Breaking battleships 1949

[rog8811]

I came across this and another picture taken 20 April 1949

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/saw022477?filter=38632&ref=44

I have had a bit of a go at the first one.

 

 

I feel I should know the one with the superstructure well back... I will go and google Warspite.....

Edited August 26, 2012 by rog8811

[Pzkpfw-e]

Nelson or Rodney in the background.

 

 

Here we go, it's Inverkeithing, both HMSs Nelson (Barrels cut off), Rodney & Revenge.

Edited August 26, 2012 by Pzkpfw-e

[Ian L]

Leaving Portland Harbour (Weymouth) via the East Ship Channel by the look of it ?

Edited August 27, 2012 by Ian L

[rog8811]

I would guess that the picture from the paper is from the same series, though the text seems to say it was taken later.

The picture above shows all the empty secondary armament mounts, shame the negative was damaged.

Some fantastic pictures on this site. ww1 four stacker at Milford Haven.

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/wpw006994?search=shipbreaking&ref=0

Edited August 26, 2012 by rog8811

[RattlesnakeBob]

Heartbreaking ........as simple as that..........once proud capital ships of our history... lamped up as if they meant absolutely nothing to this countries heritage.........

yeah yeah ......... I know the economic necessities of the time..........still heartbreaking though.:embarrassed:

I wish just one .ONE....of our beautiful proper battleships from that era has been preserved to go aboard and look around today....

Edited August 27, 2012 by RattlesnakeBob

[handler 69]

Should have been "Warspite"....Jutland veteran

[Pzkpfw-e]

Leaving Portland Harbour (Weymouth) via the East Ship Channel by the look of it ?

Looks like that's where she's steaming out of.

[Ian L]

Looks like that's where she's steaming out of.

 

I've skippered a dive boat through that entrance 100s of times during 25 years of skuba diving there, used to be allowed to moor & dive off the old fort years ago but H&S banned that..

[ruxy]

Apparently (I had a good wander around their yard when there on business) ,, Thos. W Ward Ltd Shipbreaking operations @ Inverkeithing - they had very early "green" credentials for re-cycling as much as possible by craning off & sale. Only what was real scrap went to the melt , then probably stock for more modern ships

[RattlesnakeBob]

Apparently (I had a good wander around their yard when there on business) ,, Thos. W Ward Ltd Shipbreaking operations @ Inverkeithing - they had very early "green" credentials for re-cycling as much as possible by craning off & sale. Only what was real scrap went to the melt , then probably stock for more modern ships

 

Thos W Ward also broke many other fine civilian ships during their years....one of which (I think?) was the SS Mauretania? There was a Bar for many years in Bristol that went under that name and many of the fine detailings and fittings such as plaster and timber cornices and beautiful panelling and also a huge 'skylight' from one of the Ballrooms on her had all been used to decorate the Pub ....guess these came from Wards indirectly?

....Also Wards main office in Sheffield was decorated in the same manner with exquisite panelling and alabaster busts and ceiling moldings etc from many of the ships....I was told when Wards finally disappeared into RTZ (Rio Tinto Zinc Ltd) that the offices were stripped and modernised and all of these beautiful architectural effects were supposedly 'lost'...:-)

[ruxy]

Gunnery was ship re-cycled more than you would ever imagine, or used as a shore gun , alternative was storage until !

 

Wards would sell you a complete cinema - if they could :-

 

http://billward.eu/cinema_stonehouse/index_cinema.html

 

There must be all sorts saved around the Uk

[andym]

Gunnery was ship re-cycled more than you would ever imagine, or used as a shore gun , alternative was storage until !

 

Indeed - HMS Vanguard, the UK's last battleship, used the WWI turrets from HMS Courageous and HMS Glorious.

 

Andy

[utt61]

Indeed - HMS Vanguard, the UK's last battleship, used the WWI turrets from HMS Courageous and HMS Glorious.

 

Andy

 

It's actually even more interesting than that, and the story is complicated by the fact that the gun records from Priddy's Hard show 184 15" guns were manufactured and that the Navy had approx 170 in a pool that was rotated amongst ships. This was necessary since each gun had a barrel life of around 200 shots, and so were replaced fairly regularly when the ships were in service.

 

Although the main turrets and mounts on VANGUARD did indeed come from COURAGEOUS and GLORIOUS, only one gun did so and that came via WARSPITE. Two of the turrets were in fact the spare mounts freed up when RENOWN and REPULSE were downgunned from 8-gun battlecruisers (as orignally laid down) to 6-gun battlecruisers (as built). These, together with two other 15" mounts were then used on COURAGEOUS and GLORIOUS before subsequently being installed on VANGUARD.

 

The eights guns (as opposed to the turrets and mounts) landed from COURAGEOUS and GLORIOUS went to MALAYA, RENOWN, ROBERTS and WARSPITE.

 

The guns mounted on VANGUARD came from QUEEN ELIZABETH (2), RAMILLIES (2), ROYAL SOVEREIGN (1), RESOLUTION (1), EREBUS (1), and WARPSITE (1), the latter being the only gun on VANGUARD to have also been on COURAGEOUS or GLORIOUS.

 

A follow-on from this is that whilst the old adage that "VANGUARD never fired her guns in anger" may be true, it is certainly not true to say that "VANGUARD's guns were never fired in anger" since they certainly were - just not on VANGUARD.

[Bob Grundy]

Something that I am interested in, unlike Saracens, thank you........

Would you know from what battleship were the bearings for the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank came from ?

[Pzkpfw-e]

They came from one of the R-Class, Royal Sovereign, IIRC.

Right, according to Wkik, one from her, one from Revenge.

[listerdiesel]

Inverkeithing was where most of the 'Britannia' class pacific locos were scrapped.

 

Peter