NAVYPEDIA

Photo

Hercules

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Colossus	93, 43, 24	430	Scotts, Greenock	8.7.1909	9.4.1910	7.1911	stricken 1920, sold for BU 7.1928
Hercules	47, 69, 54	805	Palmers, Jarrow	30.7.1909	10.5.1910	8.1911	sold for BU 11.1921

Technical data

Displacement normal, t	20225
Displacement full, t	23086
Length, m	166.4
Breadth, m	25.9
Draught, m	8.80 max
No of shafts	4
Machinery	Colossus: 4 Parsons steam turbines, 18 Babcock & Wilcox boilers Hercules: 4 Parsons steam turbines, 18 Yarrow boilers
Power, h. p.	25000
Max speed, kts	21
Fuel, t	coal 2900 + oil 800
Endurance, nm(kts)	6680(10)
Armour, mm	belt: 279 - 178, bulkheads: 254 - 102, turrets: 279 (face) - 203 (sides and rear) - 102-76 (roof), barbettes: 254 (over main deck) - 102 (under main deck), deck: 102 - 45, CT: 279 (face and sides) - 203 (rear) - 76 (roof)
Armament	5 x 2 - 305/50 BL Mk XI, 16 x 1 - 102/50 BL Mk VII, 4 x 1 - 47/40 3pdr Hotchkiss Mk I, 3 - 533 TT (2 beam, 1 stern)
Complement	755

Standard scale images

Graphics

Project history

Improved variant of Neptune. The layout of main armament was unchanged, but to save weight the arrangement of siting the tripod mast abaft the fore funnel was reintroduced. The midships 'P' and 'Q' turrets were closer together, permitting a longer forward superstructure and better concentration of secondary guns. 533mm torpedo also replaced the 450mm, necessitating larger torpedo rooms below the waterline. It was vital to keep displacement down to avoid submerging the belt any further, and great efforts were made to improve protection on the gun positions and along the waterline. Unfortunately the designers were asked to do all this on the same length and beam as the Neptune, so the additional 25mm armour on the belt and 51mm on the barbettes could only result in thinner plating elsewhere. This was the last attempt to keep displacement down to an artifical limit, but the increase in size was accompanied by a big jump in gun calibre, which largely used up the additional margin created.

Protection

Main belt has 279mm (tapering to 203mm at the lower edge) thickness between barbettes "A" and "Y", 178mm between barbette "A" and stem (last 10m part from the stem was 64mm), 64mm between barbette "Y" and stern; its height was 2.08m. Upper belt over 279mm main belt was 203mm. Both belts closed by fore 152mm and after 254mm bulkheads. Second fore 102mm bulkhead was at the end of 178mm belt. Main deck was 38mm between barbettes "A" and "Y" and 64mm by other parts, 25mm middle deck with 25mm slopes closed citadel. Lower deck was 102-76mm aft from barbette "Y" and 64-44mm fwd from barbette "A". Outer sides of barbettes "P" and "Q" were 254mm. Funnel uptakes had 38-25mm splinter protection.

Modernizations

1912, both: raising of the fore funnel.

1912, Hercules: + shields for light guns.

1912, Colossus: + dropping lids for light guns` shields.

1917, both: removing of aft flying deck, - 3 x 1 - 102/50; + 1 x 1 - 102/50 BL Mk VII (AA), 1 x 1 - 76/45 20cwt QF Mk I

Naval service

Colossus became the only Grand Fleet battleship hit at Jutland 31.5.1916 (two heavy shell hits). In 1919-1920 she served as cadets` TS, stricken in 1920 but sold for BU only in July 1928. Hercules was damaged in collision with merchant vessel 22.3.1913.

Many thanks to Wolfgang Stöhr for additional information on this page.