Difference between revisions of "H.M.S. Inflexible (1907)"

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The ship's heavy gun mountings were manufactured by Vicker's, whereas her sisters' were by Armstrong's.  ''Inflexible'''s guns were criticised for "poor training control .  The creep is not at all good; the turrets to do not start or stop with precision, the reversal of direction of training is erratic," and a pointed contrast made with the same fittings in the other ships.  Moreover, the fire control arrangements were not ready by the time of the gun tests.<ref>Johnston. p. 16.</ref>
 
The ship's heavy gun mountings were manufactured by Vicker's, whereas her sisters' were by Armstrong's.  ''Inflexible'''s guns were criticised for "poor training control .  The creep is not at all good; the turrets to do not start or stop with precision, the reversal of direction of training is erratic," and a pointed contrast made with the same fittings in the other ships.  Moreover, the fire control arrangements were not ready by the time of the gun tests.<ref>Johnston. p. 16.</ref>
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==Service==
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In mid-1913, she was Admiral Milen's flagship in the Mediterranean.<ref>''The Navy List'' (July, 1913), p. 332.</ref>
  
 
==Navigational Equipment==
 
==Navigational Equipment==
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*Captain [[Richard Fortescue Phillimore|Richard F. Phillimore]], 21 November, 1911.{{RobertsBattlecruisers|p. 122}}
 
*Captain [[Richard Fortescue Phillimore|Richard F. Phillimore]], 21 November, 1911.{{RobertsBattlecruisers|p. 122}}
 
*Captain [[Robert Stewart Phipps Hornby|Robert S. Phipps Hornby]], 8 May, 1912.{{RobertsBattlecruisers|p. 122}}
 
*Captain [[Robert Stewart Phipps Hornby|Robert S. Phipps Hornby]], 8 May, 1912.{{RobertsBattlecruisers|p. 122}}
*Captain [[Arthur Noel Loxley|Arthur N. Loxley]], 5 November, 1912.{{RobertsBattlecruisers|p. 122}}
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*Captain [[Arthur Noel Loxley|Arthur N. Loxley]], 5 November, 1912.<ref>''The Navy List'' (July, 1913), p. 332.</ref>
 
*Captain Richard F. Phillimore, 28 August, 1914.<ref>''The Navy List'' (December, 1914).  p. 337.</ref>
 
*Captain Richard F. Phillimore, 28 August, 1914.<ref>''The Navy List'' (December, 1914).  p. 337.</ref>
 
*Captain [[Edward Henry Fitzhardinge Heaton-Ellis|Edward H. F. Heaton-Ellis]], 13 April, 1915.<ref>''The Navy List'' (October, 1915).  p. 395''a''.</ref>
 
*Captain [[Edward Henry Fitzhardinge Heaton-Ellis|Edward H. F. Heaton-Ellis]], 13 April, 1915.<ref>''The Navy List'' (October, 1915).  p. 395''a''.</ref>

Revision as of 13:52, 14 July 2013

H.M.S. Inflexible (1907)
Pendant Number: 83 (1914)
75 (Jan 1918)
47 (April, 1918)[1]
Builder: John Brown, Clydebank
(Ship no. 374)[2]
Laid down: 5 Feb, 1906[3]
Launched: 26 Jun, 1907[4]
Commissioned: Oct, 1908[5]
Sold: 1 Dec, 1921[6]
Fate: Scrapped


Construction and Acceptance

When in December 1906 Indomitable's anchor and hawsepipe arrangements seemed problematic in mock-up, Lusitania was fitting out in Clydebank, and it was observed that she had a more elegant plan. It was mimicked for Inflexible and Indomitable.[7]

Construction Costs, pounds Sterling[8]
Hull and fittings 785,512
Propelling and Machinery 467,976
Hydraulics and Air Compressing 311,696
Gun mountings 12,824
Total 1,578,373

The ship's heavy gun mountings were manufactured by Vicker's, whereas her sisters' were by Armstrong's. Inflexible's guns were criticised for "poor training control . The creep is not at all good; the turrets to do not start or stop with precision, the reversal of direction of training is erratic," and a pointed contrast made with the same fittings in the other ships. Moreover, the fire control arrangements were not ready by the time of the gun tests.[9]

Service

In mid-1913, she was Admiral Milen's flagship in the Mediterranean.[10]

Navigational Equipment

The ship was one of seven which tested Willis and Robinson Electric Revolution Telegraphs. Testing was completed in late 1913.[11]

Boats

In July 1914, the ship was appropriated 42-foot motor launch No. 260, though the boat was not yet delivered from the contractor.[12]

Alterations

By November, 1909, Inflexible had her training engines' control machinery altered from the original combination of a two-position lever for direction and a hand-wheel operated "creep valve" to control the speed of traversal to a hand wheel which controlled both functions and made operation much less clumsy and permitted a training rate of 3 degrees per second, albeit requiring three full turns of the wheel to get there.[13]

In 1913, Inflexible was slated as part of the seventeen ship order to receive a director. It was fitted sometime between December, 1915 and the Battle of Jutland.[14]

Captains

Dates of appointment are provided when known.

See Also

Footnotes

  1. Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 35.
  2. Clydebank Battlecruisers. Footers.
  3. Clydebank Battlecruisers. p. 15.
  4. Clydebank Battlecruisers. p. 16.
  5. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 24.
  6. Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 35.
  7. Clydebank Battlecruisers. p. 16.
  8. Clydebank Battlecruisers. p. 16.
  9. Johnston. p. 16.
  10. The Navy List (July, 1913), p. 332.
  11. Admiralty Weekly Order No. 607 of 24 Oct, 1913.
  12. Admiralty Weekly Order No. 122 of 10 July, 1914.
  13. Brooks. Dreadnought Gunnery. pp. 45-46.
  14. The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 23. pp. 9-11.
  15. Roberts. Battlecruisers. p. 122.
  16. Roberts. Battlecruisers. p. 122.
  17. Roberts. Battlecruisers. p. 122.
  18. Roberts. Battlecruisers. p. 122.
  19. The Navy List (July, 1913), p. 332.
  20. The Navy List (December, 1914). p. 337.
  21. The Navy List (October, 1915). p. 395a.
  22. Mackie, Colin. ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS.
  23. The Navy List (November, 1916). p. 394r.
  24. The Navy List (December, 1918). p. 820.
  25. The Navy List (August, 1919). p. 820.

Bibliography


Invincible Class Battlecruiser
  Indomitable Inflexible Invincible  
<– Minotaur Class Major Cruisers (UK) Indefatigable Class –>