Orion Class Battleship

An Orion class battleship was one of a series of four British super-dreadnoughts in service with the Royal Navy from 1912 to 1922. They featured ten 343-mm (13.5-inch) guns as they were the first British battleships to mount all their main armament on the centerline, allowing for a ten-gun broadside. They were set up in five twin turrets. This class consisted of HMS Orion, Conqueror, Monarch, and Thunderer, which had been preceded by the Colossus class.

The HMS Orion had been laid down in 1909, while her sister ships were laid down in 1910. Each one of them was built by different ship builders; HMNB Dockyard (Portsmouth), Armstrong Whitworth (Elswick), William Beardmore (Dalmuire), and Thames Ironworks (Lodon). However, they all were commissioned in 1912. These dreadnoughts displayed the best British battleship design to date as they represented a significant increase in capabilities over previous designs.

Below, the 13.5-inch guns on the fore deck of HMS Monarch. All five twin turrets were set up on ship centerline.

They took part in World War I, especially in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. All four had been assigned to the Grand Fleet where they sustained no damage or casualties. Indeed, their only wartime damage came from other friendly ships, when HMS Conqueror and HMS Monarch collided with each other in December 1914, or when HMS Orion was hit by HMS Revenge after the latter had broken free from her moorings. After the war, all four fell victims to the Washington Naval Treaty, by which the Royal Navy had to reduce the number of warship. Thus, all Orion Class Battleships were scrapped in 1922.

Specifications

Type: super-dreadnought

Displacement: 22,200 tons;  25,870 tons (full loaded)

Length: 177.1 m (581 ft)

Beam: 27 m (88.5 ft)

Draft: 7.6 m (24.9 ft)

Propulsion: four Parsons direct-drive steam engines, mounted in two sets, with four shafts. They were fed by 18 boilers, generating 27,000 HP. Two funnels.

Maximum Speed: 21 knots

Range: 6,730 nautical miles, sailing at 10 knots.

Armor: 300/200mm thick steel plates on belt; 100mm on deck.

Armament: ten 13.5-inch (343mm) naval guns; sixteen 4-inch (102mm) and four 47mm guns.

Crew: 823 sailors and officers.

Below, HMS Conqueror in 1913. It was the second Orion class battleship to be commissioned.

HMS Thunderer during the war.

Below, HMS Orion in1918.

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Iron Duke Class Battleship

An Iron Duke class battleship was one of a series of four British dreadnoughts which were commissioned in 1914. All four saw combat action during World War I. They were heavily armed with ten 13.5-inch (343mm) guns mounted in five twin turrets and well protected by 300mm-thick belt armor. They were HMS Iron Duke, Marlborough, Benbow, and Emperor of India.

The design of the Iron Duke class battleship was based on that of the King George V class. However, her hull was 7.6 m (25 ft) longer than that of the King George V dreadnought, with a slightly wider beam and a deeper draft. They also had identical main armament consisting of ten 343-mm guns set up in five double centerline turrets, but the secondary armament was recast, with a battery of twelve 152-mm (6-inch) guns replacing the less powerful 102mm (4-inch). Ten of the 152-mm guns were placed in single casemates forward and close to the waterline, making them subject to interference from heavy seas and spray.

All four Iron Duke class battleships took part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. During this naval engagement, HMS Marlborough was torpedoed amidships. The explosion tore out a gaping hole about 21 m long and 6 m deep in her side abreast the boiler room. Then speed had to be reduced to 17 knots, yet she remained in action until a starboard list prevented her guns from bearing on the enemy ships. Next she sailed at 10 knots under her own steam until she reached Humber, where she would be repaired.

After the war, all four dreadnought battleships were in the Gran Fleet in 1919, when they were assigned to the Mediterranean Sea, and, in 1926, they were attached to the Atlantic Fleet. Three of them were sold for scrap in 1932 and 1933. HMS Iron Duke served as a depot ship during World War II, until she was finally scrapped in 1946.

Specifications

Type: dreadnought battleship

Displacement: 25,000 tons (standard); 29,560 tons (full loaded)

Length: 189.8 m (623 ft)

Beam: 27.4 m (90 ft)

Draft: 9 m (29.5 ft)

Propulsion: four Parsons steam turbines, with four shafts, fed by 18 boilers, generating 29,000 HP.

Maximum Speed: 21 knots

Range: 7,780 nautical miles at 10 knots

Crew: 1,102 sailors and officers.

Below, the Iron Duke class battleships, with HMS Benbow spearheading the pack in 1916.

A colorized photo of HMS Emperor of India in 1918.

Below, HMS Iron Duke in 1914.

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Bayern Class Battleship

The Bayern class battleship was one of a series of two German dreadnoughts which saw combat action in World War I. Although a total of four battleships had originally been planned, only two entered service with the Kaiserliche Marine; the SMS Bayern and the SMS Baden, with the former being commissioned in July 1916, and the latter in March 1917. SMS Sachsen and Würtemberg were never completed.

The Bayern class battleship was the last battleship class to be built for the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy). They marked a shift in German naval thinking, with both firepower and armor being equal to those on the British Royal Navy capital ships. The major feature was the new eight 380-mm (15-inch) naval guns, which were set up in four twin turrets. These had a maximum elevation of 16 degrees, firing 750-kg shells to a distance of 20 km (22,200 yards).

The hull of the Bayern class battleship was slightly longer than that of the König class, and all four gun turrets were mounted on the ship centerline, with two located fore, on the bow portion deck, and two aft. Another innovation of these two new dreadnoughts was the use of a heavy tripod foremast, rather than a pole, to support the fire-control position.

SMS Bayern joined the High Seas Fleet of the Kaiserliche Marine just after the Battle of Jutland. During patrol missions in the Baltic Sea, she hit a mine and was damaged. However, she managed to sail back to home port for repairs. After the war, she was scuttled at Scapa Flow and recovered for scrapping in the 1930s. SMS Baden, on the other hand, joined the German fleet in March 1917 and served as the German Navy flagship until the end of the war. She was also scuttled at Scapa Flow.

Specifications

Type: Super dreadnought

Displacement: 28,074 tons (standard); 31,690 tons (full loaded)

Length: 179.8 m (589.8 feet)

Beam: 30 m (98.4 feet)

Draft: 9.4 m (30.8 feet)

Propulsion: 3 Parsons steam turbines, with 3 shafts, fed by 14 boilers, generating 48,000 HP.

Maximum Speed: 21 knots

Range: 5,000 nautical miles at 13 knots

Armament: eight 380-mm guns; sixteen 150-mm and eight 88-mm secondary guns.

Crew: 1,271 sailors and officers

Below, a clear aerial view of SMS Bayern in August 1916.

SMS Baden in the Summer of 1918.

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