HMS Nile and HMS Collingwood

Towards the end of the 1880s, the Royal Navy had begun to design and build ironclad battleships which were the precursors of the pre-dreadnought. They had four main guns and a battery of medium and light quick-firing secondary guns mounted in a central superstructure. The only question that remained unanswered was whether the main guns should be mounted in turrets or barbettes. Two examples of these designs were the Trafalgar-class turret battleships and the Admiral-class barbette battleships.

HMS Nile

HMS Nile was one of two Trafalgar-class turret battleships. (The other was HMS Trafalgar.) They were an improved version of the earlier turret ironclad HMS Dreadnought which was - in turn - a development of the Devastation-class turret ironclads. She was also heavily armoured like the preceding Victoria-class turret battleship. She was laid down at Pembroke Dockyard on 8th April 1886, launched on 27th March 1888, and completed on 10th July 1891.

Her characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 12,590 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 345ft (105.2m)
• Beam: 73ft (22.3m)
• Draught: 28ft 6in (8.7m)
• Propulsion: 6 x coal-fired cylindrical boilers providing steam to 2 x three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 16.5 knots
• Complement: 537
• Armament:
• 2 x twin 13.5-inch (343mm) rifled breech-loading guns
• 6 x single 4.7-inch (120mm) quick-firing guns
• 8 x single 6-pounder Hotchkiss quick-firing guns
• 9 x single 3-pounder Hotchkiss quick-firing guns
• 4 x 14-inch (356mm) torpedo tubes
• Armour:
• Belt: 14-inches to 20-inches (356mm to 508mm)
• Citadel: 16-inches to 18-inches (406mm to 457mm)
• Battery: 4-inches to 5-inches (102mm to 127mm)
• Bulkheads: 14-inches to 16-inches (356 mm to 406mm)
• Turrets: 18-inches (457mm)
• Conning tower: 14-inches (356mm)
• Deck: 3-inches (76mm)

HMS Nile was commissioned at Portsmouth on 30th June 1891 to take part in manoeuvres. She was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet, and remained there until January 1898. In August 1890, she had the number of torpedo tubes increased to six. Two years before she returned home, HMS Nile had her 4.7-inch (120mm) guns replaced by 6-inch (152mm) quick-firing guns.

HMS Nile then become the guardship at Devonport, and during her time there, she took part in the Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead on 16th August 1902. She paid off at Devonport in February 1903 and joined the Reserve Fleet there, where she remained until she was sold for scrapping on 9th July 1912.

HMS Collingwood

HMS Collingwood was the first of the Admiral-class barbette battleships and served as the class prototype. She was designed by the Director of Naval Construction, Sir Nathaniel Barnaby, and was inspired by the French Terrible-class ironclads. The design was criticised by the former Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy, Sir Edward Reed, because the ship's belt armour was concentrate amidships rather than along the entire waterline. Like HMS Nile, HMS Collingwood was constructed at Pembroke Dockyard; she was laid down on 12th July 1880, launched on 22nd November 1882, and completed on 1st July 1887.

Her characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 9,500 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 325ft (99.1m)
• Beam: 68ft (20.7m)
• Draught: 26ft 11in (8.2m)
• Propulsion: 12 x cylindrical coal-fired boilers providing steam to 2 x Humphreys 2-cylinder inverted compound-expansion steam engines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 16.8 knots
• Complement: 498
• Armament:
• 2 x twin 12-inch (305mm) rifled breech-loading guns
• 6 x single 6-inch (152mm) rifled breech-loading guns
• 12 x single 6-pounder Hotchkiss quick-firing guns
• 8 x single 3-pounder Hotchkiss quick-firing guns
• 4 x 14-inch (356mm) torpedo tubes
• Armour:
• Belt: 8-inches to 18-inches (203mm to 457mm)
• Bulkheads: 7-inches to 16-inches (178 mm to 406mm)
• Barbettes: 10-inches to 11.5-inches (254mm to 292mm)
• Conning tower: 2-inches to 12-inches (51mm to 305mm)
• Deck: 2-inches to 3-inches (51mm to 76mm)

HMS Collingwood took part in the 1888 and 1889 annual summer manoeuvres before serving with the Mediterranean Fleet from November 1889 until March 1897. During her time there, she underwent a refit in Malta in 1896. On her return to the UK she became the coastguard ship at Bantry, Ireland.

Like HMS Nile, she took part in the Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead on 16th August 1902. She was paid off into the Fleet Reserve in June 1903 and moved to East Kyle in January 1905, where she remained there until she was sold for scrap on 11th May 1909.

HMS Bellisle and HMS Rupert

HMS Belleisle and HMS Rupert had somewhat lacklustre and inactive careers in the Royal Navy. In the case of HMS Belleisle (and her sistership HMS Orion), they were designed for the Turkish Navy and bought at the time of a Russian war scare in the late 1870s. As a result, they were oddities and were – in my opinion – only kept in service to help maintain the apparent strength of the Royal Navy. HMS Rupert – on the other hand – was a combination of two previous designs, HMS Hotspur (which was an armoured ram with a fixed turret) and HMS Glatton.

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HMS Belleisle

She was designed by a Turkish naval architect, Ahmed Pasha, and was originally ordered by the Ottoman Navy as the Peik-i-Sheref from the Samuda Brothers shipyard at Cubitt Town, London. She was laid down in 1874, launched on 12th February 1876, commissioned on 2nd July 1878, and completed seventeen days later.

Her characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 4,870 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 245ft (75m)
• Beam: 52ft (16m)
• Draught: 21ft (6.4m)
• Propulsion: 4 x coal-fired boilers providing steam to 2 x Maudslay Sons & Field horizontal steam engines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 12.1 knots
• Complement: 249
• Armament:
• 4 x single 12-inch (305mm) rifled muzzle loading guns
• 4 x single 20-pdr breech-loading guns
• 4 x single 3-pounder Hotchkiss quick-firing guns (added in the 1880s)
• 2 x torpedo launching carriages
• Armour:
• Belt: 6-inches to 12-inches (150mm to 300mm)
• Battery: 8-inches to 10-inches (200mm to 250mm)
• Bulkheads: 5-inches to 9-inches (130 mm to 230mm)
• Conning tower: 9-inches (230mm)
• Deck: 1-inch to 3-inches (25mm to 76mm)

HMS Belleisle served as coastguard ship at Kingstown, Ireland from 1878 until 1892, and other than undertaking live firing practice four times each year, a short annual squadron cruise, and a single refit at Devonport, she was inactive. In 1879, her funnel was raised by 16ft (4.9m). She paid off into the "B" Reserve in April 1893, then into the Fleet Reserve in May 1894, and was finally paid off in May 1900 when she was converted into a target ship. She was sunk during tests to see if cellulose could be used to automatically swell and plug holes caused by torpedoes hits and her wreck was raised and sold in October 1903 for scrapping in Germany.

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HMS Rupert

She was designed in the period after the Battle of Lissa (1866) and her primary weapon was intended to be her ram. Unlike the earlier ram built for the Royal Navy – HMS Hotspur – she was fitted with a turret similar to that fitted to HMS Glatton. HMS Rupert was constructed at Chatham Dockyard, Kent, laid down on 6th June 1870, launched of 12th March 1872, and completed on 1st July 1874.

Her characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 5,440 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 250ft (76m)
• Beam: 53ft (16m)
• Draught: 22ft 6in (6.86m)
• Propulsion: ? x coal-fired boilers providing steam to 2 x Napier steam engines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 13.6 knots
• Complement: 217
• Armament (As built):
• 1 x twin 10-inch (254mm) rifled muzzle loading guns
• 2 x single 60-pdr smoothbore guns
• Armament (1887):
• 1 x twin 10-inch (254mm) rifled muzzle loading guns
• 2 x single 6-inch breech-loading guns
• 4 x single 6-pounder quick-firing guns
• 8 x machine guns
• 4 x 14-inch (356mm) torpedo tubes
• Armament (1892):
• 1 x twin 9.2-inch (234mm) rifled breech-loading guns
• 2 x single 6-inch breech-loading guns
• 4 x single 6-pounder quick-firing guns
• 8 x machine guns
• 4 x 14-inch (356mm) torpedo tubes
• Armour:
• Belt: 9-inches to 11-inches (230mm to 280mm)
• Breastwork: 12-inches (305mm)
• Turret: 14-inches (360mm) on the turret face & 12-inches (305mm) on the sides
• Conning towers: 12-inches (305mm)
• Deck: 2-inches to 3-inches (51mm to 76mm)

Although HMS Rupert was built in Chatham, she was commissioned at Devonport Dockyard. She then served in the Mediterranean from 1876 to 1880 before joining the Reserve at Portsmouth. She was recommissioned during the 1885 Russian war scare for service as part of the Particular Service Squadron, and once the scare was over, she became the guard ship at Hull until 1890.

HMS Rupert was reconstructed and rearmed between 1891 and 1893, and then she became the guardship at Pembroke until 1895. This was followed by a spell as guard ship at Gibraltar and then Port Said. In April 1902 HMS Rupert returned to Plymouth, where she paid off on 28th May. She then formed part of the Fleet Reserve until 1904, when she was sent to Bermuda to act as guard ship. She was sold for scrapping in 1907.

Four more British ironclads in 1/1200th-scale

I managed to find four more 1/1200th-scale ironclads on sale on eBay ... and could not resist buying them!

I am now the proud owner of models of HMS Belleisle, ...

... HMS Rupert, ...

... HMS Nile, ...

... and HMS Collingwood.

This brings the size of my collection to eight models ... and I suspect that it will continue to grow.

HMVS Cerberus and HMS Glatton

The period between 1860 and 1900 saw massive developments in warship designs. Iron and then steel replaced wood, sail was replaced by steam-power, and the calibre of guns grew as the numbers of guns carried aboard a warship diminished. Things developed so fast at times that ships could be designed, built, and then be obsolete by the time they entered service.

In the UK, the old enemy France was first an ally (during the Crimean War), then a threat (in the run up to the Franco-German War), and then a colonial rival. At the same time, the power of Imperial Russia waxed and waned and the new German Empire began to emerge as a serious rival.

It is against this background that HMVS Cerberus and HMAS Glatton were built.

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HMVS Cerberus

By the middle of the 1860s, Russia was expanding its influence in the Pacific and this was perceived as a threat to the British colonies in Australia. As a result, the government of the Victoria ordered a ship to supplement the existing coastal defences at Port Philip Bay. The ship was a breastwork monitor and was named HMVS Cerberus.

She and her sistership HMS Magdala (which was built by Thames Iron Works, Blackwall) were designed by designed by Edward James Reed, Chief Constructor to the Royal Navy and was constructed by Palmers Shipbuilding at their Jarrow-on-Tyne shipyard. (HMS Magdala was ordered by the India Office for the Bombay Marine and was based at Bombay, now Mumbai.)

HMVS Cerberus was laid down on 1st August 1867, launched on 2nd December 1868, and completed in August 1870. The British Admiralty paid 80% of the cost (£117,556) on the understanding that if she required to perform any role other than the defence of Victoria, she would come under Admiralty control.

Her characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 3,340 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 225ft (68.6m)
• Beam: 45ft 1in (13.7m)
• Draught: 15ft 6in (4.7m)
• Propulsion: 5 x coal-fired boilers providing steam to 2 x Maudslay Sons & Field horizontal twin-cylinder, double-acting, steam engines each driving a propellor
• Speed: 9.75 knots (maximum); 6 knots (economical)
• Complement: 12 officers, 84 sailors (plus 40 additional in wartime)
• Armament:
• 2 x twin 10-inch (254mm) rifled muzzle loading guns
• 2 x single 12-pdr bronze howitzers
• 4 x 4-barrel 1-inch Nordenfelt revolving barrel guns (1883)
• 2 x single Nordenfelt 6-pdr quick-firing guns (1890)
• 2 x single Maxim-Nordenfelt 14-pdr quick-firing guns (1897)
• Armour:
• Belt: 6-inches to 8-inches (150mm to 200 mm), backed by 9-inches to 11-inches (230mm to 280mm) of teak
• Breastwork: 8-inches to 9-inches (200mm to 230mm)
• Turrets: 9-inches to 10-inches (23mm to 250mm)
• Deck: 1-inch to 1.25-inches (25mm to 32mm)

In 1887, HMVS Cerberus was fitted with torpedo nets, but soon afterwards she was reclassified as a storeship. When the Federation of Australia was created in 1901, she became part of the Commonwealth Naval Force. When the Commonwealth Naval Force became the Royal Australian Navy in 1911, she became HMAS Cerberus.

During the Great War she served as a guard ship and storeship even though her main armament was no longer operable. Her low freeboard made her an ideal candidate to act as a submarine tender when six J-class submarines were transferred to the Royal Australian Navy, and she was re-named HMAS Platypus II on 1st April 1921. She kept this name until she was sold for scrapping on 23rd April 1924.

After all the salvageable material had been removed, the remains of her hull was sold to Sandringham Council who scuttled her on 26th September 1926 at Half Moon Bay to serve as a breakwater for the Black Rock Yacht Club ... and her hull still remains in situ.

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HMS Glatton

Whereas HMVS Cerberus was designed with the threat of the Imperial Russian Navy in mind, HMS Glatton's expected opponent was the French Navy. Like HMVS Cerberus, HMS Glatton was designed by Edward Reed ... but her task in time of war was to defend Britain's coast and to maintain a close blockage on enemy (i.e. French) ports. As a result, her design was quite different from that of HMVS Cerberus. For example, she had a deeper draught so that she could operate in deeper water and a higher top speed.

HMS Glatton was laid down at Chatham Dockyard on 10th August 1868, launched on 8th March 1871 and completed on 24th February 1872. She was immediately commissioned into the Dockyard reserve and served as a tender to the school of naval gunnery, HMS Excellent.

Her characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 4,912 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 245ft 9in (74.9m)
• Beam: 54ft (16m)
• Draught: 19ft 5in (5.92m)
• Propulsion: 2? x coal-fired boilers providing steam to 2 x Laird​ twin-cylinder steam engines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 12.11 knots
• Complement: 185
• Armament:
• 1 x twin 12-inch (305mm) 25-ton rifled muzzle loading guns
• 3 x single 6-pdr Hotchkiss quick-firing guns (1881)
• 3 x single machine guns (1881)
• 2 or 3 x 14-inch (356mm) torpedo launchers (1881)
• Armour:
• Belt: 10-inches to 12-inches (250mm to 300 mm)
• Breastwork: 12-inches (3000mm)
• Turrets: 14-inches (360mm) on the turret face & 12-inches (300mm) on the sides and back
• Deck: 3-inches (76mm)

HMS Glatton joined the Particular Service Squadron in 1873 and was fired at during a live firing exercise. In 1881 she was fitted with the equipment needed to launch 14-inch (360mm) torpedoes as well as three 6 pounder Hotchkiss quick-firing guns and 4 machine guns. She was then returned to the reserve.

Six years later HMS Glatton was fully commissioned so that she could take part in that year's fleet manoeuvres, and 'defended' the Thames estuary alongside HMS Prince Albert. She then became part of the fleet's second class reserve, where she remained until she was sold in for scrap in July1903 as part of Admiral Fisher's pruning of the reserve fleet.

New YouTube video: The Russian protected cruiser Aurora

I have just uploaded a new YouTube video to the Wargaming Miscellany YouTube channel about the Russian protected cruiser Aurora.

It lasts approximately seven and three-quarter minutes.

The video can be found here on the Wargaming Miscellany YouTube channel.

Two British coastal defence ironclads in 1/1200th-scale

I have always liked the look of the British mid-nineteenth century coastal defence ironclads ... so when 1/1200th-scale  models of a couple of them came on sale on eBay, I could not resist putting in some (successful) bids!

I am now the proud owner of models of HMVS (later HMAS) Cerberus ...

... and HMS Glatton.

In due course, I will write longer blog posts about these two ships, but it is worth mentioning that the hull of HMAS Cerberus is still extant!

She was sunk as a breakwater in Half Moon Bay in September 1926, and despite the ravages of time and tide, the hull and the remains of her turrets and funnel still remain. In 2001, the Friends of the Cerberus was formed, with the goal of preserving her, and since then they have raised funds to remove her guns for preservation and to combat corrosion in order to stabilize the wreck. This remains ongoing.

Another Nagato!

In July, thanks to the generosity of Nigel Drury, I added a model of the IJNS Nagato to my collection of 1:1200th/:1250th-scale Japanese warships.

Since then – and thanks to eBay – I have acquired a second model of a Nagato-class battleship ... so now I can field both IJNS Nagato and her sistership IJNS Mutsu in a naval wargame.

I now have models of six of the ten battleship that the Imperial Japanese Navy had in service in 1941. To complete my collection, I need another two Kongo-class fast battleships (IJNS Hiei and IJNS Kirishima), the IJNS Yamashiro (a Fuso-class battleship), and IJNS Hyūga (an Ise-class battleship).

My 1/1200th-scale Imperial Japanese Navy battleships

I decided to hold a 'fleet review' of my collection of 1/1200th-scale Imperial Japanese Navy battleships.

My Imperial Japanese Navy battleships. They are (from top to bottom) IJNS Nagato, IJNS Fuso, IJNS Ise, IJNS Haruna, and IJNS Kongo.

My Imperial Japanese Navy battleships. They are (from left to right) IJNS Kongo, IJNS Haruna, IJNS Ise, IJNS Fuso, and IJNS Nagato.

My Imperial Japanese Navy battleships. They are (from left to right) IJNS Kongo, IJNS Haruna, IJNS Ise, IJNS Fuso, and IJNS Nagato.

The jetty is from my Triang Minic Fleet Anchorage set.

The Imperial Japanese Navy battleships of the Ise-class

The Ise-class battleships (IJNS Ise and IJNS Hyūga) were ordered and laid down just as their predecessors - the Fuso-class battleships - were being completed. It was already apparent that the design of the Fusos was imperfect, and the Ise-class battleships were designed to incorporate changes that had been identified as necessary. These included a revised layout for the main armament and a slightly smaller calibre secondary armament.

IJNS Ise as built.

As built, the class's characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 31,260 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 208.18m (683ft)
• Beam: 28.65m (94ft)
• Draught: 8.93m (29ft 4in)
• Propulsion: 24 x Kampon water-tube boilers providing steam to 4 x steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 23 knots
• Range: 9,680 nautical miles at 14 knots
• Complement: 1,360
• Armament: 6 × twin 356mm (14-inch) guns; 20 x single 140mm (5.5-inch) guns; 4 x single 76.2mm (3-inch) anti-aircraft guns; 6 × 533mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes
• Armour: Belt: 300mm (11.8-inch); Deck: 85mm (3.3-inch); Gun turrets: 254mm (12-inch); Barbettes: 305mm (12-inch); Conning tower: 305mm (12-inch)

IJNS Ise during the mid 1920s.

From 1934 to 1937 the class was reconstructed.

• The stern was lengthened by 7.62 meters to improve speed.
• The forward superstructure was rebuilt into a pagoda mast.
• Torpedo bulges were added for better underwater protection.
• With the exception of the rearmost turret, main battery's elevation was increased to 43 degrees for improved range.
• The number of casemate-mounted 5.5-inch/140mm guns was reduced from twenty to sixteen.
• The existing single 3-inch/76.2mm anti-aircraft guns were replaced by four twin 5-inch/127nn anti-aircraft guns.
• Ten twin-mounted 1-inch/25mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft machine guns were fitted. 
• Additional armour was added to the deck and turret tops and two torpedo bulkheads were installed, increasing the ship's overall armour protection.
• The existing twenty-four mixed coal-fired and oil-fired water-tube Kampon boilers were replaced by eight lighter and more powerful oil-fired Kampon boilers.
• The fore funnel was removed and the remaining funnel was rebuilt in a different position.
• Newer, lighter steam turbines were fitted in place of the original geared turbines.

After their 1930s reconstruction, the class's characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 42,001 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 216m (708ft 8in)
• Beam: 31.75m (104ft 2in)
• Draught: 9.45m (31ft)
• Propulsion: 8 x Kampon water-tube boilers providing steam to 4 x steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 25 knots
• Range: 7,870 nautical miles at 14 knots
• Complement: 1,376
• Armament: 6 × twin 356mm (14-inch) guns; 16 x single 140mm (5.5-inch) guns; 4 x twin 127mm (5-inch) anti-aircraft guns; 10 x twin 25mm anti-aircraft guns
• Armour: Belt: 300mm (11.8-inch); Deck: 140mm (5.5-inch); Gun turrets: 254mm (12-inch); Barbettes: 305mm (12-inch)
• Aircraft: 3 x floatplanes; 1 x catapult

IJNS Ise after her first major reconstruction.

After the loss of four aircraft carriers at the Battle of Midway. the Imperial Japanese Navy examined the possibility of converting existing battleships in to aircraft carriers. This was felt to be both too expensive and would take too long, but as IJNS Hyūga had lost her No.5 turret after an explosion and the No.6 turret of both ships was unable to elevate to 43 degrees like the rest of the main armament, conversion into hybrid battleship/aircraft carriers was viable.

During the reconstruction, the following changes were made:

• Nos.5 and 6 turrets and their supporting structures were removed and the holes in the ships structure was plated over with 152mm/6-inch armour.
• The existing 140mm/5.5-inch secondary armament was removed.
• Four additional twin 127mm/5-inch anti-aircraft guns were added.
• The existing ten twin 25mm anti-aircraft guns were replaced by nineteen triple 25mm anti-aircraft guns. Twelve triple and ten single 25mm anti-aircraft guns were later added.
• A 70m/229ft 8in long and 29m/95ft 2in to 13m/42ft 8in wide flight deck was built atop a 40m/131ft 3in long and 20m/65ft 7in to 11m/36ft 1in wide and 6m/19ft 8in high hanger at the stern of the ship.
• Two catapults were fitted at the forward end of the flight deck.

After their conversion into hybrid battleship/aircraft carriers, the class's characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 42,675 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 219.62m (720ft 6in)
• Beam: 31.71m (104ft)
• Draught: 9.03m (29ft 8in)
• Propulsion: 8 x Kampon water-tube boilers providing steam to 4 x steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 25 knots
• Range: 7,870 nautical miles at 14 knots
• Complement: 1,463
• Armament: 4 × twin 356mm (14-inch) guns; 8 x twin 127mm (5-inch) anti-aircraft guns; 31 x triple & 10 x single 25mm anti-aircraft guns
• Armour: Belt: 300mm (11.8-inch); Deck: 85mm (3.3-inch); Gun turrets: 254mm (12-inch); Barbettes: 305mm (12-inch); Conning tower: 305mm (12-inch)
• Aircraft: 22 x aircraft; 2 x catapults

IJNS Ise after her reconstruction into a hybrid battleship/aircraft carrier.

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The class's wartime service:

• December 1941: Formed part of the distant force covering the retirement of the aircraft carrier that attacked Pearl Harbour.
• February to November 1943: Converted into hybrid battleship/aircraft carriers.
• October 1944: Battle off Cape Engaño.
• November 1944: The catapults were removed and the ships were used to transport troops and supplies.
• March 1945 onward: The ships were used as floating anti-aircraft batteries..
• July 1945: The ships were sunk by US Navy carrier-borne aircraft.

The Imperial Japanese Navy in 1/1200th-scale ... yet another addition

As a result of winning a recent eBay auction, I now own a model of the INS Ise that I can add to my collection of 1/1200th-scale Imperial Japanese Navy ships.

(42,001 tons; 25 knots; 12 x 14-inch guns, 16 x 5.5-inch guns; 8 x 5-inch AA guns; 20 x 25mm AA guns; a catapult; 3 floatplanes)

I now own an example of each of the Japanese battleships that were in service in 1941.

The Italian/Russian battleship Guilio Cesare/Novorossiysk

At the recent Conference of Wargamers (COW), I took part in a committee game about the loss of the Russian battleship Novorossiysk in Sebastopol on 29th October 1955. The ship had a rather unusual and chequered history, and I thought that its story might be of interest to some of my regular blog readers.

Giulio Cesare was one of three Conte di Cavour-class dreadnoughts (Conte di Cavour, Giulio Cesare, and Leonardo da Vinci) that were designed in response to the laying down of the French Courbet-class battleships. She was laid down on 24t June 1910 at the Gio. Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa, launched on 15th October 1911, and completed on 14th May 1914.

Giulio Cesare as completed.

At the time, her characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 25,489 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 176m (577ft 5in)
• Beam: 28m (91ft 10in)
• Draught: 9.3m (30ft 6in)
• Propulsion: 24 x Babcock & Wilcox boilers providing steam to 4 x steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 21.5 knots
• Range: 4,800 nautical miles at 10 knots
• Complement: 1,000
• Armament: 3 x triple & 2 × twin 305mm (12-inch) guns; 18 x single 120mm (4.7-inch) guns; 14 x single 76.2mm (3-inch) guns; 3 × 450mm (17.7-inch) torpedo tubes
• Armour: Belt: 80mm to 250mm (3.1-inch to 9.8-inch); Deck: 24mm to 40 mm (0.9-inch to 1.6-inch; Gun turrets: 240mm to 280mm (9.4-inch to 11.0-inch); Barbettes: 130mm to 230mm (5.1-inch to 9.1-inch); Conning tower: 280mm (11-inch)

During the interwar period, Giulio Cesare and her contemporary Italian battleships (Conte di Cavour and the similar Andrea Doria-class battleships Andrea Doria and Duilio*) became increasingly obsolete, but due to financial restrictions and international treaties, they could not be scrapped and replaced by newer ships. In the end, it was decided to modernise them … and as a result, they underwent the most drastic reconstructions of any of the early dreadnoughts.

Between 1933 and 1937, Giulio Cesare was lengthened to improve her speed, her, armour and underwater protection were upgraded, her propulsion machinery was replaced (with a resulting increase in her top speed), her main armament was extensively renovated (the number of 12-inch guns was reduced from thirteen to ten and their calibre increased to 12.6-inch), her secondary armament was replaced, and her original superstructure replaced by a much more modern one.

Giulio Cesare after her extensive reconstruction. Her new bridge is similar in design to that found on the Italian Navy's contemporary heavy cruisers.

As a result, by the outbreak of the Second World War, her characteristics were:

• Displacement: 29,100 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 186.4m (611ft 7in)
• Beam: 28.6m (93ft 10in)
• Draught: 10.42m (34ft 2in)
• Propulsion: 8 x Yarrow boilers providing steam to 2 x steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 27 knots
• Range: 6.400 nautical miles at 13 knots
• Complement: 1,260
• Armament: 2 x triple & 2 × twin 320mm (12.6-inch) guns; 6 x twin 120mm (4.7-inch) guns; 4 x twin 100mm (3.9-inch) anti-aircraft guns; 6 x twin 37mm anti-aircraft guns; 6 x twin 13.2mm anti-aircraft machine guns
• Armour: Belt: 80mm to 250mm (3.1-inch to 9.8-inch); Deck: 125mm to 166mm (5.3-inch to 6.5-inch; Gun turrets: 240mm to 280mm (9.4-inch to 11.0-inch); Barbettes: 130mm to 280mm (5.1-inch to 11-inch)

During World War II, Giulio Cesare took part in several naval battles:

• July 1940: Battle of Calabria: She was lightly damaged by British gunfire.
• November 1940: Attack on Taranto: Although present in Taranto harbour when Fairey Swordfish torpedo-bombers attacked the Italian fleet whilst it was at anchor, she escaped damage. 
• November 1940: Battle of Cape Spartivento: She took part in an offensive sweep designed to show that despite the losses at Taranto, the Italian Navy was still capable of challenging the Royal Navy’s dominance of the Mediterranean.
• December 1941: First Battle of Sirte: She took part in an attempt to intercept a Royal Navy convoy on its way to supply the besieged island of Malta.
• As a result of fuel shortages, from early in 1942 she became a harbour-based training ship. When the Italian Navy surrendered and sailed for Malta in 1943, Giulio Cesare was one of the ships that was interned.

As part of the settlement of war reparation agreed by the Allies, Russia was allotted one of the older Italian battleships as war reparations. (They had wanted one of the modern Italian Littorio-class battleships, but this request was denied). Giulio Cesare was selected and in 1949 she was transferred to the Soviet Union and renamed Novorossiysk.

The former Giulio Cesare was reanmed Novorossiysk when she became part of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet.

After some technical delays, she eventually arrived in Sebastopol where she became the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. She later served as a gunnery training vessel with the Black Sea Fleet, but on 29th October 1955, she sank in Sevastopol Bay after a massive explosion occurred aboard her. 617 crew members were killed and the wreck was salvaged in 1956 and subsequently scrapped.

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* The Leonardo da Vinci sank after a magazine explosion on 2nd August 1916, was refloated in 1919. The Italian Navy considered modernising the salvaged ship by replacing her amidships triple 12-inch turret with six 102mm (4-inch) anti-aircraft guns. However, due to the financial situation Italy was in, this was never done and the hull was sold for scrap on 22th March 1923.

The Imperial Japanese Navy battleships of the Nagato-class

The two Nagato-class super-dreadnought were launched during the First World War and completed just after it. The sisterships were named Nagato and Mutsu, and they were the largest battleships in the Imperial Japanese Navy until the Yamato-class super battleships entered service.

Before and during the First World War the Imperial Japanese and Royal Navies retained official and unofficial links, and it is hardly surprising that the design of the Nagatos was heavily influenced by that of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships. This can be seen by comparing the silhouettes of both classes of ships as built:

The Queen Elizabeth-class as built.

The Nagato-class as designed. They were completed with a hexapod foremast (see below).

The Nagato-class as built. The hexapod foremast can clearly be seen in this photograph.

The Nagato-class as built.

The class's characteristics as built were:

• Displacement: 32,200 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 215.86m (708ft)
• Beam: 29.02m (95ft 3in)
• Draught: 9.08m (29ft 9in)
• Propulsion: 21 x Kampon water-tube boilers providing steam to 4 x Gihon steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 26.5 knots
• Range: 4,500 nautical miles at 16 knots
• Complement: 1,333
• Armament: 4 × twin 410mm (16-inch) guns; 20 x single 140mm (5.5-inch) guns; 4 x single 76.2mm (3-inch) anti-aircraft guns; 8 × 533mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes
• Armour: Belt: 100mm to 305mm (3.9-inch to 12-inch); Deck: 69mm (2.7-inch) plus 75 mm (3-inch; Gun turrets: 190mm to 356mm (7.5-inch to 14-inch); Barbettes: 305mm (12-inch); Conning tower: 369mm (14.5-inch)

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During their service they were rebuilt/reconstructed several times.

1924-25:

• The fore funnel was rebuilt into an S shape to prevent smoke interference.

The silhouette of the Nagato-class with their remodelled fore funnel.

The remodelled S-shaped funnel fitted to the Nagato-class battleships can be clearly be seen in this photograph.

1926:

• The four above-water torpedo tubes were removed, and the anti-aircraft armament was reinforced by three additional 3-inch/76mm anti-aircraft guns.

1932:

• The 3-inch/76mm anti-aircraft guns were removed and replaced by eight 5-inch/127mm in four twin dual-purpose mountings.
• The existing rangefinders fitted to the two superfiring main gun turrets were replaced by new 10m ones.

1933:

• A catapult was fitted between the mainmast and X turret and storage and maintenance facilities for 2 or 3 floatplanes was installed.

1934 to 1936:

• The bow was remodelled to reduce spray when steaming into a head sea.
• The stern was lengthened by 7.55 meters to improve speed.
• The forward superstructure was rebuilt into a pagoda mast.
• Torpedo bulges were added for better underwater protection.
• The main battery's elevation was increased to 43 degrees for improved range.
• The number of casemate-mounted 5.5-inch/140mm guns was reduced from eighteen to fourteen and their elevation was increased to 35 degrees for improved range.
• Twelve twin-mounted 1-inch/25mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft machine guns were fitted. 
• Additional armour was added to gun turrets and barbettes, increasing the ship's overall armour protection.
• The existing twenty-one mixed coal-fired and oil-fired water-tube Kampon boilers were replaced by ten lighter and more powerful oil-fired Kampon boilers.
• The fore funnel was removed and the remaining funnel was rebuilt in a different position.
• Newer, lighter steam turbines were fitted in place of the original geared turbines.

The silhouette of the Nagato-class after they were reconstructed in the mid-1930s.

1938:

• A new, much more powerful catapult was installed.

By 1944:

• Nagato: Additional 1-inch/25mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft machine guns in twin and triple mountings were fitted to the IJNS Nagato, bringing her total to 98 barrels.

By 1945:

• Nagato: All the of casemate-mounted 5.5-inch/140mm guns were removed and two twin 5-inch/127mm in four twin dual-purpose mountings were added.

After their reconstruction, the class's characteristics were:

• Displacement: 38.510 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 224.94m (738ft)
• Beam: 34.6m (113ft 6in)
• Draught: 9.49m (31ft 2in)
• Propulsion: 10 x Kampon oil-fired boilers providing steam to 4 x Gihon steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 25 knots
• Range: 8.650 nautical miles at 16 knots
• Complement: 1,734
• Armament: 4 × twin 410mm (16-inch) guns; 18 x single 140mm (5.5-inch) guns; 4 x twin 127mm (5-inch) anti-aircraft guns; Up to 98 x 25mm anti-aircraft guns
• Armour: Belt: 100mm to 305mm (3.9-inch to 12-inch); Deck: 69mm (2.7-inch) plus 100 mm (3.9-inch; Gun turrets: 280mm to 460mm (11-inch to 18.1-inch); Barbettes: 457mm (18-inch)
• Aircraft: 3 x floatplanes; 1 x catapult

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Nagato's wartime service:

• December 1941: Formed part of the distant force covering the retirement of the aircraft carrier that attacked Pearl Harbour.
• June 1942: Battle of Midway.
• June 1944: Battle of the Philippines Sea.
• October 1944: Battle of Leyte Gulf.
• October 1944: Battle of Sibuyan Sea.
• November 1944: Due to a shortage of fuel, she was reduced to the role of a floating anti-aircraft battery. Her mainmast and funnel were removed to improve the arcs-of-fire of the ship's anti-aircraft guns.
• July 1945: Badly damaged by an attack by US carrier-borne aircraft whilst at anchor.
• Post-war: Used as a target during the Bikini Atoll nuclear weapon test.

The IJNS Nagato in 1944.

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Mutsu's wartime service:

• December 1941: Formed part of the distant force covering the retirement of the aircraft carrier that attacked Pearl Harbour.
• June 1942: Battle of Midway.
• August 1942: Battle of the Eastern Solomons.
• June 1943: Destroyed by an explosion in the magazine of No.3 turret.

The Imperial Japanese Navy in 1/1200th-scale ... another addition

At the recent COW20026, my old friend Nigel Drury very kindly gave me a model of the INS Nagato to add to my collection of 1/1200th-scale Imperial Japanese Navy ships.

(38,510 tons; 25 knots; 8 x 16-inch guns, 18 x 5.5-inch guns; 8 x 5-inch AA guns; 98 x 25mm AA guns; a catapult; 3 floatplanes)

This will now serve as my fleet flagship, rather as she did for Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.

My 1/1200th-scale collection of Imperial Japanese Navy warships now comprises:

Battleships

• Nagato-class: Nagato
• Fuso-class: Fuso
• Kongo-class: Kongo; Haruna

Aircraft Carriers

• Kaga-class: Kaga
• Akagi-class: Akagi

Heavy Cruisers

• Myoko-class: Myoko
• Mogami-class: Mogami
• Aoba-class: Aoba

Light Cruisers

• Yubari-class: Yubari
• Isuzu-class: Nagano
• Sendai-class: Sendai
• Chikuma-class: Chikuma; Hirado

Destroyers

• Kagero-class: Kagero; Shiranui; Kuroshio; Oyashio
• Mutsuki-class: Mutsuki; Kisaragi; Uzuki
• Asashi-class: Asashio; Ōshio
• Fubuki-class: Fubuki; Amagiri; Asagiri; Shirayuki; Hatsuyuki; Murakumo; Shinonome; Oboro
• Hatsuharu-class: Hatsuharu
• Shimakaze-class: Shimakaze
• Kaba-class: Kaba, Kashiwa

Quite an impressive little collection, even though I say it myself!

The Colony/Fiji-class and Minotaur/Swiftsure/Tiger-class light cruisers

After the First World War, the Royal Navy had a large number of light cruisers, many of which were obsolete and/or worn-out. Many were scrapped under the terms of the Washington and London Naval Treaties and new designs were built, starting with the Leander-class and Modified Leander-class (AKA Amphion/Perth-class). These were followed by the smaller Arethusa-class light cruisers, which retained the twin 6-inch turrets of the Leanders.

HMS Orion, a Leander-class light cruiser.

HMAS Perth (ex-HMS Amphion), an Amphion-class light cruiser.

HMS Arethusa, an Arethusa-class light cruiser. She looks like a cut-down version of the Amphion-class light cruisers

The next design to come into service was the Town-class light cruisers, which were armed with BL 6-inch Mk XXIII guns in triple turrets. This gave them 150% more firepower without the ships needing to be proportionally heavier. (The first group of Towns had a displacement of 11,540 tons whilst the Leanders weighed in at 9,740 tons ... an increase of 1,800 tons or 18%.)

HMS Southampton, the lead ship of the Town-class of light cruisers.

The Town-class was a very successful design and was followed by a slightly more compact version that was closer in size to the Leander-class. The were known as the Colony or Fiji-class, and eleven ships were built in two groups:

HMS Fiji, the lead ship of the Colony/Fiji-class of light cruisers.

• Fiji group: HMS Fiji (Sunk), HMS Nigeria (Sold to India and renamed INS Mysore), HMS Mauritius, HMS Kenya, HMS Trinidad (Sunk), HMS Jamaica, HMS Gambia (Later HMNZS Gambia), and HMS Bermuda.
• Ceylon group: HMS Ceylon (Sold to Peru and renamed BAP Coronel Bolognesi), HMS Uganda (Later HMCS Uganda), and HMS Newfoundland (Sold to Peru and renamed BAP Almirante Grau).

The class's characteristics were:

• Displacement: 10,450 tons (full load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 555ft 6in (169.32m)
• Beam: 62ft (19m)
• Draught: 16ft 6in (5.03m)
• Propulsion: 4 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers providing steam to 4 x geared steam turbines, each driving a propeller
• Speed: 31.5 knots
• Range: 10,100 nautical miles at 12 knots
• Complement: 920
• Armament:
• Fiji group: 4 x triple BL 6-inch (152mm) Mark XXIII guns in Mark XXI mountings; 4 x twin QF 4-inch (102mm) Mark XVI guns in Mark XIX mountings; 2 x 4 QF 2-pounder (40mm) Mark VIII anti-aircraft guns in Mark VII mountings; 2 × triple 21-inch (533mm) torpedo tubes (Four ships of this class [HMS Bermuda, HMS Jamaica, HMS Mauritius and HMS Kenya] later had one of the triple 6-inch turrets removed and replaced by a 1 x 4 QF 2-pounder anti-aircraft gun.)
• Ceylon group: 3 x triple BL 6-inch (152mm) Mark XXIII guns in Mark XXI mountings; 4 x twin QF 4-inch (102mm) Mark XVI guns in Mark XIX mountings; 3 x 4 QF 2-pounder (40mm) Mark VIII anti-aircraft guns in Mark VII mountings; 2 × triple 21-inch (533mm) torpedo tubes
• Armour: Belt: 3.5-inch to 3.25-inch (89mm to 83mm); Deck: 2-inch (51mm); Bulkheads: 2-inch to 1.5-inch (51mm to 38mm); Turrets: 2-inches to 1-inch (51mm to 25mm)
• Aircraft: 2 x Supermarine Walrus amphibious aircraft (Never fitted in HMS Fiji or HMS Kenya; removed from all surviving ships by 1944)

The Colony/Fiji-class proved to be very successful design, and the next class that was built was a modified version of it. It was named the Minotaur-class, and it was originally planned to build nine ships. However, in the end only three were build to the original design, three were cancelled and never built, and three were completed to a very heavily modified design ... the Tiger-class.

The three ships that were built to the original design were HMS Minotaur (which later became HMCS Ontario), HMS Swiftsure (which became the name-ship of the class after HMS Minotaur was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy), and HMS Superb.

HMS Swiftsure of the Minotaur/Swiftsure-class light cruisers.

The class's characteristics were:

• Displacement: 11,130 tons to 11,560 tons* (full load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 555ft 6in (169.32m)
• Beam: 63ft to 64ft* (19m to 20m*)
• Draught: 17ft 3in (5.26m)
• Propulsion: 4 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers providing steam to 4 x Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving a propeller
• Speed: 31.5 knots
• Range: 8,000 nautical miles at 16 knots
• Complement: 867
• Armament: 3 x triple BL 6-inch (152mm) Mark XXIII guns in Mark XXI mountings; 5 x twin QF 4-inch (102mm) Mark XVI guns; 4 x 4 QF 2-pounder (40mm) Mark VIII anti-aircraft guns; 5 x single 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns; 2 × triple 21-inch (533mm) torpedo tubes
• Armour: Belt: 3.5-inch to 3.25-inch (89mm to 83mm); Deck: 2-inch (51mm); Bulkheads: 2-inch to 1.5-inch (51mm to 38mm); Turrets: 2-inches to 1-inch (51mm to 25mm)

(All characteristics with an asterix (*) refers to HMS Superb.)

The three suspended Minotaur-class ships were left incomplete until 1954. It was then decided to complete them to a heavily modified design that incorporated new weapons. The ships were HMS Tiger (ex-HMS Bellerophon), HMS Lion (ex-HMS Defence), and HMS Blake (ex-HMS Tiger, ex-HMS Blake).

They came into service between March 1959 and March 1961, and the last (HMS Blake) remained in service until December 1979. During that period HMS Tiger and HMS Blake were rebuilt as helicopter/command cruisers, and enabled the Royal Navy to maintain large, aircraft-carrying warships in service in the period between the scrapping of HMS Ark Royal (the last of the post World War Two aircraft carriers) and the commissioning of the Invincible-class light aircraft carriers.

HMS Tiger as built.

HMS Tiger after her conversion into a helicopter/command cruiser.

The class's characteristics were:

• Displacement: 11,700 tons (full load) (12,080 tons after conversion)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 555ft 6in (169.32m)
• Beam: 64ft (20m)
• Draught: 23ft (7m)
• Propulsion: 4 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers providing steam to 4 x geared steam turbines, each driving a propeller
• Speed: 31.5 knots
• Range: 8,000 nautical miles at 16 knots
• Complement: 716 (855 after conversion)
• Sensors & processing systems (after conversion): Type 965 air-surveillance radar; Type 992Q target-indication radar; Type 903 gunfire-control radars; Type 904 Sea Cat fire-control radars
• Armament:
• Before conversion: 2 x twin 6-inch (152mm) Mark N5 guns; 3 x twin 3-inch (76mm) Mark N1 guns
• After conversion: 1 x twin 6-inch (152mm) Mark N5 guns; 1 x twin 3-inch (76mm) Mark N1 guns; 2 x quadruple Sea Cat GWS-20 surface-to-air missile launchers
• Armour: Belt: 3.5-inch to 3.25-inch (89mm to 83mm); Deck: 2-inch (51mm); Bulkheads: 2-inch to 1.5-inch (51mm to 38mm); Turrets: 2-inches to 1-inch (51mm to 25mm)
• Aircraft (after conversion): 4 x Westland Wessex helicopters; later replaced by 4 x Westland Seaking helicopters

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The Triang Minic range of 1:1200th-scale model ships included the HMS Swiftsure and HMS Superb ... and they could easily be used to represent the Ceylon-group ships and the four modified Fiji-group ships of the of the Colony/Fiji-class.

The Ton-class minesweepers

Sea mines were a major threat to shipping during both World Wars, and during both conflicts the Royal Navy had hundreds of minesweepers in service. Some were specially designed and built ships, and some were merchant trawlers and drifters that were taken into service, often with their original crews.

In the period after the Second World War, the Royal Navy decided to build two classes of minesweepers for inshore and coastal work. The former were the Ham-class (and their related Ley-class) and the latter were the Ton-class.

A side view of the Ton-class minesweeper as designed,.

One hundred and nineteen Ton-class minesweepers were launched between 1952 and 1959, and they served in several navies besides the Royal Navy:

• Argentine Navy: Four ex-Royal Navy and two ex-Royal New Zealand Navy ships.
• Royal Australian Navy: Six ex-Royal Navy ships.
• Ghanaian Navy: One ex-Royal Navy ship.
• Indian Navy: Four ex-Royal Navy ships.
• Irish Navy: Three ex-Royal Navy ships.
• Royal Malaysian Navy: Seven ex-Royal Navy ships.
• Royal New Zealand Navy: Two ex-Royal Navy ships.
• South African Navy: Two built to order and eight ex-Royal Navy ships.

HMAS Curlew, the former HMS Chediston.

The class's characteristics were:

• Displacement: 440 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 152ft (46m)
• Beam: 28ft (8.5m)
• Draught: 8ft (2.4m)
• Propulsion: 2 x Mirrlees diesel engines (later 2 x Napier Deltic engines) each powering a propellor
• Speed: 15 knots
• Complement: 33
• Armament: 1 x Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun; 1 x Oerlikon 20 mm anti-aircraft gun or 1 x M2 Browning 0.5-inch machine gun

The hulls were built of two layers of mahogany on an aluminium fame, and as many fittings as possible were made of non-ferromagnetic metals in order to reduce  the ships' magnetic signature. Their shallow draft and small displacement gave them some protection against contact mines and pressure and mines and allowed them to operate in shallow inshore and coastal waters.

The ships were originally fitted with Mirrlees diesal engines, but these were replaced by Napier Deltic diesal engines. The latter were an opposed-piston, valveless, supercharged, two-stroke diesel engine that were designed to have a high power-to-weight ratio. The design was very effective and was employed in numerous small warships (e.g. Royal Navy Dark-class and Norwegian Tjeld or Nasty-class,fast attack craft) as well as British Railways Class 55 locomotives).

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Special mention should be made of two Ton-class ships, HMS Bronington and HMS Wilton:

• HMS Bronington was commanded by the-then Lieutenant Charles, Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) from February to December 1976. She is currently awaiting preservation.
• HMS Wiltonwas launched on 18th January 1972 and commissioned on 14th July 1970, and was a specially-built Ton-class minesweeper with a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) hull. Most of her fittings were salvaged from the hull of HMS Derriton when the latter was scrapped. The experimental use of GRP proved successful, and the subsequent Hunt-class minesweepers were built with GRP hulls. She currently serves as a the floating clubhouse of the Essex Yacht Club at Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. 

HMS Bronington.