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HMS Rodney (29)

1927 WORLD WAR 2

HMS Rodney (29) History

Under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, the Royal Navy (RN) was only allowed to have two capital ships, the Nelson-class HMS Nelson and HMS Rodney. The couple ordered it in 1922 as the military retreat of the post-World War I era continued. However, the RN learned the lessons of naval warfare in the conflict, especially at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, where toughness and firepower proved more important and maneuverability more important. These warships were in service throughout the 1920s and 1930s, and by the time of World War II in 1939, they were considered the most modern warships available to the British fleet.

Both managed to survive years of conflict and ended their days in the junkyard.

HMS Rodney (29) Built by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, laid on 28 December 1922. She was launched on December 17, 1925, and officially commissioned on November 10, 1927. Her career theme is "Eagle Sterile Pigeon".

One of the disadvantages of the 1920s build, especially under the Washington Naval Treaty, was the 36,000 ton displacement limit. This meant that engineers had to find the perfect balance between size, armor and weapons, while also paying attention to the speeds that could be achieved. A must for some ships is a 16-inch main gun battery and soundproofing.

Rodney and Nelson were equipped with more advanced features than their contemporaries - including liquid-filled bulkheads below the waterline.

HMS Rodney displaces 34,270 tonnes under standard load, rising to 38,000 tonnes under full load. She has a length of 710 feet, a beam of 106 feet, and a draft of 31 feet. Power is provided by 8 oil-fired 3-barrel boiler units from the Admiralty, feeding 2 x 45,000 hp Brown-Curtis geared steam turbine sets on 2 shafts below the stern.

This great warship can sail at 23 knots and has a range of up to 14,500 nautical miles.

There are 1,314 people on board, but when Rodney is designated as flagship, it can carry a crew of more than 1,300.

Armor protection ranges from 14" on the belt and 6" on the deck to 16" on the turret and 14" on the conning tower. She is undoubtedly a well-armored battleship.

Primary armament consists of the 9 x 16 inch Mk I-series gun, mounted in traditional three-armed turrets. As a result, the superstructure of the bridge and all her masts moved amidships and stern.

The position of the second mast is getting closer and closer to the stern, and the smoke funnel is located between the two mast positions.

In addition to 16" guns, 12 x 6" Mk XXII guns with 6 twin gun turrets, 6 x QF 4, 7" Flak Mk VIII (AA) in single gun position and 8 x 2 ram anti - Machine gun in single-gun position. This battleship was a product of its time and was equipped with 2 x 24.5" (622 mm) Mk I torpedo tubes.

Along with her armor, the HMS Rodney is a very powerful warship.

Well-armed and armored, the Nelson class was considered slow, but that was the price the postwar world paid for treaty restrictions. In addition, the complex armor scheme made them very expensive to maintain and difficult to repair.

Before the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, HMS Rodney served in the British Atlantic and Home Fleet, and in October 1938 received the 79Y radar - the first ship to be equipped with this important component RN warship. In 1940 the system was upgraded to the Type 279 radar.

Still, the class is in desperate need of an overhaul, which will have to wait.

Between chasing down enemy warships and escorting Allied convoys, Rodney was involved in the hunt for the KMS Bismarck. Along with the rest of the RN, she engaged the damaged battleship, rapidly reducing her range. Rodney alone fired more than 300 shells and a dozen torpedoes.

At least one fish hit a doomed enemy warship - the first and only time a warship has successfully torpedoed another in a naval battle. After the operation, the ship was finally overhauled in US waters (Boston).

Rodney was involved in the Allied invasion of North Africa through Operation Torch and supported the invasion of Sicily and the invasion of Normandy in 1944 (D-Day). Also in 1944, she ceded her status as the flagship of the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow to the overhauled HMS Nelson.

After the war (1945), the warship was laid up with her sister in the Firth of Forth in 1948, where they served as an aerial bombardment target. From there, the pair was immediately scrapped.