.gif)
HMS Glorious (77)
Encyclopedia
HMS Glorious was the second of the cruiser
s built for the British Royal Navy
during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project
championed by the First Sea Lord
, Lord Fisher, they were very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Glorious was completed in late 1916 and spent the war patrolling the North Sea
. She participated in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
in November 1917 and was present when the German High Seas Fleet
surrendered a year later.
Glorious was paid off after the end of the war, but was rebuilt as an aircraft carrier
during the late 1920s. She could carry 30% more aircraft than her half-sister
which had approximately the same tonnage. After recommissioning she spent most of her career operating in the Mediterranean Sea
. After the start of the Second World War, Glorious spent the rest of 1939 unsuccessfully hunting for the in the Indian Ocean
before returning to the Mediterranean. She was recalled in April 1940 to support British operations in Norway
. While evacuating British aircraft from Norway in June, the ship was sunk by the German battleships and in the North Sea with the loss of over 1,200 lives.
_profile_drawing.png)
During the First World War, Admiral
Fisher was prevented from ordering an improved version of the preceding s by a wartime restriction that banned construction of ships larger than light cruisers. To obtain ships suitable for traditional battlecruiser roles, such as scouting for fleets and hunting enemy raiders, he settled on a design with the minimal armour of a light cruiser and the armament of a battlecruiser. He justified their existence by claiming he needed fast, shallow-draught ships for his Baltic Project, a plan to invade Germany via its Baltic coast.
Glorious had an overall length of 786 in 9 in (239.8 m), a beam
of 81 feet (24.7 m), and a draught of 25 in 10 in (7.87 m) at deep load. She displaced 19180 long tons (19,487.8 t) at load and 22560 long tons (22,922 t) at deep load. Glorious and her sisters
were the first large warships in the Royal Navy to have geared steam turbine
s. To save time the installation used in the light cruiser , the first cruiser in the Royal Navy with geared turbines, was simply doubled. The Parsons
turbines were powered by eighteen Yarrow
small-tube boilers
. They were designed to produce a total of 90000 shp at a working pressure of 235 pound per square inch. During the ship's abbreviated sea trial
s she reached 31.42 knots (17.1 m/s).
The ship was designed to normally carry 750 long tons (762 t) of fuel oil
, but could carry a maximum of 3160 long tons (3,210.7 t). At full capacity, she could steam for an estimated 6000 nautical mile at a speed of 20 knots.
Glorious carried four BL 15-inch Mark I guns in two twin hydraulically powered Mark I* turrets, one each fore ('A') and aft ('Y'). Her secondary armament consisted of eighteen BL 4-inch Mark IX guns
mounted in six manually powered triple T.I. Mark I mounts. These mounts had the three breeches
too close together and the 23 loaders tended to interfere with each other. This rather negated the mount's intended purpose to provide a high rate of fire against torpedo boat
s and other smaller craft. A pair of QF 3 inch 20 cwt
"cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight
, 30 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. anti-aircraft
guns were fitted abreast the mainmast on Glorious. She mounted two submerged tubes
for 21-inch torpedoes
and 10 torpedoes were carried.
was laid down on 1 May 1915 by Harland and Wolff
at their Belfast shipyard. Glorious was launched on 20 April 1916 and completed on 14 October 1916. During her sea trial
s in November 1916, Courageous sustained structural damage while running at full speed in a rough head sea and had the damaged areas stiffened shortly afterwards to prevent a recurrence. Glorious did not suffer any similar damage and did not receive her stiffening until 1918. Upon commissioning, Courageous served with the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet. After most of the 1st Cruiser Squadron
was sunk at the Battle of Jutland
, the squadron was re-formed with Courageous as flagship along with her sister ship Glorious. She cost £1,967,223 to build (costs to 23 Nov 1916). Glorious received a half a dozen torpedo mounts, each with two tubes in mid-1917: one mount on each side of the mainmast on the upper deck and two mounts on each side of the rear turret on the quarterdeck
.
On 16 October 1917 the Admiralty received word of German ship movements, possibly indicating some sort of raid. Admiral Beatty
, the commander of the Grand Fleet, ordered most of his light cruisers and destroyer
s to sea in an effort to locate the enemy ships. Courageous and Glorious were not initially ordered to sea, but were sent to reinforce the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron patrolling the central part of the North Sea
later that day. Two German light cruiser
s managed to slip through the gaps in the British patrols and destroyed a convoy bound for Norway during the morning of 17 October, but no word was received of the engagement until that afternoon. The 1st Cruiser Squadron were ordered to intercept, but were unsuccessful as the German cruisers were faster than expected.
and German submarine
s. A preliminary raid on German minesweeping forces on 31 October by light forces destroyed ten small ships and the Admiralty decided on a larger operation to destroy the minesweeper
s and their light cruiser escorts. Based on intelligence reports, the Admiralty allocated the 1st Cruiser Squadron on 17 November 1917, with cover provided by the reinforced 1st Battlecruiser Squadron
and distant cover by the battleship
s of the 1st Battle Squadron.
The German ships, four light cruisers of II Scouting Force, eight destroyers, three divisions of minesweepers, eight sperrbrecher (cork-filled trawler
s) and two trawlers to mark the swept route, were spotted at 7:30 a.m.,The times used in this section are in UTC
, which is one hour behind CET
, which is often used in German works. silhouetted by the rising sun. Courageous and the light cruiser opened fire with their forward guns seven minutes later. The Germans responded by laying a smoke screen and this made spotting targets very difficult. The British continued in pursuit, but lost track of most of the smaller ships in the smoke and concentrated fire on the light cruisers as opportunity permitted. One 15-inch hit was made on a gun shield of , but it did not affect her speed. At 8:33 the left-hand gun in Gloriouss forward turret was wrecked when a shell detonated inside the gun barrel. At 9:30 the 1st Cruiser Squadron broke off their pursuit so they would not enter a minefield marked on their maps; the ships turned south, playing no further role in the battle.
Glorious required five days of repairs to right the damage caused from the premature detonation and from her own muzzle blast. She fired 57 15-inch and 213 4-inch shells during the engagement. The ship received flying-off platforms on top of her turrets in 1918. A Sopwith Camel
was carried on the rear turret and a Sopwith 1½ Strutter
on the forward turret. She was present at the surrender of the German fleet on 21 November 1918. Glorious was reduced to reserve at Rosyth
on 1 February 1919 and served as a turret drill ship, but succeeded Courageous as flagship
of the Rear-Admiral Commanding the Reserve at Devonport
between 1921 and 1922.
of 1922 severely limited the amount of capital ship
tonnage and the Royal Navy was forced to scrap many of its older battleships and battlecruisers. However up to 66000 long tons (67,059 t) of existing ships could be converted into aircraft carriers, for which the Courageous-class ships' combination of a large hull and high speed made them an ideal candidate for conversion. Glorious began her conversion at Rosyth in 1924, but was towed to Devonport for completion, and she was re-commissioned on 24 February 1930. During the ship's post-conversion sea trial
s she reached 29.47 knots (16 m/s). Her fifteen-inch turrets were placed into storage and later reused during World War II
for , the Royal Navy's last battleship.
Her new design improved on her half-sister HMS Furious
which lacked an island and a conventional funnel
. All superstructure, guns, torpedo tubes, and fittings down to the main deck were removed. A two-storey hangar, each level 16 feet (4.9 m) high and 550 feet (167.6 m) long, was built on top of the remaining hull; the upper hangar level opened on to a short flying-off deck, below and forward of the main flight deck. Two 46 by 48 ft (14 by 14.6 m) lifts were installed fore and aft in the flight deck. An island with the bridge, flying control station, and funnel was added on the starboard
side as islands had been found not to contribute significantly to turbulence. By 1939 the ship could carry 34500 imp gal (156,840.1 l; 41,432.8 US gal) of petrol for her aircraft.
Glorious received a dual-purpose armament of sixteen QF 4.7-inch Mark VIII
guns in single High-Angle Mark XII mounts. One mount was on each side of the lower flight deck and a pair was on the quarterdeck. The remaining twelve mounts were distributed along the sides of the ship. During her 1935 refit Glorious received three octuple 2-pounder pom-pom
Mark VI mounts, one on each side of the flying-off deck, forward of the 4.7-inch guns, and one behind the island on the flight deck. She also received four water-cooled .50-calibre Mark III
machine gun
s in a single quadruple mounting.
Glorious recommissioned on 24 February 1930 for service with the Mediterranean Fleet
, but was attached to the Home Fleet from March to June 1930. She relieved Courageous in the Mediterranean Fleet in June 1930 and remained there until October 1939. In a fog on 1 April 1931 Glorious rammed SS Florida amidships while steaming at 16 knots. The impact crumpled 60 feet (18.3 m) of the flying-off deck and killed 1 seaman aboard Glorious and 24 passengers and crew aboard Florida. Glorious was forced to put into Gibraltar
to temporary repairs. She had to sail to Malta
for permanent repairs which lasted until September 1931. Sometime in the early 1930s, traverse arresting gear was installed. She was refitted at Devonport from July 1934 to July 1935 where she received two hydraulic accelerators (catapults
) on her upper flight deck, which was also was extended to the rear, her quarterdeck was raised one deck and she received her multiple pom-pom mounts. Glorious participated in the Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead
on 20 May 1937 for George VI before returning to the Mediterranean.
fighters, Blackburn Dart
and Blackburn Ripon
torpedo bomber
s, and Fairey IIIF reconnaissance planes of the Fleet Air Arm
. From 1933 until Glorious returned to the United Kingdom in April 1940, aside from a period when refitting in the mid-1930s, she carried 802 Squadron
which flew a mixture of nine Hawker Nimrod
and three Hawker Osprey fighters until re-equipping with a dozen Gloster Sea Gladiators in May 1939. 812
and 823 Squadrons were embarked for reconnaissance and anti-ship attack missions. They flew the Blackburn Ripon
, the Blackburn Baffin
and the Fairey Swordfish
torpedo bomber
s and as well as Fairey III
F and Fairey Seal
reconnaissance aircraft. When Glorious recommissioned after her refit in 1935 825 Squadron
was embarked, initially with Fairey IIIFs, but the squadron converted to Fairey Swordfish in May 1936.
broke out. In October 1939, she moved through the Suez Canal
to the Indian Ocean where she became part of Force J which was organized to hunt for the in the Indian Ocean. It was not successful and Glorious remained in the Indian Ocean until December when she returned to the Mediterranean.
. Eighteen Gloster Gladiators of No. 263 Squadron RAF
were flown aboard to be transferred to Norwegian airbases. Eleven Blackburn Skua
s of 803 Squadron
, plus eighteen Sea Gladiators from 802 and 804 Squadrons
were also embarked. Glorious and arrived off central Norway on 24 April where 263 Squadron was flown off and their own aircraft attacked targets in and south of Trondheim
before Glorious had to return to Scapa Flow
late on 27 April to refuel and embark new aircraft. Gloriouss Sea Gladiators provided air cover for the two carriers. They damaged one Heinkel He 111
bomber on a reconnaissance mission. Before departing she transferred four serviceable Skuas to Ark Royal. She returned on 1 May, but had been unable to load many new aircraft because of poor weather. Only a dozen Swordfish of 823 Squadron, three Skuas and one Blackburn Roc
managed to be flown aboard. The task force was under heavy air attack by the Luftwaffe
all day and was withdrawn that evening. One Junkers Ju 87
Stuka dive bomber was shot down after it dropped its bomb by the Sea Gladiators on patrol.
Glorious returned on 18 May with six Supermarine Walrus
amphibious
flying boat
s of 701 Squadron
and 18 Hawker Hurricane
s of No. 46 Squadron RAF
. The latter aircraft had been loaded aboard by crane. The Walruses were quickly flown off to Harstad
, but the airfield at Skånland
was not yet ready for the Hurricanes and they were still aboard when Glorious returned to Scapa on 21 May. Glorious came back to the Narvik
area on 26 May and the Hurricanes were quickly flown off.
However, even this success proved to be ephemeral and British forces were ordered withdrawn a few days later. The evacuation (Operation Alphabet
) began in the north on the night of 3/4 June and Glorious arrived off the coast on 2 June to provide support although she only carried nine Sea Gladiators of 802 and six Swordfish from 823 Squadrons for self-defence as it was hoped to evacuate the RAF fighters if at all possible. Ten Gladiators of 263 Squadron were flown aboard during the afternoon of 7 June and the Hurricanes of 46 Squadron were also flown aboard without any significant problems in the early evening despite having a much higher landing speed than the biplanes. These had been flown off from land bases to keep them from being destroyed in the evacuation after the pilots discovered that a 7 kilograms (15.4 lb) sandbag carried in the rear of the Hurricane allowed full brakes to be applied immediately on landing. This was the first time that high performance monoplanes without tailhook
s had been landed on an aircraft carrier.
Guy D'Oyly-Hughes
was a former submariner who had been executive officer of Courageous for ten months. He was granted permission to proceed independently to Scapa Flow in the early hours of 8 June to hold a court-martial
of his Commander (Air), J. B. Heath, who had refused an order to carry out an attack on shore targets on the grounds that the targets were at best ill-defined and his aircraft were unsuited to the task and who had been left behind in Scapa to await trial. On the way through the Norwegian Sea
the funnel smoke from Glorious and her two escorting destroyer
s, and was spotted by the German battleships and at about 3:46 p.m.All times used in this section are Greenwich Mean Time
. The German ships were not spotted until shortly after 4:00 and Ardent was dispatched to investigate. Glorious did not alter course or increase speed. Five Swordfish were ordered to the flight deck but Action Stations
was not ordered until 4:20. No combat air patrol
was being flown, no aircraft were ready on the deck for quick take off and there was no lookout in Gloriouss crow's nest
. Scharnhorst opened fire on Ardent at 4:27 at a range about 16000 yards (14,630.4 m), causing the destroyer to withdraw, firing torpedo
es and making a smoke screen. Ardent scored one hit with her 4.7 inches (119.4 mm) guns on Scharnhorst but was hit several times by the German ships' secondary armament and sank about 5:25.
Scharnhorst switched her fire to Glorious at 4:32 and scored her first hit six minutes later on her third salvo
, at an approximate range of 24000 metres (26,246.7 yd), when one 28.3 centimetres (11.1 in) hit the forward flight deck and burst in the upper hangar, starting a large fire. This hit destroyed two Swordfish being prepared for flight and the hole in the flight deck prevented any other aircraft from taking off. Splinters penetrated a boiler casing and caused a temporary drop in steam pressure. At 4:58 a second shell hit the homing beacon above the bridge and killed or wounded the captain and most of the personnel stationed there. The smokescreen became effective enough to impair the visibility of the Germans from about 4:58 to 5:20 so they ceased fire on Glorious.
Glorious was hit again in the centre engine room
around 5:20 and this caused her to lose speed and commence a slow circle to port. She also developed a list to starboard. The German ships closed to within 15000 metres (16,404.2 yd) and continued to fire at her until about 5:40.
Glorious sank about 6:10, approximately at 68°38′N 03°50′E, with only 43 survivors.
As the German ships approached the carrier, Acasta, which had been trying to maintain the smokescreen, broke through her own smoke and fired two volleys of torpedoes at Scharnhorst. One of these hit the battleship at 5:34 abreast her rear turret and badly damaged her. Acasta also managed one hit from her 4.7-inch guns on Scharnhorst, but was riddled by German gunfire and sank around 6:20.
According to Winton, survivors' estimates were that about 900 men abandoned Glorious. The Royal Navy knew nothing of the sinking until it was announced on German radio. The Norwegian ship Borgund, on passage to the Faeroe Islands, arrived late on June 10 and picked up survivors, eventually delivering 37 alive to Thorshavn of whom two died. Another Norwegian ship, Svalbard II, also making for the Faeroes, picked up five survivors but was sighted by a German aircraft and forced to return to Norway, where the four still alive became prisoners of war for the next five years. It is also believed that one more survivor from Glorious was rescued by a German seaplane. Therefore the total of survivors was 40, including one each from Acasta and Ardent. The total killed or missing was 1,207 from Glorious, 160 from Acasta and 152 from Ardent, a total of 1,519.
The disaster and the failure to mount an effective rescue was clearly an embarrassment for the Royal Navy. All ships encountering the enemy should routinely broadcast a sighting report, and so the lack of a sighting report from Glorious was eventually raised in the House of Commons. It later became known that the heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire
had passed within 30–50 miles of the battle, flying the flag of Vice Admiral John Cunningham, who was carrying out orders to evacuate the Norwegian Royal Family
to the UK and maintain radio silence. Some surviving eyewitnesses from Glorious and Devonshire later testified that the sighting report had been correctly sent, and received in Devonshire, but that it had been suppressed by Cunningham, who departed at high speed in accordance with his orders. It has also been alleged by Howland that there was some confusion over the use of wireless telegraphy frequencies on board Glorious which could have contributed to the failure of any other ship or shore-station to receive a sighting report. Howland also cites the absence of normal airborne patrols over Glorious and its attendant destroyers, in conditions of maximum visibility, as a contributory factor to the disaster.
, on the east side of Ullswater
. On June 8 2010, 70 years after the loss of Glorious, Acasta and Ardent, a memorial plaque inscribed in English and Norwegian was unveiled near the Trondenes Historical Centre
in Harstad
, Norway, the two destroyers' last port of call.
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s built for the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project
Baltic Project
The Baltic Project was a plan promoted by the Admiral Lord Fisher to procure a speedy victory in a war with Germany. It involved landing a substantial force, either British or Russian soldiers, on the flat beaches of Pomerania on the North German coast, under 100 miles from Berlin. To support this...
championed by the First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
, Lord Fisher, they were very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Glorious was completed in late 1916 and spent the war patrolling the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. She participated in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
The Second Battle of Heligoland Bight was a naval engagement during the First World War. On 17 November 1917, German minesweepers clearing a path through the British minefield in the Heligoland Bight near the coast of Germany were intercepted by two British light cruisers, and , performing...
in November 1917 and was present when the German High Seas Fleet
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
surrendered a year later.
Glorious was paid off after the end of the war, but was rebuilt as an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
during the late 1920s. She could carry 30% more aircraft than her half-sister
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
which had approximately the same tonnage. After recommissioning she spent most of her career operating in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. After the start of the Second World War, Glorious spent the rest of 1939 unsuccessfully hunting for the in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
before returning to the Mediterranean. She was recalled in April 1940 to support British operations in Norway
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
. While evacuating British aircraft from Norway in June, the ship was sunk by the German battleships and in the North Sea with the loss of over 1,200 lives.
Design and description
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Fisher was prevented from ordering an improved version of the preceding s by a wartime restriction that banned construction of ships larger than light cruisers. To obtain ships suitable for traditional battlecruiser roles, such as scouting for fleets and hunting enemy raiders, he settled on a design with the minimal armour of a light cruiser and the armament of a battlecruiser. He justified their existence by claiming he needed fast, shallow-draught ships for his Baltic Project, a plan to invade Germany via its Baltic coast.
Glorious had an overall length of 786 in 9 in (239.8 m), a beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 81 feet (24.7 m), and a draught of 25 in 10 in (7.87 m) at deep load. She displaced 19180 long tons (19,487.8 t) at load and 22560 long tons (22,922 t) at deep load. Glorious and her sisters
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
were the first large warships in the Royal Navy to have geared steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s. To save time the installation used in the light cruiser , the first cruiser in the Royal Navy with geared turbines, was simply doubled. The Parsons
Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company
Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company was a British engineering company based in Wallsend, North England, on the River Tyne.-History:The company was founded by Charles Algernon Parsons in 1897 with £500,000 of capital, and specialised in building the steam turbine engines that he had invented for...
turbines were powered by eighteen Yarrow
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
small-tube boilers
Water-tube boiler
A water tube boiler is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which heats water in the steam-generating tubes...
. They were designed to produce a total of 90000 shp at a working pressure of 235 pound per square inch. During the ship's abbreviated sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s she reached 31.42 knots (17.1 m/s).
The ship was designed to normally carry 750 long tons (762 t) of fuel oil
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
, but could carry a maximum of 3160 long tons (3,210.7 t). At full capacity, she could steam for an estimated 6000 nautical mile at a speed of 20 knots.
Glorious carried four BL 15-inch Mark I guns in two twin hydraulically powered Mark I* turrets, one each fore ('A') and aft ('Y'). Her secondary armament consisted of eighteen BL 4-inch Mark IX guns
BL 4 inch Mk IX naval gun
The BL 4-inch gun Mk IX was a British medium-velocity naval gun introduced in 1916 as secondary armament on the Renown class battlecruisers and Glorious class "large light cruisers", but which served most notably as the main armament on Flower class corvettes throughout World War II.-History:The...
mounted in six manually powered triple T.I. Mark I mounts. These mounts had the three breeches
Breech-loading weapon
A breech-loading weapon is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel....
too close together and the 23 loaders tended to interfere with each other. This rather negated the mount's intended purpose to provide a high rate of fire against torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s and other smaller craft. A pair of QF 3 inch 20 cwt
QF 3 inch 20 cwt
The QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard anti-aircraft gun used in the home defence of the United Kingdom against German airships and bombers and on the Western Front in World War I. It was also common on British warships in World War I and submarines in World War II...
"cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight
Hundredweight
The hundredweight or centum weight is a unit of mass defined in terms of the pound . The definition used in Britain differs from that used in North America. The two are distinguished by the terms long hundredweight and short hundredweight:* The long hundredweight is defined as 112 lb, which...
, 30 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
guns were fitted abreast the mainmast on Glorious. She mounted two submerged tubes
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
for 21-inch torpedoes
British 21 inch torpedo
There have been several British 21-inch diameter torpedoes used by the Royal Navy since their first development just before the First World War.They were the largest size of torpedo in common use in the RN...
and 10 torpedoes were carried.
World War I
Her keelKeel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
was laid down on 1 May 1915 by Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
at their Belfast shipyard. Glorious was launched on 20 April 1916 and completed on 14 October 1916. During her sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s in November 1916, Courageous sustained structural damage while running at full speed in a rough head sea and had the damaged areas stiffened shortly afterwards to prevent a recurrence. Glorious did not suffer any similar damage and did not receive her stiffening until 1918. Upon commissioning, Courageous served with the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet. After most of the 1st Cruiser Squadron
1st Cruiser Squadron
The First Cruiser Squadron was a Royal Navy squadron of armored cruisers that saw service as part of the Mediterranean and Grand Fleets during the First World War. It was originally formed in 1909, but was renamed on 1 January 1913 to First Battle Cruiser Squadron...
was sunk at the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
, the squadron was re-formed with Courageous as flagship along with her sister ship Glorious. She cost £1,967,223 to build (costs to 23 Nov 1916). Glorious received a half a dozen torpedo mounts, each with two tubes in mid-1917: one mount on each side of the mainmast on the upper deck and two mounts on each side of the rear turret on the quarterdeck
Quarterdeck
The quarterdeck is that part of a warship designated by the commanding officer for official and ceremonial functions. In port, the quarterdeck is the most important place on the ship, and is the central control point for all its major activities. Underway, its importance diminishes as control of...
.
On 16 October 1917 the Admiralty received word of German ship movements, possibly indicating some sort of raid. Admiral Beatty
David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty
Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy...
, the commander of the Grand Fleet, ordered most of his light cruisers and destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s to sea in an effort to locate the enemy ships. Courageous and Glorious were not initially ordered to sea, but were sent to reinforce the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron patrolling the central part of the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
later that day. Two German light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s managed to slip through the gaps in the British patrols and destroyed a convoy bound for Norway during the morning of 17 October, but no word was received of the engagement until that afternoon. The 1st Cruiser Squadron were ordered to intercept, but were unsuccessful as the German cruisers were faster than expected.
Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
Throughout 1917 the Admiralty was becoming more concerned about German efforts to sweep paths through the British-laid minefields intended to restrict the actions of the High Seas FleetHigh Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
and German submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s. A preliminary raid on German minesweeping forces on 31 October by light forces destroyed ten small ships and the Admiralty decided on a larger operation to destroy the minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
s and their light cruiser escorts. Based on intelligence reports, the Admiralty allocated the 1st Cruiser Squadron on 17 November 1917, with cover provided by the reinforced 1st Battlecruiser Squadron
1st Battlecruiser Squadron (United Kingdom)
The First Battlecruiser Squadron was a Royal Navy squadron of battlecruisers that saw service as part of the Grand Fleet during the First World War. It was created in 1909 as the First Cruiser Squadron and was renamed in 1913 to First Battle Cruiser Squadron. It participated in the battles of...
and distant cover by the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s of the 1st Battle Squadron.
The German ships, four light cruisers of II Scouting Force, eight destroyers, three divisions of minesweepers, eight sperrbrecher (cork-filled trawler
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
s) and two trawlers to mark the swept route, were spotted at 7:30 a.m.,The times used in this section are in UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
, which is one hour behind CET
Central European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
, which is often used in German works. silhouetted by the rising sun. Courageous and the light cruiser opened fire with their forward guns seven minutes later. The Germans responded by laying a smoke screen and this made spotting targets very difficult. The British continued in pursuit, but lost track of most of the smaller ships in the smoke and concentrated fire on the light cruisers as opportunity permitted. One 15-inch hit was made on a gun shield of , but it did not affect her speed. At 8:33 the left-hand gun in Gloriouss forward turret was wrecked when a shell detonated inside the gun barrel. At 9:30 the 1st Cruiser Squadron broke off their pursuit so they would not enter a minefield marked on their maps; the ships turned south, playing no further role in the battle.
Glorious required five days of repairs to right the damage caused from the premature detonation and from her own muzzle blast. She fired 57 15-inch and 213 4-inch shells during the engagement. The ship received flying-off platforms on top of her turrets in 1918. A Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
was carried on the rear turret and a Sopwith 1½ Strutter
Sopwith 1½ Strutter
The Sopwith 1½ Strutter was a British one or two-seat biplane multi-role aircraft of the First World War. It is significant as the first British-designed two seater tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun...
on the forward turret. She was present at the surrender of the German fleet on 21 November 1918. Glorious was reduced to reserve at Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
on 1 February 1919 and served as a turret drill ship, but succeeded Courageous as flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the Rear-Admiral Commanding the Reserve at Devonport
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
between 1921 and 1922.
Conversion
The Washington Naval TreatyWashington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
of 1922 severely limited the amount of capital ship
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
tonnage and the Royal Navy was forced to scrap many of its older battleships and battlecruisers. However up to 66000 long tons (67,059 t) of existing ships could be converted into aircraft carriers, for which the Courageous-class ships' combination of a large hull and high speed made them an ideal candidate for conversion. Glorious began her conversion at Rosyth in 1924, but was towed to Devonport for completion, and she was re-commissioned on 24 February 1930. During the ship's post-conversion sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s she reached 29.47 knots (16 m/s). Her fifteen-inch turrets were placed into storage and later reused during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for , the Royal Navy's last battleship.
Her new design improved on her half-sister HMS Furious
HMS Furious (47)
HMS Furious was a modified cruiser built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, Lord John Fisher, they were very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Furious was modified while...
which lacked an island and a conventional funnel
Funnel
A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening. Without a funnel, spillage would occur....
. All superstructure, guns, torpedo tubes, and fittings down to the main deck were removed. A two-storey hangar, each level 16 feet (4.9 m) high and 550 feet (167.6 m) long, was built on top of the remaining hull; the upper hangar level opened on to a short flying-off deck, below and forward of the main flight deck. Two 46 by 48 ft (14 by 14.6 m) lifts were installed fore and aft in the flight deck. An island with the bridge, flying control station, and funnel was added on the starboard
Port and starboard
Port and starboard are nautical terms which refer to the left and right sides, respectively, of a ship or aircraft as perceived by a person on board facing the bow . At night, the port side of a vessel is indicated with a red navigation light and the starboard side with a green one.The starboard...
side as islands had been found not to contribute significantly to turbulence. By 1939 the ship could carry 34500 imp gal (156,840.1 l; 41,432.8 US gal) of petrol for her aircraft.
Glorious received a dual-purpose armament of sixteen QF 4.7-inch Mark VIII
QF 4.7 inch Mk VIII naval gun
The QF 4.7 inch Gun Mark VIII was a British naval anti-aircraft gun designed in the 1920s for the Royal Navy. It was mounted on the two , two of the three s and the Australian submarine tender HMAS Albatross .-External links:...
guns in single High-Angle Mark XII mounts. One mount was on each side of the lower flight deck and a pair was on the quarterdeck. The remaining twelve mounts were distributed along the sides of the ship. During her 1935 refit Glorious received three octuple 2-pounder pom-pom
QF 2 pounder naval gun
The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...
Mark VI mounts, one on each side of the flying-off deck, forward of the 4.7-inch guns, and one behind the island on the flight deck. She also received four water-cooled .50-calibre Mark III
Vickers .50 machine gun
The Vickers .50 machine gun, also known as the 'Vickers .50' was basically the same as the Vickers machine gun but scaled up to use a larger calibre round.-Mark II, IV and V:...
machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s in a single quadruple mounting.
Glorious recommissioned on 24 February 1930 for service with the Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
, but was attached to the Home Fleet from March to June 1930. She relieved Courageous in the Mediterranean Fleet in June 1930 and remained there until October 1939. In a fog on 1 April 1931 Glorious rammed SS Florida amidships while steaming at 16 knots. The impact crumpled 60 feet (18.3 m) of the flying-off deck and killed 1 seaman aboard Glorious and 24 passengers and crew aboard Florida. Glorious was forced to put into Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to temporary repairs. She had to sail to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
for permanent repairs which lasted until September 1931. Sometime in the early 1930s, traverse arresting gear was installed. She was refitted at Devonport from July 1934 to July 1935 where she received two hydraulic accelerators (catapults
Aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...
) on her upper flight deck, which was also was extended to the rear, her quarterdeck was raised one deck and she received her multiple pom-pom mounts. Glorious participated in the Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...
on 20 May 1937 for George VI before returning to the Mediterranean.
Air group
Glorious could carry up to 48 aircraft; when first recommissioned, she carried Fairey FlycatcherFairey Flycatcher
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.* Taylor, H A. Fairey Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-00065-X....
fighters, Blackburn Dart
Blackburn Dart
-See also:-Bibliography:* Jackson, A.J. Blackburn Aircraft since 1909. London:Putnam, 1968. ISBN 0-370-00053-6.* Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London:Putnam, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5....
and Blackburn Ripon
Blackburn Ripon
-See also:-External links:* in Flight...
torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s, and Fairey IIIF reconnaissance planes of the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
. From 1933 until Glorious returned to the United Kingdom in April 1940, aside from a period when refitting in the mid-1930s, she carried 802 Squadron
802 Naval Air Squadron
-Early history:802 Squadron was formed on 3 April 1933 aboard by the merger of two independent RAF naval units, 408 Flight and 409 Flight...
which flew a mixture of nine Hawker Nimrod
Hawker Nimrod
The Hawker Nimrod was a British carrier-based single engine, single seat biplane fighter aircraft built in the early 1930s by Hawker Aircraft.-Design and development:...
and three Hawker Osprey fighters until re-equipping with a dozen Gloster Sea Gladiators in May 1939. 812
812 Naval Air Squadron
812 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, which was active between 1933 and 1956, and saw service in World War II and the Korean War.-First formation:...
and 823 Squadrons were embarked for reconnaissance and anti-ship attack missions. They flew the Blackburn Ripon
Blackburn Ripon
-See also:-External links:* in Flight...
, the Blackburn Baffin
Blackburn Baffin
-See also:-External links:* * http://avia.russian.ee/air/england/black_baffin.php...
and the Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s and as well as Fairey III
Fairey III
The Fairey Aviation Company Fairey III was a family of British reconnaissance biplanes that enjoyed a very long production and service history in both landplane and seaplane variants...
F and Fairey Seal
Fairey Seal
|-Operators:*Argentine Navy* Latvian Navy* Peruvian Air Force* Peruvian Navy* Royal Air Force* Fleet Air Arm-See also:-References:*Sturtivant, R...
reconnaissance aircraft. When Glorious recommissioned after her refit in 1935 825 Squadron
825 Naval Air Squadron
825 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier-based squadron formed on 8 October 1934 from the aircraft and personnel of 824 Naval Air Squadron...
was embarked, initially with Fairey IIIFs, but the squadron converted to Fairey Swordfish in May 1936.
World War II
Glorious served briefly with the Mediterranean Fleet for a time after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out. In October 1939, she moved through the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
to the Indian Ocean where she became part of Force J which was organized to hunt for the in the Indian Ocean. It was not successful and Glorious remained in the Indian Ocean until December when she returned to the Mediterranean.
Norwegian Campaign
She was recalled to the Home Fleet in April 1940 to provide air cover for British forces landing in NorwayNorwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
. Eighteen Gloster Gladiators of No. 263 Squadron RAF
No. 263 Squadron RAF
No 263 Squadron was an Royal Air Force fighter squadron formed in Italy towards the end of World War I. After being disbanded in 1919 it reformed in 1939 flying mainly strike and heavy fighter aircraft until becoming No 1 Squadron in 1958.-First World War:...
were flown aboard to be transferred to Norwegian airbases. Eleven Blackburn Skua
Blackburn Skua
The Blackburn B-24 Skua was a carrier-based low-wing, two-seater, single-radial engine aircraft operated by the British Fleet Air Arm which combined the functions of a dive bomber and fighter. It was designed in the mid-1930s, and saw service in the early part of the Second World War...
s of 803 Squadron
803 Naval Air Squadron
803 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron.-Interwar:803 NAS was formed on 3 April 1933 by promoting No 409 Flight to the status of a squadron, with nine Ospreys...
, plus eighteen Sea Gladiators from 802 and 804 Squadrons
804 Naval Air Squadron
804 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy, formed in November 1939 from part of 769 NAS Sea Gladiators which had been detached to RNAS Hatston. The squadron was merged into 800 NAS in June 1944 and subsequently reformed in September.-World War II:During World War II, she...
were also embarked. Glorious and arrived off central Norway on 24 April where 263 Squadron was flown off and their own aircraft attacked targets in and south of Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
before Glorious had to return to Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
late on 27 April to refuel and embark new aircraft. Gloriouss Sea Gladiators provided air cover for the two carriers. They damaged one Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
bomber on a reconnaissance mission. Before departing she transferred four serviceable Skuas to Ark Royal. She returned on 1 May, but had been unable to load many new aircraft because of poor weather. Only a dozen Swordfish of 823 Squadron, three Skuas and one Blackburn Roc
Blackburn Roc
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brew, Alec. The Turret Fighters: Defiant and Roc. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: Crowood Press, 2002. ISBN 1-86126-497-6....
managed to be flown aboard. The task force was under heavy air attack by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
all day and was withdrawn that evening. One Junkers Ju 87
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
Stuka dive bomber was shot down after it dropped its bomb by the Sea Gladiators on patrol.
Glorious returned on 18 May with six Supermarine Walrus
Supermarine Walrus
The Supermarine Walrus was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm . It also served with the Royal Air Force , Royal Australian Air Force , Royal Canadian Air Force , Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal New...
amphibious
Amphibious aircraft
An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft that can take off and land on either land or water. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes that are equipped with retractable wheels, at the expense of extra weight and complexity, plus diminished range and fuel economy compared to planes...
flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s of 701 Squadron
701 Naval Air Squadron
701 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron that saw service during the Second World War.The 700 numbers were appended to training and ancillary squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. The grouping 700 to 749 had originally included catapult flights. These later became catapult...
and 18 Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
s of No. 46 Squadron RAF
No. 46 Squadron RAF
No. 46 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force, formed in 1916, was disbanded and re-formed three times before its last disbandment in 1975. It served in both World War I and World War II.- World War I :...
. The latter aircraft had been loaded aboard by crane. The Walruses were quickly flown off to Harstad
Harstad
is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...
, but the airfield at Skånland
Skånland
Skånland is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Evenskjer.- General information :...
was not yet ready for the Hurricanes and they were still aboard when Glorious returned to Scapa on 21 May. Glorious came back to the Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
area on 26 May and the Hurricanes were quickly flown off.
However, even this success proved to be ephemeral and British forces were ordered withdrawn a few days later. The evacuation (Operation Alphabet
Operation Alphabet
Operation Alphabet was an evacuation, authorized on May 24, 1940, of Allied troops from the harbour of Narvik in northern Norway marking the success of Nazi Germany's Operation Weserübung of April 9 and the end of the Allied campaign in Norway during World War II...
) began in the north on the night of 3/4 June and Glorious arrived off the coast on 2 June to provide support although she only carried nine Sea Gladiators of 802 and six Swordfish from 823 Squadrons for self-defence as it was hoped to evacuate the RAF fighters if at all possible. Ten Gladiators of 263 Squadron were flown aboard during the afternoon of 7 June and the Hurricanes of 46 Squadron were also flown aboard without any significant problems in the early evening despite having a much higher landing speed than the biplanes. These had been flown off from land bases to keep them from being destroyed in the evacuation after the pilots discovered that a 7 kilograms (15.4 lb) sandbag carried in the rear of the Hurricane allowed full brakes to be applied immediately on landing. This was the first time that high performance monoplanes without tailhook
Tailhook
A tailhook, also arresting hook or arrester hook, is a device attached to the empennage of some military fixed wing aircraft...
s had been landed on an aircraft carrier.
The Sinking
The captain of the Glorious, CaptainCaptain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
Guy D'Oyly-Hughes
Guy D'Oyly-Hughes
Guy D'Oyly-Hughes, DSO and bar, DSC, , was an officer in the Royal Navy.During the First World War, Lt D'Oyly-Hughes was a submariner and second in command of HMS E11 which was highly successful in the Dardanelles Campaign. He was awarded the DSC in June 1915 after a patrol in which his captain,...
was a former submariner who had been executive officer of Courageous for ten months. He was granted permission to proceed independently to Scapa Flow in the early hours of 8 June to hold a court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
of his Commander (Air), J. B. Heath, who had refused an order to carry out an attack on shore targets on the grounds that the targets were at best ill-defined and his aircraft were unsuited to the task and who had been left behind in Scapa to await trial. On the way through the Norwegian Sea
Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea is a marginal sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of Norway. It is located between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea and adjoins the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a...
the funnel smoke from Glorious and her two escorting destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s, and was spotted by the German battleships and at about 3:46 p.m.All times used in this section are Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
. The German ships were not spotted until shortly after 4:00 and Ardent was dispatched to investigate. Glorious did not alter course or increase speed. Five Swordfish were ordered to the flight deck but Action Stations
Action Stations
Action Stations is the general signal to the personnel of a warship that combat with a hostile attacker is imminent or deemed probable...
was not ordered until 4:20. No combat air patrol
Combat air patrol
Combat air patrol is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft.A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile...
was being flown, no aircraft were ready on the deck for quick take off and there was no lookout in Gloriouss crow's nest
Crow's nest
A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the mainmast of a ship or structure, that is used as a lookout point.This position ensured the best view of the approaching hazards, other ships or land. It was the best device for this purpose until the invention of radar.In early ships it was...
. Scharnhorst opened fire on Ardent at 4:27 at a range about 16000 yards (14,630.4 m), causing the destroyer to withdraw, firing torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es and making a smoke screen. Ardent scored one hit with her 4.7 inches (119.4 mm) guns on Scharnhorst but was hit several times by the German ships' secondary armament and sank about 5:25.
Scharnhorst switched her fire to Glorious at 4:32 and scored her first hit six minutes later on her third salvo
Salvo
A salvo is the simultaneous discharge of artillery or firearms including the firing of guns either to hit a target or to perform a salute.Troops armed with muzzleloaders required time in which to refill their arms with gun powder and shot...
, at an approximate range of 24000 metres (26,246.7 yd), when one 28.3 centimetres (11.1 in) hit the forward flight deck and burst in the upper hangar, starting a large fire. This hit destroyed two Swordfish being prepared for flight and the hole in the flight deck prevented any other aircraft from taking off. Splinters penetrated a boiler casing and caused a temporary drop in steam pressure. At 4:58 a second shell hit the homing beacon above the bridge and killed or wounded the captain and most of the personnel stationed there. The smokescreen became effective enough to impair the visibility of the Germans from about 4:58 to 5:20 so they ceased fire on Glorious.
Glorious was hit again in the centre engine room
Engine room
On a ship, the engine room, or ER, commonly refers to the machinery spaces of a vessel. To increase the safety and damage survivability of a vessel, the machinery necessary for operations may be segregated into various spaces, the engine room is one of these spaces, and is generally the largest...
around 5:20 and this caused her to lose speed and commence a slow circle to port. She also developed a list to starboard. The German ships closed to within 15000 metres (16,404.2 yd) and continued to fire at her until about 5:40.
Glorious sank about 6:10, approximately at 68°38′N 03°50′E, with only 43 survivors.
As the German ships approached the carrier, Acasta, which had been trying to maintain the smokescreen, broke through her own smoke and fired two volleys of torpedoes at Scharnhorst. One of these hit the battleship at 5:34 abreast her rear turret and badly damaged her. Acasta also managed one hit from her 4.7-inch guns on Scharnhorst, but was riddled by German gunfire and sank around 6:20.
According to Winton, survivors' estimates were that about 900 men abandoned Glorious. The Royal Navy knew nothing of the sinking until it was announced on German radio. The Norwegian ship Borgund, on passage to the Faeroe Islands, arrived late on June 10 and picked up survivors, eventually delivering 37 alive to Thorshavn of whom two died. Another Norwegian ship, Svalbard II, also making for the Faeroes, picked up five survivors but was sighted by a German aircraft and forced to return to Norway, where the four still alive became prisoners of war for the next five years. It is also believed that one more survivor from Glorious was rescued by a German seaplane. Therefore the total of survivors was 40, including one each from Acasta and Ardent. The total killed or missing was 1,207 from Glorious, 160 from Acasta and 152 from Ardent, a total of 1,519.
The disaster and the failure to mount an effective rescue was clearly an embarrassment for the Royal Navy. All ships encountering the enemy should routinely broadcast a sighting report, and so the lack of a sighting report from Glorious was eventually raised in the House of Commons. It later became known that the heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire
HMS Devonshire (39)
HMS Devonshire was a County-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was part of the London subgroup of the County class, and saw service in the Second World War.-Early career:...
had passed within 30–50 miles of the battle, flying the flag of Vice Admiral John Cunningham, who was carrying out orders to evacuate the Norwegian Royal Family
Norwegian Royal Family
The Royal Family of Norway is the family of King Harald V of Norway. In Norway there is a distinction between the Royal House and the Royal Family. The Royal House includes only the King and his spouse, the Queen, the King's eldest son with spouse, being the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and the...
to the UK and maintain radio silence. Some surviving eyewitnesses from Glorious and Devonshire later testified that the sighting report had been correctly sent, and received in Devonshire, but that it had been suppressed by Cunningham, who departed at high speed in accordance with his orders. It has also been alleged by Howland that there was some confusion over the use of wireless telegraphy frequencies on board Glorious which could have contributed to the failure of any other ship or shore-station to receive a sighting report. Howland also cites the absence of normal airborne patrols over Glorious and its attendant destroyers, in conditions of maximum visibility, as a contributory factor to the disaster.
Memorials
For many years the only memorial to the seamen lost in the three ships was a stained-glass window in the church of St Peter Martindale in CumbriaCumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, on the east side of Ullswater
Ullswater
Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately nine miles long and 0.75 miles wide with a maximum depth of slightly more than ....
. On June 8 2010, 70 years after the loss of Glorious, Acasta and Ardent, a memorial plaque inscribed in English and Norwegian was unveiled near the Trondenes Historical Centre
Trondenes Historical Center
Trondenes Historical Center is a museum located in the town of Harstad, in Troms county, Norway.The museum covers the history of Trondenes and the surrounding areas. The museum displaying more than 2,000 years of history in the region, which was once a Viking Era power centre...
in Harstad
Harstad
is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...
, Norway, the two destroyers' last port of call.
External links
- Photo gallery of Courageous and Glorious
- "Glarac Association website remembering those lost with HMS Glorious" - with complete CWGC casualty list.
- HMS Glorious and the Fate of No. 46 Squadron, focusing more on the squadron than the ship
- Maritimequest HMS Glorious photo gallery
- "The Tragedy of HMS Glorious" - Churchill Collection; index of original materials related to the Channel 4 documentary, no actual documents.
- Homepage of The Glorious, Ardent & Acasta Association
- Interesting account of the action from a Danish website about the Scharnhorst & Gneisenau
- http://www.navalofficer.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=151:glorious-3&catid=47:battles-wwiandii&Itemid=92Review of Carrier Glorious: The life and death of an aircraft carrier by John WintonJohn WintonJohn Winton was the pen-name of Lieutenant-Commander John Pratt, who was an author and obituarist after his career in the Royal Navy. He was born in London and served in the Korean War and during the Suez Crisis. Whilst still in the Navy, he wrote the comic novel We Joined the Navy, featuring the...
]