HMS Queen Elizabeth

Type:
Battleship
Class:
Builder:
Portsmouth Dockyard
Portsmouth, England
Pennant Number:
00
Ordered:
1912
Launched:
October 16, 1913
Keel Laid:
October 21, 1912
Commissioned:
January 19, 1915
Fate:
Sold Mar. 19, 1948 to Arnott Young and scrapped in Dalmuir, Scotland.


Dimensions, Machinery and Performance (as built)

Length:
643' 9"
Engines:
4 Parsons direct drive steam turbines
Beam:
90' 5"
Boilers:
24 Babcock & Wilcox (oil fired) water tube type
Draft:
30' 5" std.
Shafts:
4
Displacement:
29,150 std. / 33,000 full
SHP:
75,000
Speed:
25 knots (design) 24 actual
Crew:
951 (WW1) 1,184 (WW2)
Range:
4,400 NM @ 10 knots

Dimensions, Machinery and Performance (after 1926-27 refit)

Length:
643' 9"
Engines:
Same as above
Beam:
104' (across bulges)
Boilers:
Same as above
Draft:
30' 8" std.
Shafts:
Same as above
Displacement:
32,107 std. / 35,000 full
SHP:
Same as above
Speed:
Same as above
Crew:
951 (WW1) 1,184 (WW2)
Range:
Same as above


Dimensions, Machinery and Performance (after 1937-1940 refit)

Length:
643' 9"
Engines:
4 Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines
Beam:
104' (across bulges)
Boilers:
8 Admiralty 3 drum type
Draft:
31' 8" std. / 34' 9" full
Shafts:
4
Displacement:
32,468 std. / 36,565 full
SHP:
80,000
Speed:
24 knots std. / 23.5 knots full
Crew:
1,184
Range:
13,500 NM @ 10 knots


Armament
Number Carried
Type
Arrangement
Maximum Range / Ceiling
8
15"/42 (381mm)
4 twin turrets
29,000 yards @ 30.1° (16.4 miles)
with a 1,920 lb. armor piercing shell

16 (a)
6"/45 (152mm) BL
single mounts
23,770 yards @ 30° (13.5 miles)
with a 112 lb. HE shell

2
3"/45 (76mm) QF DP
single mounts
12,950 yards @ 40° (7.3 miles)
AA ceiling 15,700' (max effective)
with a 12.5 lb. HE shell

2 (b)
4"/45 (102mm) QF
single mounts
19,850 yards @ 45° (11.2 miles)
AA ceiling 39,000'
with a 35 lb. HE shell

20 (c)
4.5"/45 (114mm) QF
10 twin turrets
20,750 yards @ 45° (11.7 miles)
AA ceiling 41,000'
with a 55 lb. HE shell

32 (d)
1.575"/39 (40mm)
Pom Poms

4 octuple mounts


AA ceiling 13,300 yards
with a 1.81 lb. shell
Rate of fire 115 RPM

16 (e)
.5"/90 (127mm)
Machine guns

4 quad mounts


AA ceiling 5,000'
Rate of fire up to 600 RPM
52 (f)
.79"/70 (20mm)
Oerlikon MG

single mounts
AA ceiling 10,000'
Rate of fire up to 320 RPM
4 (g)
21" (533mm)
torpedo tubes

broadside
all submerged
4,500 yards @ 45 knots (2.5 miles)
10,750 yards @ 31 knots (6.1 miles)
515 lb. TNT warhead

3
Aircraft
Armament notes:
(a) 2 removed in 1915, all removed in 1937-40 refit.
(b) Added in 1916, increased to 4 mounts during 1926-27 refit.
All removed in 1937-40 refit.

(c) Added during 1937-40 refit.
(d) Added during 1937-40 refit.
(e) Added during 1937-40 refit.
(f) Up to 52 mounted during World War 2.
(g) 2 removed in 1926-27 refit.


History:
Feb.-May 1915:
Mediterranean Fleet.
May 1915-1920:
Grand Fleet. (Flagship 1916-1920).
1920:
Atlantic Fleet.
July 1924:
Mediterranean Fleet.
1926-27:
Rebuilt (see new dimensions above)
Two funnels trunked into a single funnel.
Bridge superstructure rebuilt.
Torpedo bulges added.

1929:
Atlantic Fleet.
1930:
Mediterranean Fleet.
Aug. 1937-Jan. 41:
Rebuilt at Devonport Dockyard. Moved to Rosyth, Scotland for completion in Dec. 1940.
Bridge superstructure rebuilt.
Pole mast changed to tripod mast.

Jan. 1941:
Home Fleet.
May 1941:
Mediterranean Fleet.
Dec. 19, 1941:
Sunk at Alexandria, Egypt by a Limpet mine laid by SLC-223 under the command of
A. Marcegila. Three chariots were delivered by the Italian submarine Scirè to a point just outside the harbor on the night of Dec. 18 and when the submarine nets were opened to allow a ship in, they followed. In addition to the Queen Elizabeth the battleship HMS Valiant, the destroyer HMS Jervis F-00 and a Norwegian tanker Sagona were badly damaged. All three chariots were scuttled and the crews were taken POW, some were held on the ships that were about to explode. The Queen Elizabeth sank on an even keel with the deck above water. After she was raised and temporary repairs had been made she was moved to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia for permanent repairs which lasted until June 1943.

June 1943:
Home Fleet.
Dec. 1943:
Eastern Fleet.
Oct.-Nov. 1944:
Under repair at Durban, South Africa.
July 1945:
Home Fleet.
Mar. 1946:
Reserve Fleet.
Mar. 19, 1948:
Sold for scrap.
July 7, 1948:
Arrived at Dalmuir for scrapping. (Hull scrapped in Troon, Scotland)


Notes:
Named in honor of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1605)


Ship's Data
Page revised Feb. 23, 2007