by the captain in battle.

After the war, New Zealand was sent on a second world tour, this time for Admiral John Jellicoe to examine the Dominion's naval defences. In 1920, the battlecruisers were added to the reserve.

She was scrapped in 1922 to comply with the British tonnage limit in the disarmament clause of the Washington Naval Treaty.

Specification

BASIC

Year of Service

1912

Origins

UK

supplement

800

staff

Class information

Class

Tireless Lesson

Class Size

3

ships

Class

HMS Tireless; New Zealand; HMAS Australia

Operators

UK

Characters

Sea Bombing

Maritime bombardment/attack of surface targets/areas primarily through ship-based ballistic weapons.

Land Assault

Littoral attacks against surface targets primarily through ship-based missiles/missile weapons.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Airspace Denial/Deterrence

Neutralization or deterrence of flying elements by airborne missile weapon ballistics.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

590. 0 feet

179.83m

Ray

80. 0 feet

24.38m

Draft

27. 0 feet

8.23m

Shift

18,800 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

31 x Babcock & Wilcox water tube boiler with 4 x Parsons steam turbines driving 4 x shafts.

Surface Velocity

25. 0 nodes

(28.8 km/h)

Area

6,691nm

(7,700 miles | 12,392 kilometers)

Weapons

4 x 12" BL Mk X guns (4x2) 16 x 4" BL Mk VII guns 2 x 18" torpedo tubes

Aircraft

None.