HMS Royal Oak (08) - 'The Mighty Oak'

[ItssLuBu 1,798]

HMS Royal Oak (08)

 

 

Background & History

 

HMS Royal Oak was the third ship of five Revenge class super-dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy during the First World War.  With the Queen Elizabeth class battleships already in various stages of completion it was decided to construct a new class of battleship however what specification this was to be was somewhat up in the air. Sir Eustace Tennyson d'Eyncourt the new director of the DNC was tasked with the design of fresh battleships for the 1913 program. Eventually it was settled that this new class was to have 15 inch guns and armour strakes similar to those of the QE class. The most obvious difference between these two classes was that the later ships had one funnel and were slightly smaller. Being smaller and with a more narrow beam saving space was important and this was found through the propulsion system, with 18 boilers giving a top speed of around 21 knots. The 1913 program called for the construction of eight ships of this class however with the outbreak of the First World War and only five being laid down the rest were cancelled. The Royal Sovereign class as they sometimes reffered were to be a powerful presence but the records show that from the very start these ships never enjoyed as good a reputation as either the QE or even Iron Duke class. 

 

The naval scrapping schemes during the inter-war period saw many of the Royal Navy capital ships broken up for scrap with many of the older dreadnoughts meeting their fate. If not for the fact that the Revenge class carried 15 inch guns they may also have met the same result given their slower speed was becoming more apparant with faster battleships entering service. Whilst they would be modernised they did in fact represent a different era and their value, built at the time for a costing around £2.5 million was now becoming increasingly limited. By the outbreak of the Second World War they have each been relegated to secondary duties and as such would have been unlikely to encouter some of the newer Axis designs. The R class never underwent the extensive refits that had been installed upon the earlier QE class which would have maintained their status as a frontline ship. Whilst there were refitted during the 1920's their relative speed meant they would struggle to keep up and this was a problem that was never corrected during their 30 year service. Royal Oak although having a long career featured little during the Second World War, meeting an shocking fate early on with heavy loss of life. In Warthunder perhaps she could be given the opportunity to face off against other vessels that might have been encountered.

 

 

 

'HMS Royal Oak passing HMS Victory at Portsmouth Harbour.'

 

Royal Oak was laid down on Devonport Royal Dockyard on 15 January 1914, commissioned on 1 May 1916 given Pennant number 08 and joined the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow, serving with the 3rd Division, 4th Battle Squadron at the Battle of Jutland. She fired 38 rounds of 15in during the battle. In April 1919 she joined the 1st Battle Squadron, Atlantic Fleet, deploying with them to Turkish waters, March-July 1920. From September 1922 to April 1924 she was refitted at Portsmouth, then in March 1926 was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet until 1934, undergoing another refit March-June 1927 at Plymouth. In May 1934 she was paid off for extensive refit at Plymouth which lasted until August 1936, after which she joined the Home Fleet. On 7 July 1939 she was recommissioned for the Mediterranean Fleet, but in August of that year was retained in home waters because of the situation vis-a-vis Germany. During the first week of hostilities she participated in a sweep against returning German mercantile traffic, but on 14 October 1939, while at anchor in Scapa Flow, Royal Oak was hit by three or four torpedoes on the starboard side ('A and 'B' shell rooms, forward boiler room and the wing engine room) from U47 and capsized with heavy loss of life. She was never salvaged. The wreck of Royal Oak, a designated war grave, lies almost upside down in 100 feet (30 m) of water with her hull 16 feet (4.9 m) beneath the surface. In an annual ceremony marking the loss of the ship, Royal Navy divers place a White Ensign underwater at her stern.

 

 

'The R class featured 15-inch (38.1 cm) Mark I guns, this kept them from being scrapped during the inter war years with limited funds for replacements.'

 

 

'HMS Royal Oak leaving Valletta harbour in Malta during the interwar years.'

 

 

'The wreck of HMS Royal Oak at Scapa flow following her demise after a raid by U-47.'

 

Armour & Armament

 

Following the lines of the Queen Elizabeth class, the Revenge group was largely similar armour wise. Main belt strakes were increased on the lower edge to make 13 inches of uniform thickness extending 5 feet below the waterline and the width up by a total of 1 foot to make 15ft 1.5 inches. This main belt thinned to 4 to 6 inches toweards the ships ends however failed to reach either bow or stern. As completed their vertical protection was second to none at the time however in Warthunder with the threats from plunging fire and aerial attacks this may not be the case. Anti-torpedo bulkheads up to 2 inches in thickness and that fact the ships suffered a little from low stability proved rewarding when the idea of fitting bulges was envisioned. Althought primiraly for under-water protection they did improve stability of the vessels, the threat of the torpedo was progression rapidly. These 7 feet wise compartments ran along her waterline narrowing towards each end made the R class a more stable gun platform.

 

Armament on the Revenge class was also the same as on those of the Queen Elizabeth class with only minor differences. During planning to was suggested that 10x 15 inch guns would be possible however this was ruled as as proportionally they extra weight and cost was not relative to the increase in firepower. Thus they featured (4x2) 15 inch (381mm) guns in two superfiring pairs either side of the superstructure, firing a 875kg projectile at a muzzle velocity of 750 m/s for a maximum range of just over 22,000m. The 6 inch guns were also the same however numbered two fewer for a total of 12x 45-calibre BL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk XII guns. The all round 6 inch secondary battery, as completed, was improvement over earlier designs however was still very wet and had difficulties operation in heavy seas. 2x3 inch AA later replaced with 4inch AA and 4x 3-pdr QF guns rounded off the anti-air battery along with 4x 21 inch torpedo tubes in submerged mounts. By 1939 this anti air battery now comprised 4x4 inch AA in twin mounts, 16x 2-pdr AA (2x8) and 8x 0.5cal (2x4).

 

 

 

 

Specifications

 

Length - 620ft 6in 

Beam - 88ft 6 in

Draught - 33ft 7in

Displacement - 29,970 tons light, 31,130 deep load

Speed - 4x Parsons turbines producing 40,000shp for 21.75kts for a range of 7,000nm at 10kts

Main Belt - 13 in amidships

Deck Belt - 2 inches main, middle 4-3-2 inches

Barbettes - 10-9-7 inches

Bulkheads - 12 inches

Turret Face Armour - 13 inches

Turret Side Armour - 11 inches

Turret Rear Armour - 11 inches

Turret Top Armour - 5 inches

Conning Tower - 11 inches

Armament - 8x (BL) 15-inch (381 mm) Mk I (4x2)

Secondary Battery - 12x 45-calibre BL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk XII

Anti Air Battery - 4x4 inch AA in twin mounts, 16x 2-pdr AA (2x8) and 8x 0.5cal (2x4)

Torpedoes - 4x 21 inch torpedo tubes

Aircraft - Catapult on X Turret for 1x Fairey IIIF Seaplane

 

 

 

Sources

 

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

Angus Konstam; British Battleships (1) Queen Elizabeth and Royal Sovereign classes (ISBN;9781846033889)

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

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_15-42_mk1.php

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_6-45_mk12.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Royal_Oak_(08)

Edited October 14, 2020 by ItssLuBu

[Miki_Hoshii 2,449]

Open for discussion.

[Milocat 4,848]

+1 with other battleships.

[TD_SEB 11]

+1 this ship was named after my family which is the family of the royal oak and even our noble coat of arms is the royal oak. This has to be my most wanted vehicle 

[csla1972 849]

+1