HMS WARSPITE 1915

Description

HMS Warspite was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the Royal Navy. She served in both World War I and World War II, earning the most battle honours ever awarded to an individual ship in the Royal Navy, including the most awarded for actions in the Second World War. Warspite’s first commanding officer upon being commissioned in 1915 was Captain Edward Phillpotts. Warspite joined the 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet following a number of acceptance trials, including gunnery trials, which saw Churchill present when she fired her 15 inch (381 mm) guns. Churchill was suitably impressed with their accuracy and power. In late 1915, Warspite was grounded in the River Forth causing some damage to her hull; she had been led by her escorting destroyers down the small ships channel. After repairs, she rejoined the Grand Fleet, this time as part of the newly formed 5th Battle Squadron which had been created for Queen Elizabeth class ships. In early December, Warspite was involved in another incident when, during an exercise, she collided with her sister-ship Barham, which caused considerable damage to Warspite. In 1916, Warspite and the 5th Battle Squadron temporarily augmented Vice-Admiral David Beatty’s Battlecruiser Force. Between 31 May and 1 June 1916, Warspite fought with the squadron in the Battle of Jutland - the largest encounter between Britain and Germany during the war. Warspite sustained fifteen hits, incurring such considerable damage that she almost foundered. Her steering jammed while attempting to avoid her sister-ship Valiant. Warspite’s captain decided to maintain course, in effect circling, rather than come to a halt and reverse. This decision exposed Warspite. The manoeuvres made Warspite a tempting target and inadvertently diverted attention from the badly-damaged cruiser, Warrior. This gained her the admiration of Warrior’s crew, who believed Warspite’s movement had been intentional. (Scale : 1/700e)