Trumpeter HMS Kent

[Tim Marlow]

Don’t know about torpedos, but this is what happens when a twelve inch shell hits a 20,000 ton battle cruiser….

It goes from this….

To this…..

[andy55]

Guessing straight into the magazine.

[Dave Ward]

The loss of the RN battlecruisers at Jutland in 1916 was not due to the shells in the magazine exploding, but the cordite propellant. Too light armour, and poor operational practices were major factors. Dives on the wrecks have shown unexploded shells everwhere - they're War Graves so dives are very rare.
Arm a lightly armoured fast ship with battleship guns, and it's inevitable that they'll eventually be regarded as proper battleships - 'eggshells armed with hammers' - HMS Hood was the final victim of this flawed design line
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

Guessing straight into the magazine.

Yep, HMS Invincible at Jutland. One 12” shell from either Lutzow or Derfflinger hit her on the Q turret and she sank in 90 seconds. Exactly the same issue that caused HMS Hood’s sinking 25 years later. Weirdly, HMS Invincible was flagship of the third battle cruiser squadron, and the Admiral in command was Admiral Hood! He was the great great grandson of the admiral hood that HMS hood was named after. In fact, HMS Hood was launched by his widow……

[Waspie]

The loss of the RN battlecruisers at Jutland in 1916 was not due to the shells in the magazine exploding, but the cordite propellant. Too light armour, and poor operational practices were major factors. Dives on the wrecks have shown unexploded shells everwhere - they're War Graves so dives are very rare.
Arm a lightly armoured fast ship with battleship guns, and it's inevitable that they'll eventually be regarded as proper battleships - 'eggshells armed with hammers' - HMS Hood was the final victim of this flawed design line
Dave

I was always told the Hoods demise was to poor damage control during action. They failed to close fire doors when loading the cordite bags to make for faster loading of the main guns. A German shell exploded and caused a chain reaction with the devastating results we all know!! Had the fire doors been closed then the explosion would have been contained.

[Tim Marlow]

The loss of the RN battlecruisers at Jutland in 1916 was not due to the shells in the magazine exploding, but the cordite propellant. Too light armour, and poor operational practices were major factors. Dives on the wrecks have shown unexploded shells everwhere - they're War Graves so dives are very rare.
Arm a lightly armoured fast ship with battleship guns, and it's inevitable that they'll eventually be regarded as proper battleships - 'eggshells armed with hammers' - HMS Hood was the final victim of this flawed design line
Dave

Too many were stored around the turret and lift areas. Fast firing had become the rule…..get more shells out than the enemy……our ship design was flawed as well though. Derfflinger took 17 heavy calibre hits and survived…..we lost Indefatigable, Queen Mary, and Invincible to the same cause as Hood…..

[andy55]

Yes, heard that as well, that doors were left open to allow a greater rate of fire. Heard that it was common practice. How right that is, don't know

[Waspie]

Yes, heard that as well, that doors were left open to allow a greater rate of fire. Heard that it was common practice. How right that is, don't know

Well, I was told about it during basic training at HMS Ganges and by coincidence we had a survivor of the Hood on the training staff although he wasn't our instructor!!

[Dave Ward]

The battlecruisers were stationed at Rosyth - where there were no facilities for full-bore target practice - they, as a consequence weren't that fire effective, this was known & upping the rate of fire to compensate was normal practice. This however was achieved by stockpiling shells & propellant charges, and by-passing flash doors, causing a fatal path for fire.
Full bore firing was carried out off Scapa Flow, and the battlecruiser squadrons were rotated in turn to give them practice - hence the 3rd Battle Cruisers were with the Grand Fleet at Jutland & the 5th Battle squadron ( Warspite etc ) were with the battlecruisers
Although the German High Seas Fleet claimed a victory, they never attempted another major sortie - an American journalist said that ' the prisoners had assaulted their jailers, but now were back in jail '
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

The battlecruisers were stationed at Rosyth - where there were no facilities for full-bore target practice - they, as a consequence weren't that fire effective, this was known & upping the rate of fire to compensate was normal practice. This however was achieved by stockpiling shells & propellant charges, and by-passing flash doors, causing a fatal path for fire.
Full bore firing was carried out off Scapa Flow, and the battlecruiser squadrons were rotated in turn to give them practice - hence the 3rd Battle Cruisers were with the Grand Fleet at Jutland & the 5th Battle squadron ( Warspite etc ) were with the battlecruisers
Although the German High Seas Fleet claimed a victory, they never attempted another major sortie - an American journalist said that ' the prisoners had assaulted their jailers, but now were back in jail '
Dave

Spot on Dave. The next day the Grand fleet sailed on patrol, but the High seas fleet never came out again except to surrender. The grand fleet were in uncontested control of the field of battle, so were unquestionably the winners.
Jellico would have had an overwhelming victory if he had had just a little more luck. Scheer used the battle turn away tactic twice (basically his fleet was in line astern and the tactic allowed them to carry out a U turn, a manoeuvre not practiced by any other navy in the world) when Jellico crossed his T, saving his fleet from destruction. In addition, poor signals discipline meant that Jellico wasn’t told the Germans were passing a couple of hundred yards south of him during the night action. Just a couple of points turn would have had him crossing the T again, probably at dawn, which, allowing for night visibility and sunrise silhouetting the enemy fleet, would have allowed him to annihilate the German fleet, especially as he would have been between them and the safety of their home port.

[Waspie]

Spot on Dave. The next day the Grand fleet sailed on patrol, but the High seas fleet never came out again except to surrender. The grand fleet were in uncontested control of the field of battle, so were unquestionably the winners.
Jellico would have had an overwhelming victory if he had had just a little more luck. Scheer used the battle turn away tactic twice (basically his fleet was in line astern and the tactic allowed them to carry out a U turn, a manoeuvre not practiced by any other navy in the world) when Jellico crossed his T, saving his fleet from destruction. In addition, poor signals discipline meant that Jellico wasn’t told the Germans were passing a couple of hundred yards south of him during the night action. Just a couple of points turn would have had him crossing the T again, probably at dawn, which, allowing for night visibility and sunrise silhouetting the enemy fleet, would have allowed him to annihilate the German fleet, especially as he would have been between them and the safety of their home port.

The Fleet Operational Sea Training, (FOST). Training and inspections as well as Flag Officer training hopefully has eradicated all the 'short cuts' when dealing with armaments.
I know the training we received when dealing with aircraft ordnance was very strict and another level completely when dealing with nuclear weapons!!
Hopefully we will never see incidents the like of the Hood and co ever again.

[andy55]

Well my early Xmas pressie arrived today, armourment for the Kent. Brilliant 3d printing from Micro Master. OK the older modellers will probably already be aware of them, but anyone returning like me, well have a look at their site. Micromaster.co.nz the below pic is of their pompoms with with kit one. Just annoyed I didn't get the 8 inch guns as well.
Oh yer, ordered on the 7th Dec arrived today.
Well chuffed.

[andy55]

Well bitten the bullet and waterlined her.
Still a lot of cleaning up to do but thought it best before I start painting. Paint have arrived from John but looks like I'll have to mix to get a proper colour. I know, I know, don't go by colour charts Not convinced that I haven't built too much before painting, time will tell.

[andy55]

didn't add the pic.

[andy55]

And here's one from a newby.
Why doesn't a waterlined ship fit on the stand...
Because you've just cut the bottom off...
Bloody idiot. lol.