HMS Jupiter (1895)

HMS "Jupiter" was a "Majestic"-class pre-dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy.

Technical characteristics

HMS "Jupiter" was laid down by J & G Thomson, Clydebank at Clydebank on 26 April 1894 and launched on 18 November 1895. [Burt, p. 114] In February 1897 she was transferred to Chatham Dockyard, [Burt, p. 134] where she was completed in May 1897 [Burt, p. 114]

When the lead ship of the class, HMS "Majestic", was launched in 1895, at convert|421|ft|m|abbr=on long and with a full-load displacement of 16,000 tons, she was the largest battleship ever built at the time. The "Majestic"s were considered good seaboats with an easy roll and good steamers, although they suffered from high fuel consumption. ["Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905", p. 34] "Jupiter" began life as a coal-burner, but was converted to burn fuel oil by 1907-1908. [Gibbons, p. 137.] "Jupiter" and her sisters were the last British battleships to have side-by-side funnels, successor classes having funnels in a line.

"Jupiter" had a new design in which the bridge was mounted around the base of the foremast behind the conning tower to prevent a battle-damaged bridge from collapsing around the tower. Like six of her eight sisters, she had pear-shaped barbettes and fixed loading positions for the main guns; "Caesar" and "Illustrious" of her class and all future classes of British battleship had circular barbettes and all-around loading for their main guns, ["Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905", p. 34; Gibbons, p. 137.]

"Jupiter" and the other "Majestic"-class ships had 9 inches (229 mm) of Harvey armor, which allowed equal protection with less cost in weight compared to previous types of armor. This allowed "Jupiter" and her sisters to have a deeper and lighter belt than previous battleships without any loss in protection. [Gibbons, p. 137] She was divided into 150 watertight compartments.

The "Majestics" boasted a new gun, the 46-ton 12-inch (305-mm) 35-caliber ["Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905", p. 36] Mk VIII, the first new British battleships to mount a 12-inch (305-mm) main battery since the 1880s. One hundred thirteen miles (182 km) of wire were wrapped around each gun barrel, and each gun took nine months to manufacture. "Jupiter" carried four such guns in two barbettes (one forward and one aft) with up to 400 rounds for each. The new gun, which would be the standard main armament of British battleships for sixteen years, was a significant improvement on the 13.5-inch (343-mm) gun which had been fitted on the Admiral and "Royal Sovereign" classes that preceded the "Majestic"s. ["Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905", p. 34] and was lighter. This saving in weight allowed "Jupiter" to carry a secondary battery of twelve 6-inch (152-mm) 40-caliber ["Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905", p. 36] guns, a larger secondary armament than in previous classes. [Gibbons, p. 137] She also had four submerged torpedo tubes in the bow and one above water in the stern.

Operational history

HMS "Jupiter" commissioned on 8 June 1897 at Chatham Dockyard for service in the Channel Fleet. She was present at both the Fleet Review at Spithead for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria on 26 June 1897 and the Coronation Fleet Review for King Edward VII on 16 August 1902. On 1 January 1905, the Channel Fleet became the new Atlantic Fleet, making her an Atlantic Fleet unit. She paid off at Chatham on 27 February 1905 to undergo a refit there, and her Atlantic Fleet service ended when she emerged from refit and commissioned at Chatham into the Portsmouth Reserve on 15 August 1905. [Burt, p. 134]

"Jupiter" commissioned for service in the new Channel Fleet on 20 September 1905. This service ended on 3 February 1908 when she paid off. [Burt, p. 134]

On 4 February 1908, "Jupiter" recommissioned for reserve service in the Portsmouth Division of the new Home Fleet with a nucleus crew. She was flagship of the division from February to June 1909 and later second flagship of the 3rd Division, Home Fleet. During this service, she underwent refits at Portsmouth in 1909-1910 (during which she received fire control equipment for her main battery) ["Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921", p. 7] and 1911-1912 and from June 1912 to January 1913 served as a seagoing ["Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921", p. 7] gunnery training ship at the Nore. [Burt, p. 134] In January 1913 she transferred to the 3rd Fleet, and was based at Pembroke Dock and Devonport. ["Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921", p. 7]

When World War I broke out in August 1914, "Jupiter" transferred to the 7th Battle Squadron of the Channel Fleet. During this service, she covered the passage of the British Expeditionary Force from England to France in September 1914. [Burt, p. 134]

In late October 1914, "Jupiter" was reassigned to serve alongside her sister ship HMS "Majestic" as a guard ship at the Nore. On 3 November 1914, "Jupiter" and "Majestic" left the Nore and relieved their sister ships HMS "Hannibal" and HMS "Magnificent" of guard ship duty on the Humber. In December 1914 "Jupiter" moved on guard ship duty on the Tyne. [Burt, p. 134]

On 5 February 1915, "Jupiter" was detached from her guard ship duty to serve temporarily as an icebreaker at Arkhangelsk, Russia, while the regular icebreaker there was under refit. In this duty, "Jupiter" made history by becoming the first ship ever to get through the ice into Arkhangelsk during the winter; [Burt, p. 134] her February arrival was the earliest in history there. ["Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921", p. 7]

"Jupiter" left Arkhangelsk in May 1915 to return to the Channel Fleet, and paid off at Birkenhead on 19 May 1915. She then began a refit by Cammel Laird there that lasted until August 1915. [Burt, p. 134]

Her refit completed, "Jupiter" commissioned at Birkenhead on 12 August 1915 for service in the Mediterranean Sea on the Suez Canal Patrol. On 21 October 1915, she transferred to the Red Sea to become guard ship at Aden and flagship of the Senior Naval Officer, Red Sea Patrol. She was relieved of flagship duty by troopship RIM "Northbrook" of the Royal Indian Marine on 9 December 1915 and returned to the Suez Canal Patrol for Mediterranean service, from April to November 1916 being stationed at Port Said, Egypt. [Burt, p. 134]

"Jupiter" left Egypt on 22 November 1916 and returned to the United Kingdom, where she paid off at Devonport to provide crews for antisubmarine vessels. She remained at Devonport until April 1919, in commission as a special service vessel and auxiliary patrol ship until February 1918, when she paid off. After that she became an accommodation ship. [Burt, p. 134;"Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921", p. 7]

In April 1919, "Jupiter" became the first "Majestic"-class ship to be placed on the disposal list. She was sold for scrapping on 15 January 1920, and on 11 March 1920 was towed from Chatham to Blyth to be scrapped. [Burt, p. 134]

Notes

References

*Burt, R. A. "British Battleships 1889-1904". Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1988. ISBN 0870210610.
* Chesneau, Roger, and Eugene M. Kolesnik, eds., "Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships, 1860-1905". London: Conway Maritime Press, 1979. ISBN 0-85177-133-5
* Dittmar, F. J., and J. J. Colledge. "British Warships 1914-1919". London: Ian Allen, 1972. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
*Gibbons, Tony. "The Complete Encyclopedia of Battleships and Battlecruisers: A Technical Directory of All the World's Capital Ships From 1860 to the Present Day". London: Salamander Books Ltd., 1983.
*Gray, Randal, Ed. "Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921." Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985. ISBN 0870219073.

External links

* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/battleships/jupiter/hms_jupiter.htm Maritimequest HMS Jupiter Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.hmsjupiter.co.uk HMS Jupiter Association]