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For other ships with the same name, see HMS Nelson and HMS Lord Nelson.
History
UK
Ordered1922
BuilderArmstrong-Whitworth
Laid down28 December 1922
Launched3 September 1925
Commissioned15 August 1927[1]
DecommissionedFebruary 1948
In service1927–1948
Stricken1948
Mottolist error: <br /> list (help)
Palmam qui meruit ferat
Latin: "Let him bear the palm who has deserved it"
FateScrapped starting on 15 March 1949
BadgeA rearing lion facing back clasping a palm frond
General characteristics
Class and typeNelson-class battleship
Displacementlist error: <br /> list (help)
31,800 long tons (32,300 t);
37,780 long tons (38,390 t) full load
Lengthlist error: <br /> list (help)
709 ft 9 in (216.3 m) (overall)
660 ft (200 m)* (waterline)
Beam106 ft (32.3 m)
Draught28 ft 1 in (8.6 m)
Propulsionlist error: <br /> list (help)
8 Admiralty 3-drum small-tubed boilers
2 Brown-Curtiss single reduction geared turbines, 2 screws,
45,000 hp (34 MW)
Speed23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph) (trials)
Range7,000 nautical miles at 16 knots (13,000 km at 30 km/h)
Complement1,361
Armamentlist error: <br /> list (help)
(1945): 9 × BL 16-inch (406 mm) Mk I guns

12 × BL 6 in (152 mm) Mk XXII guns
6 × QF 4.7 inch (120mm) anti-aircraft guns
4 x 3pdr Hotchkiss
8 x 2pdr Single QF
48 × QF 2-pdr AA (6 octuple mounts)
16 × 40 mm AA (4 × 4)

61 × 20 mm AA guns
Armourlist error: <br /> list (help)
14 in (356 mm) midships
6.75 in (171 mm) deck
16 in (406 mm) turret face
13.4 in (340 mm) conning tower sides
Aircraft carried1, no catapult

HMS Nelson (pennant number 28) was one of two Nelson-class battleships built for the Royal Navy between the two World Wars. She was named in honour of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson the victor at the Battle of Trafalgar. The Nelsons were unique in British battleship construction, being the only ships to carry a main armament of 16-inch (406 mm) guns, and the only ones to carry all the main armament forward of the superstructure. These were a result of the limitations of the Washington Naval Treaty. Commissioned in 1930, Nelson served extensively in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian oceans during World War II. She was decommissioned soon after the end of the war and scrapped in 1949.

She was nicknamed "Nels-ol" from her outline which resembled RN oilers.

Description[edit]

Main article: King George V-class battleship (1939)

Nelson displaced 32,800 long tons (33,300 t) as built and 37,780 long tons (38,400 t) fully loaded. The ship had an overall length of 710 feet (216.4 m), a beam of 106 feet (32.3 m) and a draught of 28 feet (8.5 m). Her designed metacentric height was 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) feet at normal load and 8 feet 1 inch (2.46 m) feet at deep load.[2][3]

She was powered by Brown Curtis single-reduction geared turbines, driving two propeller shafts. Steam was provided by eight Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers which normally delivered 100,000 shaft horsepower (75,000 kW), but could deliver 110,000 shp (82,000 kW) at emergency overload. This gave Nelson a top speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph).[4][5] The ship carried 3,700 long tons (3,800 t) of fuel oil, which was later increased to 4,030 long tons (4,100 t).[6] She also carried 183 long tons (200 t) of diesel oil, 256 long tons (300 t) of reserve feed water and 430 long tons (400 t) of freshwater.[7] At full speed Nelson had a range of 3,100 nautical miles (5,700 km; 3,600 mi) at 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph).[8]

Armament[edit]

Nelson mounted 10 BL 14-inch (356 mm) Mk VII guns, which were mounted in one Mark II twin turret forward and two Mark III quadruple turrets, one forward and one aft. The guns could be elevated 40 degrees and depressed 3 degrees, while their training arcs varied. Turret "A" was able to traverse 286 degrees, while turrets "B" and "Y" could both move through 270 degrees. Hydraulic drives were used in the training and elevating process, achieving rates of two and eight degrees per second, respectively. A full gun broadside weighed 15,950 pounds (7,230 kg), and a salvo could be fired every 40 seconds.[9] The secondary armament consisted of 16 QF 5.25-inch (133 mm) Mk I dual purpose guns which were mounted in eight twin turrets.[10] The maximum range of the Mk I guns was 24,070 yards (22,009.6 m) at a 45-degree elevation, the anti-aircraft ceiling was 49,000 feet (14,935.2 m). The guns could be elevated to 70 degrees and depressed to 5 degrees.[11] The normal rate of fire was ten to twelve rounds per minute, but in practice the guns could only fire seven to eight rounds per minute.

Along with her main and secondary batteries, Nelson carried 48 QF 2 pdr (40-millimetre (1.6 in)) Mk.VIII "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns in six octuple, power-driven, mountings. These were supplemented by six 20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon light AA guns in single, hand-worked, mounts.

History[edit]

Nelson was laid down in December 1922 and built at Newcastle by Armstrong-Whitworth. Launched in September 1925, she was commissioned in August 1927 and joined by her sister ship HMS Rodney (built by Cammell Laird) in November. She cost £ 7,504,000 to build and made partial use of the material prepared for the cancelled Admiral-class battlecruisers HMS Anson and Howe, planned sister ships of HMS Hood.

She was the flagship of the Home Fleet from launch. In 1931 the crews of both Nelson and Rodney took part in the Invergordon Mutiny. On 12 January 1934 she ran aground on Hamilton's Shoal, just outside Portsmouth, as she was about to embark with the Home Fleet to the West Indies.

Nelson was modified little during the 1930s and was with the Home Fleet when war broke out in September 1939. On 25 and 26 September she performed escort duty during the salvage and rescue operations of the submarine HMS Spearfish. Nelson was first deployed in the North Sea in October against a German formation of cruisers and destroyers, all of which easily evaded her. On 30 October she was unsuccessfully attacked by U-56 under the command of captain Wilhelm Zahn near the Orkney Islands being hit by three torpedoes, none of which exploded. Later she was again shown up for pace in the futile pursuit of German battlecruisers. In December 1939 she struck a mine (laid by U-31) at the entrance to Loch Ewe on the Scottish coast and was laid up in Portsmouth for repairs until August 1940.

HMS Nelson firing her 16-inch (406 mm) guns during a practice shoot. The massive muzzle blast churns up water to starboard.
Profile drawing of HMS Nelson

Upon return to service she went to Rosyth in case of invasion[12] and was then deployed in the English Channel. From April to June 1941 she was on convoy escort in the Atlantic. In late May she was in Freetown and was ordered to Gibraltar to stand by to take part in the chase of the German battleship Bismarck.

In June 1941 Nelson, then in Gibraltar, was assigned to Force H operating in the Mediterranean as an escort. On 27 September 1941 she was extensively damaged by a Regia Aeronautica torpedo strike and was under repair in Britain until May 1942. She returned to Force H as the flagship in August 1942, performing escort duties for supply convoys running to Malta. She supported Operation Torch around Algeria in November 1942, the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and the Salerno operation (by coastal bombardment) in September 1943. The Italian long armistice was signed between General Dwight Eisenhower and Marshal Pietro Badoglio aboard the Nelson on 29 September.

The Nelson returned to England in November 1943 for a refit, including extensive additions to her anti-aircraft defences. Returning to action she supported the Normandy landings but hit two sea mines on 18 June 1944 and was sent to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania for her repairs. She returned to Britain in January 1945 and was then deployed to the Indian Ocean, arriving in Colombo in July. She was used around the Malayan Peninsula for three months. The Japanese forces there formally surrendered aboard her at George Town, Penang, on 2 September 1945.

Nelson returned home in November 1945 as the flagship of the Home Fleet until reassigned as a training ship in July 1946. She was decommissioned in February 1948. She was used as a target ship for aerial bombing exercises for a several months before being scrapped during March 1949 at Inverkeithing.

Burt[edit]

27 September 1941 - operating with Force H in the mediterranean, Nelson was attacked by Italian aircraft and hit by one torpedo on the port side while under way at 16 knots. Fortunately the torpedo's TNT warhead only weighed about 375lb, but the damage was still extensive. The hit made a hole in the bottom plating approximately 30 feet long x 15 feet and caused extensive floodings to compartments near the blast. When flooding was finally contained 3,700 tons of water was inside her hull resulting in Nelson having a heel of roughly one and a half degrees.

Atlantic fleet (flagship) October 1927 to March 1932 - Collision with SS West Wales spring 1931, slight damage. Embarked King Amanullah of Afghanistan for exercises off Portland April 1928. Atlantic fleet redesignated Home Fleet March 1932.

Grounded in Portsmouth harbour January 1934 when leaving for spring cruise, No damage. Jubilee Review, Spithead 16 July 1935. Extensive refit Portsmouth 1937 to January 1938. With Rodney paid official visit to Lisbon February 1938. Took part in operations against Scharnhorst and Gneisenau 22-30 November 1939 following sinking of Rawalpindi by Scharnhorst on 23 November. Considerably damaged by magnetic mine in Loch Ewe 4 December 1939. Refitted at portsmouth January to August 1940. Temporarily replaced as fleet flag by Warspite pending return of Rodney from refit January 1940. Rejoined fleet August 1940. Norwegian coast operations September 1940. Took part in operations againt Scheer ollowing sinking of Jervis Bay 5 November 1940. OPerations against Scharnhorst and Gneisenau January to March 1941. Relived as fleet flag by King George V 1 April 1941. Detached April 1941 to escort Middle East troop convoy via Cape. Rejoined Home fleet june 1941. Transferred to Force H (gibraltar) July 1941 for Malta convoy, left Clyde with convoy 11 July

Force H - Malta convoy 21-27 July 1941. Selected with Rodney in August 1941 for transfer to Eastern Fleet in December 1941 or January 1942, later cancelled. Malta convoy 24-30 September 1941; damaged forward by aerial torpedo 27 September, during this operation. Ship brought 10ft down by head, reducing speed to 15 knots and later to 12 knots. Refitted at Malta and Rosyth September 1941 to APril.

Home Fleet 2nd battle squadron - Transfer to eastern fleet again proposed April 1942. Left Clyde 31 May 1942, with convoy for Freetown, en route to join Eastern Fleet, via Cape, but recalled from Freetown in July for Malta convoy. Malta convoy 10-15 August. Transferred to Force H October 1942 for North Africa invasion.

Force H - Took part in North Africa invasion November 1942. Came home to work up at Scapa for Sicily invasion in May 1943. Took part in invasion Sicily July 1943 and Italy September 1943. With Rodney, bombarded defences at Reggio 31 august, prior to Italian landings. Supported landings at Salerno 9 September Italian armistice signed on board at Malta 29 September 1943. Left Gibraltar to rejoin Home Fleet 31 OCtober.

Home Fleet - Unit of bombardment force for Normandy invasion June 1944. Carried out twenty bombardments of batteries, including Houlgate battery and troop concentrations 11-18 June. Damaged by mine 18 June. Left portsmouth 22 June to refit in the USA for service with Eastern Fleet. Refit Philadelphia Navy Yard 1944 to January 1945. Rejoined Home fleet January 1945 for working - up.

Home Fleet - Left home April 1945 to join East Indies Fleet (ex- Eastern Fleet) via Suez Canal. Continued work-up in Mediterranean en route and arrived Colombo 9 july relieving Queen Elizabeth on July 12 as flagship 3rd battle squadron and fleet flagship.

East Indies fleet - Surrender of Japanese forces in Singapore area negotiated on board at Penang 2 September 1945. Present at surrender all Japanese forces in South-East asia at Singapore 12 September 1945.

Konstam[edit]

Throughout the pre-ward years, Nelson served as the flagship of the Home Fleet (known as the Atlantic Fleet before 1932). When World War II began she was involved in the pursuit of German raiders, but in December 1939, she struck a mine off Loch Ewe in western Scotland, which damaged the forecastle and caused heavy flooding. After being repaired in Portsmouth Nelson rejoined the Home Fleet in August 1940, where she resumed the task of countering German sorties in the Atlantic. In April 1941, she escorted a convoy around Africa to Egypt and was then transferred to Force H, based in Gibraltar. On 8 August, Nelson was hit by an Italian aerial torpedo off Sardinia, which detonated in the same place as the magnetic mine two years prior. She was repaired in Malta and Rosyth and in May 1942 returned to Gibraltar taking part in Operation Pedestal, escorting a vital resupply convoy to Malta. Nelson remained with Force H until October 1943 and her guns were used to support the landings in Sicily and Calabria. In June 1944 she provided support for Operation Overlord and spent a week firing against German positions in support of the invasion. On 18 June she struck another mine, this time being towed to Philadelphia for repairs. Nelson returned to service in January 1945 and after a period of retraining with the Home Fleet was sent to the Far East, joining the Eastern Fleet in July. After receiving the surrender of Japanese forces in Singapore, she returned home, where she was placed on the reserve list. After a brief spell as a training ship, she was earmarked for disposal and in 1948 she was used as a bombing target for the Fleet air arm before finally being sold for scrap in early 1949.[13]

Rohwer[edit]

(1,3,5,6,7,9,10,16,25,40,48,50,56,73,74,77,88,89,94,99,103,104,186,209,223,255,261,262,264,269,271,273,279,331,332,424,429)

31 August 1939 - 7 September 1939, British Home Fleet, including Nelson search the waters inbetween Scotland, Iceland and Norway for returning German merchant ships, in particular for the fast Atlantic liner Bremen, following the Germans attacking Poland on 1 September.

From 6 to 10 September, the Home Fleet along with Nelson and Rodney operates against German blockade-runners off the Norwegian coast.

25-26 September, Nelson provides distant cover for the retrieval of the badly damaged British submarine Spearfish in the central North Sea. The force is attacked by German bombers, but Nelson is not hit.

7-9 October, following the German fleet mobilising in an attempt to lure the Home Fleet across a concentration of U-Boats and within range of the Luftwaffe, in an attempt to relive the pressure that German pocket battleship are under. The large German formation is spotted on the 8 October, with Nelson being deployed along with her sister-ship, however, the operation ends without result for either side.

22-31 October, Nelson along with Rodney, HMS Hood and six destroyers provide distant cover for a British ore convoy from Narvik.

21 - 27 November, Germans deploy the battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, along with a contingent of supporting vessels in order to relieve pressure on the pocket-battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. In response to the Scharnhorst sinking the British auxiliary cruiser Rawalpindi on 23 November, Nelson along with Rodney, the heavy cruiser Devonshire and seven destroyers are deployed in a search for the German vessels, but owing to a heavy storm on the 26, they escape to their home bases undetected.

5-17 November 1940, Nelson is deployed along with Rodney and a destroyer escort in order to block the Iceland-Faeroes passage, owing to the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer sinking five ships of convoy HX. 84 along with its escort cruiser Jervis Bay. However, Admiral Scheer proceeds to the South Atlantic, by-passing the attempted blockade.

22-30 January 1941, Another attempt by the battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst to break out into the Atlantic in order conduct merccantile warfare (Operations Berlin, on 22 January they leave Kiel with Nelson being deployed along with the Home Fleet on 25 January taking up position to intercept south of Iceland. On 28 January the German ships in trying to break through south of Iceland encounter two British cruisers and turn away heading for the Artic for replenishment (Rohwer, p. 56).

3-23 June, In connection with Operation Rheinubung, units of the British fleet begin a systematic search for the ships of the German supply organisation, during which multiple Axis blockade runners were either sunk or captured. On 4 June Nelson along with the cruiser Neptune sight the German patrol ship Gonzenheim north of the Azores, but before they can engage Gonzenheim is scuttled by her crew leading to Neptune firing torpedo's at the burning wreck to ensure it sank (Rohwer, p. 77)

21-27 July, Nelson helps to provide cover for Operation Substance a supply convoy from Gibraltar to Malta, On 22 July the force is spotted by Italian air reconnaissance, but the Italian fleet does not set out due to uncertainty with regards to British air strength (p. 88)

31 July-4 August, Nelson along with Force H operates as a covering group in the western Mediterranean for Operation Style, which brought 1,750 troops and RAF personal along with 130 tons of supplies from the disabled transport Leinster on board the cruiser Arethusa, the fast minelayer Manxman and three destroyers, from Gibraltar to Malta (p. 89)

22 August, Nelson is deployed along with Force H in Operation Mincemeat, the aim being to allow the fast minelayer Manxman to mine Livorno along with allowing planes from the carrier Ark Royal to attack North Sardinia (p. 94)

8-10 September, Nelson provides cover for Operation Status, again involving carrier based attacks launched from Ark Royal (p. 99)

24-30 September, Nelson along with Force H, provides distant cover for Operation Halberd, a supply convoy from Gibraltar to Malta. On 27 September, Italian aircraft torpedo Nelson south of Sardinia (p. 104)

10-15 August 1942, Nelson and her sister-ship Rodney form part of the covering force for Operation Pedestal, a large British supply convoy bound for Malta. The convoy came under repeated attack including the loss of several British warships and merchant vessels, however, Nelson is not hit (pp. 186-187)

8 November, Nelson along with Force H provides cover for the Allied landings in North Africa - Operation Torch (p. 209)

20 January 1943, Nelson along with Force H provides cover for British troop convoy KMF. 6 from Gibraltar to Algiers (p. 223)

17 - 23 June, Nelson along with Force H is transferred from Scapa Flow to Gibraltar and on to Oran in order to take part in Operation Husky. On 9 July, Nelson, Rodney, Indomitable, the cruisers Cleopartra and Euryalus along with eight destroyers link up with convoys MWS. 36, MWF. 36,MWS. 37 and MWF. 37 in the Gulf of Sirte (p. 255)

10 July, Nelson forms part of a large covering force for Operation Husky (pp. 261-262)

9-16 September, Nelson along with Force H provides the covering force for Operation Avalanche (p. 273)

29 September, General Eisenhower and Marshal Badoglio (Italy) sign the Italian capitulation onboard Nelson in Malta (p. 279)

6 June 1944, Nelson along with HMS Bellona, the US destroyers Somers, Davis and Jouett and the French frigates La Surprise and La Decouverte form a reserve for the Western Task force of Operation Neptune - the amphibious phase of Operation Overlord (pp. 330-331)

24-26 July 1945, Nelson helps provide cover for British minesweepers clearing minefields around Phuket Island off the west coast of the Kra isthmus. On 26 July the first kamikaze attack agaisnt the British East Indies Fleet occurs leading to the escort carrier Ameer being damaged and the minesweeper Vestal being sunk (p. 424)

27 August - 12 September, on 27 August, a British task force comprising Nelson, HMS Ceylon, two escort carriers and three destroyers sets out from Rangoon for Penang arriving on 28 August. On 2 September Vice-Admiral Uzumi (Japanese navy) surrenders on behalf of Japanese forces in the Penang area. On 9 September, Nelson provides cover for Operation Zipper, which involved the landing of the 25th Indian division near Morib, 18 nautical miles south of Port Swettenham and the Indian 23rd Division near Sepang, 8 nautical miles north of Port Dickson (p. 429)

Raven and Roberts[edit]

On 4 December 1939, Nelson was entering Loch Ewe at thirteen knots, when a magnetic mine detonated beneath the ship's bottom, on the starboard side. The explosion forced the outer bottom plating and framing approximately four feet inboard for a distance of seventy feet and opened up the ship in several places. Flooding occurred over a distance of 140 feet and the ship heeled 3 degrees to starboard with a trim by the bow. Owing to concerns that their were more mines in the Loch Ewe, Nelson was unable to leave to be repaired as such the damage was inspected and temporary repairs were made. On 14 December the shoring up of all damaged compartments had been completed. The mine caused serious shock amage to the loading arrangements for the main armament, but no major shock damage was caused to the main machinery. On 4 January, after two days of intensive mine-sweeping, Nelson set sail from Loch Ewe escorted by the destroyers Faulknor, Foxhound, Foresight, Fame, Isis and Impulsive setting course for Portsmouth. At 1050 on 8 January, she berthed at Portsmouth and would remain in the Royal Dockyard for six months whilst repairs and modifications were made to the pumping arrangements as a result of the mine.[14]

Nelson was torpedoed by an aircraft on 27 September 1941, while providing distant cover for Operation Halberd - a convoy to Malta. She was steaming at fifteen knots when the torpedo struck forward on the port side at platform-deck level. A hole thirty feet long and fifteen feet deep was blown in the outer bottom, causing extensive flooding. The platform-deck was flooded for a length of seventy-five feet and the torpedo room was wrecked. Speed was restricted to fifteen knots in order to reduce strain on the damaged structure. She remained with the convoy for a short period before departing for Gibraltar, where temporary repairs were carried out. In October, Nelson sailed for Rosyth, where permanent repairs were completed in APril 1942. As a result, the fixed and portable pumping systems of Nelson and her sister-ship Rodney were modified.[15]

On 31 August 1943 Nelson and Rodney bombarded enemy defences at Reggio in the Straits of Messina in order to weaken enemy positions in advance of Operation Avalanche-the allied landings of Sicily.[16]

In support of Operation Overlord, on 10-18 June 1944, Nelson carried out twenty bombardments, firing 225 16-inch shells and 687 6-inch shells at targets that included the Houlgate battery, troop concentrations and enemy vehicles.[17] On 18 June Nelson whilst returning to Portsmouth to replace its ammunition stores detonated two ground mines, which were later judged to have contained a combined charge of 1,500 pounds. They mines exploded almost simultaneously, one under the forward part of the ship and the other about 150 feet to starboard. The outer bottom plating became corrugated and the double-bottom compartments were damaged from 'A' turret to the forward bulkhead of the engine room. Forward of 'A' turret, the double-bottom compartments below the store-rooms were also damaged. Flooding occurred in the one of the wing spaces and in several of the double bottom oil-fuel tanks and slow but controlled flooding occurred in the majority of the wing compartments, abreast the damage. The ship listed three degrees to starboard, but this was reduced by pumping out buoyancy spaces on the starboard side. Shock damage was extensive, but generally of a minor nature and affected the secondary armament-directors, ADO sights, radar, gyro-compass and 16-inch fire-control equipment. She would be "operationally fit" at Portsmouth in twenty-four hours, but permanent repairs were deemed necessary and she later proceeded to the USA for refit and damage repairs.[18]

Service History[edit]

Upon entering in 1927 she would become the Atlantic fleet flagship from October 1927 to March 1932. In spring 1931 Nelson collided with SS West Wales resulting in slight damage being sustained to her. Nelsons crew would also partake in the Invergordon mutiny on 15-16 September, in a dispute over pay cuts, one of the few strikes that has occurred in the history of the British military. In April 1928 she embarked King Amanullah of Afghanistan for exercises of Portland. On 12 January 1934 she ran aground on Hamilton's Shoal, just outside Portsmouth, enroute along with the Home Fleet to the West Indies. Nelson would also undergo an extensive refit in Portsmouth from 1937 to January 1938 and would depart on a official visit to Lisbon in February with her sister ship Rodney.

Between 31 August 1939 to 7 September 1939, Nelson along with the Home Fleet searched the waters in between Scotland, Iceland and Norway for returning German merchant ships, in particular the Home Fleet was searching for the fast Atlantic liner Bremen, following Germany's attack against Poland on 1 September.[19] On 6 to 10 September, Nelson and the Home Fleet operated against German blockade-runners off the Norwegian coast, but did not encounter any vessels.[20] On 25 to 26 September she performed escort duty during the salvage and rescue of the submarine HMS Spearfish, which had been badly damaged off Horns Reef, in the central North Sea. The force was later attacked by German bombers, but Nelson was not hit.[21]

On 7 to 9 October following the German fleet mobilising in an attempt to lure the Home Fleet across a concentration of U-Boats and within range of the Luftwaffe, in an attempt to relieve pressure that Germanies pocket battleships had been under. The large German formation was spotted on 8 October, with Nelson being deployed along with her sister-ship, however, owing to Nelson and Rodney slow speed the German cruisers and destroyers were able to easily evade the pair.[22] Nelson along with her sister-ship, HMS Hood and six destroyers provided distant cover for a British ore convoy from Narvik[23] On 30 October she was attacked by U-56 near the Orkney Islands and was hit by three torpedoes, none of which exploded. On 21 to 27 November, the German battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, along with a contingent of destroyers is ordered to relieve pressure on the pocket-battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. Nelson and Rodney, along with the heavy cruiser Devonshire and seven destroyers are dispatched to search for the German ships following Scharnhorst sinking the auxiliary cruiser Rawalpindi on 23 November. However, owing to a heavy storm on the 26 the German ships are able to escape to their home bases undetected.[24]

On 4 December 1939, Nelson was entering Loch Ewe at thirteen knots, when a magnetic mine detonated beneath the ship's bottom, on the starboard side. The explosion forced the outer bottom plating and framing approximately four feet inboard for a distance of seventy feet and opened up the ship in several places. Flooding occurred over a distance of 140 feet and the ship heeled 3 degrees to starboard with a trim by the bow. Owing to concerns that their were more mines in the Loch Ewe, Nelson was unable to leave to be repaired as such the damage was inspected and temporary repairs were made. On 14 December the shoring up of all damaged compartments had been completed. The mine caused serious shock damage to the loing arrangements for the main armament, but no major shock damage was caused to the main machinery. On 4 January, after two days of intensive mine-sweeping, Nelson set sail from Loch Ewe escorted by the destroyers Faulknor, Foxhound, Foresight, Fame, Isis and Impulsive setting course for Portsmouth. At 1050 on 8 January, she berthed at Portsmouth and would remain in the Royal Dockyard until August 1940 whilst repairs and modifications were made to the pumping arrangements as a result of the mine.[25]

Upon completion of the repairs and modifications Nelson rejoined the Home Fleet, where she resumed the task of countering German sorties into the Atlantic.[26] Between 5 to 17 November, Nelson along with her sister-ship and a destroyer escort were ordered to block the Iceland-Faeroes passage, owing to the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer sinking five ships of convoy HX. 84 along with its escort cruiser Jervis Bay. However, Admiral proceeded to the South Atlantic, by-passing the attempted blockade.[27]

On 22 January 1941 another attempt is made by the battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst to break out into the Atlantic in order to conduct mercantile warfare, they leave their base in Kiel with Nelson and the Home Fleet being deployed on 25 January taking up position to intercept south of Iceland. Contact is made with the German ships on 28 when they encounter two British cruisers before turning away heading for the Arctic for replenishment.[28]

In connection with Operation Rheinubung, the Home Fleet began a systematic search for the ships of the German supply organisation, during which multiple Axis blockade runners were either sunk or captured. On 4 June, Nelson along with the cruiser Neptune sighted the German patrol ship Gonzenheim north of the Azores, but before they can engage Gonzenheim is scuttled by her crew leading to Neptune firing torpedo's at the burning wreck to ensure it sank.[29] Nelson provided cover for Operation Substance a supply convoy from Gibraltar to Malta between 21 and 27 July with the force being spotted by Italian aircraft on 22 July, but the Italian fleet does not set sail due to uncertainty over British air strength in the area.[30]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ HMS NELSON - Nelson-class 16in gun Battleship
  2. ^ Raven, p. 114
  3. ^ Burt, p. 348
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference K20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Garzke, p. 238
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference C15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Garzke, p. 253
  8. ^ Chesneau, p. 6
  9. ^ Garzke, p. 227
  10. ^ Garzke, p. 229
  11. ^ Garzke, p. 228
  12. ^ http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4009-22SEP01.htm
  13. ^ Konstam pp, 39-40
  14. ^ Raven and Roberts, pp. 343-344
  15. ^ Raven and Roberts, p. 359
  16. ^ Raven and Roberts, p. 369
  17. ^ Raven and Roberts, p. 372
  18. ^ Raven and Roberts, p. 373
  19. ^ Rohwer, p. 1
  20. ^ Rohwer, p. 3
  21. ^ Rohwer, p. 5
  22. ^ Rohwer, p. 6
  23. ^ Rohwer, p. 7
  24. ^ Rohwer, p. 9
  25. ^ Raven and Roberts, pp. 343-344
  26. ^ Konstam, p. 39
  27. ^ Rohwer, p. 10
  28. ^ Rohwer, p. 56
  29. ^ Rohwer, p. 77
  30. ^ Rohwer, p. 88

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  • Ballantyne, Iain (2008). H.M.S. Rodney. Ships of the Royal Navy. Barnseley, UK: Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-84415-406-7.
  • Brown, David K. (2003). The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906–1922 (reprint of the 1999 ed.). London: Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-531-4.
  • Brown, David K. (2006). Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development 1923-1945. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-59114-602-X.
  • Burt, R. A. (1993). British Battleships, 1919-1939. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-068-2.
  • Parkes, Oscar (1990). British Battleships (reprint of the 1957 ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-075-4.
  • Raven, Alan (1976). British Battleships of World War Two: The Development and Technical History of the Royal Navy's Battleship and Battlecruisers from 1911 to 1946. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-817-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMS Nelson (1925).
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