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CHAPTER 21 -- THE DRY DOCKS 02
Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS WILHELMSHAVEN
Chapter 21: THE DRY DOCKS 02 Above, you see the Imperial Japanese Navy battlecruiser Kongo in the graving dock at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in 1924. At that time, her main battery turrets were modified to allow greater elevation and range, and her fire-control systems were given a complete update. She returned to this dock again, in 1927, when her forward superstructure was extensively modified to accommodate an ever-increasing array of fire-control equipment – resulting in the distinctive “Pagoda-mast” superstructure that would become a hallmark of Japanese capital ships. In the photograph below, Kongo is back at Yokosuka, finishing-up a refit / reconstruction carried out between 1929 and 1931. The extensive modernization involved additional armor over her magazine spaces, internal anti-torpedo bulkheads outboard of the machinery spaces, and the usual external “torpedo bulges”. She was also modified to carry three Type 90 float planes. But most importantly, her 36 old Yarrow boilers were replaced with more efficient, modern boilers, and Brown-Curtis “direct-drive” turbines were installed. The new machinery suite boosted her speed trials to 29 knots. Now capable of providing escort to fast carrier groups, IJN Kongo was reclassified as a “fast battleship”. Graving Docks could do any work done in a “Refit Basin” or a “Fitting-Out Basin” (with the exception of extreme heavy lift capability – usually only available in the Fitting-Out Basin). But only Graving Docks could preform work below the waterline – and were expensive to build and hard to come by. “Fitting-Out Basins” were cheaper and easier to build, requiring only a dock, shops, and suitable cranes. Some shipyards, where money was scarce, even did without the large, expensive cantilever cranes by building their own set of sheer-legs! And since “fitting-out” a battleship could take a year or more, basins were preferable to tying up a valuable dry dock. The “New Dry Docks” were built as a pair, sharing a center quay rail line and taking up the least possible space. The “Navy-style” cranes are on tracks and capable of reaching any part of the ship. You can see a trainload of steel plates ready to be unloaded. These will be used to strengthen the deck armor over HMS Rodney’s magazine and machinery spaces. The deck strengthening had been planned for a 1940 refit of HMS Hood, but as the largest warship in a wartime navy – they simply couldn’t spare her from duty – and she ended up “in harm’s way” just once too often. USS NEVADA IN A GRAVING DOCK AT PEARL HARBOR, 1937. Graving Docks could be used for “Refits” of a “heavy” nature – usually something requiring a 250 ton crane. Possibly changing out worn main battery gun tubes – or installing heavily armored conning towers, or range finders. Or, if there was an opening in the Graving Dock’s schedule, a “quickie” refit might be squeezed in (bottom cleaning & repaint) simply to speed up the “to do” list. Otherwise, it was best to keep the dry docks free. Below waterline service and repair was a constant nuisance, and believe it or not, hull damage from collisions among battleships was more common than you might think. In the west side of the “New Dry Dock” complex, SMS Rheinland, one of four Nassau Class dreadnoughts, has been positioned for a quick emergency survey and some urgent repair work. Two days ago, 1st Battle Squadron was practicing tactical formation maneuvers near Horns Reef with Rheinland leading the starboard column. Her sister ship, Posen, followed astern. Apparently, the squadron navigator misjudged their position and the vessels were closer inshore than estimated. Around 15:33 hours, Rheinland’s bottom scraped across a portion of Horn’s Reef when the sandy bank should have been miles to the east. With the warship’s “trim” down by the stern just a bit more than usual, there was a sudden shuddering throughout the ship and the helm jammed tight. As Rheinland slid across the bank, the shudder was replaced with a heavy vibration and rudder movement resumed, but with much difficulty. Close astern, Posen sheered off to starboard as Rheinland slowed, and she, too, struck the reef. Both battleships hove-to as “damage control” crews assessed the situation, and some thirty minutes later, the squadron set course for Wilhelmshaven at a reduced speed of ten knots. Rheinland struck harder than her sister ship, with a damaged rudder, leaking in the steering flat, and the starboard propeller either damaged or lost entirely. Posen was taking a small amount of water from a damaged bilge keel and her engineer swore the propeller was alright, but the shaft had been jolted out of alignment. The dry dock superintendent will know more when the water has been drained and a proper inspection made. In this shot of Rheinland, you have a clear view of the disposition of the main gun turrets – one on centreline fore and aft, with two “wing turrets” on either beam. This is often referred to as an “octagonal” arrangement. As the German response to HMS Dreadnought, the Westfalen Class were the first dreadnought battleships to enter Imperial service. Twelve 11 inch guns were insisted upon to “out-gun” the British vessel, but already in experimental territory with their first dreadnought, the Germans opted for a “safe” turret arrangement, which only provided an eight gun broadside. This a fine view of Rheinland’s bridge structure and her three forward gun turrets. In their own defense, the Admirals advocating the “octagonal” arrangement pointed out that though they had lost four guns on the broadside, they had gained them in “astern” and “Ahead” fire. In truth, six of the big guns were aligned to fire forward when chasing an enemy – and six fired directly astern when being chased by an enemy. But battleships traditionally fought in “line ahead” battle formation for two very good reasons; (1) Broadside fire brought the greatest possible number of guns to bear on the enemy, and (2) It was not wise to fire the giant rifles in any other direction. In order to fire directly ahead at an enemy, they would have to be aimed just as you see them pictured. Even at maximum elevation, the muzzle blast would have made the open portions of the bridge unlivable and the enclosed portions painfully uncomfortable. The blast would have pounded flimsy steel bridge bulwarks into torn ribbons of sheet metal and shredded canvas awnings and spray shields. A single gun blast would have ripped up teak decking and buckled the steel plates beneath. Three minutes of firing would have transformed the forecastle into a shamble of splinters and twisted steel. Fortunately, wiser heads prevailed and this risky bit of bravado was never attempted. In this sequence of pictures, we see the damaged SMS Posen being wrestled into the “Old Dry Dock” by five steam tugs. With her starboard shaft inoperable, it is proving difficult to get the battleship properly aligned to the entrance of the older, narrow dock. It is obvious Posen has gotten a bit too close to the port side dock wall, and the tugs are doing their best to nudge her to starboard. This also gives you an excellent view of the older 250 ton cantilever cranes – very finely modeled by “Nob”, from his “1905 Naval Series”. For very large warships, dry docks could be used for both construction and fitting-out. The Japanese laid down the giant Yamato in 1937 at the Kure Naval Arsenal in a massive, newly expanded dry dock. To maintain complete secrecy, the arsenal yard was sealed off from the public and giant ship-sheds were erected over the dock so that nothing could be seen. They went to great lengths to keep the Western Powers in the dark – and they succeeded admirably. It was not until after the Japanese surrender that the Allies discovered just how big and powerful the Yamato’s were. HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN IN A FLOATING DRY DOCK_circa 1925 FLOATING DRY DOCKS Around the beginning of the 18th Century, the first crude floating dock was constructed by a British merchant Captain operating in the Baltic Sea. He removed the stern from a derelict hulk and ballasted the ship to a negative buoyancy, sinking it to the shallow harbor floor. When the vessel to be repaired was moved inside the hulk, the ballast was removed, causing the hulk to rise off the harbor bottom and lift the other ship clear of the water. Thus was born the floating dry dock. For our purposes, the picture of HMS Royal Sovereign, above, pretty much says it all. Judging from the scaffolding hanging from the ship’s bow, she has been “hauled out” to get her bottom cleaned and painted. The dock has a long bridge-like gangway on the left, so it is likely anchored in a permanent harbor location. The dock is, more or less, self-contained. You will note the two cranes atop the “wing wall” pontoons. Seated on rails, they can traverse the length of the wall to access the entire ship. The upper half of the pontoons provide sufficient buoyancy to keep the dock stable when it has been “flooded down” (like a submarine) to receive a ship. Inside the upper pontoons are administrative offices, store rooms, machine tools, and work shops – in addition to a diesel generator to provide lighting and power for the machine tools and pumps. (It would have been coal-fired in the old days.) The lower portion of the pontoons are ballast tanks that hold sea water pumped inboard to submerge the dock. Floating dry docks have many advantages, one of which, is that they can be built much like a ship and in a lot less time – for a fraction of the cost. Unlike a Graving Dock, tugs can tow a floating dock to any location, including far off coaling stations. Patrolling distant sea lanes left Royal Navy warships at the mercy of accidents and engine failures. Floating docks were a Godsend. During WW II, the US Pacific Fleet was lavishly equipped with floating “sectional” docks – pieces could be added at either end to accommodate any size ship. This kept the warships in the combat zone and “on the job”, with only the most badly damaged ships sent to West Coast Navy Yards. This was the only drawback to a floating dock – they might not be equipped for the truly heavy work that can be done in a land-based dock. Note the cranes in the picture – they appear to be no more than 60 to 100 tons capacity, and their jibe is not long enough to reach the upper superstructure. This is an overview of the Old Dry Dock area. There are four of the 250 ton cantilever cranes – two on either side of the dock. They are older models, but still quite capable of preforming the work. Seated on rails, they can be moved as needed to reach all areas of a ship. Rail lines are in direct support of both sides of the dock and the crane lines are served by an extensive collection of machine shops, forges, electrical shops, pipe fitters, and metal presses. This dock was built in an age when pre-dreadnought battleships were somewhat narrower in the beam and much shorter in length than their dreadnought successors. But the dock is still useful in servicing small dreadnoughts as well as cruisers and even smaller warships. Nestled in the crook between the New and Old Dry Docks is the industrial zone that directly supports them. Various foundries, mills, and even engine works have been assembled to preform almost any job required to build or repair a battleship. From casting engine parts to punching rivet holes in armor plate, the machines and mechanics make sure the big ships are combat ready in the shortest possible time. In addition to this duty, they also support the needs of the Fitting-Out Basin and the Refit Basin and are connected directly by rail lines for delivery of heavy or bulky components. HMS GLATTON, circa 1914. This is a classic and pronounced example of an anti-torpedo bulge. Beyond, possibly, shipbuilding or major repair work, the chief employment for dry docks between the World Wars were the – sometimes massive – “modernization” projects. And chief among the elements of a warship modernization was the “anti-torpedo bulge” (or “blister”). Dreadnoughts launched or designed prior to WW I simply were not properly protected against the below waterline threat of modern torpedoes. Pre-1914 designers had tried various protective armoring schemes – usually based on crude tests – but the “theories” all failed when tested by the “reality” of combat. Torpedoes striking a battleship’s armor belt would do relatively little damage. But since torpedoes were designed to run beneath the level of most armor belts, they were quite capable of blasting a hole 20x40 feet. (Wartime damage reports provided conclusive data that torpedoes created a hole twice as wide as it was tall.) Britain, with the most to lose, quickly came up with the “bulge” defense as conceived by Eustace Tennyson-D’Eyncourt, Director of Naval Construction. This involved fitting a bulge, or sponson, on either side of the ship’s hull, usually covering the area from the fore turrets to the aft turrets – which included magazines, boiler rooms, and machinery spaces – the “vitals” of the ship. The sponson normally started about six feet above waterline, and continued down to the bilge keels. The bulge was completely separate from the already armored hull, which usually contained an anti-torpedo bulkhead inboard of fuel or coal bunkers, which were inboard of anti-torpedo void spaces designed into the hull. But the purpose of the “blister” was to “take one for the Home Team” – to detonate the torpedo, absorb the blast effects, and confine flooding to the damaged bulge – all outside the undamaged hull. CROSS SECTION OF HMS SOVEREIGN AMIDSHIPS. D – Double Bottom Area__L – Double Bottom Bilge Area__J – Outer Torpedo Bulkhead, with voids on either side__H – Inner Torpedo Bulkhead__I – Fuel Oil Void__N – Bilge Keel to reduce “rolling”__M – Anti-Torpedo Bulge. Top of bulge is approximate waterline. The bulge is attached to – but not part of – the hull. The most effective bulge designs were compartmentalized with air-filled voids and free-flooding water-filled voids – like a submarine’s outer hull casing. The torpedo would, in theory, blast a hole and flood the outer, air-filled compartment, while pushing a thin compartment bulkhead against the inner, water-filled compartment. The compressed water in the inner compartment could erupt out of the free-flooding vents and thereby absorb the explosive blast effect while containing shrapnel and splinters, leaving the ship’s hull intact. Transverse bulkheads within the bulge formed mini-compartments, preventing large scale flooding of the bulge. This system proved quite effective, with the monitor HMS Terror absorbing three torpedo hits without internal damage. All new Royal Navy construction was fitted with bulges, beginning with the Revenge Class battleships and Renown Class battlecruisers. Older warships the world over were retrofitted during the 1920’s and 1930’s modernization programs. Various new schemes of bulge arrangements were tried – everything from packing voids with timber to sealed lead pipes trapping air for buoyancy. But bulges widened a ship considerably, adding weight and reducing the length-to-width ratio, thereby reducing speed – so various forms of “internal” bulges were devised in the late 30’s to maintain the slim hull forms needed for fast ships. It should be noted that early on in WW II, German torpedoes with magnetic detonators ran beneath a ship, avoiding the bulges, and exploding below the keel – usually, with fatal results. CONTE DI CAVOUR AS LAUNCHED, CIRCA 1929. Perhaps one of the most striking feats ever preformed in a Graving Dock was the modernization of the Italian Conte di Cavour and Andrea Doria Class battleships. Completed between 1914 and 1916, all of the ships were built to the same basic plan. (The unlucky Cavour Class battleship, Leonardo da Vinci sank at her moorings in Taranto harbor in 1916. Though the official cause was Austrian saboteurs, it was most likely a magazine explosion caused by faulty cordite charges.) CONTE DI CAVOUR WITH HER 1915 PROFILE. All four ships were taken in hand for extensive “modernization” between 1933 and 1937 – but it was more of a total re-construction. For starters, the entire superstructure, midships turret, turbines, and boilers were all removed. The bow was lengthened by 33 feet and given an elegant flair to reduce spray and head-sea “wetness”. Two propeller shafts were changed out and the two outboard direct-drive turbines were replaced with geared turbines, while a new set of Yarrow superheated boilers were installed. The new machinery suite was three times more powerful and pushed the battleships up to 28 knots on trials. The fuel oil tanks were enlarged, giving the ships a radius of 6,400 miles. All main battery gun houses were converted to electric operation while being modified to allow a 27 degree elevation. The 12 inch main battery guns were bored out to 12.6 inches, allowing for a heavier 1,127 pound shell with a range of 31,000 yards. Additional deck armor was worked in above the machinery spaces and their displacement was eventually increased by 3,000 tons. The forward superstructure was replaced by an entirely new, spacious, and streamlined conning tower and bridge combination topped with a new 27-foot rangefinder. With the removal of the midships turret, it was now possible to group the boilers closer together, which allowed the funnels to be moved up behind the bridge instead of being at both ends of the midships area. Unfortunately, the design bureau replaced the underwater protection with the “Pugliese System” – which proved not to have adequate depth against torpedoes. Another significant problem was that increased displacement meant the armor belt was very nearly completely submerged. CAVOUR PROFILE AFTER RECONSTRUCTION. CAVOUR AT SEA CIRCA 1938. Note the longer bow and sleek new look. The new Cavours were both powerful and extremely graceful ships with a respectable speed to match the look. Going into WW II, these four battleships would provide Mussolini with a core battle fleet capable of dominating the central Mediterranean. And – they just might hold the record for the most extensive “modernization” ever. By the time they rejoined the fleet, only 40% of the original ship remained. CAVOUR AT HIGH SPEED. Note the massive new rangefinder atop the bridge structure. These two shots are an overview of the “Mainland” area, often referred to in the preceding chapters. This stretches all the way from the Fitting-Out Basin in the north, to the Double Quay on Marshy Point. While other areas of the dockyard are important to the operation of the Hochsee Fleet, these basins and dry docks are vital to the existence of the Battle Fleet. Finally – I leave you with an “homage” to the gallant USS Nevada. At the elderly age of 25 years, she was moored astern of USS Arizona along Pearl Harbor’s “Battleship Row” on the fateful morning of Sunday, December 7th, 1941. While her ship’s band played “Morning Colors” and the “Colors Detail” hoisted the ensign, Japanese airplanes arrived about 7:55 AM. “Battle Stations” was sounded and Nevada’s gunners opened fire almost instantly. At the same time, with two boilers already lit off, the engineers began to raise steam with all possible speed. Fifteen minutes into the attack, Nevada took an aerial torpedo amidships on the port side. The anti-torpedo bulkhead held, but it opened several seams and she started taking on water. Nevada was not moored alongside another battleship off Ford Island and, free to maneuver, she cast off about 8:40 AM, making for the harbor channel and the open sea beyond. She became an instant target for every Japanese plane with a bomb. It was their intention to sink her in the main channel and “bottle-up” the fleet. Nevada passed “Ten-Ten Dock” about 8:50 – taking more and more bomb damage as the below decks flooding spread. As her worsening condition became evident, it was obvious Nevada could not put to sea, and she was signaled to proceed to the west side of Ford Island where shallow water salvage would be easier. But the “Old Lady” was already too badly damaged – she was deliberately grounded on Hospital Point and eventually sank there. Nevada lost 109 wounded and 69 dead, took one torpedo, and as many as ten bombs during her “dash for the channel”. In so doing, she became “the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal and depressing morning” for the United States Navy. In a fitting tribute to the courageous crew that fought her that day, she was salvaged, reconstructed, and returned to fight the enemy that had wounded her. In the pictures below, Nevada, followed by her sister ship Okalahoma, is recreating her dash for the harbor mouth with tugs rushing to assist as she rounds Marshy Point. AND – just for the record – to my knowledge, this is the ONLY large, diagonal, ship model in the game. Courtesy of @Barroco Hispano. Well – that concludes our installment of Imperial Dockyards: Wilhelmshaven – and I apologize for the length of the last four chapters, but the subjects were complicated and not suited to quick explanation. There will be an “undetermined intermission” at this point – but the series will return soon with a new installment -- Imperial Dockyards: Cuxhaven. The new harbor is already “a work in progress”, but there is no way to tell how long it will take to reach completion. This new installment will highlight the 1st Scouting Group of the Hochsee Fleet, including a phenomenon more or less unique to WW I – the battlecruiser. There will be new models by “Barroco Hispano” AND “AP”, as well as a lot more new props and “vignettes” contributed by “AP”. AP’s kind offer of assistance has blossomed into a full scale collaboration and WE hope to present you with a number of interesting and even amazing scenes. Once again --- MY MANY, MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his generously given time and talent creating so many beautiful warships. MANY THANKS as well to @AP for volunteering his considerable talents and valuable time in providing lots and props that have added so much variety, originality, and “life” to the dockyards. AND MY THANKS to the many people that have contributed in their own way with files, advice, and guidance – always cheerfully and promptly given. Without ALL of this help, I would never have even begun a project of this size and scope. 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 and the COMMENTS many of you have been kind enough to make! I do hope you will join us when we debut the NEW installment...... NEXT TIME…...IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN.- 6 Comments
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