Vanguard ship. Dreadnought

... "Vanguard" ripped open the ocean, leaving behind thousands of fiery miles of combat voyage. The battleship did not ride the wave, as ordinary ships do. Like a knight's sword, he cut through the water shafts, filling the air with an impenetrable curtain of spray and shreds of sea foam.

On the left side abeam, the air defense destroyer Bristol was rolling on the waves. The silhouette of the Coventry was visible on the starboard side. The missile frigate Brilliant followed in the wake of the battleship. Somewhere off to the side, invisible behind a veil of fog, another ship of the British advance detachment was moving - the destroyer Antrim.

The “Battleship Battle Group” (a strike force led by a battleship) had been plowing the ocean in the combat zone for the fifth day, repelling sluggish attacks from the Argentine Air Force. As a result of another raid, one of the escort destroyers, the Sheffield, was lost. The Vanguard itself was also damaged - there was a dark hole on the roof of Tower A from a 500-pound hit. Mk.82 bombs. On the starboard side, in the area of ​​the armored belt, there was a furrow of peeling paint - a consequence of the ricochet of an AM.38 Exocet anti-ship missile. Another 1,000-pounder hit the deck at the rear of the battleship, creating a hole about 2 meters in diameter. The explosion caused a bulge in the deck flooring and destroyed several adjacent bulkheads. Radars and aft rangefinder post were damaged by 30 mm fire aircraft guns. Fortunately, the losses among the crew were small - less than 10 people. Krupp's excellent cemented armor reliably protected the ship from any means of air attack.

Vanguard reservation scheme. Tell him about modern anti-ship missiles

Despite numerous attempts to destroy the Vanguard, its combat effectiveness remained at the same level: speed, power supply, main caliber - their functionality was preserved in full. There was no damage in the underwater part - no prerequisites for flooding and loss of the ship. The failure of rangefinders and radars could have been fatal during World War II, but in 1982 it made absolutely no difference. No naval battles were expected. The main and only task of the battleship was to fire at large area targets - air bases, warehouses, garrisons on the enemy coast. Target designation was issued on the basis of aerial photography data and images from space; the fire was adjusted with the help of multi-purpose helicopters located on board the escort destroyers.

The Skynet satellite communications system provided round-the-clock communication with London from anywhere in the Atlantic. All communications are secure. Numerous antenna devices are distributed along the walls and roof of the superstructure. Walkie-talkies, satellite phones and ship radio stations are hidden inside, under a thick layer of armor.

The Argentine pilots did not have bombs with a caliber of over 1000 pounds. (454 kg). And what was there were ordinary “high explosives” (General Purpose, Mk.80), which, due to the presence of the British shipborne air defense systems, have to be dropped from extremely low altitudes. The bombs did not have time to gain the necessary kinetic energy and hit the ship tangentially - they did not have a single chance to penetrate the armored deck of the Vanguard.

The plastic Exocet anti-ship missiles only made the old battleship laugh - when they hit the 35-centimeter armor, their warheads crumbled into powder, only scratching the paint on the powerful side. And at meeting angles above 45° from the normal, an inevitable rebound followed.

The only one who could pose a threat is the Argentine diesel-electric submarine ARA San Luis. However, she was not at her best. condition and was unable to attack such a fast and well-guarded formation.

The Argentines did not have the means to counter the old battleship. In the conditions of the Falklands conflict, the Vanguard turned out to be an absolutely unstoppable and indestructible combat unit, capable of almost single-handedly solving most pressing problems and ensuring a safe landing of troops on the Falklands.

The first to come under attack from the battleship's guns was Rio Grande, a large air base on Terra del Fuego ( Tierra del Fuego), the closest and main location of Argentine aviation in the Falklands conflict. One of the features of the Rio Grande was its location - runway 07/25 was located only 2 kilometers from the Atlantic coast. While maximum range The firing range of the Vanguard guns exceeded 30 kilometers!

The standard ammunition load of a battleship is 100 shells for each main caliber gun (381 mm) and 391 shells for each “universal” caliber gun (133 mm, max. firing range 22 km).

The explosion of one 862-kg high-explosive fragmentation projectile created a 15-meter crater up to 6 meters deep. The blast wave tore leaves from trees within a radius of 400 yards (360 meters) - it’s easy to imagine what the Rio Grande airbase turned into after the British strike!

Pogrom on Tierra del Fuego

... Argentine Air Force planes discovered a battleship off the southern tip of the Falklands on the evening of May 3, 1982. At first, they did not attach much importance to this - the headquarters believed that the British were only ensuring a naval blockade of the islands. The next morning a combat mission was planned - all night technicians prepared the Skyhawks, Daggers and Super Etendars for flight, refueled the vehicles and hung up ammunition. However, things didn't go according to plan.

At 4:30 in the morning, the pilot of the reconnaissance Lightjet, barely lifting the plane off the runway, shouted in fear into the air: “A group of six ships! Just off the coast, heading E.”

“Diablos” - the Argentine pilot only managed to add when the wing of the Lightjet was hit by a missile fired from one of the British destroyers.

The Argentines could not believe the reality of what was happening - overnight the battleship and its escort promptly moved out of the Falklands area towards the Argentine coast. The entire journey at a speed of 25 knots took less than 13 hours.

A strike on Argentine territory meant additional foreign policy complications, but Miss Thatcher confidently gave the go-ahead. The war flares up every day, there is nowhere to wait for help. The USA and NATO countries will support any decision of the Anglo-Saxons. The Warsaw bloc will undoubtedly condemn British aggression... However, the Soviets will blame Britain in any case. Latin America, in general, are on the side of Argentina, but their political statements do not have real power. Don't care about all the conventions! Full speed ahead! Let the battleship shoot military base, avoiding, if possible, the nearby Rio Grande village.

Argentine amigos felt completely safe. The planes were parked in open areas, without reinforced concrete shelters or caponiers - an ideal target in case of shelling

As soon as the first Dagger began to taxi for takeoff, right side airfield, something crashed and exploded - the battleship fired the first sighting salvo at the enemy... In total, the Vanguard fired 9 full salvoes (8 shells each), 38 salvoes of 4 and 2 shells, and also fired 600 universal-caliber shells, turning the Argentine base in a lunar landscape.

Already on the way back, the Vanguard formation came under attack from aircraft from Rio Galleros and Comodoro Rivadavia. As a result of the raids, the Sheffield was sunk, an unexploded 1000-pounder was stuck in the Antrim's hull, and the Vanguard itself was slightly damaged. 10 hours later, the British formation went beyond the range of Argentine combat aircraft, setting off to rendezvous with the tanker.

Having replenished the fuel supply, the ships began their next mission - this time the Vanguard was to fire at important targets in the Falkland Islands.

On the approach to Port Stanley, the battleship noticed a stationary transport, which was immediately fired at several salvos, causing fires from bow to stern. After the runway of the Port Stanley airfield was disabled, the battleship fired at designated targets at night and throughout the next day: the positions of the Argentine garrison, air defense system facilities, a radio station, a radar installation, a “jump” airfield on the island. Pebble...

Rare raids by Argentine aviation from remote bases could no longer correct the situation. Frightened by the battleship's shots, the Argentine muchachos left their positions and ran away in horror. On the cratered Pebble Island, the wreckage of the Pucar and Airmacchi light attack aircraft were smoking. The entire stock of fuel and lubricants and ammunition were destroyed, anti-aircraft batteries were suppressed...

Meanwhile, transports with expeditionary units of the British army were approaching the coast of the occupied islands!

The last battleship of the Empire. "Vangard" was laid down in 1941, but it was completed after the war (1946) - as a result, the design of the battleship combined Newest technologies(20 radars, fire control systems Mk.X and Mk.37 - we didn’t even dream of the appearance of such equipment in 1941), as well as some technical equipment. solutions, the usefulness of which was revealed during the war years (additional protection of ammunition magazines, the absence of a super-protected conning tower, special security measures in reloading compartments). At the same time, the battleship was laid down in great haste and completed during the era of the collapse of the Empire - in conditions of strict cost savings. As a result, it combined a number of obviously outdated solutions. Instead of developing new guns, they installed old turrets with 15" guns, which had been rusting in storage since the 20s.

How it was in reality

As the reader has already guessed, the battleship Vanguard did not take part in Falklands War. The last of the British battleships, HMS Vanguard was delisted from the fleet in 1960 and scrapped a couple of years later. 22 years later, the British will greatly regret their premature decision.

To avoid accusations of non-conformist thinking and a penchant for “alternative”, I note that the idea of ​​​​using the Vanguard in the Falklands War is supported by famous writer and historian navy Alexander Bolnykh:

The British bit themselves because they scrapped the battleship Vanguard, because with its help they could finish the battles on the islands in a matter of days.

- A.G. Sick "XX century fleet. The tragedy of fatal mistakes"

All the numbers, dates, geographical names and ships listed in the first chapter are real. Facts and description " combat use"The battleship "Vangard" is taken from the history of the Second World War (specifically, excerpts from the battle path of the battleships "Massachusetts" and "North Caroline" are given).

The idea of ​​BBBG - “battleship battle group” - is nothing more than the official concept of the combat use of the Iowa battleships developed in the 1980s (as you know, American battleships were modernized and survived to this day; last time they were used in 1991 during the Gulf War). A typical BBBG consisted of a battleship, the guided missile cruiser Ticonderoga, the multipurpose destroyer Spruance, three Oliver H. Perry class guided missile frigates, and a fast supply ship.

1986 Battleship New Jersey surrounded by her escort and Allied ships. Ahead of all - atomic missile cruiser"Long Beach"

An Iowa-class battleship that underwent intensive modernization in the early 80s. The Americans retained a full set of main battery artillery and half of the universal anti-aircraft guns. At the same time, the ship was armed with modern: 32 Tomahawk SLCMs, 16 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, 4 anti-aircraft complex"Phalanx".
I'm curious what kind of weapon a Vanguard modernized according to the same principle could carry? Four automatic anti-aircraft guns? A pair of Sea Wolf air defense systems?

The purpose of this story is to discuss the possibility of using highly protected artillery ships in the “ship versus shore” format. The Falklands became the clearest example when the need for such ships arose.

Perhaps some of you will chuckle at the phrase about “an absolutely unstoppable and indestructible battleship.” For every action there is a reaction! However, in conditions of combat against a not very prepared, but at the same time far from the weakest enemy (Argentina, model 1982), an elderly battleship could become an invincible weapon, capable of deciding the outcome of the war in the shortest possible time.

Alas, the Britons wrote off their Vanguard in 1960.

Due to the lack of a powerful, superbly protected battleship, Her Majesty’s fleet had to deal with various “nonsense”:

Fire 14,000 shells from 4.5" universal "farts" (artillery with a caliber of over 114 mm at British ships did not have);

Land troops from helicopters to liquidate the airfield on the island. Pebble;

Constantly chase VTOL fighters "Harrier" and "SeaHarrier" to suppress points of resistance and fire support for the advancing landing force.

The Royal Air Force had to carry out six not very successful raids using strategic aviation- with the hope of disabling the radar and runway at Port Stanley airfield (a series of operations “Black Deer”). The decrepit Avro “Vulcan” operated in extreme conditions, at a maximum range of over 6000 km. However, the result of their “work” is also not encouraging: the Port Stanley airfield continued to operate until the end of the war. “Hercules” continuously arrived here with ammunition, food, medicine - in general, everything necessary to continue hostilities. Argentine transport planes were able to deliver even anti-ship missiles- On June 12, 1982, with their help, they managed to disable the British destroyer Glamorgan.

Her Majesty's destroyer HMS Glasgow (D88)

The bloody fuss lasted for two months. During this time, several hundred people died on both sides. Argentine aviation bombed a third of the British squadron (luckily for the Britons, 80% of the bombs did not explode). The British were on the verge of failure. So close that there was serious talk of destroying the Rio Grande Air Base. Alas, in this case, desires clearly did not coincide with capabilities: the British fleet did not have the means suitable for carrying out such an operation. The crews of the submarines patrolling off the coast of Tierra del Fuego could only clench their fists helplessly as they watched through the periscope the takeoff of another group of Argentine Air Force planes. All they could do was raise the antenna and warn the main forces of the fleet about an imminent enemy attack.

All these troubles could have been avoided if the British formation had included a battleship.

Shot! Shot! Recharge. Shot!

Vanguard fires at a base on Tierra del Fuego. Not a single plane managed to take off before a volley of heavy shells fell across the airfield, completely paralyzing its work. A hit from a battleship is equivalent in destructive power to a 2,000-pound bomb dropped from a height of 8 kilometers!

A new salvo that shook the surface of the ocean. There was a strong explosion on the shore: the flash of the explosion was reflected for a moment in the low clouds, illuminating the coast with an alarming orange light. Obviously, the shell hit the base's fuel storage or arsenal. Let's continue in the same spirit!

All eight anti-aircraft guns on the left side thundered, showering the enemy with a shower of hot metal. The roar became stronger and more persistent, turning into a ringing noise...

Admiral Woodward opened his eyes and suddenly realized that the telephone was cracking and bursting above his ear. Leaning his wet back against the bulkhead in the admiral's cabin of the Hermes, he felt apathy and faintness - instead of a happy dream, there was a terrible reality around him. There is no battleship. But there are 80 “tubs” that are drowning from unexploded missiles. And on them are thousands of sailors who believe in their admiral. And he? He does not know how to save the squadron from total extermination from the air.

Woodward is on the line.

Sir, the southern link is under attack. new blow. This time "Glasgow".

What about the destroyer?

Fortunately, everything worked out. An unexploded bomb in the engine room. The only problem was that the bomb penetrated the side just a couple of inches above the waterline. The ship is forced to constantly circulate with a strong list to starboard - until the repair crew repairs the hole in the damaged side.

A new day - and a new victim. No, he can't just sit back and watch his ships die. It is necessary to take special measures to protect the squadron.

To be continued…

Closed testing. New ships. Final version

British battleship Dreadnought, Tier III

Combat efficiency – 37400. Plating – 16 mm.

The main caliber is 5×2 305 mm. Firing range - 13.7 km.

Maximum damage from a HE projectile is 5200. Probability of arson is 32%. The maximum damage of an AP projectile is 8100.
Reload time - 30.0 s. The time for rotating the main battery by 180 degrees is 60.0 s. Maximum dispersion - 197 m.
starting speed HE projectile - 831 m/s. The initial speed of the AP projectile is 831 m/s. Sigma – 1.8.

Maximum speed is 21 knots. Circulation radius - 520 m. Rudder shift time - 11.6 s. Visibility from the ship - 10.3 km. Visibility from aircraft – 8.7 km. Visibility after a shot from smoke is 8.1 km.

Available equipment:
1 slot - Emergency team
2nd slot - Repair team

American cruiser Wichita, Tier VIII

Combat efficiency – 37900. Plating – 27 mm.
The main caliber is 3x3 203 mm. Firing range - 15.8 km.

Maximum damage from a HE projectile is 2800. Probability of arson is 14%. The maximum damage of an AP projectile is 5000.
Reload time - 12.0 s. The time for rotating the main battery by 180 degrees is 30.0 s. Maximum dispersion - 142 m.
The initial speed of the HE projectile is 823 m/s. The initial speed of the AP projectile is 762 m/s. Sigma – 2.0.

Air defense:
4x4 40.0 mm, firing range - 3.5 km, damage per second - 64.
4x2 40.0 mm, firing range - 3.5 km, damage per second - 45.
18×1 20.0 mm, firing range - 2.0 km, damage per second - 65.
8×1 127.0 mm, firing range - 5.0 km, damage per second - 86.

Maximum speed is 34 knots. Circulation radius - 680 m. Rudder shift time - 9.8 s. Visibility from the ship - 11.3 km. Visibility from aircraft – 7.7 km. Visibility after a shot from smoke is 6.3 km.

Available equipment:
1 slot - Emergency team
2 slot - Barrage fire / Hydroacoustic search
3 slot – Search radar / Catapult fighter

All performance characteristics are given without taking into account the commander and upgrades, but with the best modules. Specifications may change during testing.

American cruiser Charleston, Tier III

Combat efficiency – 29500.
The main caliber is 14×1 152 mm. Firing range - 12.4 km.

Maximum damage from a HE projectile is 2100. Probability of arson is 7%. The maximum damage of an AP projectile is 3000.
Reload time - 9.0 s. The time for rotating the main battery by 180 degrees is 22.5 s. Maximum dispersion - 119 m.
The initial speed of the HE projectile is 853 m/s. The initial speed of the AP projectile is 853 m/s. Sigma – 1.8.

Maximum speed is 22 knots. Circulation radius - 450 m. Rudder shift time - 8.5 s. Visibility from the ship - 11.0 km. Visibility from aircraft - 6.3 km. Visibility after a shot from smoke is 5.0 km.

Available equipment:
1 slot - Emergency team

All performance characteristics are given without taking into account the commander and upgrades, but with the best modules. Specifications may change during testing.

American battleship West Virginia, Tier VI

Combat efficiency – 50200. Plating – 25 mm.
The main caliber is 4×2 406 mm. Firing range - 16.1 km.

Maximum damage from a HE projectile is 5700. Probability of arson is 36%. The maximum damage of an AP projectile is 12400.
Reload time - 30.0 s. The time for rotating the main battery by 180 degrees is 45.0 s. Maximum dispersion - 221 m.
The initial velocity of the HE projectile is 803 m/s. The initial speed of the AP projectile is 768 m/s. Sigma – 1.8.

Maximum speed is 21 knots. Circulation radius - 670 m. Rudder shift time - 13.7 s. Visibility from the ship - 12.4 km. Visibility from aircraft - 10.7 km. Visibility after a shot from smoke is 12.3 km.

There is practically no air defense

Available equipment:
1 slot - Emergency team
2nd slot - Repair team
3 slot - Fire spotter

All performance characteristics are given without taking into account the commander and upgrades, but with the best modules. Specifications may change during testing.

British battleship Vanguard, VIII level

Combat efficiency – 71700. Plating – 32 mm.

The main caliber is 4x2 381 mm. Firing range - 20.0 km.

Maximum damage from a HE projectile is 5300. Probability of arson is 34%. The maximum damage of an AP projectile is 11700.
Reload time - 30.0 s. The time of rotation of the main battery by 180 degrees is 72.0 s. Maximum dispersion - 260 m.
The initial speed of the HE projectile is 804 m/s. The initial speed of the AP projectile is 804 m/s. Sigma – 1.8.

Battleships of the Lion and Vanguard types Kofman Vladimir Leonidovich

From the book The Truth about Nicholas I. The Slandered Emperor author Tyurin Alexander

British Raj India has been a dream country for Europeans for centuries. The dream was predatory; Europeans wanted to get to its treasures. The Europeans had nothing to offer India. Its ancient economy, although lagging behind the advanced ones European countries on mass technologies

From the book 100 Great Secrets of World War II author Nepomnyashchiy Nikolai Nikolaevich

BATTLESHIP "MARAT": LIFE AFTER THE "DEATH" (Based on materials by A. Maltsev) The fate of ships, as well as the fate famous people, over time, become overgrown with all sorts of legends and rumors, often having little to do with real facts. This happened with the battleship Marat, one of

From the book 100 famous disasters author Sklyarenko Valentina Markovna

THE MISSING BATTLESHIP When blind elements are to blame for any disaster, one can only helplessly throw up one’s hands and express condolences to the victims. But when the human factor comes into play, and even involving money, any tragedy becomes

From the book Stormtroopers of the Red Army. Volume 1. Formation of appearance author Perov Vladimir Ilyich

“Infantry battleship” by P. O. Sukhoi By mid-1941, the Sukhoi Design Bureau had developed a project for a single-seat armored attack aircraft ODBSh with two promising air-cooled M-71 engines. The ODBS project was officially presented to the Air Force Research Institute of the Spacecraft on June 30, 1941. According to the aircraft design

From the book Flood Germany by Brickhill Paul

Chapter 19. The Naked Battleship Cochrane faced a new problem. Intelligence reported that 20–30 German fighters had been transferred to Bardufoss airfield, located 30 miles from Tromsø. It is absolutely clear why! "Tirpitz" was subjected to 2 powerful attacks, the next one was the Germans

From the book History of the British Isles by Black Jeremy

The British Question Having established legislatures in Scotland and Wales, the Blair government advocated the establishment of new regional assemblies in England. The desire for constitutional reform was associated with Blair's desire to establish a presidential system that bypassed

From the book England. No war, no peace author Shirokorad Alexander Borisovich

Chapter 33 “BRITISH ALLY” On the evening of Friday, June 20, 1941, Prime Minister of England Winston Churchill, as usual, went to his villa in Cheker. The next day, government members Anthony Eden, Stafford Cripps, Lord Beaverbrook, Lord Cranbury and

From the book In Pursuit of Power. Technology, armed force and society in the XI-XX centuries by McNeil William

The British Option Before considering the consequences of Napoleon's defeat in Russia, it would be appropriate to move to the other side of the strait and briefly familiarize ourselves with the method of organizing the British government's actions against the revolutionary

From the book German submarines in battle. Memoirs of combatants. 1939-1945 by Brenneke Johan

Chapter 10 “U-81” sinks an air squadron. "U-331" destroys the battleship "Berchem" Operational summary. Autumn 1941 When war broke out, Italy had 120 submarines, far outnumbering any other submarine fleet peace. But very soon, after the occupation of the Balkans and Crete, it came

From the book The Third Reich author Bulavina Victoria Viktorovna

“Land battleship” and other “mice” But German designers not only took care of anti-tank weapons, they created first-class tanks and self-propelled guns: “Tiger”, “Panther”, “Ferdinand”. Every schoolchild knows about this. But about the existence of superheavy

From the book Battleships of the Lion and Vanguard types author Kofman Vladimir Leonidovich

Comparative data of battleships of the Lion and Vanguard types Shipbuilding characteristics Lion, 1938 Lion, 1942 Vanguard, 1946 Displacement, std. 40550 T 42550 T 46102 t Displacement, gross. 46400 T 47650 T 51420 t Length between perpendiculars 225.6 m 230.6 m Length

From the book Myths and mysteries of our history author Malyshev Vladimir

British spy He was one of the most outstanding English writers of the 20th century, a subtle stylist, and an unrivaled master of storytelling. His books were translated and published in huge editions. However, only after the collapse of the USSR did his Russian admirers learn that at the dawn

From the book Russian Explorers - the Glory and Pride of Rus' author Glazyrin Maxim Yurievich

Battleship "Arkhangelsk" 1944, May 30, 11 hours 15 minutes. The Russian fleet receives from the British the battleship Arkhangelsk (1944–1949) (“Royal Sovereign”). Total displacement 33,500 tons, length 189.38 m, width 32.18 m, height 16.54 m, crew 1234 people. My grandfather, Mikhail Glazyrin, serves on this ship

From the book American submarines from the beginning of the 20th century to the Second World War author Kashcheev L B

From the book Unknown Separatism. In the service of the SD and Abwehr author Sotskov Lev Filippovich

BRITISH ALLY The German political leadership and the Wehrmacht high command planned a campaign in the south-east in three main stages. Each included measures to influence the countries of the region - Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, offensive

From the book Submarines: Over 300 submarines from all over the world author author unknown

Vanguard was the last battleship, founded in the UK and around the world. It was designed in 1939-1941, but entered service only in 1946, becoming the last battleship in history.

In 1938, an order was issued for the design of a new battleship with a displacement of 40,000 tons, which could reach a speed of 30 knots and carry eight 381-mm guns. On February 27, 1940, adjustments were made to the terms of reference, mainly related to strengthening protection. Only on April 17, 1941, the Admiralty Council adopted the final version.

CONSTRUCTION

The order for construction was received by John Brown & Co. on March 14, 1941. On October 2, the official laying of the battleship took place. The Admiralty hoped to commission the Vanguard before the end of 1944, but construction was constantly behind schedule. In mid-1942, the idea arose to rebuild it into an aircraft carrier, but it was soon abandoned.

Meanwhile, under the influence of combat experience in the battles of World War II, the design continued to change during the construction process. The fuel supply was increased, the number of anti-aircraft barrels was increased to 76 x 40 mm and 12 x 20 mm. As a result, the standard displacement increased to 42,300 tons. After the end of World War II, the pace of work dropped, and the ship began acceptance tests only in April 1946.

DESIGN FEATURES

The hull of the battleship Vanguard had a number of characteristic features, making it unique among other English battleships. Although in the original draft it almost exactly repeated characteristic shape ships of the King George V type, during numerous redesigns the Vanguard received such innovations as an inclined stem and a noticeable increase in the sides in the bow. Thanks to this, the deck did not flood even in very strong waves and wind. Vanguard had the best seaworthiness of any battleship in the history of the British Navy.

The body was divided into 26 compartments. In combat conditions, the compartments were completely isolated from each other. There were 10 transverse watertight bulkheads along the middle deck.

The Vanguard's armor scheme was practically the same as that used on the King George V-class battleships: the main belt, 140 m long, on the outer plating had a thickness of 356 mm in the cellar area and 343 mm in the central part. It protected the cellars from 381 mm shells at a firing distance of about 14 km. When booking, they abandoned the “all or nothing” scheme, adding an “anti-fragmentation” belt, consisting of sheets of uncemented armor 51-64 mm thick, covering the space along the outer side between the lower and middle decks. The belt in the bow had a height of 2.45 m and ended at a distance of 3.5 m from the stem, and in the stern it was wider - 3.4 m and covered the steering compartments.

The armored deck was 150 mm thick above the magazines and 125 mm above the power plant. Main caliber turret armor: frontal plate - 343 mm, turret roof - 152 mm, turret sides - 274 mm. The turrets of the 133 mm mounts had 51-57 mm armor. Cabin armor: forehead - 75 mm, sides - 63 mm, roof - 25 mm. Total weight anti-fragmentation protection on the Vanguard was almost 3000 tons. The weight of the armor belt was 4900 tons.

MAIN POWER PLANT

The main power plant of the battleship Vanguard was almost identical to the power plant of the King George V type battleships. The elements of the power plant were arranged according to the block-echelon principle. Four blocks, each serving its own shaft, were completely independent, great importance imparted sealing to turbines, insulation of turbine compartments and sealing of shaft seals. Turbines could operate in partially or even completely flooded compartments.

At the end of 1942, it was decided to adopt a forced operating mode for the turbines - 250 rpm and a power of 4 x 32,500 hp. s, which provided a speed of 30 knots. During testing, the ship managed to develop 31.57 knots at 256.7 rpm and a shaft power of 135,650 hp. With. The Vanguard's cruising range was still insufficient. With a clean bottom at the most economical speed of 14 knots, the range was 8,400 miles. After six months of service without docking in temperate latitudes, the economic speed dropped to 13-11.5 knots, and the range to 7400-6100 miles.

WEAPONS

The main caliber was represented by eight 381 mm Mk.lA guns, located in four two-gun turrets. Similar guns had been in service for many years and were installed in most Royal Navy battleship turrets. The elevation angle in the Vanguard towers was 30°. The towers had remote control for guidance in the horizontal plane.

The battleship's auxiliary artillery consisted of sixteen 133 mm Mk.I universal guns in twin Mk.III turrets.

Anti-aircraft artillery was represented by 10 six-barreled 40-mm Bofors Mk.IV machine guns, 11 single-barrel Bofors Mk.VII machine guns and one double-barreled 40-mm STAAG Mk.II with fully self-powered and fire control system located on the installation. As a result, the anti-aircraft defense had 73 barrels with a caliber of 40 mm.

THE LARGEST “ROYAL YACHT”

On August 9, 1946, Vanguard entered service, and already in October the battleship was sent to the shipyard in Portsmouth to convert the interior into apartments royal family. On her first long voyage, on January 31, 1947, Vanguard set off as a royal yacht from all over royal family on board. It was accompanied by an aircraft carrier, two cruisers and a destroyer.

In 1949, Vanguard became the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. Vanguard spent the first half of 1951 on training voyages. On February 10, at the Gibraltar roadstead in stormy weather, the battleship Vanguard was hit broadside by the aircraft carrier Indomitable. The ships suffered half a mile of minor damage. On May 8, 1951, Vanguard took part in the meeting of the King and Queen of Denmark, who arrived in Dover.

"Vangard" made trips to the Arctic waters, along the Mediterranean and North Seas. Took part in naval parades as a flagship and in NATO exercises. On May 14, 1954, she performed her role as a royal yacht for the last time.

On September 13, 1954, the flag of the fleet commander was lowered from the battleship's mast. On August 8, 1960, the ship was moored to the wall of the cutting shipyard in the city of Faslany and began cutting it up. In 1962, Britain's largest battleship was cut to pieces.

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BANGARD SHIP "VANGUARD"

• Type: battleship
• Displacement, t:
  normal: 45,200
  full: 52 250
• Dimensions, m:
  length: 248.3
  width: 32.9
  draft: 11.0
• Booking, mm:
  citadel belt: 343-356
  deck: 150+37 above the cellars, 125 above the power plant;
  main battery turrets: 343 (front), 152 (roof), 274 (side), main battery barbettes 280-330;
  wheelhouse: 75 (forehead), 63 (side), 25 (roof)
• Power plant: 8 triple water-tube boilers of the “Admiralty” type, 4 Parsons turbines with a total capacity of up to 135,560 hp. With.
• Max travel speed, knots: 31.57
• Cruising range, miles: 8400 at 14 knots
• Weapons:
  Main battery artillery: 4 x 2 381 mm/42 Mk.IA guns;
  auxiliary: 8 x 2 -133 mm/50 Mk.I;
  anti-aircraft artillery: 10 x 6, 11 x 1 40 mm Bofors assault rifles, 1 x 2 STAAG Mk.II
• Crew, people: 1995 (of which 115 officers)

You might be interested:

• 
  

00:00

On November 30, 1944, the British battleship Vanguard was launched. Laid down in 1941, this ship did not have time to enter service before the end of the war and was put into service only in 1946, becoming the last battleship in history to enter service.

The history of this ship, like other battleships that survived the war, turned out to be relatively short. But during 14 years of service, she managed to be the flagship of the Mediterranean squadron, and a museum, and a training ship, and a royal yacht. In 1947, King George the 6th made his voyage to South Africa on the Vanguard. For such an occasion, the ship was prepared for three months at the shipyard in Plymouth to receive the royal couple. The admiral's premises were redesigned, equipped with its own gallery and installed furniture taken from the old royal yacht. Instead of an automatic cannon, a walking platform was installed on the tower, which could be used as a grandstand in the parking lot.

A year later, the battleship was again sent to the shipyard. This time a royal visit to Australia was planned and New Zealand. The royal apartments were rebuilt again, hot water was finally connected to the washbasins and showers and they were finished with stainless steel, washing machines were installed in the laundry, a hairdresser and a clothing repair shop were equipped. The trip was planned around the world, and to pass the Panama Canal, the Vanguard was equipped with towing devices. Alas, due to the king’s illness, this campaign was canceled.

The ship underwent another restructuring in 1952 in anticipation of the next royal voyage. However, it did not take place either - this time due to the death of the monarch.

After this, the Vanguard was no longer involved in the transportation of royalty and served out its term as an ordinary warship.