HMS New Zealand (1905)

HMS New Zealand (1905) History

HMS New Zealand was a King Edward VII-class battleship of the Royal Navy. Like all ships of this class (except the HMS King Edward VII), she was named after an important part of the British Empire, New Zealand. The ship was built by Portsmouth Dockyard between 1903 and 1905.

Equipped with turrets of four 12" (305mm) and four 9.2" (234mm) guns, she and her sister ships marked a significant advance in attack power over earlier British battleship designs, which did not carry 9.2 in guns.

She was commissioned in July 1905 and briefly served in the Atlantic Fleet from October 1907 to March 1907, before transferring to the Channel Fleet. In 1909, she joined the Home Fleet. In 1911, she changed her name to HMS Zealandia. In 1912, she was assigned to the 3rd Combat Squadron of the Home Fleet, along with her sister ships.

That year, during the First Balkan War, the squadron went to the Mediterranean as part of an international blockade of Montenegro. In 1913, the ship returned to British waters.

At the outbreak of the First World War, Zealandia was sent back to the 3rd Battle Squadron and assigned to the Grand Fleet, the main British fleet during the war. During 1914 and 1915, the ships frequently went out to sea in search of German ships, but Zelandia saw no action during this period. At the end of the same year, the Grand Fleet ceased operations with the old ships of the 3rd Combat Squadron, and in November 1915 was sent to serve in the Battle of Gallipoli. However, the campaign ended shortly thereafter, so Zealandia returned to England in January 1916 and rejoined the 3rd Combat Squadron in March. The payoff came in late 1917, and in early 1918 the ship was converted into a gunnery training ship, but she never served in that capacity.

In 1919, she served as a barracks ship before being sold in 1921 and scrapped in 1923.

Specification

BASIC

Year of Service

1905

Origins

UK

supplement

777

staff

Class information

Class

King Edward VII

Class Size

8

ships

Class

HMS King Edward VII; Royal Navy; HMS Hindustan; HMS Britannia; HMS Reign; HMS New Zealand/New Zealand; HMS Africa; HMS Hibernia

Operators

UK

Characters

Sea Bombing

Maritime bombardment/attack of surface targets/areas primarily through ship-based ballistic weapons.

Land Assault

Littoral attacks against surface targets primarily through ship-based missiles/missile weapons.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Airspace Denial/Deterrence

Neutralization or deterrence of flying elements by airborne missile weapon ballistics.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Flagship/Capital Ship

Take on the role of fleet flagship or capital ship in old battleship design/terminology.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

454. 0 feet

138.38m

Ray

78. 0 feet

23.77m

Draft

25.5 feet

7.77m

Shift

16,350 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

Water tube boiler with 2 compound vertical expansion steam engines producing 18,000 hp on 2 shafts.

Surface Velocity

section 18.5

(21.3 km/h)

Area

1,999nm

(2,300 miles | 3,701 kilometers)

Weapon

4 x 305 mm (12") BL Mk IX guns 4 x 235 mm (9.2") BL Mk X guns 10 x 152 mm (6") BL Mk VII guns 14 x 12-pdr guns 14 x 3-pdr guns 5 x 18" (450 mm) torpedo tubes

Aircraft

None.