[22][30] In mid-September 1931, the crew of Rodney took part in the Invergordon Mutiny when they refused orders to go to sea for an exercise, although they relented after several days when the Admiralty reduced the severity of the pay cuts that prompted the mutiny. Even if Bismarck was more heavily armored it’d be a non factor, Bismarck was heavily damaged by HMS Rodney’s 16 inch guns which are far less advanced than Iowa’s. On 16 March the ship spotted the latter battleship while escorting Convoy HX 114 in the North Atlantic; Gneisenau was rescuing survivors from the independently steaming 1,831-gross register ton (GRT) reefer ship, Chilean Reefer, when Rodney steamed over the horizon, silhouetted against the setting sun. 116, 122–128; Rohwer, pp. Following the sinking of the armed merchant cruiser Rawalpindi two days later by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau off Iceland, Rodney and the rest of the Home Fleet hunted the enemy ships, but heavy weather allowed them to evade their pursuers and return to Germany. [15], During a brief refit in HM Dockyard, Rosyth, Scotland, from 24 August to 10 September 1940, the Type 79Y radar was upgraded to a Type 279 system and two 20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon light AA guns were installed on the roof of 'B' turret. How about a NelRod verse FusYamo thread that would be the battle of the uglies!!!!! I think people confuse the value of the Shermans with the size of the economies producing them. The ship covered the invasions of Sicily (Operation Husky) and Italy (Operation Baytown) in mid-1943. The following morning Rodney began engaging targets in Caen proper, beginning the gradual devastation of the city, including the destruction of the spire of the Church of Saint-Pierre. The ship steamed south in mid-November, bound for Portsmouth where Moore would transfer his flag to her sister. The KC armour of the barbettes ranged in thickness from 12 to 15 inches (305 to 381 mm). By no means; the Japanese have famously highly tuned aesthetic sensibilities, none of them could have faced Nelson or Rodney without quailing. Rodney generally remained at Scapa for the next year, the tedium relieved by a visit by King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and their daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, in late September 1945. HMS Rodney opened fire with her secondary armament at 0858 hours. The Nelson class was a class of two battleships (Nelson and Rodney) of the British Royal Navy, built shortly after, and under the terms of, the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. If only the English had invented the sabot concept in 1941! 170–172, 175–177; Greene & Massagnani, pp. She had expended at total of 519 sixteen- and 454 six-inch shells during her sojourn off the Norman coast. At 18:42 Rodney was attacked by Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bombers flown by the Regia Aeronautica's 102nd Dive Domber Group. The former ship arrived at Greenock to replenish her ammunition, fuel and supplies on 29 May and departed for Halifax on 4 June together with the ocean liner Windsor Castle and escorted by four destroyers. Other ships had dealt with the warships in Oran's port of Mers-el-Kebir, but the four 194-millimetre (7.6 in) coast-defence guns of Fort du Santon overlooking the harbour were still shooting at the British ships. [28], At the beginning of 1929, the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets combined for their annual fleet manoeuvres in the Mediterranean Sea. [6], The ships' waterline belt consisted of Krupp cemented armour (KC) that was 14 inches (356 mm) thick between the main gun barbettes and thinned to 13 inches (330 mm) over the engine and boiler rooms as well as the six-inch magazines, but did not reach either the bow or the stern. The evasive manoeuvres worsened Rodney's steering problems and issues with her boilers began after Force Z turned back that evening which limited the ship to 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). [52] Twenty minutes later, Rodney opened fire with her main guns on a wave of approaching Italian torpedo bombers, hoping to knock some of them down with shell splashes, which "frightened us, our escort and [the] Italians". Later that evening, the battleship was attacked by two bombers that near missed with two bombs and a torpedo. oh - if i were Yamato i would definately concentrate on one NelRod... hopefully i could hurt it enough/destroy it before turning to the other without taking too much in return... at worst i could prabably quite badly hammer one and then withdraw (if my speed is unaffercted). The HACS Mk I was replaced by a Mk III director and four barrage (anti-aircraft) directors with Type 283 radars were added for the main guns. Follow. or something like that during the Leyte Gulf campain. A severe storm began the following day and caused all operations to cease. [18], Rodney, named for Admiral Lord George Rodney,[19] was the sixth ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy. However, it is true that the M26 took up alot of space in shipping. 138–140, 148–149, Ballantyne 2008, pp. She again became the temporary fleet flagship when Nelson began a lengthy refit the following month and Admiral Sir Roger Backhouse hoisted his flag aboard her. While steaming in the River Clyde on the 19th, the battleship accidentally rammed and sank the trawler Topaze; only four survivors could be rescued by nearby destroyers. The ship's propulsion machinery was proving troublesome by this time and she was docked there in late September for a refit that took the rest of the year. [66], After a fortnight in Portland, the ship arrived in Devonport on 27 August for repairs that were originally scheduled to last for a month or more. 381–382, Ballantyne 2008, pp. Well the Tirpitz did actually fire her guns in anger. The ship was ordered forward to support operations off Sword Beach that night[60] and accidentally rammed and sank LCT 427, killing all 13 crewmen,[61] in the darkness and congested waters off the Isle of Wight. [63] These included a sporadic, 30-hour operation firing an occasional shell 22 miles (35 km) inland, to prevent a Panzer division from crossing a bridge. The best BB's are not always the ones that have the heaviest guns and thickest armour. Firing for the first time since her return, Rodney's guns began bombarding targets during Operation Epsom, which began on the 26th. 7:21. The ship encountered a strong storm with gale-force winds on 6–8 December that caused leaks in her hull plating with a moderate amount of flooding. The Iowa-class probably couldn’t sink the Yamato but its 16-inch shells would have wrecked the Yamato’s superstructure and rendered her equipment inoperable. 137–138; Ballantyne 2010, pp. This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, All the World's Battlecruisers, Battleships and All Other Warships, The Warship Discussion Forum: Battlecruisers, Battleships, Pre-Dreadnoughts, and other warships. Aug 11, 2020 - I created a book in the series SUPER DRAWINGS IN 3D about the WWII British battleship "HMS RODNEY". The initial salvos from both ships were off, but Rodney straddled her opponent with her third salvo and hit her twice with her fourth at 09:02, knocking out the forward superfiring turret, disabling the lower turret and severely damaging her bridge. The following month Rodney was detailed to rendezvous with Convoy HX 93 from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and escort it home. It consisted of an empty outer watertight compartment and an inner water-filled compartment. The British side, Royal Navy had two powerful battleships againist DKM Bismarck. 200–209; Burt, p. 383, Ballantyne 2008, pp. The anti-aircraft directors were situated on a tower abaft the main-armament director with a 12-foot high-angle rangefinder in the middle of the tower. The Germans had sent out their newest, most powerful battleship along with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen to destroy Allied convoys. [62], The ship was kept in reserve until 18 June when her sister struck a mine and had to withdraw. 89–90, 93; Haarr 2013, p. 208; Rohwer, p. 3, 5, 7, Ballantyne 2008, pp. I do not see them as especially vulnerable to diving shells. Captain Wilfred Custance relieved Tovey on 31 August. ... That'd make H-3A a very interesting ship, 33kt ship built like a brick with the forward firepower of a Yamato but also stuck with that figure for broadside firepower. Prime Minister Winston Churchill boarded Rodney for a voyage to Scapa Flow on 7–8 March. Great Britain's Last Super Battleship Was a True Monster Warship. I can't think of a better target for diving shell than NelRod. Rodney returned to Scapa on the 29th where she spent most of October training in preparation for the invasion of Northwest Africa scheduled for the following month. If you really want to know about the gunnery of the NelRod's then all you have to do is look at the Bismarck. She displaced 33,730 long tons (34,270 t) at standard load and 37,430 long tons (38,030 t) at deep load. During her sea trials on 7 September 1927, Rodney reached a top speed of 23.8 knots (44.1 km/h; 27.4 mph) from 45,614 shp (34,014 kW). Though she was ordered to Gibraltar, just in case. [2], Rodney had a length between perpendiculars of 660 feet (201.2 m) and an overall length of 710 feet 3 inches (216.5 m), a beam of 106 feet (32.3 m), and a draught of 30 feet 2 inches (9.2 m) at standard load. but that's the appeal of battleships to be anyway. There are some shots of Nelson taken from off her starboard bow from a smallc raft. 95, 124; Rohwer, p. 9, Ballantyne 2008, pp. Rodney was tasked to eliminate the problem and bombarded Batterie Blücher on 12 August, taking up a position on the other side of the Cap de la Hague to avoid return fire. In 1934–1935, Rodney was fitted with a pair of quadruple mounts for Vickers 0.5 in (12.7 mm) AA machineguns that were positioned on the forward superstructure. The ship resumed firing later that afternoon, again without a response. Much more than the M4. projectiles just over 26 miles at the rate of 1 to 1.5 rounds per gun per minute. British designers cited the poor endurance of the ship when establishing the endurance requirements for the battleship Vanguard. 16 in sisters HMS Rodney & Nelson (the only British battleships ever to use the calibre) - various colour schemes. [7] The ends of the armoured citadel were closed off by transverse bulkheads of non-cemented armour 8 and 12 inches (203 and 305 mm) thick at the forward end and 4 and 10 inches (102 and 254 mm) thick at the aft end. [4], The main battery of the Nelson-class ships consisted of nine breech-loading (BL) 16-inch (406 mm) guns in three triple-gun turrets forward of the superstructure. The ship's light AA armament was heavily reinforced during a refit in February–May 1942 with seventeen 20 mm Oerlikons in single mounts added to turret roofs, the superstructure and the decks. Despite the heavy weather, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal launched her first airstrike of 14 Swordfish torpedo bombers against the German ship that afternoon. For all the firing that the Rodney did, She didnt really hit the Bismarck that much. 6 years ago | 11 views. In that case they would have brought the modernized Fuso and Yamashiro to the fight the NelRods. 56, 63, Ballantyne 2008, pp. The port side mount was installed several years later in the position occupied by the port torpedo director and anti-aircraft directors for both mounts were added to the bridge structure. Rosiohickey. AA 10 More barrells, higher ROF, likely better fire control, fuzing, RPC ATBD 7 … From what I understand or have read, she never hit another ship with her guns. If that did not happen, Rodney was tasked to support the Centre Naval Task Force at Oran on 8 November. As the range diminished, she began to fire torpedoes, although shock waves from near misses caused the door for her starboard tube to jam at 09:23. Returning to Sword Beach on 8 June, she bombarded German troops and vehicles near Caen. Rodney rendezvoused with the convoy two days later and was assigned to Force Z which would turn back before the convoy passed through the Sicilian Narrows. You may sink one Nelson, but its almost certain that getting both is impossible. After a brief refit in the United States, she escorted convoys to Malta and supported the Allied invasion of French Algeria during (Operation Torch) in late 1942. Six days later, the ship was visited by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their morale-boosting tour of Scottish shipyards. 147–148, Ballantyne 2008, pp. [64] The ship also provided fire support during Operation Windsor, a partially successful Canadian assault on Carpiquet and its airfield west of Caen on 4–5 July, and Operation Charnwood, a frontal assault on Caen proper on 8–9 July. The battleship was scheduled to continue onwards to Boston for repairs and a refit. Yamato vs Nelson& Rodney. That would be a shame if she went through her entire career and never actually hit anything. i know who gets my vote. Bismarck was built with 15 inch guns in mind, Iowa and Yamato have 16 and 18 inch guns respectively. [14], The high-angle directors and rangefinder and their platform were replaced by a new circular platform for the High Angle Control System (HACS) Mk I director by March 1930. 114, 116; Raven & Roberts, pp. Whilst the Sherman was an adequate tank, I am somewhat surprised that the US did not get a better hull into product. It seems to me that in many naval actions, a ship that is not being fired upon tends to have substantially superior gunnery then one being fired upon. After the armed merchant cruiser Jervis Bay was sunk the following day by the heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer, the sisters were deployed to the Iceland-Faeroes gap to block any attempt by the German cruiser to return home. Sorry it was 16inchs inclined at 20 degrees. The ship was transferred to Scapa Flow in late December, but was ordered back to Hvalfjord in mid-January 1942 where she was briefly used as a target ship for United States Army Air Force aviators. Around this time the combined fire from Rodney, King George V and the heavy cruisers Norfolk and Dorsetshire knocked out all of Bismarck's main guns. The Nelsons are certainly nearer the WWII ships than the WWI designs in armour layout and in the heavy deck armour. I also The crew made temporary repairs and the ship remained at sea until she dropped anchor at Scapa Flow on the 17th. In addition a full suite of radars were added. It might not have been able to take on America or Japan's monster battleships, … Captain Edward Syfret relieved Whitworth on 16 August, shortly before Rodney began her annual short refit in September. The Germans spotted the bulk of the Home Fleet and it was attacked by five bombers from the first group of Bomber Wing 30 (I./KG 30). They had a very good armour scheme...". As it turned out, both capabilities were needed in the same vehicle. Of course to make it really equal you would have to give the Germans air superiority and equal numbers of people. I am not really keen on v's arguements as I think alot boils down to luck (Hood POW V Bismark Prinz Eugen) but its is interesting that the Yamato Class wieghs nearly twice as much as Nelson class but was she twice as good ( I am not comparing as built but say 1943). Trumpeter is ranked #1 out of 19 1/700 scale or 1/350 scale plastic model ships manufacturers, followed by Tamiya, and Hobby Boss. Little effort was made to repair the persistent steering and boiler problems as efforts focused on making her seaworthy again. Leaks, defective riveting, and other problems continued to affect Rodney even after a 1941 refit in Boston, Massachusetts. 0:18 [PDF Download] HMS Rodney: Slayer of the Bismarck and D-Day Saviour (Warships of the Royal ... Yamato vs Nelson& Rodney. With Nelson forced to return home for repairs, Vice-Admiral James Somerville transferred his flag to Rodney on 30 September. Captain Andrew Cunningham, later First Sea Lord, relieved Tottenham on 15 December. The ship was able to comb the tracks between two torpedoes dropped by Italian aircraft at 07:45 on 12 August. She can run away at least! In preparation for her role providing naval gunfire support during the Normandy landings, two more Oerlikons were added as was a Type 650 radio jammer in January–March 1944. Naval historian Iain Ballantyne states that this was not removed until her early 1944 refit. The battleship then sailed to HM Dockyard, Devonport, to participate in a charity fund-raising Navy Week which saw 67,000 visitors come to the dockyard. [16], While under repair at Rosyth in August–September, four additional Oerlikons were added on the quarterdeck. By July 1932, the single two-pounder guns and the starboard torpedo director were removed and replaced by a single octuple two-pounder "pom-pom" mount on the starboard side of the funnel and a 9-foot (2.7 m) rangefinder was added at the rear of the bridge roof. 156–159, 162; Burt, p. 383, Ballantyne 2008, pp. Ironically, Rodney's own main guns firing at low elevation had damaged her more extensively than had Bismarck. [54], With her repairs completed on 16 September, Rodney arrived back at Scapa on the 23rd, but almost immediately set sail for Loch Cairnbawn where the British had created a replica of the defences surround Tirpitz. I believe the Germans had problems copying the T34's diesel engine even at the end of the war a lot of diesel engines were based on Czech design. Rodney continued onwards to the Boston Navy Yard for the delayed repairs to her propulsion machinery and her self-inflicted damage from the battle where she arrived on 12 June. 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