Lord Clive Class Monitor (1915)

Overview of 8 vessels
Citations for this data available on individual ship pages
Name	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Completed	Fate
Earl of Peterborough	Harland & Wolff, Belfast	16 Jan, 1915	28 Aug, 1915	Oct, 1915	Sold 8 Nov, 1921
General Craufurd	Harland & Wolff, Belfast	9 Jan, 1915	8 Jul, 1915	Aug, 1915	Sold 9 May, 1921
General Wolfe	Palmer Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Hebburn	Jan, 1915	9 Sep, 1915	Nov, 1915	Sold 9 May, 1921
Lord Clive	Harland & Wolff	9 Jan, 1915	10 Jun, 1915	Jul, 1915	Sold Oct, 1927
Prince Eugene	Harland & Wolff, Govan	1 Feb, 1915	14 Jul, 1915	Sep, 1915	Sold 9 May, 1921
Prince Rupert	Hamilton	12 Jan, 1915	20 May, 1915	Jul, 1915	Sold May, 1923
Sir John Moore	Scott	13 Jan, 1915	31 May, 1915	Jul, 1915	Sold 8 Nov, 1921
Sir Thomas Picton	Harland & Wolff	16 Jan, 1915	30 Sep, 1915	15 Nov, 1915	Sold 8 Nov, 1921

Armament

The ships were armed as follows.

As built:

Sir Thomas Picton:

• two B.L. 12-in
• two 12-pdr 12 cwt Q.F. guns^[Inference]

Sir John Moore and Prince Rupert:

• two B.L. 12-in
• two 12-pdr 12 cwt Q.F. guns

Prince Eugene and General Craufurd:

• two B.L. 12-in
• two 3-pdr Vickers H.A. or two 3-in H.A. Mark II

Earl of Peterborough, Lord Clive and General Wolfe:

• two B.L. 12-in
• two 2-pdr pom-poms

In November 1918:

Sir Thomas Picton:

• two B.L. 12-in
• two 12-pdr 12 cwt Q.F. guns^[Inference]
• one 6-in Mark XII

Sir John Moore and Prince Rupert:

• two B.L. 12-in
• two 12-pdr 12 cwt Q.F. guns
• two 6-in Mark VII

Prince Eugene:

• two B.L. 12-in
• two 3-pdr Vickers H.A. or two 3-in H.A. Mark II
• two 6-in Mark VII

Earl of Peterborough (unchanged):

• two B.L. 12-in
• two 2-pdr pom-poms

Lord Clive:

• one B.L. 18-in
• two B.L. 12-in
• two 6-in Mark VII
• two 2-pdr pom-poms
• two 3-in H.A.

General Wolfe:

• one B.L. 18-in
• two B.L. 12-in
• four 4-in Mark IX
• two 2-pdr pom-poms
• two 3-in H.A.

18-inch Monitors

The delivery and installation of 18-in guns suffered from a frustrating series of delays. When the guns were first to be tried in Silloth on May 17th, the rammer motor was found too weak to seat the projectile. Nine days later, a more powerful motor made firing trials possible.

General Wolfe conducted the shipborne trials of the 18-in gun off the Isle of Wight on August 7th, 1918. Though the specification was a mere one round per six minutes, the gun in General Wolfe could fire one round every four minutes, though it was noted to create a great deal of work in the shell room. Lessons taken from this resulted in alterations to Lord Clive.

Rate of fire improved with wartime practice. On September 28th, the ship fired 45 rounds at the German-held coast with an average of 2 minutes 38 seconds. A further 18 rounds came the next day, and no delays due to breakdown resulted.

Lord Clive had her gun fitted and ran her trials on October 13th, but cessation of operations against the Belgian coast left her without battle experience. A third gun meant for Prince Eugene was delivered to Portsmouth, but its fitting within her was cancelled on October 22.

Fire Control

Directors

All eight ships were fitted with directors in 1915. General Wolfe, Lord Clive and Prince Eugene were later fitted with 18-in guns, requiring their directors to be updated in 1918, although this new director was never fitted in Prince Eugene.

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1917). The Director Firing Handbook. O.U. 6125 (late C.B. 1259). Copy No. 322 at The National Archives. ADM 186/227.
• Admiralty, Technical History Section (1919). The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in H.M. Ships. Vol. 3, Part 23. C.B. 1515 (23) now O.U. 6171/14. At The National Archives. ADM 275/19.
• Buxton, Ian L. (1978). Big Gun Monitors: The History of the Design, Construction and Operation of the Royal Navy's Monitors. Tynemouth: World Ship Society. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).