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HMS Colossus

1911 BATTLE OF JUTLAND WORLD WAR 1

History of HMS Colossus

Amid rumours that Germany is secretly building its own fleet of new "Dreadnought" battleships, and the British Navy accelerates its expansion of its power, the HMS Colossus appears. After HMS Dreadnought redrawn the battleship design after commissioning in 1906, the HMS Colossus employed a similar "full cannon" armament method and steam turbine propulsion machinery to form a two-man battleship that also had sister HMS Hercules . HMS Colossus was registered in 1909 and laid by Scotts Greenock on July 8 of that year.

She went to sea on April 9, 1910, and was officially commissioned on August 8, 1911. After her launch, HMS Colossus and her sister flagged some of the last British steel battleships to carry the 12-inch model as their main guns - suggesting a move to more powerful 13.5-inch models and newer designs would follow.

HMS Colossus and her sister benefited in design over existing dreadnoughts as they received better armor protection. Armor protection for conveyor belts and turrets reaches 11 inches and 3 inches on deck. To compensate for the expected weight gain, the rear mast was omitted. The foremast remained but was integrated into the front funnel, which ended up causing some issues with the in-game fire control system. Two smoke funnels adorn her profile, and when fully loaded she displaces 22,700 tons.

Dimensions include a length of 546 feet, a beam of 85 feet and a draft of 26 feet. Electricity is supplied by 18 boilers and 4 steam turbines driving 25,000 hp on 4 shafts. Top speed under ideal conditions reaches 21 knots.

The crew counted 755 in peacetime, although in wartime the total rose to about 800.

The heart of the ship is her armament, guided by 10 x 12 in (304.8 mm) BL Mk XII main guns mounted in five turrets, each in the bow, surrounded by two turrets Midship. The last two turrets were towards the stern, giving the Colossus a formidable broadside. Secondary armament included the 16 x 4" (101.6 mm) BL Mk VII gun.

The Colossus also carried 3 x 21" torpedo tubes, which were common on warships of the time.

The first deployment of HMS Colossus was part of the 2nd Combat Squadron (Home Fleet). It came just in time for the first major conflict of the 20th centuryWorld War I, which began in the summer of 1914 and lasted about four years of fighting.

In August of the same year, HMS Colossus was appointed as the flagship of the 1st Combat Squadron.

The Battle of Jutland in May-June 1916 was the largest naval battle of World War I, involving Great Britain, Australia and Canada against the German Empire. This force ranges from 28 battleships to 16 battleships (each) as well as many other small ship types. Germany tried to lure the Grand Fleet into the war in order to break the British blockade of the country - a blockade designed to severely hinder its merchant marine forces. In the end, both sides claimed victory, and history marked the engagement as "tactically inconclusive"though it was a "strategic victory" for the Allies.

During the fight, HMS Colossus suffered two direct hits, inflicting minor damage to her front, but survived and continued the fight.

From June 1916 to September 1917, the Colossus was recalled for an overhaul. In April 1918, she followed the Grand Fleet to Rosyth. The war ended with an armistice in November 1918. The Grand Fleet was then disbanded and the HMS Colossus was used as the flagship of the Reserve Fleet.

By June 1921, her military value was limited by the provisions of the Washington Naval Treaty. She was marked for scrap and salvaged as a cadet training vessel, but her luck ran out in 1923 when she was sold and eventually scrapped in late 1928.