CHAPTER 18 -- THE FITTING-OUT BASIN
Chapter 18: THE FITTING-OUT BASIN
Above, you see a powerful Queen Elizabeth Class fast battleship, circa 1914. She is in a fairly advanced stage of construction in what is referred to as the “Fitting-Out Phase”. But that phrase covers a multitude of tasks as well as glossing over what was involved in getting her there. (Note 200-foot cantilever crane in background.)
The shipwright’s trade dates to before recorded history, and in the beginning, ships were built by just about anyone handy at carpentry with some reasonably flat land at water’s edge. Hundreds of years later, shipbuilding had evolved into an industry. Sprawling yards jammed with sawmills, blacksmith’s shops, warehouses, sail lofts, rope walks, and large slipways holding the hulls of three-decked, wooden, ships-of-the-line. The process now required several phases of construction to build a warship – one of which – was “fitting-out”. But, as if things were not difficult enough, sails were replaced by steam engines, wooden warships were superseded by ironclads, ironclads gave way to all steel warships, pre-dreadnoughts evolved, and finally – HMS Dreadnought gave birth to the modern battleship. From that day -- until the end of the Dreadnought Era -- battleships would become the largest, most technically advanced, and mechanically complicated moving objects on Earth. In short – building dreadnoughts had become a specialized and challenging business!
This is a wide overview of the “Fitting-Out Basin” facilities – located off the west end of the Turning Basin and the North Ship Channel. This made it possible to tow an unfinished warship through the ship channel and straight into the basin – no turns required and less opportunity for an accident.
As in other European countries, the structure of the Imperial German naval armaments industry prior to 1914 was a mixed affair. The Krupp gun works at Essen provided all the artillery required by the German military – to include the massive rifles mounted on battleships. State Arsenals (factories) and Naval Dockyards provided for the construction of some dreadnoughts, while private yards were encouraged to take on government contracts. This practice expanded the shipbuilding base, and the labor force familiar with the complicated technology required -- a distinct advantage in a naval arms race. By the turn of the 20th Century, battleships had evolved to the degree that only eight shipyards in Germany were deemed capable of the task: Kaiserliche Werft, Wilhelmshaven – Kaiserliche Werft, Kiel – Germania Werft, Kiel – Howaldtswerke, Kiel – Blohm & Voss, Hamburg – Bremer Vulcan AG, Stettin – AG Weser, Bremen – and Schichau Yard, Danzig.
The first step in building these giants was the “Design Study”, followed by an order from the Admiralstab (Navy High Command) to a building yard. When the necessary materials (timber, steel beams, armor plate) had been gathered and a slipway came open – construction began. From here on, the process varied widely based upon the capabilities of the building yard. Some components were fabricated on sight (the keel and hull frames), while others had to be shipped in from factories (large quantities of rolled steel plate). Special manufacturing tools were required to roll, taper, and bend the massive steel plates of the waterline armor belt – some of which could be done on site, but not all. And delays in delivering materials could add months to the building time. The fact that Imperial Germany might have three or four dreadnoughts under construction at the same time added further stress to the supply chain.
In this view you see an Agincourt Class battleship and HMS Monarch of the Orion Class. Monarch belongs to one of the three battleship classes that formed the “backbone” of the Grand Fleet – a well-developed design – compact and “standardized”. Agincourt, by contrast, was a “one-off” design and somewhat larger. This illustrates the need to plan ahead when building dockyard facilities. Warships seemed to grow larger with each successive class – more speed means a longer ship to carry more boilers – more guns means a longer ship to accommodate one more gun turret, etc, etc. So it was wise to build basins bigger and wider to handle future warships. With the appearance of HMS Dreadnought, to their horror, the Admiralstab realized the Kiel Ship Canal would have to be widened to admit the new “dreadnoughts”!
RUSSIAN BATTLESHIP POLTAVA fitting-out in Admiralty Yard, St. Petersburg, circa 1912. NOTE: Only temporary wooden structures built over barbette openings.
The warship hull was usually built up to the level of the “surface” decks – forecastle, main, and quarter deck. For a wide variety of reasons the components actually installed inside the hull before launch conformed to no set pattern. The big underwater tubes were fitted in the torpedo flats and as the “main deck” was completed, the 6 inch secondary battery gun mounts were installed. Propellers and shafts might be fitted – provided there was deep water below the slipway. Engines would be installed only if the shipyard had the tools and expertise. But as a rule, few major interior components were installed prior to actual launch due to weight restrictions on the slipways. If a hull grew too heavy, rather than sliding down the slipway, it might actually get stuck. Tugs would have to be called in and getting the hull into the water might take weeks. More often than not, the hull interior was simply a series of decks, bulkheads, and subdivided compartments. Once launched, the empty hull would be towed to a “Fitting-Out Basin” – assuming the builder’s yard had one. The hull might well have to be towed to another shipyard.
Afloat, and moored in the “Fitting-Out Basin”, the months-long construction process continued. Superstructure above the “basic” deck levels had to be built from scratch. The bridge, funnels, and deck houses had to be built with individual steel plates – each plate bent, punched, and shaped in presses ashore, then lifted into place. The concept of modular ship construction would not be invented until WW II. (See “Kaiser” Liberty Ships.) No two battleships were ever exactly alike. Each was, literally, “hand-made” from the blueprints and small adjustments were always made to get a proper fit. And steel plates were not easy to work with. Numerous small derricks were employed just shifting the heavy plates around and supporting them while they were riveted in place.
In portions of the ship over the engine rooms, this process could not begin until powerful cranes lifted in the machinery. Engines the size of small houses were hoisted, swung across, and lowered into the bowels of the ship to rest on specially prepared mountings. Generators, electrical boards, cooling and exhaust fans, fireboxes, boilers, condensers, steam turbines, and massive gear boxes – all had to be installed, hooked up, and seen to fit properly before the decks above them could be plated over. While the heavy machinery was dealt with, other parts of the hull received electrical leeds, plumbing, and forced-draft ventilation ducts.
HMS Agincourt started life as the Brazilian battleship Rio de Janeiro. She had been contracted with Britain’s Armstrong-Whitworth shipyards as part of a small South American naval arms race between Brazil and Argentina. Keen to make an impression on their Argentine rivals, the Brazilians had insisted their battleship should be especially impressive – and indeed it was. Rio de Janiero would mount 12 inch guns in twin turrets – just as their Argentine rivals – but they insisted on fourteen guns to the Argentine’s twelve. British builders did not think in terms of triple turrets, since the Royal Navy did not trust them. So Rio de Janiero would have her fourteen guns arranged in seven twin turrets – a record that still stands.
The keel was laid down in mid-September, 1911, with great ceremony, but world economics soon took a hand in affairs. Without warning, Brazil’s booming rubber industry took a nose-dive and her lucrative trade in coffee fell off dramatically. In a matter of months, Brazil’s finances were in chaos, and the government put Rio de Janiero up for sale in October, 1913. She was purchased by the Ottoman Empire for 2.75 million Pounds and renamed Sultan Osman I.
World War I broke out in the middle of her sea trials, prior to delivery, and the British Admiralty wasted no time in exercising a clause in the builders contract. The vessel was seized, literally, under the noses of the Turkish captain and crew that had come to fetch her home. She was accepted into the Royal Navy and the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, bestowed one of his favorite names – Agincourt – of Henry V fame. Having served dutifully, if not heroically, with the Grand Fleet for the duration of the war, Agincourt was eventually sold for scrap in 1922 under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty.
Off the port side, with a steam tug lashed outboard, is “Marine WHV 4” – a barge-mounted floating crane of 100 tons capacity. The steam crane has been shunted into position to assist in removing the roof of Agincourt’s “Wednesday” turret in preparation for lifting out one of the 12 inch rifles while the elevating mechanism is adjusted. (Yes – the battleship’s turrets were named for the days of the week.) The barge and crane were skillfully custom made by the talented @AP who very kindly offered his services to lend a bit of realism to this “CJ”. The model was patterned after just such a floating crane that operated out of the Philadelphia Navy Yard for many years before succumbing to extreme old age.
SULTAN OSMAN I AT ARMSTRONG’S FITTING-OUT DOCK, CIRCA 1914.
Up until the close of the 19th Century, heavy loads had been lifted using “sheerlegs” – a cumbersome tripod arrangement with two legs forward and a third leg to the rear, attached to a slide, powered by a steam winch. Winching the forelegs “back” brought the load closer to the dock. Letting the winch “out” moved the load in the opposite direction. This simple system had worked for centuries, but it had no lateral motion. If you wanted a load placed a hundred feet to the right or left, you had to move the entire warship!
Around 1900, “cantilever cranes” were developed that could hoist, “rack” (to move the load “in” or “out” along the jibe arm), and rotate. These were built of steel girders and operated by a system of steam powered generators running powerful electric motors. The model pictured above has been meticulously assembled – girder by girder – by @AP. The crane is a perfect model of the giant cantilever cranes found in every major shipyard worthy of the name. This 350 ton (capacity) monster is hoisting a gun house and upper assembly aboard for installation. The “base beds” for Agincourt’s main armament barbettes weighed nearly 200 tons apiece. The model is taken from the famous “Titan” crane (see first picture) still on view at John Brown Shipyards, Glasgow, Scotland.
It is worth pointing out that the Imperial Dockyard is equipped with two such cranes. I took “liberties” with that point – mainly because I like the model. Not all shipyards could afford a cantilever crane of such size at a price upwards of 80,000 Pounds. And those that could – only purchased one – for installation at the Fitting-Out Basin. Unfortunately for me (since I REALLY like the model), I will follow the “historical script” and there will be no more than two large cantilever cranes in Wilhelmshaven.
Here, dockside, you can see two of “AP’s” 100 ton steam cranes (rigged for steam) with the one on the left undergoing a bit of repair and maintenance. There is a welding gang working at the rear while another crew forges a new retaining bracket up front. In the middle you see a detail of Imperial sailors smoothing the rough spots on three brass propellers while a trio of nearby officers supervise. The cranes, maintenance crew, propellers, and Imperial sailors are all crafted by “AP”.
This shot shows a 100 ton crane hoisting a 12 inch gun tube across to be installed in one of the gun houses. (You do have to use your imagination – just a bit.) On the dock, a detail of sailors is wiping and oiling the gun tubes before installation, while a second detail is removing the shipping brackets and installing a breech block. Right next to them some dock workers are repairing an old anchor chain prior to applying a fresh coat of gray paint. At the center bottom, you can even see a fresh Navy detail reporting for duty. In time-honored naval tradition, one of the sailors straddles a huge gun tube while oiling it down. ALL are courtesy of the multi-talented “AP”.
Here is yet another dockside "vignette" created by "AP" for your enjoyment. Amid the hustle and bustle on the quayside, a detail of Imperial sailors and dockyard workers are busy preforming maintenance and repair duties on a number of winches. After they are overhauled, the winches will be temporarily installed on the ship's deck to assist with hoisting and positioning the heavy steel plates required to complete the superstructure.
This shows the “controlled chaos” dockside. Fitting-Out required hundreds of different materials and “fittings”. Steel girders for added structural strength; pipes to carry steam, water, and hydraulic fluids; timber to shore up working spaces until plates could be riveted; boxes and crates full of machined valves, and storage containers filled with thousands of assorted “fittings”. “Fittings” is a quaint builder’s term used to cover everything from cabin doorknobs to ladders, and watertight doors for bulkheads.
Here, the rail line has been run right out to span the fitting-out dock, and two heavily laden locomotives are discharging their freight. The immense amount of material came in all shapes, weights, and sizes, and the heaviest loads were, of necessity, delivered by rail.
With the “fittings” installed, and “finish” work checked, workmen go through the ship from stem to stern, sweeping, wiping, and painting. The last thing to come aboard are crates and crates of furniture – chairs, desks, wardrobe lockers, bunks for petty officers and above, and hammocks for the seamen. The only thing remaining was for the crew to come aboard and unpack their duffle bags. But one important element has been left out – the sole reason for the ship to exist – the Main Battery guns.
KMS BISMARCK TURRET MACHINERY CONFIGURATION
In Chapter 5 we discussed how the big rifled guns were made and the turrets (gun houses) assembled. Now we must explore how they were installed.
When the fore and aft superstructures have risen far enough to reach the level of any superimposed gun positions, the barbette armor and interior workings must be installed in the round openings left in the decks. The holes go through several interior decks and all the way to the bottom of the ship – possibly as much as 60 feet. The 200 ton barbette base is lowered down to the bottom and fitted into a steel frame that prevents it from moving about. The thick plate will disperse the immense weight of the armored barbette, the inner workings of the gun mounts, and the turret itself. Pre-shaped curving plates as much as 16 inches thick will then be lowered into the well and riveted together to form a protective armored cylinder that will rise all the way to the bottom of the gun turret.
The First Level -- (bottom) inside the barbette cylinder is the Shell Working Chamber, with the bottom end of the shell hoist. On the same level outside the barbette armor, but accessible through flash-proof scuttles, are the Shell Rooms.
The Second Level – above and inside the barbette, is the Powder Handling Chamber which, through another set of flashproof scuttles, has access to the Powder Magazines located outside the armored barbette. Inside the barbette, the enclosed shell and powder hoists will be installed in the center of the chamber, angling up toward the loading breech of the big guns. These hoists feed ammunition to the massive rifles at the rate of two rounds per minute.
The Third Level – supports machinery to run the hoists.
The Fourth Level -- is the Turret Working Chamber, with machinery to train the “gun house” (turret) and elevate the heavy gun tubes. (In the inset diagram at top left, you can see the shell hoists rising in the center with an angled powder hoist to either side.)
The Fifth Level – (the circular, ribbed, steel collar) supports the turntable – a finely machined, circular roller path upon which the gun house rests and rotates. This level is also the lower floor of the gun house, and provides space for the gun breeches to descend when the barrels are elevated.
The Sixth Level – on top of the barbette, is the gun house. The walls, floor, and interior of the gun turret will be assembled (see Chapter 5), piece by piece, from armor plate of varying thickness (some face plates as much as 14 inches). Each gun may be seated inside it’s own compartment, separated from the others by a flash/splinter resistant wall.
The entire arrangement, from gun house to shell working chamber, required approximately 80 men to operate – per gun turret – not including magazine personnel. It should be mentioned that not all main gun systems were alike. The specific number of “levels” and the arrangement of magazines, shell rooms, and hoists differed from navy to navy – as did the handling and safety precautions.
When all is prepared, the cantilever crane will hoist the massive gun tubes (perhaps 120 tons) and seat them in their cradles. At this point, the turret elevating and training systems will be hooked up and tested for smooth operation. When everything has been checked, double checked, and inspected – the turret roof will be hoisted aboard and riveted in place.
The final step before delivering the battleship to the government involves a variety of tests and inspections – and --“Sea Trials”. The ship is readied for sea in all respects – with specified amounts of fuel and “stores” taken aboard to meet agreed upon displacement “trial” weight. A party of naval officers board the vessel to oversee the trials, and the ship puts to sea. Trials may last several hours, or several hours spread over several days, or up to a week of continuous steaming. Ships are usually tested for (1) sea keeping qualities, (2) maximum speed and duration, (3) helm response, (4) turning circle radius, (5) fuel consumption at various speeds over time, (6) stopping distance – and probably an entire checklist of other things. The guns may or may not be exercised at a nearby firing range. When all trials have been successfully passed, the senior naval officer present will officially accept the ship from the builder. The battleship will then proceed to a Naval Dockyard to receive additional “sensitive” equipment – such as special optical rangefinders and gunnery control systems and equipment. Though not exactly “State Secrets”, these items were rarely entrusted to private building yards and even the crew that manned them were often unfamiliar with the mechanical computers they operated. In later years, “Top Secret” radar systems would only be installed in government yards.
A period sketch of an Arethusa Class light cruiser under the "Titan" cantilever crane.
As always --- MY ETERNAL THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for such beautiful warships.
AND MY SPECIAL THANKS TO @AP for his generous offer of assistance – patience in working out “bugs” – imaginative contributions to content – and, most of all, his cheerful dedication to making it all happen. It is much appreciated, my friend.
If you enjoyed anything you saw – please punch the “like” button so I will know. A comment would be even more informative.
Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of my ability.
THANK YOU for your visit !
NEXT TIME…...The Refit Basin.
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