H.M.S. HOOD, Battle Cruiser.
H.M.S. HOOD is the largest, heaviest and fastest armoured warship in the world. She is 873 feet long, has a beam of 105 feet, draught 32½ feet, displacement 44,600 tons, and a speed of 32 knots (37 miles an hour).
Built by John Brown & Company, of Clydebank, she was launched on 22nd August, 1918, by Lady Hood, widow of Rear-Admiral the Hon. Horace Hood, who was killed at Jutland.
Begun on 1st September, 1916, she was not completed until 5th March, 1920.
Complement.--In war time the ship would carry about 1,400 officers and men, but in peace time only 1,200.
Provisions.--General provisions for four months(about 32 tons) are carried in the storerooms, including fresh meat for one month in the refrigerator. Bread is backed daily-- the maximum output is1,800lbs. a day. The galleys and bakery are oil fired.
The Sick Bay.--This is a complete hospital with general and isolation wards, operating theatre, X-ray and dispensary, administered by two doctors and a trained staff. The dentist has a surgery under the bridges complete with apparatus, but no waiting-room.
The Chapel.--Aft, below the quarterdeck, is the chapel, dedicated to Our Lady and St. Nicholas. It is used for Holy Communion, Evensong and daily services.
The chapel is not generally used for Parade Services; these are held on the quarterdeck or, in bad weather, on the mess decks.
In the chapel is a Memorial of all who have died whilst serving in the ship. The panelling in the Sanctuary and the Communion rails were made in the ship.
Shops.--There is a canteen where groceries can be bought, and a bookstall. Uniform clothing or the cloth to make it, can be obtained from the "slop room," and various ratings carry on trade as tailors, barbers or cobblers in their spare time.
Ventilation.--Over 200 electric fans supply nearly all the air through ventilating trunks to the living and working spaces.
Lighting.--There are 3,874 electric light fittings and 380 telephones. The latter are operated through one main exchange and several sub-exchanges. The weight of permanent electric cable, of which there is nearly 200 miles, is about 100 tons.
Boats.--The three steam boats, four motor boats and eleven sailing and pulling boats provide accomodation for 759 men. There are also more than enough carley floats and life-buoys to support the rest of the ship's company if the ship has to be abandoned.
Machinery.--The main engines of the ship consist of four complete Brown Curtis geared turbine units, each driving a 20-ton propeller through some 300 feet of shafting. There are 24 oil burning Yarrow boilers, in four boiler-rooms, which can be reached by electric lifts. The oil fuel tanks have a capacity of 4,600 tons.
Besides the main engine rooms there are thirty auxiliary machinery rooms for dynamos, pumps and so forth; the total weight of the machinery is over 5,000 tons. Pumps and ejectors for emptying water from the ship can deal with a total of over 20,000 tons an hour.
Guns.--Eight 15-inch guns; each gun weighs 100 tons, and each revolving turret 900 tons. The shell, weighing about one ton, leaves the muzzle at 1,670 miles an hour. The extreme range is 17 miles. All the guns can be controlled and fired by electricity from the control station at the top of the mast. 64 men are required to work one gun turret.
Twelve 5.5-inch guns, six on each side. These guns weigh 6 tons each, and the projectiles 82lbs. The extreme range is 9 miles.
There are four 4-inch long range anti-aircraft guns, and numerous automatic guns for dealing with aircraft at short ranges.
Torpedoes.--There are two submerged and four above-water 21-inch torpedo tubes from which torpedoes are fired. The torpedoes contain a mass of intricate machinery, and cost over £2,000 each.
Searchlights.--There are six large searchlights, each of 120 million candle power, and several smaller ones fitted with shutters for flashing messages.
Armour.--13,800 tons of armour is fitted, that on the side being twelve inches thick. Below the water the sides are fitted with protective bulges as a defence against torpedoes.
A few basic facts of interest,especially the crews nickname,the 7 "B's.......
Their is so much information about this great ship,the most photographed ship in the Royal Navy and below some interesting facts:
Callsign: GECV
Pendant number: 51
Nicknames:
Public Nickname: The "Mighty Hood"
Crew Nickname: "The Seven Bs" ("Britain's Biggest Bullsh*ttingest B*stard Built By Brown")
Original construction cost was £6,025,000 (of which John Brown & Company, Ltd, reportedly made £214,108.00)
One of the few ships that possessed her own chapel
380 telephones at the time of her loss
3,874 electric light fittings (per late 1930s information)
Nearly 200 miles of permanent electric cable (weighing 100 tons)
General provisions for 4 months amounted to 320 tons, including one month's fresh meat
Breakfast consisted of 100 gallons of tea, four sides of bacon, 300 Ibs of tomatoes, 600 Ibs bread, 75 Ibs of butter
Monthly payroll was approximately £6,000
Fuel consumption at full speed was 3 yards to the gallon
Three times around the ships was one mile
Longest warship completed for Royal Navy to date,this fact remains, Even H.M.S.Vanguard was not as large as Hood,sadly it was the politicians that truly doomed Hood,the victim of the "APPEASEMENT ERA" refit and modernization delayed many times,yet had she been given the same treatment as H.M.S.Warspite her tragic end may of been avoided,we shall never know.
- H.M.S.HOOD 1941
- H.M.S.HOOD 1941 Hood association.jpg (16.05 KiB) Viewed 1355 times
