hms invincible hms invincible battlecruiser british_royal_navy lead ship class battlecruiser built country world world war participated bight minor role oldest slowest british battlecruisers present fired light cruiser hit sunk battlecruiser lion battle invincible sister sank armoured cruisers loss despite numerous hits german ships flagship squadron detached admiral days battle gunnery practice grand_fleet acted heavy scouting force battle destroyed magazine explosion battle turret penetrated design general characteristics invincible significantly larger armoured cruiser predecessors class overall length beam draft deep load displaced long tons load long tons deep load nearly long tons earlier ships invincible class ships formally known armoured cruisers redesignated battlecruisers admiralty order november unofficially number designations including cruiser battleship dreadnought cruiser battle cruiser propulsion invincible paired sets parsons turbines housed separate engine room drove shaft high pressure ahead astern turbines coupled shafts low pressure turbines inner shafts cruising turbine coupled inner shaft eventually disconnected bladed propellers feet diameter inner shafts outer propellers feet diameter turbines powered thirty yarrow water tube boilers boiler rooms designed produce total shaft horsepower reached nearly shp trials designed knots reached knots trials invincible carried long tons coal additional long tons fuel oil sprayed coal increase burn rate fuel capacity steam nautical miles speed knots electrical power provided turbo generators motor generators capacity armament invincible carried inch guns twin turrets evaluation purposes electrically driven turrets built proved failure despite lengthy converted hydraulic power refit early cost situation bad gunnery trials october captain royal_navy chief gunnery school described operation following manner order given train turret elevate run gun necessary push button switch result flash blue flame fill turret secondary armament consisted sixteen guns turret roof guns transferred superstructure total number guns reduced remaining guns enclosed casemates given blast shields time better protect gun crews weather enemy action anti aircraft armament consisted single inch cwt gun high angle mount aft end superstructure carried october november april onwards pounder hotchkiss gun high angle mounting maximum elevation mounted november inch submerged torpedo tubes fitted stern fourteen torpedoes carried armour waterline belt inches thick roughly fore aft inch gun turrets reduced inches fore turret bow extend aft rear turret gun turrets barbettes protected armour turret roofs cemented armour thickness main deck lower deck armour mild steel torpedo bulkheads inch thickness fitted abreast magazines shell rooms construction ship built sir ltd laid april launched april december fitting hit resulted beams frames hull plates officially completed march march sailed portsmouth commissioned way collided stood arrived tow early career commissioned 1st cruiser squadron home_fleet march participated fleet manoeuvres april june june july refitted august january attempt cure electrical problems turrets unsatisfactory attempt bring turrets working order refit spring unsuccessful decision following year convert turrets hydraulic power delayed deployment join mediterranean_fleet end march collided submarine collision ruled fault submarine returned december preparation major refit finally turrets hydraulic power battle worthy refit began march interrupted declaration war germany august formally recommissioned day prior turret work required week complete invincible battlecruiser fitted new fire control director completed allotted time remain refitted battle declared operational august rear admiral sir commanding 2nd hoisted flag ordered battlecruiser better support british ships patrolling broad world war battle bight invincible action battlecruiser force command admiral battle bight operation august ships originally intended distant support british cruisers destroyers closer german coast case large units high_seas_fleet sortied response british attacks turned south speed british light forces failed schedule rising tide meant german capital ships able clear bar mouth jade estuary brand new light cruiser crippled earlier battle fire german light cruisers battlecruisers mist able duck evade fire remained visible quickly crippled fire squadron distracted task finishing sudden appearance elderly light cruiser directly turned pursuit reduced hulk close range yards turned north general signal retire time invincible trailing main body battlecruisers opened fire fired rounds misses main body encountered crippled shortly turning north sunk lion rear admiral destroyed german german commanded admiral november response admiralty ordered squadron sent destroy germans squadron command admiral sir consisted invincible flag departed november cruisers rocks coast brazil 26th departed following day reached port stanley december making voyage atlantic wanted destroy radio station port stanley sent armoured cruiser light cruiser harbour clear british warships morning december spotted pre dreadnought grounded defend town wireless station receive signal expecting engagement ships armoured cruiser cornwall light cruiser bristol engines repair armed merchant cruiser patrolling outer harbour entrance armoured cruiser kent anchored outer harbour scheduled relieve german ships expecting resistance guns caused sheer bombardment wireless station fall main body ships sortie harbour retreating german ships southwest horizon fresh dry dock knots mph advantage ships bottoms limited speeds knots mph light cruiser ships opened fire range dropped yards invincible opened fire shortly ships began leipzig range closed yards ordered squadron separate ordered light cruisers turn southwest armoured cruisers turned north east cover retreat german ships opened fire scored hit sms struck invincible shell burst belt armour sides fired rapidly half hour engagement opened distance ships outside effective range german guns british gunnery poor scoring hits rounds fired primary cause smoke guns funnels british germans gun invincible turret jammed action thirty minutes turned south attempt british vision obscured opened range yards course change spotted british battlecruisers gave chase knots mph minutes later british opened fire yards minutes later turned east battle strategy close range bring secondary armament play successful guns able open fire maximum elevation smoke bothered sides multiple hits scored german ships failed detonate hit armoured areas starboard engine room action ordered ships cross wakes gain advantage turned northwest attempt cross british actually bring undamaged starboard guns bear port action british continued hit regularly ceased fire survivors slowed earlier damage battered hour half invincible ranges yards despite damage crew continued fire ceased firing ammunition exhausted ready order cease fire ammunition freed shot british captain given order slowly capsized british able rescue men freezing waters invincible fired inch shells battle hit times bow compartments flooded hit waterline abreast turret flooded coal bunker temporarily given list man killed wounded aboard battlecruisers battle invincible temporary repairs port stanley headed gibraltar permanent repairs took month opportunity taken extend height fore funnel feet reduce smoke blocking visibility bridge spotting invincible sailed england february joined grand_fleet february british battlecruiser force organised squadrons consist invincible class ships arrived mediterranean refitted april worn inch guns replaced secondary armament reduced given casemates rear admiral took command 3rd hoisted flag invincible 1st 3rd sortied response german bombardment april failed locate german ships heavy weather return home invincible rammed patrol yacht bow embedded invincible partially invincible speed reduced knots mph flooding forced haul line proceed independently repairs lasted battle jutland end 3rd battlecruiser squadron temporarily assigned grand_fleet gunnery practice entire grand_fleet admiral battlecruisers ordered sea prepare excursion german high seas fleet order support admiral hood took battlecruisers ahead grand_fleet invincible intercepted radio message british light cruiser attached reporting sighting enemy cruisers reports seven enemy ships steering north hood interpreted attempt escape ordered increase speed steered east southeast cut fleeing ships minutes later invincible intercepted message reporting enemy battlecruisers sight later signals reporting engaging enemy south easterly course hood ordered speed course south southeast attempt converge british ships sight hood requested course position speed received reply hood continued course gunfire spotted direction light cruiser chester dispatched investigate gunfire flashes chester encountered light cruisers hipper badly damaged hood turned investigate able drive german cruisers away chester invincible opened fire followed minutes later german ships turned south firing torpedoes attempted find shelter mist turned invincible hit engine room knocked engines hit escorted light cruiser destroyers 2nd 9th 12th half flotilla attacked 3rd succession driven hood remaining light cruiser canterbury destroyers escort confused action germans launched torpedoes disabled destroyer shark gunfire having turned west close ships invincible class battlecruisers broadside oncoming torpedoes invincible turned north turned south present profile torpedoes torpedoes missed passed underneath invincible turned north helm jammed come stop fix problem quickly squadron reformed heading west grand fleet hood turned south lead battlecruisers hipper battlecruisers yards away immediately opened fire hipper flagship hit times quickly took hits lion invincible including hits waterline forward invincible ultimately doom invincible abruptly appeared clear target german ships fired invincible sank seconds inch shell struck turret shell penetrated turret blew roof detonated magazines blew ship half explosion possibly ignited magazines complement officers men killed including rear admiral hood survivors picked names survivors commander lieutenant cecil chief petty officer signals walter able gunner stationed fire control located foremast stationed turret magazine exploded thrown clear ship wreck site war invincible located royal_navy lying sandy depth feet battlecruiser stern right bow upside examination wreck found inch guns aft turret remain loaded roof missing contemporary photograph explosion destroyed invincible shows flame smoke turret coupled aft turret missing roof implies magazine caused low order explosion ship invincible protected site remains act mount invincible canadian named battlecruiser
HMS Invincible (1907)