HMS Duke of York (17)
King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy
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HMS Duke of York was one of five King George V-class battleships built for the Royal Navy (RN) shortly before the Second World War. Completed in November 1941, the ship transported Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the United States to meet President Franklin D. Roosevelt the following month. Between March and September 1942 she was assigned to convoy escort duties in the Arctic, but in October she was transferred to Gibraltar where she became the flagship of Force H. The following month, Duke of York played a minor role in the Allied invasion of North Africa. After the invasion, the ship was participated in diversionary operations designed to draw the Germans' attention away from Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. In October, Duke of York covered a force of Allied ships that attacked German shipping off Norway (Operation Leader).
Duke of York in March 1942, while escorting Convoy PQ 12 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Duke of York |
| Namesake | George VI (previously the Duke of York) |
| Ordered | 16 November 1936 |
| Builder | John Brown and Company, Clydebank |
| Laid down | 5 May 1937 |
| Launched | 28 February 1940 |
| Commissioned | 4 November 1941 |
| Decommissioned | November 1951 |
| Stricken | 18 May 1957 |
| Identification | Pennant number: 17 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1957 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type | King George V-class battleship |
| Displacement | 42,046 long tons (42,721 t) (deep load) |
| Length | 745 ft (227.1 m) (o/a) |
| Beam | 103 ft 2 in (31.4 m) |
| Draught | 33 ft 3 in (10.1 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 4 geared steam turbine sets |
| Speed | 28.6 knots (53.0 km/h; 32.9 mph) (trials) |
| Range | 5,600 nmi (10,400 km; 6,400 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 84 officers and 1,530 ratings as flagship |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armour |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 × Supermarine Walrus amphibious flying boats |
| Aviation facilities | 1 × double-ended catapult |
In December 1943 the ship was part of a task force which encountered the German battleship Scharnhorst off the North Cape of Norway. During the engagement that followed, Scharnhorst hit Duke of York twice with little effect, but was herself hit by several shells from Duke of York's main guns, silencing one of her turrets and hitting a boiler room. After temporarily escaping from the battleship's fire, Scharnhorst was struck several times by torpedoes, allowing Duke of York to again open fire, contributing to the eventual sinking of Scharnhorst. In 1945, the ships was assigned to the British Pacific Fleet as its flagship, but arrived too late to see any action before Japan surrendered. After the war, she remained active until she was laid up in November 1951. She was eventually scrapped in 1957.
Background
In the aftermath of the First World War, the Washington Naval Treaty was drawn up in 1922 in an effort to stop an arms race developing between Britain, Japan, France, Italy and the United States. This treaty limited the number of ships each nation was allowed to build and capped the displacement of capital ships at 35,000 long tons (36,000 t). These restrictions were extended in 1930 by the London Naval Treaty, although France and Italy refused to sign it. Both nations laid down a pair of battleships armed with 15-inch (380 mm) gun by 1934, although these nominally complied with the tonnage limit of the naval treaties. The Admiralty had already made plans to build a new class of battleships compliant with all of the treaty restrictions once the RN could legally begin construction after the London Naval Treaty expired on 1 January 1937.[2]
A clause in the Second London Naval Treaty of March 1936 further limited the maximum calibre of the guns which battleships could carry to 14 inches (356 mm), although the treaty contained an "escalator" clause that permitted the calibre to be increased to 16 inches (406 mm) if any of the nations that signed the original Washington Treaty failed to sign it by 1 April 1937. The Admiralty was anxious to get the King George V-class ships into service as quickly as possible and declined to wait until the deadline passed since design work with the smaller guns had been completed and the first two ships had already been ordered with construction to commence on 1 January 1937.[3]
Description
Duke of York had a length overall of 745 feet (227.1 m), a beam of 103 feet 2 inches (31.4 m) and a deep draught of 33 feet 3 inches (10.1 m). She displaced 42,046 long tons (42,721 t) at light load and 42,046 long tons (42,721 t) at deep load as completed. By 1945 her deep displacement had increased to 44,794 long tons (45,513 t) with the installation of additional weapons, equipment and the manpower needed to operate them. Her metacentric height was 8.14 feet (2.5 m) at deep load as built.[4][5] By 1945, it had decreased to 7.19 feet (2.2 m).[6] Her crew numbered 84 officers and 1,530 ratings as a squadron flagship and 104 officers and 1,578 ratings as a fleet flagship.[7]
The King George V class was powered by four Parsons geared steam turbine sets, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by eight Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers. The propulsion machinery was configured in a staggered unit system with each pair of boilers normally feeding one turbine, but they could be cross-connected with each other to minimise the effects of any damage.[8] The turbines were rated at 100,000 shp (75,000 kW), but could deliver 110,000 shp (82,000 kW) at emergency overload.[N 1] During Duke of York's speed trials on 1 November 1941, she reached 28.6 knots (53.0 km/h; 32.9 mph) from 111,200 shp (82,900 kW) at deep load.[11] The ship carried 3,588 long tons (3,646 t) of fuel oil which was later increased to 3,879 long tons (3,941 t) in 1945.[12] Duke of York had a range of 5,600 nmi (10,400 km; 6,400 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) in 1944.[13]
Armament and fire-control equipment
The main battery of the King-George V-class ships consisted of 10 BL 14 in (356 mm) Mk VII guns, two quadruple-gun turrets, one forward and one aft of the superstructure with one twin turret superfiring over the forward quadruple turret. From front to rear the turrets were designated "A", "B" and "Y". The secondary armament consisted of 16 QF 5.25 in (133 mm) Mk I dual-purpose guns which were mounted in eight twin-gun turrets amidships.[14] Duke of York's light anti-aircraft suite consisted of six octuple QF 2 pounder (40 mm (1.6 in)) Mk VIII "pom-pom" guns in power-driven mountings. One mounting each was located on the roof of "B" and "Y" turrets. The remaining mounts were located on the forward superstructure, two on each broadside. These were supplemented by six 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon AA guns in single, hand-worked, mounts. Two of these were positioned on the quarterdeck on the centreline while the other were in the superstructure.[15][16]
The King George Vs were equipped with two director-control towers (DCT), one was located above the bridge (nautical) and the other on the aft superstructure. These controlled the main guns; The forward DCT was fitted with a 22-foot (6.7 m) rangefinder while the rear one had one 15 feet (4.6 m) wide. "B" turret could also control all of the main guns and was fitted with a 30-foot (9.1 m) duplex rangefinder.[17] The other turrets had 41-foot (12.5 m) rangefinders for use in local control. Four Mark V HACS directors with 15-foot rangefinders were positioned aboard Duke of York near the DCTs to control the secondary battery. Each "pom-pom" mount had an associated Mark IV director.[18]
The ship was initially equipped with a Type 281 early-warning radar and a Type 273 surface-search radar.[19] A Type 284 gunnery radar was mounted on the forward DCT while each HACS director was fitted with a Type 285 gunnery radar. The "pom-pom" directors were equipped with Type 282 radars.[20]
Protection
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The waterline belt of the King George V-class ships was composed of Krupp cemented armour (KCA) and protected 414-foot (126.2 m) of the hull between the leading edges of the main gun barbettes to form the sides of the armoured citadel in three strakes. The main deck served as the belt's upper edge and it extended downwards 23 feet 6 inches (7.2 m) of which 8 feet 6 inches (2.6 m) was below the normal waterline. The two upper strakes of armour were 14 inches thick covering the propulsion machinery spaces, but increased to 15 inches (381 mm) abreast the main magazines. The upper edges of the plates of the lowest strake were equally as thick, but tapered down to thicknesses of 4.5–5.5 inches (110–140 mm) abreast the propulsion machinery and magazines respectively. The lowest strake continued forward towards the bow 40 feet (12.2 m) and gradually reduced to a thickness of 11 inches (280 mm) the closer it got to the bow. The bottom edges of the plates tapered down from 5.5 inches to 5 inches (127 mm). The strake continued towards the stern 36 feet (11 m) and were configured identically to the forward extension. The front and rear ends of the citadel were closed off by KCA transverse bulkheads fore and aft of the main-gun barbettes. Extending from the main deck down to the lower deck, the plates ranged in thickness from 12 to 10 inches (300 to 250 mm) in thickness with the thicker plates being closer to the sides of the ship.[21][22][23]
The KCA faceplates of the main-gun turrets were 13 inches thick and the KCA forward side plate was 9 inches (230 mm) in thickness. The rest of the turret armour consisted of non-cemented armour plates. Those of the rear sides and rear were 7 inches (180 mm) thick while the roof plates were 6 inches (150 mm) thick. The KCA armour of 020202barbettes for the 14-inch gun turrets were 13 inches thick on the sides but tapered to 11–12 inches (279–305 mm) closer to the centreline of the ship. The side and roof armour of the 5.25-inch turrets was 1 to 1.5 inches (25 to 38 mm) thick. Protecting the conning tower were 4-inch plates fore and aft while the side plates were 3 inches thick. It's roof was 1.5 inches thick. After the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941, 1.5-inch bulkheads of Ducol steel were added to the ships still under construction on the sides of the main and secondary magazines to protect them from splinters from any hits from plunging shells that might have penetrated the ship's side beneath her belt.[24][23][25][26]
Like the belt armour, the main deck of the armoured citadel varied over what it protected. It was five inches thick over the propulsion machinery and six inches thick over the magazines.[26] The rear lower deck stretched almost to the stern and varied in thickness between five-inch plates closest to the citadel while the rest of the deck consisted of three-inch plates. The lower deck forward armour continued almost to the bow, varying between three to five inches in thickness with the thicker plates closer to the citadel.[21]
The torpedo-defence system of the King George V-class consisted of a three-layer system of voids and liquid-filled compartments meant to absorb the energy of an underwater explosion. It was bounded on the inside by the 1.75-inch (44 mm) torpedo bulkhead. The side protection system had a maximum depth of 13 feet (4 m), but this decreased significantly as the ship narrowed at its ends. Over the length of the citadel, this system was found during full-scale trials to be proof against 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of TNT.[23][26][27]
Construction and career
Named for King George VI's title of Duke of York before his brother's abdication on 10 December 1936,[28] Duke of York was the third ship in the King George V class, and was laid down at John Brown & Company's shipyard in Clydebank on 5 May 1937. The battleship was launched and christened by Queen Elizabeth on 28 February 1940. She was commissioned on 20 August 1941[29] and completed on 4 November.[30] She became the flagship of the Second Battle Squadron two days later. The ship rfeverted to a private ship on 9 December in preparation for embarking Prime Minister Winston Churchill a few days later for a trip to the United States to confer with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She arrived at Annapolis, Maryland, on 22 December, made a shakedown cruise to Bermuda in January 1942, and departed for Scapa Flow on 17 January with Churchill returning home by air.[31][32]
On 1 March, she provided close escort for Convoy PQ 12 in company with the battlecruiser Renown, the light cruiser Kenya, and six destroyers. Five days later, that force was reinforced with one of Duke of York's sister ships, King George V, and the aircraft carrier Victorious, the heavy cruiser Berwick, and six destroyers as a result of Admiral John Tovey's concerns that the German battleship Tirpitz might attempt to intercept the convoy. That same day, the German battleship put to sea and was sighted by a British submarine later that evening; no contact was made, however, except for an unsuccessful aerial torpedo attack by aircraft from Victorious.[31]
Later that month, Convoy PQ 13 was constituted and Duke of York again formed part of the escort force. In late March, Duke of York, King George V, and Victorious formed the core of a support force that patrolled between Iceland and Norway to cover several convoys to the Soviet Union. On 3 April, the ship again became the flagship of the Second Battle Squadron. Around this time, her anti-aircraft armament was augmented by eight additional 20 mm Oerlikon guns: five on the bow abaft the breakwater and three more on the quarterdeck. In late April, when King George V accidentally rammed and sank the destroyer Punjabi in dense fog, sustaining significant bow damage, Duke of York was sent to relieve her and became the Home Fleet flagship while her sister was under repair. She continued in these operations through May, when she was joined by the American battleship USS Washington. King George VI visited Scapa Flow and was hosted aboard by Duke of York on 6 June. The two battleships formed the core of the Heavy Covering Force for Convoys PQ 17 and QP 13 in late June and early July. Duke of York reverted to a private ship upon her return on 8 July. In mid-September, the ship and her sister Anson formed part of the escort for Convoys PQ 18 and QP 14.[32][33][34]
On 30 October, Duke of York was sent to Gibraltar as the new flagship of Force H, and supported the Allied landings in North Africa the following month. During this time the ship came under air attack by Italian aircraft on several occasions, but the raids were relatively small scale and were swiftly dealt with by the "umbrella" provided by the aircraft from the accompanying carriers Victorious, Formidable and Furious.[35] After this action, she returned to Britain for a refit at Rosyth that lasted from 8 December to 14 March 1943.[36]
With her refit completed, Duke of York resumed her status as flagship from 14 May pending the departure of King George V and Howe for Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. Operation Gearbox in June 1943 involved a sweep by Duke of York and Anson, in company with the US battleships USS Alabama and South Dakota, to provide distant cover for minor operations in Spitsbergen and the Kola Inlet, while the following month diversionary operations, code-named "Camera" and "Governor of Norway," were carried out to draw the Germans' attention away from Operation Husky.[37] On 4 October, Duke of York and Anson covered a force of Allied cruisers and destroyers and the American carrier USS Ranger under Operation Leader, which raided German shipping off Norway. The attack resulted in the sinking of four German merchant ships and damage to seven others, which forced many of them to be grounded.[38]
Action against Scharnhorst
In 1943 the German battleship Scharnhorst moved to Norway, a position whence she could threaten the Arctic convoys to Russia. With Tirpitz and two armoured ships also in Norwegian fjords, it was necessary for the Royal Navy to provide heavy escorts for convoys between Britain and Russia. One of these was sighted by the Germans in early December 1943, and Allied intelligence concluded that the following Convoy JW 55B, would be attacked by the German surface ships. Two surface forces were assigned to provide distant cover to JW 55B, which had left Loch Ewe on 22 December. On 25 December 1943, Scharnhorst was reported at sea. The Force 1 cruisers Belfast, Norfolk and Sheffield, with four destroyers, made contact shortly after 09:00 on 26 December. A brief engagement occurred around 09:30, but Scharnhorst outdistanced her pursuers, and again outran them after a brief skirmish around noon.[39]
Force 2, including Duke of York, the cruiser HMS Jamaica and four destroyers, was closing, and it was estimated that a night action with Scharnhorst would commence around 17:15. Scharnhorst altered course, and contact was made at 16:32, at a distance of 29,700 yards (27,200 m). Force 2 manoeuvred for broadside fire. Belfast, with Force 1, fired star shells at 16:47 to illuminate Scharnhorst. This failed, so Duke of York fired a star shell from one of her 5.25-inch (133 mm) guns, taking Scharnhorst by surprise with her main battery trained fore and aft. By 16:50 Duke of York had closed to 12,000 yards (11,000 m) and opened fire with a full ten-gun broadside, scoring one hit. Although under heavy fire, Scharnhorst straddled Duke of York a number of times and hit her twice. A 28.3-centimetre (11.1 in) shell passed through the main mast and its port leg without detonating but fragments from the hit destroyed the cable for the main search radar.[40] A 15-centimetre (5.9 in) shell also pierced the port strut of the foremast without exploding.[41] At 16:55 a 14-inch (356 mm) shell silenced Scharnhorst's Anton and Bruno turrets, but she maintained speed so that by 18:24 the range had opened to 21,400 yards (19,600 m), when Duke of York ceased fire after firing fifty-two broadsides.[42] One shell from the final salvos hit and exploded in Scharnhorst's number one boiler room, slowing the ship and allowing the pursuing destroyers to overtake her.[43]
Force 2's destroyers then attacked with torpedoes, firing 28, of which three hit. This slowed Scharnhorst, and at 19:01 Duke of York again opened fire, at a range of 10,400 yards (9,500 m), but ceased fire at 19:30[41] to allow the cruisers to close on Scharnhorst. Ten 14-inch shells had hit the German battleship, causing fires and explosions, and silencing almost all of the secondary battery. By 19:16 all of the main turrets aboard Scharnhorst had ceased fire and her speed had been cut to 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). In the final stages of the battle the destroyers fired 19 torpedoes at Scharnhorst, causing her to list badly to port, and at 19:45 she sank, taking with her over 1,700 men, after a running action that had lasted ten-and-a-half hours.[44] Following her sinking, and the retreat of most of the other German heavy units from Norway, the need to maintain powerful forces in British home waters was diminished.[31] Duke of York's ship's cat Whisky was famously said to have slept through the action.
Subsequent operations
On 29 March 1944, Duke of York and the bulk of the Home Fleet left Scapa Flow to provide a support force for Convoy JW 58.[45] The ship operated in the Arctic and as cover for carriers conducting the Goodwood series of air strikes on Tirpitz in mid- to late August.[46] In September she was overhauled and partially modernized at Liverpool, with radar equipment and additional anti-aircraft guns added. She was then ordered to join the British Pacific Fleet and sailed in company with her sister ship Anson on 25 April 1945. A problem with the ship's electrical circuitry delayed her while she was at Malta so that she did not reach Sydney until 29 July, too late for significant action against the Japanese Empire before its surrender.[30]
Nevertheless, in early August, Duke of York was assigned to Task Force 37, along with four aircraft carriers and her sister-ship King George V. From 9 August, TF 37 and three American carrier task forces conducted a series of air raids on Japan, which continued until 15 August when a surrender came into effect.[47] After the conclusion of hostilities, Duke of York and King George V participated in the surrender ceremonies that took place in Tokyo Bay. The following month Duke of York sailed for Hong Kong, to join the fleet that assembled there to accept the surrender of the Japanese garrison.[30] She was the flagship of the British Pacific Fleet when the Japanese surrendered, and remained so until June 1946, when she returned to Plymouth for an overhaul.[48]
Post war
Duke of York was flagship of the Home Fleet following the end of the war and remained in active service until April 1949.[48] She was laid up in November 1951, and on 18 May 1957, she was ordered scrapped. She was broken up by Shipbreaking Industries, Ltd., in Faslane.[49] The ship's bell was salvaged and given to the Duke of York School (since renamed the Lenana School) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Refits
During her career, Duke of York was refitted on several occasions to bring her equipment up-to-date. The following are the dates and details of the refits undertaken.[50]
| Dates | Location | Work |
|---|---|---|
| April 1942 | Rosyth | 8 × single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon added.[51] |
| December 1942 – March 1943 | Rosyth | 14 × single 20 mm added.[52] |
| Early 1944 | 2 × single 20 mm removed; 2 × twin 20 mm added.[52] | |
| September 1944 – April 1945 | Liverpool | 2 × 4-barrelled 40 mm Bofors guns added, 2 × 8-barrelled 2-pdr pom-pom added, 6 × 4-barrelled 2-pdr pom-pom added, 14 × twin 20 mm added, 18× single 20 mm removed, Aircraft facilities removed.[51] Type 273 radar removed, Type 281 radar replaced by Type 281B, Type 284 radar replaced by 2 × Type 274 radar; 2 × Types 277, 282 and 293 radars added.[52] |
| 1946 | 4 × 4-barrelled 2-pdr pom-pom added, 25 × single 20 mm removed.[52] |
Notes
- The King George V-class battleships had their steam plant specifications revised during the building phase, and as built the ships actually produced 110,000 shp (82,000 kW) at 230 rpm, and were designed for an overload power of 125,000 shp (93,000 kW) which was exceeded in service when Prince of Wales developed 134,000 shp (100,000 kW).[9][10]
