Warship 2018

A fine view of HMS Achilles taken at Melbourne on 18 February 1938. Note the single 4in Mark V HA guns abreast the funnel and the Supermarine Walrus amphibian atop the catapult; the latter was embarked in place of the original Fairey Seafox when the ship was transferred to New Zealand in 1936. Achilles was one of the three British cruisers which engaged the German Admiral Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939 – see the articles by Alan D Zimm and William J Jurens.

(Allan C Green Collection, State Library of Victoria, H91-108-2384)

CONTENTS

Editorial

Feature Articles

Niels Iuel: ‘A funny little Danish warship’

Tom Wismann investigates the conception and career of this unusual ship, designed as a low-freeboard coast defence battleship but completed as a hybrid cruiser intended to ‘show the flag’.

The Battle of the River Plate: A Tactical Analysis

Alan D Zimm presents an analysis of the tactics adopted by the British Commodore Henry Harwood and his German adversary, Captain Hans Langsdorff, during the Battle of the River Plate.

Under the Guns: Battle Damage to Graf Spee, 13 December 1939

William J Jurens examines the damage sustained by Graf Spee during the battle, using contemporary British and German documents, some of which have only recently seen the light of day.

The Armoured Cruiser Jeanne d’Arc

Luc Feron and Jean Roche tell the story of the first of a series of large, fast French armoured cruisers designed by the celebrated naval architect Emile Bertin.

Breaking ‘Ultra’: The Cryptologic and Intelligence War between Britain and Italy, 1931–1943

Enrico Cernuschi provides an Italian perspective on the success of ‘Ultra’.

The IJN Light Cruiser Oyodo

Hans Lengerer provides an in-depth study of this unusual vessel, designed as flagship of a Submarine Flotilla.

Coast Defence and Coast Offence: Russian Monitor Designs of the First World War Era

Stephen McLaughlin pieces together the history of a number of projects for monitor-type ships that were considered by the Imperial Russian Navy, although none were built.

Modern Naval Replenishment Vessels

Conrad Waters conducts a survey of the latest developments in replenishment at sea.

Lost in the Fog of War: Royal Navy Cruiser Designs for Trade Protection 1905–1920

David Murfin uses the notebooks of some of the most prominent British naval constructors of the day to look at the designs of cruisers for trade protection, some of which were built while others remained on the drawing board.

Amatsukaze: A Destroyer’s Struggle

Michael Williams follows on from Captain Tameichi Hara’s classic account of the destroyer’s early career, telling the story of her service from 1943 to 1945, when Japanese fortunes were on the wane.

USS Huntington (ex-West Virginia)

A D Baker III tells the story of this large armoured cruiser and provides plans of the ship as she was in 1920.

Warship Notes

Reviews

Warship Gallery

Stephen Dent and Ian Johnston present a series of photographs of former U-boats in Japan during the early 1920s.

EDITORIAL

Perceptive readers will have noted that this year’s annual appears for the first time under the Osprey imprint. Since the sale to Bloomsbury four years ago, Conway titles have been commissioned and managed through the Bloomsbury Special Interest department. Following the purchase by Bloomsbury of Osprey Publishing, which had its own existing premises in Oxford and its own editorial staff, it was decided to consolidate the two lists, and the military and naval books formerly published under the Conway imprint will henceforth be published by Osprey.

The change of name on the cover will have little impact on the annual itself, which retains the same editorial team that it has had for the past fourteen years, and which will continue to be published in the same format. However, one of the immediate benefits of the change is that Osprey have agreed an extra sixteen pages this year – something we have been trying to achieve for some time. This has enabled us to clear a ‘logjam’ of feature articles which had been building up over the past two years. Last year we had to hold Stephen McLaughlin’s article on Russian Monitor designs (see below), and even with the extra pages this year we have had to hold three other feature articles which will now be published in Warship 2019. It is a sign of the continuing success of the annual that we are still attracting so many submissions, often from established authors, and the increase in page extent recently agreed means that there will be less of a delay in publication, which benefits both our contributors and our readers.

December 2019 will mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the River Plate. The passing of time provides an opportunity for new perspectives, and we are publishing two major articles on different aspects of the battle this year. Dr Alan D Zimm, author of a recent major book on Pearl Harbor, has written a critique of the tactics adopted respectively by Commodore Harwood and the German Captain Langsdorff. Neither officer comes out of it particularly well, despite the accolades which Harwood received from the politicians and press of the day. The companion article by William J Jurens, an acknowledged authority on gunnery and ballistics, analyses the hits made on Admiral Graf Spee by the British cruisers and their consequences. The lessons which emerge focus on the practical difficulties faced by a surface raider operating in mid-Ocean, far from its base support, when even apparently trivial damage such as the flooding of a flour store or the wrecking of a galley might make it difficult to sustain the crew during a lengthy transit.

Both of the above authors are new to Warship, as is Tom Wismann, whose article on the cruiser Niels Iuel (‘A funny little Danish warship’) leads this years annual. Well-written, well-researched and beautifully illustrated, this is a classic Warship feature. Other major features by returning authors include Hans Lengerer’s article on the IJN ‘command cruiser’ Oyodo, the article by Stephen McLaughlin on Russian monitor designs of the early 20th century mentioned previously, a survey of modern replenishment vessels by Conrad Waters, and a comprehensive account of Royal Navy trade protection cruiser design 1905–1920 by David Murfin. In the third of a series of articles on the early French armoured cruisers, Luc Feron focuses on the revolutionary Jeanne d’Arc, the first major French vessel to be designed by the distinguished naval architect Louis-Emile Bertin, and a ship which inspired a new generation of fast armoured cruisers both in France and abroad. And the feature section concludes with the customary drawing/photo contribution by A D Baker III, which this year focuses on USS Huntington, one of ten large, powerful armoured cruisers authorised following the Spanish-American War of 1898.

These ‘technical’ features are counter-balanced by two articles with a more historical focus. Enrico Cernuschi, who has a background in cryptography, questions some of the inflated claims which have been made for the impact on the naval war in the Mediterranean of Ultra intercepts, and reveals the little-known Italian successes in this field, which were achieved by a handful of individuals on a ‘shoe-string’ budget. And Mike Williams returns to Warship with an account of the little-known late career of the IJN destroyer Amatsukaze. After losing her bow to a submarine torpedo, this ship was patched up and used as an escort for mercantile convoys carrying oil, precious metals and repatriated personnel from South-East Asia to Japan during the dark days of 1945. Constantly harassed by USAF aircraft and US Navy submarines, the convoys and their escorts sustained devastating losses as the Americans effectively made the South China Sea a ‘no-go’ area for Japanese maritime operations.

The stand-out item in this year’s Warship Notes is a contribution by Hans Lengerer on the 15.5cm 3rd year gun which equipped the cruisers of the Mogami class as built, and was subsequently employed for the main battery for Oyodo and the secondary battery of Yamato and her sister Musashi. Other items include a note by Stephen McLaughlin which attempts to explain the mysterious loss of the German U-56 in November 1916, and a piece by Kenneth Fraser on the naming of US warships.

The Gallery this year features a series of rare photographs of two former German U-boats, UB-125 (UB III type) and U-55 (‘Mobilisation’ type), being dismantled at Sasebo Navy Yard, Japan, in 1921. Many of the lessons learned from these submarines were incorporated in the new generation of IJN submarines designed and built during the 1920s.

Next year’s Warship will include major articles on Japan’s Six-Six Fleet by Hans Lengerer, a second article by Kathrin Milanovich detailing the powder accidents and explosions which plagued the IJN during the early years of the 20th century, an account of the fate of the ex-German destroyers after the First World War by Aidan Dodson, and Philippe Caresse’s technical history of the Brennus, arguably the French Navy’s first modern battleship but a vessel plagued with stability problems.

Finally, it is with great sadness that we announce the death of Keith McBride after a prolonged illness. Keith’s articles on the Royal Navy, with a primary focus on the Victorian era, were a staple of Warship both as a quarterly and as an annual. An obituary detailing his contributions to Warship follows; his in-depth knowledge and his ability to engage the reader will be greatly missed.

John Jordan

April 2018

Keith Donald McBride

31 July 1931 – 7 February 2017

Just as the 2017 edition of Warship was going to press we heard that Keith McBride, a regular contributor to the annual for over twenty years, had died. Since it was too late to print an obituary in that edition, one is instead included here.

Keith was born in Hillingdon in west London and lived all his life in nearby Hanwell and Brentford. His father had been a military bandsman, serving in the Marines, the 9th Queen’s Lancers and the Household Cavalry; after leaving the British Army he worked for the Post Office as a sorter. Keith’s interest in naval ships was inspired by listening to his father’s stories of seeing action during the Battle of Jutland.

Keith attended Drayton Manor Grammar School and later University College, London, where he read history, graduating in 1953. After National Service he passed the exams for the Home Civil Service and worked as an Executive Officer in the Ministry of Defence. Although his great interest was in naval ships, he actually worked for the Air Ministry.

A great reader and member of several public libraries, Keith had a wide range of interests which included politics, astronomy, archaeology, sport, and photography. However naval history was his biggest interest and from university days he researched and wrote articles on the subject.

Although he worked for the Ministry of Defence, Keith was in fact a Quaker, attending his local Meeting from 1979. This unusual pairing reflected his views, which could be summed up as being for defence, though against war. A shrewd observer of the political scene, both domestic and international, Keith opposed the Iraq War of 2003.

After retiring early on health grounds when he was 54, Keith occupied himself doing research at the Public Record Office (now the National Archives), the National Maritime Museum and elsewhere in London, the fruits of which resulted in numerous articles in Warship (both as a quarterly and as an annual), Warship International and The Mariner’s Mirror. He also acted as a volunteer helper in an adult education class in English for speakers of other languages.

Between the April 1987 quarterly and the 2012 annual editions, Keith had sixteen articles published in Warship, all concerned with British warships from the late nineteenth century through to the 1930s, and characterised by diligent and careful use of sources, and an equal ease with ‘technical’ and ‘operational’ history. The majority of Keith’s contributions were published before the current editorial team took over Warship, however a previous Editor describes him as having been in many ways the ‘model’ contributor, with his submissions always on time and on spec, without any of the lengthy subsequent correspondence that inevitably accompany some articles in any publication with multiple authors. The current Assistant Editor met him just once, at a book launch, and recalls a thoroughly affable character who very much enjoyed the company of fellow enthusiasts.

Keith never married. His father died when he was 25 and he remained living with his widowed mother and unmarried younger sister until their deaths.

Thanks to Bessie White, Mary Blackwell and Rob Gardiner for information included in this obituary.

Keith McBride’s Articles for Warship

Warship vol 44 (April 1987) ‘The Diadem Class Cruisers’

Warship vol 46 (April 1988) ‘The First County Class Cruisers of the Royal Navy, Part I: The Monmouths’

Warship vol 47 (July 1988) ‘The First County Class Cruisers of the Royal Navy, Part II: The Devonshires’

Warship vol 48 (Oct 1988) ‘The Wreck of HMS Bedford’

Warship 1989 ‘The First Flowers’

Warship 1990 ‘The Weird Sisters’ [Courageous, Glorious & Furious]

Warship 1991 ‘British ‘M’ Class Destroyers of 1913–14’

Warship 1992 ‘After the Dreadnought’

Warship 1993 ‘Super-Dreadnoughts: the Orion Battleship Family’

Warship 1994 ‘The Hatbox: HMS Argus’

Warship 1995 ‘On the Brink of Armageddon: Capital Ship Development on the Eve of the First World War’

Warship 1997–1998 ‘Eight six-inch Guns in Pairs: The Leander and Sydney Class Cruisers’

Warship 2000–2001 ‘Nile and Trafalgar: The Last British Ironclads’

Warship 2001–2002 ‘The Wobbly Eight: King Edward VII Class Battleships, 1897–1922’

Warship 2005 ‘Lord Nelson and Agamemnon’

Warship 2012 ‘The Cruiser Family Talbot’

NIELS IUEL:

‘A funny little Danish warship’

Niels Iuel was designed as a heavily-gunned and heavily-armoured low-freeboard monitor-type coast defence battleship. Completed as a hybrid cruiser intended to ‘show the flag’, she ended her days as a training ship in the German Kriegsmarine during the tumultuous days of May 1945. Tom Wismann investigates the conception and career of this unusual ship.

‘A funny little Danish warship’: that was how a British newspaper described Niels Iuel when the ship visited a British port, and with some justification – depending on your interpretation of the word ‘funny’.

The Royal Danish Navy (RDN – until 1814 the combined navy of the Danish-Norwegian Kingdom) has existed since 1510 and is one of the oldest national navies in the world. During the period 1510–1807 the RDN was a major power in the Baltic, North Sea and in the North Atlantic. This ended with the catastrophic British bombardment of Copenhagen which lasted for three days and nights in early September 1807. Denmark was compelled to capitulate to this overwhelming British show of force, and the peace terms were harsh: the Danes had to hand over their entire fleet to the British. ‘Albion’ departed Copenhagen on 21 October, exactly two years after the Battle of Trafalgar, with loot comprising 16 ships of the line, 15 frigates and corvettes, and 14 minor warships, plus equipment, tools and goods for the fleet loaded into 92 merchant ships. The British had also wreaked havoc at Orlogsværftet (the Royal Naval Dockyard, Copenhagen – also often called Holmen) where ships under construction were destroyed on the slipways.

An aerial view of Holmen, where Orlogsværftet (the Royal Naval Dockyard) was situated, taken in 1916–17. To the right of centre the hull of Niels Iuel can be seen under construction on the slipway. The deck plates have not yet been fitted. Danish torpedo boats are moored to the piers on the left, and on the right is the hulked former cruiser-corvette Fyen, which was used as a barracks until the mid-1960s. (Danish Armed Forces Photo Gallery)

With the loss of Norway in 1814, Denmark lost influence and the economy was ruined. Over the following years the Navy only recovered slowly, and would never regain anything close to its former might. The RDN, however, continued to keep up with technological developments, and was still a regional naval power, which during the Schleswig wars of 1848–50 and 1864 maintained control of home waters.

Over a period of 45 years from 1863 to 1908, eleven heavily-gunned and more or less heavily-armoured coast defence battleships were built for the RDN. The first, Rolf Krake, was built by R Napier & Sons at Glasgow on the Clyde, but the other ten were built at the Orlogsværftet. The first eight ships were all of different design with displacements ranging from 1,340 tons to 5,400 tons. Their armament ranged from 60lb smoothbore guns to 35.5cm (14in) rifled guns. These ships formed the backbone of the RDN of the period and would, in wartime, together with the coastal fortifications, provide the heavy gun back-up to defend extensive defensive minefields. From 1890 these minefields were protected by torpedo boats, and from 1909 also by submarines.

Niels Iuel: The Last of the Danish Coast Defence Battleships

After building the three well-armed and -armoured monitor-type ships of the Herluf Trolle class (1899–1908, displacement 3,600 tons, two 24cm and four 15cm guns) a commission set to work to decide future Navy force structures. The rise of the Imperial German Navy and the arms race with the Royal Navy influenced Danish defence politics, but there were also the customary political discussions regarding how much should be spent on the armed forces. The defence agreement of 1909 stipulated that a new armoured ship should be built for the Navy. As funding was tight the displacement was to be limited to 3,800 tonnes,¹ not much greater than the previous Herluf Trolle class.

Several different designs were drawn up conforming to this specification. They ranged from a lightly-armoured cruiser armed with 15cm guns to a full-blown monitor armed with two single 30.5cm (12in) guns. In 1913 the Navy Ministry, basing its decision on the work done by the commission, opted for a design based on the Herluf Trolle class.

Name

Niels Juel was a famous Danish admiral who, on 30 June 1677 with 25 ships of the line armed with a total of 1,267 guns, defeated a Swedish fleet of 36 ships of the line armed with 1,800 guns in the Battle of Køge Bight.

When the ship was launched, and also when first commissioned, the name on both sides of the stern was spelled ‘Niels Juel’. However, a short time after commissioning the spelling of the surname was changed to ‘Iuel’ following a request from the old admiral’s ancestors. (When the admiral was alive he had spelled his name variously as ‘Iuel’, ‘Juel’ or ‘Juell’, there being no strict rules for spelling at that time.)

Designation

As first conceived the ship was designated Panserskib (‘armoured ship’). When completed the type changed to Artilleriskib (‘gunship’) or Orlogsskib (‘warship’).

Original design

The ship was designed for deployment in the inner Danish waters. A very low freeboard of only one metre was therefore adopted to present as small a target as possible. Only the bow was raised slightly, with a forecastle height of four metres to improve seakeeping qualities. Amidships was a superstructure for an armoured conning tower, bridge, funnel and the secondary armament. The main armament was located in single turrets fore and aft.

Niels Iuel was designed as a coast defence battleship of the monitor type. The low freeboard of only one metre made the ship a small target, and the two single 30.5cm guns gave the ship a heavy punch for her size. Had this type of ship, which had side armour 195mm (7.6in) thick, come up against a large light cruiser of the British Glorious class (side armour: 76mm/3in) the outcome would have been interesting. (Tom Wismann)

The hull was built of steel and divided by nine transverse bulkheads into ten watertight compartments. In the ten compartments there were all-in-all 115 watertight spaces, of which 52 were in the double bottom.

Construction

Niels Iuel was laid down on 21 September 1914, but even before this date her construction was influenced by events related to the outbreak of the First World War on 28 July.

The period from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June to the outbreak of war was a time of intense international tension. On 5 August the Danish government declared the country’s neutrality, which according to international law the Danish armed forces had to enforce. Denmark had therefore already begun to mobilise 65,000 men on 29 July, formed into a force called Sikringsstyrken; with this reinforcement the manpower of the RDN increased to 4,000.

Orlogsværftet started at once to equip all ships which were not already fully stocked with war supplies, and Denmark mobilised every ship and boat in the fleet that was able to sail. The main part of the fleet was ready for combat on 1/2 August and was formed into two squadrons: the first squadron was stationed in The Sound, close to the capital of Copenhagen, and the second squadron in The Great Belt area. It was quite an achievement for the Navy to be combat-ready at such short notice.

From this moment to the end of hostilities on 11 November 1918, Orlogsværftet was hard at work keeping the fleet at sea and undertaking the necessary dockings, overhauls, repairs and maintenance. New-build ships, mainly new torpedo boats, submarines and minor warships, plus a myriad of other tasks to keep the fleet on a near-war footing took a heavy toll on the available manpower.

Hard-pressed as Orlogsværftet was, work on Niels Iuel only progressed slowly, with manpower and materials in short supply; it took almost four years before Niels Iuel was ready for launch on 3 July 1918.

The date is 3 July 1918, and Niels Iuel is ready for launch. The pavilion on the right is for the Danish royal family. At this time Niels Iuel still has the appearance of the ‘low-slung’ monitor type she was designed as; the ship was launched without the side armour fitted. After almost four years on the slipway it took more than 75 minutes to get the ship into the water; in the end all went without a hitch. (Danish Armed Forces Photo Gallery)

Launch

The launching of a new warship has traditionally been a day of festivities at Orlogsværftet. At 1400 the Sixtus battery fired a 27-gun salute to mark the arrival of the royal family. A crowd of notable personalities, both military and civil, plus workers from Orlogsværftet had gathered to witness the great moment, and a multitude of Danish flags were fluttering in the wind. After a short speech by the Dean of Holmen Church (the Naval Church since 1619) about the famous admiral after whom the new ship was to be named, everything was ready for the launch. On a sign from His Majesty King Christian X the stops were pulled – but nothing happened! After almost four years on the slipway the hull was stuck firm. After more than an hour of hard labour, and a considerable amount of embarrassment on the part of the authorities, Sixtus could at 1515 begin the salute to mark the launch. Slowly, almost hesitatingly, the hull gained speed and ran down the slipway, and there were resounding ‘Hurrahs’ from all those attending.

When the hull was launched the armour had yet to be fitted and the superstructures were yet to be built (see the photo on the facing page).

When the politicians decided that a heavily-armed monitor would be a provocation for foreign powers, it was decided to complete the ship to a new design as a training cruiser intended to show the flag. An additional deck was constructed on top of the monitor hull to provide accommodation for a larger crew, and the increase in freeboard resulted in improved sea-keeping qualities. This photo was probably taken in 1921. (Danish Armed Forces Photo Gallery)

A change of plans

After the launch, work continued to progress slowly, and when hostilities ended on 11 November 1918 it ground to a complete halt.

The politicians who before August 1914 had denied all possibilities of a European war at once wanted to save money by cancelling the ship. The First World War would be the last war – ‘the war to end all wars’; universal disarmament was the order of the day. The hard work done by the Navy in the four years of neutrality was immediately forgotten, and the expertise gained was to no avail. The old saying ‘In times of war, but not before, god and the sailors we adore ashore, but when war is over and peace remitted, god is forgotten and the sailor is quitted’ was as true as ever.

As the conversion of the ship to a ferry or a cargo ship for peaceful purposes was deemed impractical, consideration was given to scrapping the hull. In the end wiser counsels prevailed, as a lot of effort and money had already been invested in the hull and machinery. The idea of changing the original design from a heavily-gunned coast defence battleship to a training cruiser armed with lighter guns and capable of showing the flag was put forward. For many politicians the big 30.5cm guns were seen as offensive weapons which foreign powers might consider provocative. Instead it was decided to complete Niels Iuel to a new design. The original hull and machinery were used, and an additional deck was built on top of this. This provided accommodation for the larger crew implied by the training cruiser role, and the increased freeboard also gave the ship improved seakeeping qualities, allowing her to operate in open waters. The original main armament of two 30.5cm guns was changed to ten 15cm guns. The new drawings were approved in 1920, and construction of the ship was resumed to the new design.

The Niels Iuel commissioned for the first time in May 1923, and embarked on a work-up cruise on 28 May. The tour took the ship to Bergen (Norway), The Faroe Islands (part of the Danish Kingdom), Leith (UK) and Gothenburg (Sweden).

Machinery

The machinery was located in five spaces extending over a length of 24.8m – 29% of the ship’s length between perpendiculars. From fore to aft were: the auxiliary machinery room, the forward boiler room, the after boiler room, the port and starboard engine rooms – the two engine rooms were located abreast in two separate compartments divided by a longitudinal bulkhead. History would later show that dividing these large spaces by longitudinal bulkheads was bad for damaged stability, but the practice was not uncommon at that time.

The auxiliary machinery room housed two 60hp single action four-stroke diesels from the manufacturer Holeby Dieselmotor Fabrik A/S (Danish engine manufacture), each driving a 40kW dynamo. The dynamos were constructed by the Danish company A/S Titan, Copenhagen; they were six-pole compound models supplying 112V x 125A at 360rpm (DC).

The forward boiler room housed two oil-fired watertube boilers with superheaters of Yarrow design built at Orlogsværftet. Each boiler was fitted with four oil burners of the pressure jet type working at pressures between 7–14kg/cm². The supply of steam was controlled by varying the number of burners, the oil pressure, nozzle sizes and the amount of air for combustion. The fuel was kept at constant temperature for optimal running. The two boilers in the after boiler room were also of Yarrow design but were coal-fired. Each boiler had a single hearth and the grate size was 8.5m². The boilers produced superheated steam at a temperature of 275°C (527°F), which for a short period could be raised to 350°C (662°F) without damage to the superheaters. They were protected against galvanic corrosion by a Cumberland anti-corrosion system.

Each of the engine rooms housed a vertical triple-expansion (VTE) steam engine designed and built by Orlogsværftet. The nominal power rating for each of the engines was 3,000ihp. The diameter of the high-pressure (HP) cylinder was 0.61 metres, the intermediate cylinder (IP) had a diameter of 0.95 metres and the low-pressure (LP) cylinder had a diameter of 1.52 metres. Each of the engines propelled a shaft with a three-bladed fixed-pitch bronze propeller made by Stone (London, UK) with a diameter of 3.35 metres; the propellers rotated outwards. The designed speed of 14.5 knots was achieved with 3,962ihp during the endurance trial, and 16.1 knots with 6,026ihp was attained during the full power trial.

Two triple expansion steam engines built at Orlogsværftet delivered 6,026ihp and gave Niels Iuel a maximum speed of 16.1 knots. The engine seen here is in the workshop at Orlogsværftet prior to installation. (Danish Armed Forces Photo Gallery)

Niels Iuel as completed in 1923 with ten 15cm and two 57mm HA guns. The ship has retained the two 45cm underwater torpedo tubes which were a feature of the original design. (Tom Wismann)

Two of the three 70kW turbo-dynamos were located in the starboard engine room and the third in the port engine room. All were designed and built by Brown Boveri & Cie, Switzerland: the dynamo was a four-pole compound type producing 112V x 134A at 5,000rpm. There were ca 540 electrical outlets (mainly for lighting) distributed throughout the ship, and 40 electrical motors with a total power of 37kW. Emergency lighting was by a lead battery consisting of 17 elements; it supplied 34V and had a capacity of 525Ah for three hours’ lighting.

Inboard profile and deck plan of Niels Juel as completed in 1923. The armoured belt (see hatching at waterline) is relatively narrow – in the original monitor design it extended to the upper deck. Note the broad arcs on the single guns. Even when the ship was completed the HA armament of two 57mm guns (after end of the shelter deck) was outdated, and would have been ineffectual against the aircraft of the day. (National Archives of Denmark)

The refrigerating plant was sized to provide cooling for the magazines and the cold store rooms. Cooling was generated by three carbon dioxide refrigerating plants, of which two were located in the steering engine compartment and the third in a separate space to starboard in the auxiliary engine room

The ship had a single balanced rudder with a surface area of 9.5m². The steering gear was powered by a two-cylinder steam engine, located on the rear bulkhead in the port engine room and operated via a chain drive.

Bunkers and endurance

There was bunkerage for 223 tonnes of fuel oil and 244 tonnes of coal. The ship had a range of 6,000nm at 9 knots.

Protection

The armour was for the most part of the Krupp Cemented type (KC) and was manufactured by the American company Bethlehem Steel. When a Danish commission visited the factory in 1919 to witness the proving trials, the armour was penetrated by the shells fired at it and therefore not accepted. The Navy´s Head Armourer also discovered that Bethlehem Steel had used shells with softer noses than specified in the contract. As the contracted weight of the armour was a crucial element in the design of the hull and was key to draught and stability, the plates were eventually accepted, but at a reduced price!

The side armour extended from five metres from the bow to two metres from the stern. It had a height of 2.10, with one metre above and 1.10m below the waterline. The thickness amidships was 195mm tapering to 155mm at the ends. The armour belt was secured to a 50mm wooden backing and a 13mm inner steel skin, and was closed fore and aft by armoured transverse bulkheads with thicknesses of 175mm and 165mm respectively. The armoured deck rested on the upper edge of the belt, and was of special shipbuilding steel with a thickness of 55mm. Forward of the transverse bulkhead the deck armour was continued flush with the lower edge of the side armour to strengthen the ram bow.

At the forward end of the superstructure there was an armoured conning tower with navigation and fire control positions on two levels. The upper – fire control – position had slit windows overlooking the navigation position, which enveloped the fire control position to the front and sides. An armoured tube for the electrical cabling and voice-pipes led from the conning tower down to the ship control centre and the transmitting station below the armoured deck. The sides of the tower had a thickness of 170mm, the roof and deck a thickness of 40mm, and the communications tube 100mm.

The boiler uptakes were protected by 75mm of armour, and the ammunition hoists by 16mm plating.

Niels Iuel early in her career, probably in Iceland during the royal cruise in 1926 or 1930. The square deckhouse abaft the funnel is a smoking lounge for the royal family specially built for these occasions. (R Steen Steensen, Danish Armed Forces Photo Gallery)

Armament

The Navy wanted the main armament to be a further development from the Herluf Trolle’s two single 24cm (9.4in) guns, with four 24cm guns in two twin hydraulically operated turrets. As the RDN had no experience with twin hydraulic turrets, the Director of Shipbuilding and Machinery and the Director of Ordnance went on a study tour of several foreign gun manufacturers. Some of the latter suggested that the RDN opt for 30.5cm (12in) guns instead of 24cm, as the weight and price of two 30.5cm single turrets was nearly the same as two twin 24cm turrets. The Ministry of the Navy welcomed this suggestion, although it was thought that four 24cm might have a better chance of securing an early hit on the enemy because of their greater rate of fire.

As a result of these investigations, bids were sought at the beginning of 1914 for the delivery of two single turrets armed with 30.5cm guns from British, French and German gun manufacturers. Much to the surprise of those concerned the Swedish Bofors company submitted an unsolicited bid at a price lower than the other contenders, even though Bofors had never before produced a naval turret for a 30.5cm gun. The RDN and the Ministry was unconvinced by the Swedish proposal, which was considered a risk, and the order was placed with the German Krupp company, which had submitted the second lowest bid, in July 1914, less than a month before the First World War broke out. The contract for the two turrets, which included the guns and 150 semi-armour