H.M.S. Prince of Wales (1902)

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H.M.S. Prince of Wales (1902)
Pendant Number: 81 (1914)
94 (Jan 1918)
N.46 (Apr 1918)[1]
Builder: Chatham Royal Dockyard[2]
Ordered: 1900-01 Programme[3]
Laid down: 20 Mar, 1901[4]
Launched: 25 Mar, 1902[5]
Completed: Mar, 1904[6]
Commissioned: 18 May, 1904[7]
Sold: 12 Apr, 1920[8]
Fate: Scrapped

Completed in 1904, H.M.S. Prince of Wales was one of five London class pre-dreadnought battleships. She is sometimes considered the second ship in a two-ship class with H.M.S. Queen.[9]

Service

The Prince of Wales commissioned at Chatham on 18 May, 1904, under Captain George A. Callaghan, with the crew of the Exmouth, Captain O'Callaghan, replacing that ship on the Mediterranean Station.[10]

She was reduced at Portsmouth on 13 May, 1912.[11]

Lt. Brownlow Villiers Layard's C 33 collided with Prince of Wales in June, 1913 – his second such mishap in less than three months.[12]

Gallipoli

Prince of Wales and the other pre-dreadnoughts of the Fifth Battle Squadron were asked to detail their bombardment methods in supporting work on the Turkish coastline. On 21 September, Captain Robert N. Bax reported his experiences as follows.[13] The ship had fired only when anchored off Anzac Beach and never while under way. On 3 and 4 April, she covered minesweepers inside the Straits and found that she could quickly silence guns that were visible, though she guessed this involved material damage being inflicted. The 3rd did, however, also require her to deliver indirect fire with an airplane spotting, evolving what she called "Case 2. Method (d)"[14] in so doing; the pilot reported results were "very satisfactory". A high cliff on April 11th prevented counter-battery fire against the Asiatic shore from going as nicely, however. The lack of a good point-of-aim was cited as the cause, but the airplane still tallied five hits.

Using shore-based observers proved impossible before the last day, when the difficulty of setting up communications to shore was finally resolved. Once established, 31 rounds of 6-in fire produced "very satisfactory results" according to the military spotter. Work with a seaplane had proven satisfactory at all times, and the utility of a balloon intended to help fire on an enemy ship in the Straits could not be judged, as the ship high-tailed it whenever the balloon appeared.

Prince of Wales paid off on 5 April, 1917.[15]

Alterations

In 1913 it was approved that Prince of Wales receive a Mark III Dumaresq, Pattern 760. Having been supplied with the Mark III variant, she was to surrender a Mark I instrument.[16]

Captains

Dates of appointment are provided when known.

See Also

Footnotes

  1. Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 30.
  2. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 37.
  3. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 37.
  4. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 37.
  5. Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 30.
  6. Burt. British Battleships: 1889-1904. p. 253.
  7. "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 16 May, 1904. Issue 37395, col A, p. 7.
  8. Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 30.
  9. Burt. British Battleships: 1889-1904. pp. 248-263.
  10. "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 16 May, 1904. Issue 37395, col A, p. 7.
  11. The Navy List. (April, 1914). pp. 361-2.
  12. Layard Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/212. f. 114.
  13. The National Archives. ADM 1/8440/335, Enclosure 4.
  14. the meaning of this is explained within this one source.
  15. The Navy List. (November, 1917). p. 397c.
  16. Admiralty Weekly Orders. "283.—Instruments, Rate of Change, Dumaresq, Mark III, Pattern 760—Supply of, to certain Ships." N.S. 2066/13.—6.6.1913. The National Archives. ADM 182/4.
  17. Callaghan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/18. f. 535.
  18. Callaghan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/18. f. 535.
  19. Tupper Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1336.
  20. Tupper Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1336.
  21. Fawckner Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38/374. ff. 445-6.
  22. The Navy List. (October, 1908). p. 361.
  23. Savory Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. f. 34.
  24. Savory Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. f. 34.
  25. Phillpotts Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 170.
  26. The Navy List. (July, 1909). p. 361.
  27. Phillpotts Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 170.
  28. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 21 November, 1910. Issue 39435, col F, p. 8.
  29. The Navy List. (April, 1911). pp. 361, 362.
  30. Hopwood Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 16.
  31. Heaton-Ellis Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 38.
  32. Heaton-Ellis Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 20/38.
  33. Buller Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 403.
  34. The Navy List. (August, 1912). p. 362.
  35. Buller Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 403.
  36. Dumaresq Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 340.
  37. Dumaresq Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 340.
  38. The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 397c.
  39. Bax Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/133. f. 133.
  40. Bax Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/133. f. 133.
  41. Adam Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 232.
  42. Adam Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 232.
  43. The Navy List. (December, 1916). p. 397c.
  44. Dent Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 50.
  45. The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 885.

Bibliography


London Class Pre-dreadnought
Bulwark London Venerable Prince of Wales Queen
<– Formidable Class Battleships (UK) Duncan Class –>