HMSDuncan(1901)

	A 1905 postcard depicting HMSDuncan,painting byWilliam Frederick Mitchell
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMSDuncan
Namesake	Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan
Builder	Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company,Leamouth
Laid down	10 July 1899
Launched	21 March 1901
Completed	October 1903
Commissioned	8 October 1903
Decommissioned	March 1919
Fate	Sold for scrapping 18 February 1920
General characteristics
Class and type	Duncan-classpre-dreadnoughtbattleship
Displacement	Normal:13,270 to 13,745long tons(13,483 to 13,966t); Full load:14,900 to 15,200 long tons (15,100 to 15,400 t);
Length	432 ft (132 m) (loa)
Beam	75 ft 6 in (23.01 m)
Draught	25 ft 9 in (7.85 m)
Installed power	18,000ihp(13,000 kW); 24 ×Bellevillewater-tube boilers;
Propulsion	2 ×triple-expansion steam engines; 2 ×screw propellers;
Speed	19knots(35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range	6,070nmi(11,240 km; 6,990 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	720
Armament	4 ×12-inch (305 mm) 40-caliber Mk IX guns; 12 ×6-inch (152 mm) 45-calibre guns; 10 ×12-pounder guns; 6 ×3-pounder guns; 4 ×18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes(submerged);
Armour	Belt:7 in (178 mm); Bulkheads:11–7 in (279–178 mm); Decks:2–1 in (51–25 mm); Turrets:10–8 in (254–203 mm); Barbettes:11–4 in (279–102 mm); Casemates:6 in (152 mm); Conning tower:12 in (305 mm);

HMSDuncanwas the lead ship of the six-shipDuncanclassofRoyal Navy pre-dreadnought battleships.Built to counter a group of fast Russian battleships,Duncanand hersister shipswere capable of steaming at 19knots(35 km/h; 22 mph), making them the fastest battleships in the world. TheDuncan-class battleships were armed with a main battery of four12-inch (305 mm) gunsand they were broadly similar to theLondon-class battleships,though of a slightly reduceddisplacementand thinner armour layout. As such, they reflected a development of the lighter second-class ships of theCanopus-class battleship.Duncanwas built between herkeel layingin July 1899 and her completion in October 1903.

Duncanserved with theMediterranean Fleetuntil 1905, at which she was transferred to theChannel Fleet.During this period, she was damaged in a pair of accidents, the first a collision withHMSAlbionin late 1905 and the second when she ran aground offLundy Islandthe following year.Duncanserved with theAtlantic Fleetfrom 1907 to late 1908, when she was transferred back to the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1912, she was transferred to theHome Fleetwhen the Mediterranean Fleet was reorganized into a squadron of it, and the next year she became a gunnerytraining ship.After the outbreak of theFirst World Warin August 1914,Duncanwas being refitted; once she returned to service in September, she joined hersister shipson theNorthern Patrol.

In 1915,Duncanwas transferred to the9th Cruiser Squadronbased in the central Atlantic. Later that year, she was reassigned to the 2nd Detached Squadron to support theItalian Royal Navy,and in 1916 she was sent toSalonika,Greece. There, she took part in operations against Greek royalists who opposed entering the war on the side of the Allies.Duncanreturned to Britain in February 1917 and was converted into abarracks shipbefore beingbroken upforscrapin 1920.

Design

Right elevation and deck plan as depicted inBrassey's Naval Annual 1915

The six ships of theDuncanclasswere ordered in response to the RussianPeresvet-class battleshipsthat had beenlaunchedin 1898. The Russian ships were fast second-class battleships, soWilliam Henry White,the BritishDirector of Naval Construction,designed theDuncanclass to match the purported top speed of the Russian vessels. To achieve the higher speed while keeping displacement from growing, White was forced to reduce the ships' armour protection significantly, effectively making the ships enlarged and improved versions of theCanopus-class battleshipsof 1896, rather than derivatives of the more powerfulMajestic,Formidable,andLondonseries of first-class battleships. TheDuncans proved to be disappointments in service, owing to their reduced defensive characteristics, though they were still markedly superior to thePeresvets they had been built to counter.^[1]

Duncanwas 432 feet (132 m)long overall,with abeamof 75 ft 6 in (23.01 m) and adraftof 25 ft 9 in (7.85 m). TheDuncan-class battleshipsdisplaced13,270 to 13,745long tons(13,483 to 13,966t)normallyand up to 14,900 to 15,200 long tons (15,100 to 15,400 t)fully loaded.Her crew numbered 720 officers andratings.TheDuncan-class ships were powered by a pair of 4-cylindertriple-expansion enginesthat drove twoscrews,with steam provided by twenty-fourBelleville boilers.The boilers were trunked into twofunnelslocatedamidships.TheDuncan-class ships had a top speed of 19knots(35 km/h; 22 mph) from 18,000indicated horsepower(13,000 kW).^[2]This madeDuncanand her sisters the fastest battleships in the world for several years. At a cruising speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), the ship could steam for 6,070nautical miles(11,240 km; 6,990 mi).^[3]

Duncanhad amain batteryof four12-inch (305 mm)40-calibreguns mounted in twin-gun turretsfore and aft. The ships also mounted asecondary batteryof twelve6-inch (152 mm) 45-calibre gunsmounted incasemates,in addition to ten12-pounder 3 in (76 mm) gunsand six3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) gunsfor defence againsttorpedo boats.As was customary for battleships of the period, she was also equipped with four18-inch (457 mm) torpedotubes submerged in thehull.^[2]

Duncanhad anarmoured beltthat was 7 in (178 mm) thick; the transversebulkheadon the aft end of the belt was 7 to 11 in (178 to 279 mm) thick. Her main battery turrets' sides were 8 to 10 in (203 to 254 mm) thick, atop 11 in (279 mm)barbettes,and the casemate battery was protected with 6 in ofKrupp steel.Herconning towerhad 12-inch-thick sides. She was fitted with two armoured decks, 1 and 2 in (25 and 51 mm) thick, respectively.^[2]

Operational history

Pre-First World War

HMSDuncanwas laid down byThames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company,Leamouth,on 10 July 1899, and launched on 21 March 1901.^[4]She left theVictoria DockforChathamin May 1902,^[5]for armament and trials, and was completed in October 1903.^[2]HMSDuncancommissioned atChatham Dockyardon 8 October forMediterranean Fleetservice. She transferred to theChannel Fleetin February 1905. On 26 September that year, she collided with the battleshipHMSAlbionatLerwick,suffering hull damage including a hole in her side below the waterline,rudderdamage, and the loss of her sternwalk. She suffered another mishap on 23 July 1906, when she grounded offLundy Islandduring unsuccessful operations to salvage the battleshipHMSMontagu.^[6]

Duncantransferred to theAtlantic Fleetin February 1907, and underwent a refit atGibraltarfrom November to February 1908.^[6]In July,Duncanvisited Canada during the Quebec Tercentenary, in company with hersister ships Albemarle,Exmouth,andRussell.^[7]On 1 December,Duncantransferred to the Mediterranean Fleet to serve as SecondFlagship.She underwent a refit atMaltain 1909. Under a fleet reorganisation on 1 May 1912, the Mediterranean Fleet became the4th Battle Squadron,Home Fleet,and changed its base from Malta to Gibraltar;Duncanthus became a unit of the squadron at Gibraltar. On 27 May 1913,Duncanrecommissioned at Chatham with a nucleus crew and was assigned to the6th Battle Squadronin the Second Fleet atPortsmouth,where she served as a gunnery training ship in the commissioned reserve. She began a refit at Chatham in May 1914.^[6]

First World War

HMSDuncanin 1914

Duncanwas still undergoing her refit when theFirst World Warbegan in August 1914.^[6]Plans originally called forDuncanand battleshipsAgamemnon,Albemarle,Cornwallis,Exmouth,Russell,andVengeanceto form the 6th Battle Squadron in wartime and serve in the Channel Fleet, where the squadron was to patrol theEnglish Channeland cover the movement of theBritish Expeditionary Forceto France. However, plans also existed for the 6th Battle Squadron to be assigned to theGrand Fleet,and, when the war began, the Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet,AdmiralSirJohn Jellicoe,requested thatDuncanand her four surviving sister ships (Albemarle,Cornwallis,Exmouth,andRussell) be assigned to the3rd Battle Squadronin the Grand Fleet for patrol duties to make up for the Grand Fleet's shortage ofcruisers.Accordingly, the 6th Battle Squadron was temporarily abolished, and, upon completion of her refit in September 1914,Duncanjoined the3rd Battle SquadronatScapa Flow,where she joined the Grand Fleet's cruisers on duty in theNorthern Patrol.^[6]^[8]

Duncanand her four sisters, as well as the battleships of theKing Edward VIIclass,were temporarily transferred to the Channel Fleet on 2 November 1914 to reinforce that fleet in the face ofImperial German Navyactivity in the Channel Fleet's area. The following day, the German fleetraided Yarmouth;at the time,Duncanand the rest of the 3rd Squadron were dispersed on the Northern Patrol, and were thus unavailable during the German attack.^[9]On 13 November 1914, theKing Edward VII-class ships returned to the Grand Fleet, butDuncanand her sister ships stayed in the Channel Fleet, where they reconstituted the 6th Battle Squadron on 14 November 1914. This squadron was given a mission of bombarding Germansubmarinebases on the coast ofBelgium,and was based atPortland,although it transferred toDoverimmediately on 14 November 1914. However, due a lack ofantisubmarinedefenses at Dover, particularly after the harbour'santi-submarine boomwas swept away in a gale, the squadron returned to Portland on 19 November 1914.^[10]^[11]

The 6th Battle Squadron returned to Dover in December 1914, then transferred toSheernesson 30 December 1914 to relieve the5th Battle Squadronthere in guarding against a German invasion of the United Kingdom. Between January and May 1915, the 6th Battle Squadron was dispersed.Duncanleft the squadron in February 1915 to be reduced to reserve for a refit at Chatham that lasted until July 1915. She recommissioned at Chatham on 19 July 1915 and was attached to the9th Cruiser Squadronon theFinisterre-Azores-MadeiraStation. In August 1915,Duncantransferred to the 2nd Detached Squadron in theAdriatic Sea.The squadron had been organized in May 1915 to reinforce theItalian Navyagainst theAustro-Hungarian Navyafter Italy declared war onAustria-Hungary.Duncanwas based atTaranto,Italy, during this service.^[10]AdmiralPaolo Thaon di Revel,the Italian naval chief of staff, believed that the threat fromAustro-Hungarian submarinesandnaval minesin the narrow waters of the Adriatic was too serious for him to use the fleet for active operations. Instead, Revel decided to implement a blockade at the relatively safer southern end of the Adriatic with the main fleet, while smaller vessels, such as theMAS boats,conducted raids on Austro-Hungarian ships and installations.^[12]

In June 1916,Duncantransferred to the 3rd Detached Squadron in theAegean Sea,based atSalonika.^[10]At the time, Greece was ruled by the pro-GermanConstantine I,who had decided to remain neutral. TheEntentepowers had landed troops in Salonika in 1915, which was a source of tension between France and Greece. The issue came to a head in August 1916 when a pro-Entente group launched a coup against the monarchy in theNoemvriana.^[13]Starting in December 1916, she participated in operations against the Greek royalists, beginning with the landing ofRoyal MarinesatAthenson 1 December 1916 to coerce Constantine to abdicate. The British and French troops were defeated by the Greek Army and armed civilians and were forced to withdraw to their ships, after which the British and French fleet imposed ablockadeof the royalist-controlled parts of the country.^[14]She returned to theAdriatic Squadronin January 1917. In February,Duncanreturned to the United Kingdom and paid off at Sheerness to provide crews for antisubmarine vessels. She was in reserve at Sheerness until April, when she moved to Chatham for a refit. Upon completion of her refit in January 1918, she remained in reserve at Chatham, serving as an accommodation ship.Duncanwas placed on the disposal list in March 1919, and was sold for scrapping to Stanlee Shipbreaking Company Limited, in Dover, on 18 February 1920. She was towed to Dover for scrapping in June 1920.^[10]

Notes

^Burt,pp. 227–229.
^^a ^b ^c ^dLyon & Roberts,p. 37.
^Burt,pp. 229, 232.
^"Naval & Military intelligence".The Times.No. 36409. London. 22 March 1901. p. 11.
^"Naval & Military intelligence".The Times.No. 36763. London. 9 May 1902. p. 10.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^eBurt,p. 242.
^"The Tercentenary Celebrations",p. 445.
^Corbett 1920,pp. 39–40, 75, 214, 254.
^Corbett 1920,p. 259.
^^a ^b ^c ^dBurt,p. 243.
^Corbett 1921,pp. 9–10, 19.
^Halpern,pp. 141–142, 150.
^Preston,p. 383.
^Hamilton & Herwig,p. 181.

References

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Corbett, Julian Stafford(1920).Naval Operations: To The Battle of the Falklands, December 1914.Vol. I. London: Longmans, Green & Co.OCLC 174823980.
Corbett, Julian Stafford (1921).Naval Operations: From The Battle of the Falklands to the Entry of Italy Into the War in May 1915.Vol. II. London: Longmans, Green & Co.OCLC 924170059.
Halpern, Paul G. (1995).A Naval History of World War I.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1-55750-352-7.
Hamilton, Robert; Herwig, Holger, eds. (2004).Decisions for War, 1914–1917.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN 978-0-521-83679-1.
Lyon, David & Roberts, John (1979). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905.Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 1–113.ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5.
Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 1–104.ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8.
"The Tercentenary Celebrations".The Canada Gazette.London: Charles Hunt: 445. 1908.OCLC 47522100.