HMS Hermes is a Highflyer-protected cruiser -class built for the Royal Navy in the 1890s. He spent most of his early career as seeded for various foreign stations before returning home in 1913 to be assigned to the Third Fleet reserve. The ship was modified later that year as the first experimental amphibious aircraft in the Royal Navy. In the yearly fleet maneuver of the year, it is used to evaluate how the aircraft can cooperate with the fleet and if the aircraft can be operated successfully at sea for a long time. The trials were successful and Hermes paid off in December at their conclusion. He was unveiled at the start of World War I in August 1914 for service as a ferry and depot ship for the Royal Naval Air Service. He was attacked by a torpedo and drowned by a German submarine in the Dover Strait in October, with the loss of 44 lives.
Video HMS Hermes (1898)
Design and description
Hermes is designed to replace 5,650 ton long (5,740 t). The vessel has an overall length of 372 feet (113.4 m), a 54 foot (16.5 m) beam and a draft of 29 feet 6 inches (9.0 m). It is powered by two 4-cylinder expansion steam engines, each driving a single axle, generating a total of 10,000 horsepower shown (7.500 kW) designed to deliver a maximum speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). Hermes reached a speed of 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h, 23.6 mph) of 10,224 ihp (7,624 kW), during its sea trials. The engine is powered by 18 Belleville boilers. He carries a maximum of 1,125 tonnes long (1,143 tonnes) of coal and a complement consisting of 470 officers and enlisted.
The main armament consists of 11 6-inch (152 mm) rapid fireguns (QF). One pistol is mounted on the forecast and the other two are positioned in the quarterdeck. Eight other weapons are placed at the port and right in the middle of the ship. They have a maximum range of about 10,000 meters (9,100 m) with their 100 pound (45 kg) shells. Eight quick shots (QF) 12-pounder 12 cwt guns are mounted for defense against torpedo boats. An additional 12-pounder 8 cwt weapon can be lowered for onshore service. Hermes also carried six Hotchkiss 3-pounder rifles and two submerged torpedo tubes.
Armor deck boats range from 1.5 to 3 inches (38 to 76 mm). The hatching machine is protected by 5-inch (127 mm) of armor. The main weapon is equipped with a 3-inch rifle shield and the dirty tower has a 6-inch armor.
Maps HMS Hermes (1898)
Construction and service
Hermes , taken from the Greek god Hermes, set by Fairfield Shipbuilding & amp; Technique at their shipyard in Govan, Scotland on April 30, 1897, and launched on April 7, 1898, when he was named by Mrs Kelvin. He finished on October 5, 1899, and was assigned to serve in North America and West Indies Station by Captain Frank Hannam Henderson. He visited Bermuda and the West Indies in January 1900, and two months later arrived in Nassau, Bahamas with broken shaft and broken boiler. He served as the seed of North America and West Indies Station until the end of 1901 when he returned home to have the troubled Belleville boilers replaced with Babcock & amp; Wilcox Boilers. This work was done by Harland & amp; Wolff in Belfast, where he arrived from Devonport in May 1902, behind the special service ship HMS Traveler .
He was assigned to the Fleet Channel until 1905 when he was reduced to reserve at Portsmouth Royal Dockyard. The ship was inaugurated the following year as the flagship of the East Indies station, but he became the flagship of the Cape of Good Hope Station in 1907. Hermes returned home in March 1913 and reduced to reserve part of Commando Nore next month.
The work began to modify itself to accommodate three seaplanes in April to evaluate the use of aircraft in support of the fleet. His 6-inch rifle has been released and the tracked launch platform is built on forecasts. Hangar canvas mounted on the rear end of the rails to protect the aircraft from the weather and the rigged crane from the front pole to lift the seaplane from the water. The rifle in the quarterdeck was removed to allow the seaplane to be stored there in another hangar. The third aircraft can also be done in the middle of the ship, exposed to elements. Three storage lockers are paired with a total capacity of 2,000 gallons of imperial (9,100 Ã, Â £ 2,400 US) of gasoline in a can.
Hermes was inaugurated on May 7 and loaded two unknown aircraft on July 5, making nine flights with them before July 14th. For trials he initially used Borel Bo.11 and Folder Short, but Borel was damaged in a storm and replaced by the Caudron G.2 amphibians. This last aircraft took off successfully when the ship was moving on July 28, but the take-off platform seems to have been used twice during this time. During manoeuvers, he simulates Zeppelin reconnaissance for the Red Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral John Jellicoe. Folders can only carry small wireless transmitters due to the weight limit and will be launched to search for enemy ships and report back to Hermes that will re-transmit the message with a stronger transmitter. The aircraft made a total of about 30 flights before 6 October. The tests showed that the aircraft needed a radio transmitter to conduct reconnaissance, that sustainable use of the aircraft at sea was possible and that the handling of aircraft aboard and at sea imposed their own requirements not met by the converted landline.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments