HMS Marlborough - Prince of the HRE

[ItssLuBu 1,798]

HMS Marlborough

 

 

Background & History

 

HMS Marlborough was the second ship of four dreadnought class battleships built for the Royal Navy just prior to the start of the First World War. Five layouts would initially be submitted to the admiralty all featuring a belt of 12 inches in thickness running 360ft with M1V given the go ahead for funding as war loomed. The Iron Duke class would be noted as the first dreadnought type fitted with a 6 inch secondary battery and the first to be mounted with any form of anti aircraft weaponry. As completed they would be excellent ships featuring a ratio of protection to displacement similar to that of the earlier German Kaiser class, this made them the strongest unit in the Royal Navy arsenal at the onset of the war. The class would see most of their real action during the First World War however Emperor of India would eventually be scrapped following the 1930 Naval Treaty after undergoing several weapons tests which proved to be beneficial for future designs.

 

HMS Marlborough was laid down at Her Majesty's Dockyard in Devonport in January 1912, launched in October the same year and commissioned two years later in June 1914. Following the reorganisation of the Home Fleet into the new Grand Fleet Marlborough was placed as flagship for the 1st Battle Squadron where she would serve for the entirity of the First World War under the command of Admiral Jellicoe. Initially she would sortie into the North Sea sweeping for possible German raiders before conducting training manouvers in 1915. 1916 would see her heavily involved in the Battle of Jutland where she would be the most active of the Iron Duke class during the engagement delivery the final blow to the German cruiser SMS Weisdaen receiving a torpedo in return. The remainder of the war proved to be uneventful following the more cautious approach taken by both sides.

 

 

'Marlborough took her name from General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in the 17th Century.'

 

The inter war years would mostly be spent in the Mediterranean theatre along with her sisters ships in support of Allied intervention in the ongoing Russian Civil War in 1919. She would have the honour of evacuating several members of the Russian Royal Family at Yalta the same year before returning for a refit between 1921-22. The remaining part of the decade was somewhat uneventful and with the London Naval Treaty agreed in 1930 it was decided that all four ships of the class were to either be scrapped or demilitarized. Only HMS Iron Duke would fall into the latter category, with Emperor of India and Marlborough selected to become gunnery target ships to research the damage and effects of large calibre main guns and aerial attacks. The conclusions developed from these tests would go on to influence the refits for the Queen Elizabeth class battleships as well as construction of the later KGV class.

 

 

'One of the last pictures of Maria Feodorovna aboard Marlborough following evacuation during the Russian Civil War, Yalta 1919.'

 

In Warthunder HMS Marlborough would be an ideal starting ship for the potential battleship line with decent armour and capable 13 inch main battery guns however she would be weak against the more advanced aircraft of the time period. She would be vulnerable to the later threats of plunging fire from longer range guns as well as bombs and torpedoes from aerial attacks however this could not have been forseen whilst under design and construction at the time. Against other capital ships from the same era she would be capable enough however later designs of the Axis powers would present a real challenge having little to no immunity zones. It remains to be seen where the battle ratings for larger capital ships will commence or how they will be balanced against one another given no two ships are exactly equal.

 

 

 

'Marlborough would used along with her sister Emperor of India as a gunnery practise ship following the London Naval Treaty of 1930.'

 

Armour & Armament

 

The Iron Duke class featured an armour belt as designed 12 inches thick covering the magazines and machinery tapering down to 4 inches on the bow and stern. This was relatively strong at the time of commission however given her likely opponents if Emperor of India was to become playable in Warthunder this may not be the case against other capital ships. Turret barbettes would be 10 inches (254mm) on the sides with only 3 inches aft being less likely to take a hit. Deck armour was decent for the time but again with be problematic against later designed at between 1-2.5 inches in thickness. Turret armour was also relatively good for the time at 11 inches, with the conning tower at 11 inches as well. Overall the Iron Duke class has good armour characteristics which would only be outmatched by the quickly proceeding Queen Elizabeth class built a few years later.

 

The main armament as designed was 10x 13.5 inch 45 calibre Mk V guns with two pairs superfiring forward and two aft, with a single turret amidships (5x2). These heavier guns were built following the failures of the earlier higher veolcity 12 inch guns and could fire a 635kg (APC or HE) projectile out to approximately 21,700 metres at 749m/s with a maximum elevation of 20 degrees. Secondary battery would be comprised of 12x 6 inch Mk VII guns in casemates either side of the forward superstructure with earlier smaller guns such as the 4 inch deemed too weak. The 6 inch guns could fire up to 7 rounds per minute shooting a 45.4kg projectile at 846 m/s to approximately 14,500 metres at 20 degrees of elevation. As mentioned above the Iron Duke class was the first British battleship to be mounted with any form of anti aircraft battery, namely 2x 3 inch quick firing (QF)  gunsinstalled to engage German airships. These could fire a 5.6kg HE shell for 14 rounds per minute with a range/ceiling of 7km. This would later be supplemented with 4x 2 inch (47mm) guns. Torpedoes rounded out the offensive armament with 4x 21 inch tubes (2x2) one pair aside in submerged mounts.

 

 

'The new 6 inch guns mounted in casemates suffered from shipping water in rough seas which meant quick alterations took place to prevent this happening.'

 

Specifications

 

Length - 622ft 9in

Beam - 90ft 

Draught - 28ft 10in (load), 32ft 6in (deep)

Displacement - 25,400 tons at normal load, 30,030 tons at full load

Speed - 4x Parsons Turbines for 29,000shp at 21.25kts, range of 7,800nm at 10kts

Main Belt - 12-9-8 inches

Deck Belt - 1-2.5 inches

Barbettes - 10-3 inches

Bulkheads - 6-4 inches

Turret Face Armour - 11 inches

Turret Side Armour - 11 inches

Turret Back Armour - 4 inches

Conning Tower - 11-6-3 inches

Armament - 10x 13.5 inch 45 calibre Mk V guns (5x2)

Secondary Battery - 12x 6 inch Mk VII guns (12x1)

Anti Air Battery - 2x 3 inch QF guns (2x1) & 4x 2 inch (47mm) guns (4x1)

Torpedoes - 4x 21 inch tubes (2x2)

Aircraft - None

 

 

Sources

 

Antony Preston; Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II, Bracken Books London (ISBN: 9781851701940)

R.A.Burt; British Battleships 1919 - 1945, Seaforth Publishing (ISBN: 8601200795783)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Duke-class_battleship

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_135-45_mk5.php

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_6-45_mk7.php

Edited July 11, 2020 by ItssLuBu

[Princess_Pinch 5,625]

Open for discussion~

[Milocat 4,848]

Would be another neat dreadnought to see eventually.  +1.

[굴러온 310]

https://warthunder.com/en/news/7375-development-hms-marlborough-the-iron-duke-en

 

She's coming

 

[leroyonly 4,310]

As the HMS Marlborough has been implemented with update 2.11 Ground Breaking,

 

Moved to Implemented Suggestions.