HMS Indefatigable

Battlecruiser Warship [ 1911 ]

HMS Indefatigable was lost during the Battle of Jutland - the largest naval engagement of World War 1.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 01/17/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

The battlecruiser warship was formed as a capital ship-type design in the early part of the 1900s. Their armament suite was comparable to that of battleships but a reduced armor scheme (for the sake of improved cruise speeds) made them akin to cruiser warships. As such, the "battlecruiser" categorization was born and many of the global navy services of the early 1900s employed some form of the warship for a time.

HMS Indefatigable was a battlecruiser belonging to the British Royal Navy (RN). She was ordered as part of the 1908-1909 Naval Programme and awarded to Devonport Dockyard. Her construction began on February 23rd, 1909 and the ship was launched in October of that year. She was formally commissioned for service on February 24th, 1911 as HMS Indefatigable - the name meaning "to persist tirelessly".

As built, the ship displaced 18,500 tons (long) under standard load and up to 22,130 tons (long) under full load. Dimensions included a length of 590 feet, a beam of 80 feet and a draught of 29.8 feet. Power came from 31 x Babcock & Wilcox coal-fired boilers feeding 2 x Parsons direct-drive steam turbine sets producing 43,000 shaft horsepower to 4 x shafts. Maximum speed could reach 25 knots and range was out to 7,000 nautical miles.

Her profile was conventional with two main masts featured and two hull superstructures, one fore and the other aft. Three smoke funnels were seated inline near midships with two paired at the forward superstructure. Four primary turrets were set about the main deck, one fore and the other aft with the remaining two staggered near midships. Internally, she carried a crew complement of 800 personnel though this could be increased by as much as 200 in wartime. Armor ranged from 6" at the belt and 2.5 inches at the decks to 7 inches at the turrets and 10 inches at the conning tower.

Armament was led by 4 x 12" BL Mk X main guns in four primary twin-gunned turrets. This was supported by 16 x 4" Mk VII turreted guns in single-gunned mounts. 2 x 17.72" torpedo tubes were set in submerged positions along the sides of the vessel.

HMS Indefatigable was the lead ship of the Indefatigable-class which numbered three total vessels. They were an extension of the preceding Invincible-class (also numbering three) of 1908 but with greater dimensions and, therefore, increased internal volume and external displacement. Armoring was improved and the longer length allowed for the midships main gun turrets to be staggered and therefore, by way of a well-placed gap in her side profile, allow these guns to engage at either broadside. A common limitation of similar designs (lacking this gap) was that one side gun could not be brought to bear in a broadside attack.

With World War arriving in Europe during the summer of 1914, HMS Indefatigable found herself operating in the Mediterranean as part of the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron. The ship failed to run down SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau on their way to Ottoman waters but saw fighting in the Dardanelles during early November as her guns bombarded Ottoman positions. Her career only lasted until May 31st, 1916 when she was lost in the Battle of Jutland - the largest naval battle of World War 1. HMS Indefatigable received a direct hit from enemy fire by the rear turret and began taking on water with a noticeable list to portside. More direct hits were aimed at her forecastle which ultimately ignited some magazine stores. Crippled, taking on water and on fire, the warship quickly sank with just two of her 1,019 wartime crew surviving - a terrible end to a powerful ship.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

United Kingdom
Operators

1911
Commissioned

United Kingdom
National Origin

800
Complement

Indefatigable-class
Hull Class

3
Number-in-Class

HMS Indefatigable; HMS New Zealand; HMS Australia
Ships-in-Class

Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.

Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.

Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.

Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.

Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.

Flag Ship / Capital Ship
Serving in the fleet Flag Ship role or Capital Ship in older warship designs / terminology.

590.0 feet
(179.83 meters)
Length

80.0 feet
(24.38 meters)
Beam

29.8 feet
(9.08 meters)
Draught

18,800
tons
Displacement

31 x Babcock & Wilcoxcoal-fired boilers feeding 2 x Parsons direct-dirve steam turbine sets developing 43,000 horsepower to 4 x Shafts.
Propulsion

25.0 knots
(28.8 mph)
Surface Speed

6,691 nm
(7,700 miles | 12,392 km)
Range

1 knot = 1.15 mph; 1 nm = 1.15 mile; 1 nm = 1.85 km

4 x 12" BL Mk X turreted main guns
16 x 4" Mk VII turreted secondary guns
2 x 450mm torpedo tubes

None.

Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period

Military lapel ribbon for early warship designs

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Images

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)