HMS Monarch (1911)

HMS Monarch

Company type	Battleship
Industry	Naval military vessel
Founded	1 April 1910
Headquarters	Elswick , United Kingdom
Products	Orion-class dreadnought battleship

HMS Monarch Overview

HMS Monarch represented the second vessel in the series of four Orion-class dreadnought battleships constructed for the Royal Navy during the early 1910s. Throughout her operational life, she primarily served within the Home Fleet and later the Grand Fleet. Her wartime activities included involvement in the unsuccessful pursuit of German forces responsible for the bombardment of Scarborough, Hartlepool, and Whitby in late 1914, participation in the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, and engagement in the indecisive 19 August action later that year. Outside these notable encounters, her role during World War I largely entailed standard patrol duties and training exercises conducted in the North Sea.

Following the disbandment of the Grand Fleet in early 1919, Monarch was reassigned briefly to the Home Fleet before being placed into the Reserve Fleet. She was earmarked for disposal by mid-1922; however, instead of being scrapped immediately, she was converted into a stationary training ship. Subsequently, at the end of 1923, Monarch underwent transformation into a target ship, ultimately being sunk in early 1925.

Design and description

The Orion class was developed as a direct response to the onset of the Anglo-German naval arms race, featuring significantly larger dimensions than the earlier Colossus-class battleship class to house more powerful artillery and enhanced armor protection. Due to these advancements, they were occasionally referred to as "super-dreadnoughts". Each vessel measured an overall length of 581 feet (177.1 m), with a beam spanning 88 feet 6 inches (27.0 m) and a deep draught of 31 feet 3 inches (9.5 m). Their displacement was 21,922 long tons (22,274 t) under normal load conditions and increased to 25,596 long tons (26,007 t) at deep load upon completion; by 1918, Monarch’s deep load displacement had risen to 28,556 long tons (29,014 t). The crew complement consisted of 738 officers and ratings at commissioning, expanding to 750 by 1914.

Propulsion for the Orion class comprised two sets of Parsons direct-drive steam turbines, each powering a pair of shafts, with steam generated by 18 Yarrow boilers. These turbines were rated at 27,000 shaft horsepower (20,000 kW), designed to propel the battleships at speeds up to 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph). During sea trials on 9 December 1911, Monarch achieved a peak velocity of 21.9 knots (40.6 km/h; 25.2 mph) powered by 32,277 shaft horsepower (24,069 kW). The vessels carried sufficient coal and fuel oil reserves to cover a distance of approximately 6,730 nautical miles (12,460 km; 7,740 mi) when cruising at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

Armament and armour

Monarch discharging her main battery, prior to 1915

The main offensive weaponry of the Orion class consisted of ten 13.5 inches (340 mm) Mark V BL 13.5 inch Mk V naval guns arranged in five hydraulically operated twin turrets aligned along the centerline. These turrets were labeled 'A', 'B', 'Q', 'X', and 'Y', proceeding from bow to stern. Their secondary arsenal included sixteen BL Mark VII 4 inches (100 mm) guns, evenly distributed between the forward and aft superstructures in single mounts. Additionally, four QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss saluting guns (47 millimetres (1.9 in)) were installed. The ships were also outfitted with three submerged 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes—one on each broadside and one at the stern—with a total complement of 20 torpedoes available.

Protection for the Orion vessels featured a waterline armored belt measuring 12 inches (300 mm), extending between the foremost and aftmost barbettes. Deck armor thickness varied from 1 inch (25 mm) up to 4 inches, with the thickest plating safeguarding the steering gear located in the stern section. The faces of the main battery turrets were shielded by armor plates 11 inches (280 mm) thick, while their supporting barbettes had armor approximately 10 inches (250 mm) thick.

Alterations

In 1914, the guns located on the shelter deck were enclosed within casemates and a fire-control director was installed prior to August of that year on a platform beneath the spotting top. By October 1914, two 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft (AA) guns had been fitted. Following the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, additional deck armour was applied. Around this period, three 4-inch guns were removed from the aft superstructure, and the vessel was adapted to support kite balloon operations. Between 1917 and 1918, a flying-off platform was installed atop 'B' turret’s roof, extending over the gun barrels. By 1921, a high-angle rangefinder had been mounted in the forward superstructure.

Construction and service

A gun turret, likely belonging to Monarch, at the Elswick shipyard, circa 1911

The battleship Monarch took its name from a third-rate ship of the line, Monarque, which had been seized from the French in 1747, marking it as the third Royal Navy vessel to carry this name. Constructed by Armstrong Whitworth at their Elswick yard, her keel was laid on 1 April 1910 with launching occurring on 30 March 1911. Completion was achieved by 31 March 1912; she entered service with a partial crew on 16 April and was fully commissioned by 27 April. Her overall cost, including armaments, is recorded variously as approximately £1,888,736 or £1,886,912. Initially assigned to the Home Fleet's 2nd division, which was renamed the 2nd Battle Squadron on 1 May, Monarch, alongside her sister ships Thunderer and Orion, took part in the Parliamentary Naval Review held at Spithead on 9 July. Subsequently, they engaged in fleet training exercises. The trio also received the President of France, Raymond Poincaré, at Spithead on 24 June 1913 and participated in the annual fleet manoeuvres that August.

Monarch entering Portsmouth harbour in 1913

Service during World War I

From 17 to 20 July 1914, Monarch participated in a mobilisation test and fleet review as part of Britain's response to the July Crisis. She arrived at Portland on 25 July and was ordered four days later to join the Home Fleet's movement to Scapa Flow, aiming to protect against potential surprise attacks by the Imperial German Navy. After World War I commenced in August, the Home Fleet was restructured into the Grand Fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir John Jellicoe. On 8 August while conducting gunnery drills southeast of Fair Isle, Monarch experienced an unsuccessful torpedo attack from a submarine; however, this was likely a false alarm due to its location outside typical German U-boat patrol areas. The German submarine SM U-15 has been proposed as a possible attacker but was sunk with all hands the following day; thus definitive confirmation is impossible.

The ships of the 2nd BS navigating through the Solent, circa 1914. From left: King George V, Thunderer, Monarch, and Conqueror

Persistent submarine sightings around Scapa Flow led Jellicoe to judge its defences insufficient; consequently, he ordered dispersal of the Grand Fleet to alternate bases until improvements were made. On 16 OctoberTemplate:Nat the 2nd BS relocated to Loch na Keal off Scotland’s west coast. On the morning of 27 October, while en route for gunnery drills near northern Ireland’s coast, the dreadnought Audacious struck a mine recently laid by the German armed merchant cruiser SS Berlin. Mistaking it for a torpedo attack by a submarine, other dreadnoughts withdrew from the vicinity while smaller vessels provided assistance. Later that year on November 22 evening, during an unproductive sweep of southern North Sea, Monarch operated with the main fleet supporting Vice-Admiral David Beatty’s 1st Battlecruiser Squadron. The Grand Fleet returned to Scapa Flow by November 27.

Attack on Scarborough, Hartlepool, and Whitby

Main article: Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby

The Royal Navy's Room 40 had successfully intercepted and decoded German radio transmissions revealing plans for a mid-December assault on Scarborough, Hartlepool, and Whitby. This operation was to be carried out by the four battlecruisers under the command of Konteradmiral (Rear-Admiral) Franz von Hipper's I Scouting Group. However, the intercepted communications did not disclose that the High Seas Fleet, comprising fourteen dreadnoughts alongside eight pre-dreadnought battleships, would support Hipper’s squadron. Both fleets set sail from their respective ports on 15 December, with the British aiming to ambush the Germans as they returned. Vice-Admiral Sir George Warrender's 2nd Battle Squadron, including Monarch and her sister ships Orion and Conqueror, joined Beatty's four battlecruisers in this effort.

In the early hours of 16 December, amid darkness and severe weather conditions, the screening units of both navies unexpectedly encountered each other. The Germans gained the upper hand during the initial exchange, inflicting significant damage on several British destroyers. Nevertheless, Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl, commanding the High Seas Fleet, ordered a withdrawal due to concerns over a potential concentrated dawn attack by British destroyers. Subsequent miscommunications and errors on the British side enabled Hipper’s forces to evade a direct confrontation with Beatty’s squadron.

1915–1916

Monarch near Portsmouth with a Short Type 184 overhead

In late December, the Grand Fleet undertook another unproductive patrol of the North Sea. During an attempt to enter Scapa Flow amid a Force 8 gale and limited visibility on 27 December, Monarch was accidentally struck by Conqueror. The collision occurred as Monarch executed an unexpected maneuver to avoid a guardship at the harbor entrance, which Conqueror was unable to evade. The impact caused moderate damage to Monarch’s stern, necessitating temporary repairs at Scapa Flow before she proceeded to Devonport for full restoration on 4 January 1915. She rejoined the Grand Fleet by 20 January.

On the evening of 23 January, most of the Grand Fleet sailed out to support Beatty’s battlecruisers but Monarch and other units of the fleet did not engage in the subsequent Battle of Dogger Bank on the following day. Between 7 and 10 March, the Grand Fleet conducted a northern North Sea sweep combined with training exercises. A similar sortie occurred from 16 to 19 March. On 11 April, a patrol was carried out in the central North Sea returning on 14 April; this was followed by another patrol from 17 to 19 April and gunnery drills near Shetland between 20 and 21 April.

Further sweeps into the central North Sea took place from 17 to 19 May and again between 29 and 31 May without encountering enemy vessels. From 11 to 14 June, gunnery practices and battle exercises were held west of Shetland, followed by additional training off Shetland starting on 11 July. The 2nd Battle Squadron conducted gunnery drills in the Moray Firth on 2 August before returning to Scapa Flow. Between 2 and 5 September, another northern North Sea cruise was undertaken with accompanying gunnery exercises. Throughout September, multiple training operations were executed by the Grand Fleet. From 13 to 15 October, Monarch participated in a North Sea sweep alongside most of the Grand Fleet. Nearly three weeks later, she took part in fleet training west of Orkney from 2 to 5 November and repeated similar exercises in early December.

The four Orion-class battleships sailing in line ahead formation after 1915

On 10 February 1916, the Grand Fleet sortied in response to German attacks against British light forces near Dogger Bank but was recalled two days later when it became clear that no German capital ships were involved beyond destroyers. A cruise commenced on 26 February; Jellicoe had planned for the Harwich Force to sweep the Heligoland Bight, but adverse weather conditions prevented southern North Sea operations. Consequently, activities were limited to northern waters. Another sweep started on 6 March but was aborted on the following day due to severe weather affecting destroyer escorts. On the night of 25 March, Monarch and other fleet units departed Scapa Flow to support Beatty’s battlecruisers and accompanying light forces conducting a raid on the German Zeppelin base at Tondern. Upon arrival on 26 March, both sides had already disengaged and worsening weather threatened smaller vessels; thus, orders were given for a return to base. On 21 April, the Grand Fleet staged a demonstration off Horns Reef intended as a diversion while the Imperial Russian Navy relaid defensive minefields in the Baltic Sea. The fleet returned to Scapa Flow on 24 April for refueling before proceeding south following intelligence indicating an imminent German raid on Lowestoft; however, they arrived after German forces had withdrawn. Between 2 and 4 May another demonstration off Horns Reef aimed at maintaining German focus in the North Sea was conducted.

Battle of Jutland

Illustrations depicting the movements of the British (blue) and German (red) naval forces from 31 May to 1 June 1916

Main article: Battle of Jutland

On the morning of 31 May, the High Seas Fleet, consisting of sixteen dreadnoughts, six pre-dreadnought battleships, and accompanying vessels, set out from Jade Bight with the objective of drawing out and destroying part of the Grand Fleet. This force operated alongside Hipper’s squadron of five battlecruisers. Intelligence from Room 40 had intercepted and decoded German communications revealing these plans. Consequently, the Admiralty directed the Grand Fleet—comprising approximately 28 dreadnoughts and 9 battlecruisers—to sail the previous night with orders to intercept and annihilate the High Seas Fleet.

During deployment on 31 May, Monarch, commanded by Captain George Borrett, was positioned as the sixth vessel in the battle line. In the initial phase of combat, at 18:32, she launched three salvos of armour-piercing capped (APC) shells from her main battery targeting a formation of five battleships. One shell struck the dreadnought SMS König, disabling a 15-centimetre (5.9 in) gun turret, temporarily shutting down three boilers, and igniting multiple minor fires. Later at 19:14, Monarch engaged the battlecruiser SMS Lützow at a distance between 17,300–18,450 yards (15,820–16,870 m) with five APC salvos, reportedly straddling her with the final two volleys. During this engagement, Lützow was also targeted by Orion, sustaining five hits that disabled two main guns, caused temporary loss of power to her aft turret, and inflicted significant flooding. After this action, Monarch ceased firing for the remainder of the battle, having discharged fifty-three 13.5-inch APC shells in total.

Subsequent activity

Monarch moored at Scapa Flow in June 1917

On 18 August, the Grand Fleet put to sea intending to ambush the High Seas Fleet as it moved into the southern North Sea. However, due to a combination of communication failures and errors, Admiral Jellicoe was unable to intercept the German force before it returned to harbor. During this operation, two British light cruisers were sunk by German U-boats. As a result, Jellicoe decided against risking major fleet units south of latitude 55°30' North because of the high threat posed by enemy submarines and mines. The Admiralty agreed with this assessment and decreed that the Grand Fleet would only sortie if there was a credible threat of a German invasion or a strong likelihood that favorable conditions for engagement could be established.

In April 1918, the High Seas Fleet conducted another sortie aimed at disrupting British convoys bound for Norway. Strict radio silence was maintained throughout this mission, which prevented Room 40 cryptanalysts from alerting Admiral Beatty—the new commander of the Grand Fleet—about German movements. The British only became aware after an incident aboard SMS Moltke forced her to break radio silence to report damage to her commander. Beatty promptly ordered his fleet to intercept; however, he failed to catch up before the Germans retreated back to Germany. Monarch was present at Rosyth, Scotland when the High Seas Fleet formally surrendered on 21 November and remained assigned to the 2nd Battle Squadron until at least 1 March 1919.

By early May that year, Monarch had been reassigned to the Home Fleet’s 3rd Battle Squadron. The squadron was disbanded on 1 November and Monarch, along with her sister ships, was transferred to Portland’s Reserve Fleet. By mid-March 1920 she had returned to Portsmouth. During summers in both 1920 and 1921 she was briefly recommissioned for troop transport duties between Britain and the Mediterranean. On 5 May 1922 she was decommissioned and placed on disposal lists pursuant to requirements under the Washington Naval Treaty. Although initially offered for sale in August that year, she was withdrawn and repurposed as a training hulk attached to HMS Vernon (shore establishment).

On 13 June 1923 Monarch was decommissioned again and subsequently converted into a target ship at HMNB Portsmouth. A mock-up of Nelson-class battleship underwater protection was installed on her hull for testing blast effects caused by large bomb detonations alongside ships’ sides. An explosive charge weighing 2,081 pounds (944 kg) of TNT—equivalent in power to a 4,000 -lb aerial bomb—was detonated at a depth of 40 minutes () approximately from her hull. Despite damage sustained during this trial, her hull remained watertight afterward. The following year live bombs dropped by Airco DH.9A aircraft inflicted minimal damage; subsequent internal detonations were conducted to assess structural resilience. On 20 January 1925 she was towed out from Plymouth by dockyard tugs into Hurd's Deep in the English Channel—roughly 50 -nmi south of the Isles of Scilly. There she endured an assault by waves of Royal Air Force bombers scoring multiple strikes; this was followed by bombardment from four light cruisers using six-inch guns and fire from destroyer HMS Vectis’s four-inch artillery. To conclude the exercise fast battleships HMS Hood and HMS Repulse, along with five vessels opened fire with their formidable fifteen-inch guns. Although precise hit counts are unrecorded, after approximately nine hours under fire she sank at around 22:00 following a final blow delivered by HMS Revenge.

Bibliography

• Brown, David K. (2000). Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development 1923–1945. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-55750-492-X.
• Burt, R. A. (1986). British Battleships of World War One. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-863-8.
• Campbell, N. J. M. (1986). Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-324-5.
• Template:Cite Colledge2006
• Corbett, Julian (1997). Naval Operations. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol. III (reprint of the 1940 second ed.). London and Nashville, Tennessee: Imperial War Museum in association with the Battery Press. ISBN 1-870423-50-X.
• Friedman, Norman (2015). The British Battleship 1906–1946. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-225-7.
• Goldrick, James (2015). Before Jutland: The Naval War in Northern European Waters, August 1914–February 1915. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-349-9.
• Halpern, Paul G. (1995). A Naval History of World War I. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-352-4.
• Jellicoe, John (1919). The Grand Fleet, 1914–1916: Its Creation, Development, and Work. New York: George H. Doran Company. OCLC 13614571.
• Massie, Robert K. (2003). Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-45671-6.
• Parkes, Oscar (1990) [1966]. British Battleships, Warrior 1860 to Vanguard 1950: A History of Design, Construction, and Armament (New & rev. ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-075-4.
• Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
• Showell, Jak Mallmann (2006). The U-boat Century: German Submarine Warfare 1906–2006. London: Chatham. ISBN 1-86176-241-0.
• Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0.
• Tarrant, V. E. (1999) [1995]. Jutland: The German Perspective: A New View of the Great Battle, 31 May 1916. London: Brockhampton Press. ISBN 1-86019-917-8.

External links

• Overhead perspective of the deck on H.M.S. Monarch (Marine Engineer & Naval Architect, December 1911)
• HMS Monarch crew roster – Battle of Jutland Crew Lists Project