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HMS Royal Sovereign (1891)
Encyclopedia
HMS Royal Sovereign was a Royal Sovereign class
battleship
of the Royal Navy
, the lead ship of the class, and the largest warship in the world at the time of her construction. The ships were designed by Sir William White and were the most potent battleships in the world until HMS Dreadnought
rendered them obsolete in 1906. In their day, the Royal Sovereigns embodied revolutionary improvements in firepower, armour, and speed.
_13.5_in_guns.jpg)
Royal Sovereign was laid down on 30 September 1889 and completed in 1892. Built at Portsmouth Dockyard she was 410 feet long and had a maximum cruising speed of 17 knots. She cost £913,986 to build. Her armaments included four 67-ton 13.5-inch guns and several smaller calibre guns.
She was the name ship of a class of battleships built in response to the Naval Defence Act
of 1889 which allocated £21.5 million pounds to construct 18 torpedo gunboats, 42 cruisers, and 10 battleships. Traditionally Britain had been content to maintain a larger fleet than her rivals so as to have 'maritime supremacy'. Recent thinking in naval strategy had come to the conclusion that this was insufficient, and that total 'command of the sea' was required. The 1888 and 1889 Naval exercises had demonstrated the great difficulty of implementing Britain's traditional policy of blockading any enemy within its own ports, because of the problems keeping steamships indefinitely at sea at long distances from home ports. There was also continuing concern of war with allied France and Russia and although Britain had more ships of every class than these nations combined, this was not considered sufficient to guarantee such an enemy could be contained.
A special meeting of the Board of Admiralty
was convened in 1888 to determine the necessary characteristics for the next generation of battleship. The results were taken to a wider meeting in November. Previous ideas of the importance of torpedo or rams as weapons were no longer considered important: It was appreciated that modern gun designs meant that engagements were likely to occur well outside the range at which these weapons could be used, so the ships were designed as gun platforms. It was necessary to armour the ships as well as possible against return gunfire, but also important to create ships with good seagoing qualities for operations in all weathers at high speeds, and to have regard for long endurance of coal supplies.
Breech loading guns of 13.5 in (343 mm) calibre were already in use and had proved their ability, so were adopted for the ship. Some ships had previously been built using turrets
, but the difficulty of this was that the great weight of the turret meant it had to be placed as low as possible on the ship, leading to designs with low freeboard which frequently were wave washed in heavy seas. It was decided to adopt a 'barbette
' approach, whereby the guns were mounted on an open turntable with small armoured shields. Heavy 17 inch armour extended downwards through the ship to protect the ammunition supply. This system allowed a freeboard of 18 feet (5.5 m), as compared to 11 ft (3.4 m) for the turret equivalent. Four guns were arranged in two pairs on barbettes separated towards either end of the ship, each having an arc of fire of 260 degrees. A secondary battery of ten 6-inch Quick Firing guns was placed inbetween the two barbettes, designed to provide potent, quick firing support for the main battery.
An alternative design approach sometimes adopted was to concentrate the guns into one central position, which could then be more heavily armoured. This was dismissed, because of the associated risks that a single good shot might disable much of the armament in one stroke, and the difficulty of effectively operating many guns from a small space. Recent developments of medium calibre quick firing guns also meant that wholly unarmoured sections of a ship, as in those designs which had a central 'citadel
' but unarmoured ends, might suffer excessive damage to the unarmoured sections from intensive fire. The main 18 inch compound steel and iron side armour extended two thirds the length of the ship in the central portion from three feet above the waterline to 5.5 feet below. Above this, thinner 5 inch armour was used, with coal bunkers designed to lie alongside the hull for added protection and watertight subdivisions. Six inch armour was used for the steel casemates housing the smaller guns in the central battery. An underwater armoured deck extended the whole length of the ship intended to protect the underwater sections from plunging fire. Approximately 32% of the ships weight was devoted to armour.
The Royal Sovereign class battleships were designed by Sir William White and were the most potent battleships in the world until HMS Dreadnought
rendered them obsolete in 1906. In their day the Royal Sovereigns embodied revolutionary improvements in firepower, armour, and speed. However, they tended to develop a heavy roll in some conditions, and after HMS Resolution
rolled badly in heavy seas in 1893 the entire class was nicknamed the "Rolling Ressies", a name which stuck even though the problem was quickly corrected by the fitting of bilge keel
s. Despite their greatly increased weight, they were the fastest capital ships in the world in their time.
When the 14,150-ton Royal Sovereign was completed, she was the largest warship in the world. She proved that guns and torpedoes were more effective in attack than defence and was a vital stepping stone to the famous dreadnought
s which superseded her.
, the Duke of Edinburgh
, and the Duke of Connaught, on 26 February 1891. She completed trials in May 1892 and was commissioned on 31 May 1892, relieving HMS Camperdown
as Flagship
, Channel Squadron. From then until 13 August 1892, she served as Flagship, "Red Fleet," in annual mauevers off the coast of Ireland. She reprised her role as Flagship, Red Fleet, from 27 July 1892 to 6 August 1892 in annual maneuvers in the Irish Sea
and the Western Approaches
.
In June 1895 Royal Sovereign was part of a British naval squadron that attended the opening of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal in Germany.
During the third week of July 1896, Royal Sovereign took part in annual maneuvers in the Irish Sea and off the southwest coast of England as part of 'Fleet A."
On 7 June 1897, Royal Sovereign paid off and her crew transferred to battleship
HMS Mars
, which relieved her in the Channel Squadron. The next day, she recommissioned to relieve the battleship HMS Trafalgar
in the Mediterranean Sea
. Before departing for the Mediterranean, she took part in the Fleet Review for the Diamond Jubilee
of Queen Victoria at Spithead
on 26 June 1897, and from 7 July 1897 to 11 July 1897 took part in annual manoeuvres off the coast of Ireland. She finally departed England for the Mediterranean in September 1897.
Upon arrival, Royal Sovereign joined the Mediterranean Fleet
. On 13 May 1899, she recommissioned for further duty with that fleet.
On 9 November 1901, off Greece
, one of her 6-inch (152-mm) guns exploded, killing one officer and five Royal Marines
and injuring one officer and 19 seamen.
After being relieved in the Mediterranean by battleship HMS London
, Royal Sovereign departed Gibraltar
on 9 July 1902, arriving at Portsmouth, England, on 14 July 1902. On 30 August 1902, she commissioned as Port Guard Ship there for service in the Home Squadron. From 5 August 1903 to 9 August 1903, she participated in manoeuvres off the coast of Portugal
. From 1903 to 1904, she underwent an extensive refit at Portsmouth.
On 9 February 1907, Royal Sovereign commissioned as a Special Service Vessel in Reserve. As such, she was incorporated into the 4th Division of the Home Fleet with other such vessels in April 1909.
In September 1909, Royal Sovereign paid off at Devonport
into Material Reserve. She was sold for scrap on 7 October 1913.
Royal Sovereign class battleship
The Royal Sovereign class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the British Royal Navy. The class comprised seven ships built to the same design: HMS Royal Sovereign, , HMS Ramilles, HMS Repulse, HMS Resolution, HMS Revenge, and HMS Royal Oak, and a half-sister built to a modified design: ....
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...
of the 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...
, the lead ship of the class, and the largest warship in the world at the time of her construction. The ships were designed by Sir William White and were the most potent battleships in the world until HMS Dreadnought
HMS Dreadnought (1906)
HMS Dreadnought was a battleship of the British Royal Navy that revolutionised naval power. Her entry into service in 1906 represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnoughts", as well as the class of...
rendered them obsolete in 1906. In their day, the Royal Sovereigns embodied revolutionary improvements in firepower, armour, and speed.
Technical characteristics
She was the name ship of a class of battleships built in response to the Naval Defence Act
Naval Defence Act 1889
The Naval Defence Act 1889 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, instituted on May 31, 1889 to increase the United Kingdom's naval strength and formally adopt the country’s "two-power standard." The standard called for the Royal Navy to maintain a number of battleships at least equal...
of 1889 which allocated £21.5 million pounds to construct 18 torpedo gunboats, 42 cruisers, and 10 battleships. Traditionally Britain had been content to maintain a larger fleet than her rivals so as to have 'maritime supremacy'. Recent thinking in naval strategy had come to the conclusion that this was insufficient, and that total 'command of the sea' was required. The 1888 and 1889 Naval exercises had demonstrated the great difficulty of implementing Britain's traditional policy of blockading any enemy within its own ports, because of the problems keeping steamships indefinitely at sea at long distances from home ports. There was also continuing concern of war with allied France and Russia and although Britain had more ships of every class than these nations combined, this was not considered sufficient to guarantee such an enemy could be contained.
A special meeting of the Board of Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
was convened in 1888 to determine the necessary characteristics for the next generation of battleship. The results were taken to a wider meeting in November. Previous ideas of the importance of torpedo or rams as weapons were no longer considered important: It was appreciated that modern gun designs meant that engagements were likely to occur well outside the range at which these weapons could be used, so the ships were designed as gun platforms. It was necessary to armour the ships as well as possible against return gunfire, but also important to create ships with good seagoing qualities for operations in all weathers at high speeds, and to have regard for long endurance of coal supplies.
Breech loading guns of 13.5 in (343 mm) calibre were already in use and had proved their ability, so were adopted for the ship. Some ships had previously been built using turrets
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
, but the difficulty of this was that the great weight of the turret meant it had to be placed as low as possible on the ship, leading to designs with low freeboard which frequently were wave washed in heavy seas. It was decided to adopt a 'barbette
Barbette
A barbette is a protective circular armour feature around a cannon or heavy artillery gun. The name comes from the French phrase en barbette referring to the practice of firing a field gun over a parapet rather than through an opening . The former gives better angles of fire but less protection...
' approach, whereby the guns were mounted on an open turntable with small armoured shields. Heavy 17 inch armour extended downwards through the ship to protect the ammunition supply. This system allowed a freeboard of 18 feet (5.5 m), as compared to 11 ft (3.4 m) for the turret equivalent. Four guns were arranged in two pairs on barbettes separated towards either end of the ship, each having an arc of fire of 260 degrees. A secondary battery of ten 6-inch Quick Firing guns was placed inbetween the two barbettes, designed to provide potent, quick firing support for the main battery.
An alternative design approach sometimes adopted was to concentrate the guns into one central position, which could then be more heavily armoured. This was dismissed, because of the associated risks that a single good shot might disable much of the armament in one stroke, and the difficulty of effectively operating many guns from a small space. Recent developments of medium calibre quick firing guns also meant that wholly unarmoured sections of a ship, as in those designs which had a central 'citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
' but unarmoured ends, might suffer excessive damage to the unarmoured sections from intensive fire. The main 18 inch compound steel and iron side armour extended two thirds the length of the ship in the central portion from three feet above the waterline to 5.5 feet below. Above this, thinner 5 inch armour was used, with coal bunkers designed to lie alongside the hull for added protection and watertight subdivisions. Six inch armour was used for the steel casemates housing the smaller guns in the central battery. An underwater armoured deck extended the whole length of the ship intended to protect the underwater sections from plunging fire. Approximately 32% of the ships weight was devoted to armour.
The Royal Sovereign class battleships were designed by Sir William White and were the most potent battleships in the world until HMS Dreadnought
HMS Dreadnought (1906)
HMS Dreadnought was a battleship of the British Royal Navy that revolutionised naval power. Her entry into service in 1906 represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnoughts", as well as the class of...
rendered them obsolete in 1906. In their day the Royal Sovereigns embodied revolutionary improvements in firepower, armour, and speed. However, they tended to develop a heavy roll in some conditions, and after HMS Resolution
HMS Resolution (1892)
HMS Resolution was a Royal Sovereign-class predreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy.-Technical characteristics:Resolution was laid down by Palmers on 14 June 1890, launched on 28 May 1892, and completed in November 1893.. She was long and had a maximum cruising speed of...
rolled badly in heavy seas in 1893 the entire class was nicknamed the "Rolling Ressies", a name which stuck even though the problem was quickly corrected by the fitting of bilge keel
Bilge keel
A bilge keel is used to reduce the hull's tendency to roll. Bilge keels are employed in pairs . A ship may have more than one bilge keel per side, but this is rare. Bilge keels increase hydrodynamic resistance to rolling, making the ship roll less...
s. Despite their greatly increased weight, they were the fastest capital ships in the world in their time.
When the 14,150-ton Royal Sovereign was completed, she was the largest warship in the world. She proved that guns and torpedoes were more effective in attack than defence and was a vital stepping stone to the famous dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
s which superseded her.
Operational history
Royal Sovereign was christened by Queen Victoria, attended by her sons the Prince of WalesPrince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
, and the Duke of Connaught, on 26 February 1891. She completed trials in May 1892 and was commissioned on 31 May 1892, relieving HMS Camperdown
HMS Camperdown (1885)
HMS Camperdown was an Admiral-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan of Camperdown.She was a full sister to , and was an improved version of the earlier and . In comparison to these earlier ships, she had an increased thickness of barbette armour, and a...
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...
, Channel Squadron. From then until 13 August 1892, she served as Flagship, "Red Fleet," in annual mauevers off the coast of Ireland. She reprised her role as Flagship, Red Fleet, from 27 July 1892 to 6 August 1892 in annual maneuvers in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
and the Western Approaches
Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...
.
In June 1895 Royal Sovereign was part of a British naval squadron that attended the opening of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal in Germany.
During the third week of July 1896, Royal Sovereign took part in annual maneuvers in the Irish Sea and off the southwest coast of England as part of 'Fleet A."
On 7 June 1897, Royal Sovereign paid off and her crew transferred to 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...
HMS Mars
HMS Mars (1896)
HMS Mars was a Royal Navy predreadnought battleship of the Majestic class.-Technical characteristics:HMS Mars was laid down by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead on 2 June 1894 and launched on 3 March 1896...
, which relieved her in the Channel Squadron. The next day, she recommissioned to relieve the battleship HMS Trafalgar
HMS Trafalgar (1887)
HMS Trafalgar was one of two Trafalgar class battleships commissioned in 1890 and 1891, the other being HMS Nile.-Design:They were designed to be improved versions of the Admiral and Victoria classes, having a greater displacement to allow for improved protection...
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...
. Before departing for the Mediterranean, she took part in the Fleet Review for the Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
of Queen Victoria 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 26 June 1897, and from 7 July 1897 to 11 July 1897 took part in annual manoeuvres off the coast of Ireland. She finally departed England for the Mediterranean in September 1897.
Upon arrival, Royal Sovereign joined 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...
. On 13 May 1899, she recommissioned for further duty with that fleet.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, one of her 6-inch (152-mm) guns exploded, killing one officer and five Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
and injuring one officer and 19 seamen.
After being relieved in the Mediterranean by battleship HMS London
HMS London (1899)
HMS London was a Formidable class battleship in the British Royal Navy, often considered to be part of the London class or subclass.-Technical Description:...
, Royal Sovereign departed 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...
on 9 July 1902, arriving at Portsmouth, England, on 14 July 1902. On 30 August 1902, she commissioned as Port Guard Ship there for service in the Home Squadron. From 5 August 1903 to 9 August 1903, she participated in manoeuvres off the coast of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. From 1903 to 1904, she underwent an extensive refit at Portsmouth.
On 9 February 1907, Royal Sovereign commissioned as a Special Service Vessel in Reserve. As such, she was incorporated into the 4th Division of the Home Fleet with other such vessels in April 1909.
In September 1909, Royal Sovereign paid off at Devonport
Devonport, Devon
Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...
into Material Reserve. She was sold for scrap on 7 October 1913.