The Story of HMS Agincourt: A Naval Legend's Odyssey

To understand the history of HMS Agincourt, you have to understand the reason why she was ordered. Starting off life, she was planned to be the Rio de Janeiro, to be built for the Brazilian Navy, as they were in a naval arms race with Argentina and Chile, as these nations in the first half of the 20th century had vast natural resources, notably rubber for Brazil. In this, these nations were very well off, so much so they were building some of the most powerful battleships that money could buy. With this, the Brazilian government came to Britain and other nations' naval yards with great ambitions, wanting a battleship that carried the most powerful guns in existence to outdo the battleships that the Argentinians or the Chileans were building or planning at the time. In preliminary designs, the Brazilians would come up with designs in excess of 30,000 tons and ships armed with 12 14-inch guns or 10 15-inch guns or even eight 16-inch guns. All of these proposed designs would exceed the financial means Brazil had to procure such a vessel. The Brazilians would choose the British yard Armstrong over the stiff competition from foreign yards. They would end up deciding on preliminary design one for the basis of their ship, displacing some 31,600 tons with a main battery of 12 14-inch guns. With this, the Brazilians would certainly have the most powerful dreadnought in South America, but the Brazilian government that decided on this design would soon fall out of power, and a new one would put financial restrictions on their building program so they could focus on restoring order to the country. In this process, they would cancel the contract they had made with Armstrong. Now, Armstrong, wanting this contract to be fulfilled, would send a party headed by Eustace Tennyson Danecourt with alternative sketches for another battleship that would be less expensive than the initial design the Brazilians had chosen, but still this design would mount the most heavy guns ever put on a battleship until this point with 14 12-inch guns. The Brazilian government would very quickly accept this design, and the battleship construction could really get going. However, in November of 1913, the Brazilian government would come under some more and this time even more severe financial strain due to cheaper rubber from Malaya that undermined the market value of Brazil's rubber, and only ten months after the ship's launch, with doubts if Brazil could make the payments for the battleship, she would go up for sale, being quickly bought up by the Ottoman government for approximately two and a quarter million pounds. The ship would be renamed the Sultan Osman I, and would pair nicely with the other dreadnought being built by British yards for the Ottoman Empire, the Reşadiye, which was similar to the King George V class, carrying ten 13.5-inch guns. With these two vessels costing the impoverished Ottomans almost six million pounds, with the money being raised through taxes and not paying civil servants, and finally donations from Turkish towns and villages, with women selling their hair to help pay for the battleships, making the nation rather invested in getting their hard-earned dreadnoughts. The Ottoman navy was in somewhat of a revitalization, constructing a new fleet, hoping to counter the rapidly growing Greek one, with the Greeks building a dreadnought in Germany and acquiring two pre-dreadnoughts from the United States. Before we continue our story with the soon-to-be Agincourt, we should discuss the particulars of the ship. She would be laid down in September of 1911, launched in January of 1913, and completed in August of 1914. She would have a full load displacement of 27,850 tons initially. As for machinery, she would have 22 Babcock and Wilcox boilers, giving steam to Parsons direct drive turbines, powering four screws, giving her, as designed, 34,000 shaft horsepower and a 22 knot top speed. As for armament, she would carry 14 12-inch .45 caliber guns and twin turrets, along the centerline of the ship. 26-inch guns, 10 3-inch quick-firing guns, four 3-pounders, and three 21-inch torpedo tubes. Her armor scheme would call for a 9-inch main belt, an upper belt of 6 inches, bulkheads, depending on the area, would vary between 3 and 6 inches. Decks would also vary between 1.5 inches and 2 inches. Her bets would have a maximum thickness of 9 inches. The main battery turrets would have a face thickness of 12 inches, 8 inches on the sides and 10 inches on the rear, and the conning tower would have a maximum thickness of 12 inches. She would see several changes throughout the war. Originally, she was designed with less 6-inch guns, but two were added by the British when she was seized. Along with that, the anti-torpedo nets were removed, the flying deck of midships, along with several other things. Notable additions throughout the war would be searchlights, along with improvements to the fire director control, and some anti-aircraft guns later in the war. Let's discuss some more details, starting with her armament. With those 14 12-inch guns, she could bring an unmatched amount of firepower to bear. The turrets and barbettes were specially designed for the ship, allowing it to fire broad sides on either beam, although there was considerable stress with this unprecedented amount of turrets on a battleship. So much so that to counterbalance the weight of the three twin turrets on the quarterdeck, special longitudinal girders were fitted beneath the supporting decks. Consideration being given to the fact that the stress and fatigue would be a large problem when the guns fire a full broadside. A considerable secondary battery was protected by 6-inch armor, while the two 6-inch guns that were added to beam the bridgework were given splinter shields for limited protection. A note about the machinery is that she would be able to carry considerably more coal than her contemporaries, since she was such a large ship. Due to commissioning at about the same time war was declared, she would not undergo full steam trials for the Royal Navy. By July of 1914, the battleship was being fitted out for its new owner by the Ellswick Yard, including the taking off of nameplates carrying instructions and the like which were in Portuguese, fitting the Admiral's stateroom with mahogany paneling and other fineries, while the crew accommodations were being met to fit Turkish standards of living. Notably, the bathrooms were made appropriate for the Turkish style of squatting while using the restroom. Didn't think I'd be discussing that, but here we are. It should be noted that not all of the 12-inch guns were in place by this time as well. With the July crisis continuing, the British Admiralty looked on anxiously as the two Turkish battleships were nearing completion. With the Ottomans even more anxious to get their two new battleships, the Russia deal was finished in early July, but the British Admiralty would advise that she stay in the United Kingdom until the Sultan Osman I could be completed and the two battleships could head to Turkey together. Meanwhile, the Admiralty was suggesting to Armstrong and Vickers that there was no real need to hurry the delivery of the two vessels. However, the pressure would mount to deliver the ships, as on the 27th of July, an Ottoman passenger liner would arrive in the Tyne carrying 500 sailors for the Sultan Osman I. The delivery into Turkish hands was expected on the 2nd of August, while on the 1st, the 13th 12-inch gun had been installed and the 14th was expected later that day, but there was no ammunition aboard. Meanwhile, on the 31st of July, Winston Churchill first alerted the Admiralty that war in Europe looming would inform the builders that the government intended to seize the ships, as they could not permit the ships to be handed over to a foreign power. There was a clause in the contracts that permitted the British government to buy back the ships in a national emergency, although the Ottomans were not likely willing to sell. Armstrong would fear that the Turkish captain and the sailors might attempt to seize the ship and hoist the Turkish flag. So, the following day, a company of shearwood foresters with fixed bayonets marched on board, essentially seizing the ship. Castles of Steel, Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea by Robert K. Massey. He writes, Churchill never apologized. The Turkish battleships were vital to us, he said later, with a margin of only seven dreadnoughts, we could not afford to do without these two fine ships. He attempted to patch up the damage by offering that at the end of the war, Turkey should receive either the two requisitioned dreadnoughts fully repaired or else their value. He added that in any case, Britain would pay Turkey a thousand pounds a day for every day she kept them. The offer would stand as long as Turkey remained neutral. With that, the Sultan Osman I would be renamed Agincourt and commissioned on the 7th of August in Davenport, with some of the guns still not in place. Eventually, with everything in place, she would sail to Scapa Flow, arriving on the 26th of August 1914, to join the rest of the Grand Fleet. Agincourt would join the 4th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet, where a rather inexperienced crew would need to train, being a rather eclectic mixture of raw recruits, sailors who were convicted of minor crimes, and those who formerly crewed the Royal Yachts. The 4th Battle Squadron would consist of Dreadnought, the Larifon, and several other ships, later to be joined by the newer battleships including the Arran, the former Reshadea. Now as for Agincourt's career, there really isn't much to say until the Battle of Jutland, where she would be accompanied by the battleships Hercules, Revenge, and the flagship Marlborough. This unit could be described as a hodgepodge, as it was certainly the most diverse unit in the Grand Fleet, as every ship was from a different class. On May 31st, 1916, the Battle of Jutland would kick off with the battlecruiser action between Admiral Beattie's battlecruisers, along with the 5th Battle Squadron of Queen Elizabeth class ships against Admiral Hipper's battlecruisers. As for Agincourt, she and the 6th Division were the starboard-most unit of Admiral Jellicoe's Grand Fleet. At around 615, the order was given to turn out and to begin engaging their counterparts of the High Seas Fleet. In this position, Agincourt and the 6th Division were the closest units to the High Seas Fleet, and at 617 Marlborough followed by Revenge, Hercules, and then Agincourt turned to engage the leading elements of the High Seas Fleet, this being the German battlecruisers and a Kaiser class battleship. It is undetermined if she hit anything, but soon, her secondaries were engaged with German destroyers who were rapidly closing. These destroyers would launch torpedoes, where Agincourt was able to dodge two that came very close to her. While this flagship of the 6th Division, Marlborough was not able to, being struck on the starboard side by a torpedo. As a result of this, Marlborough would be forced to reduce speed to minimize flooding. With the other ships of the 6th Division staying by their flagship, as well as three battleships from the 5th Battle Squadron, and a quote from Castles of Steel, the situation was this. By 10pm, Marlborough, wounded by a torpedo, no longer able to maintain the 17-knot fleet speed ordered by Jellicoe, had gradually slipped astern of the main body of the Grand Fleet. The other three dreadnoughts of her division, Revenge, Hercules, and Agincourt remained behind with Marlborough, as did three Queen Elizabeths of the 5th Battle Squadron, assigned to keep station on Marlborough. All these ships were within point-blank range of Scheer's battleships when they passed only three miles astern. No one had a better view than Malaya, the last ship in the British battle line, which saw and identified the German dreadnought, Westfalen. According to Malaya's captain, at 1140 we observed what appeared to be an attack by our destroyers on some big enemy ship steering the same way as ours. The leading ship of the enemy had two masts, two funnels, and a conspicuous crane, apparently of Westfalen class. All of Malaya's guns trained on the enemy, and the gunnery officer asked permission to open fire. Captain Boyle refused. The night would go on, and it would soon become June 1st, with another German ship coming dangerously close to Agincourt in the 6th Division. Coming in close contact with S.M.S. Seydlitz, who was trying to avoid the fate of Litzau, at this point with thousands of tons of water in her haul. Again quoting from Castles of Steel, from the perspective of Seydlitz, in order to make her way independently to Horn's Reef, she began a voyage filled with suspense and misery. Her charts were covered with blood, and her gyro compass was wrecked. Steered by hand machinery, listing and with her bow underwater, she stumbled down the starboard side of the British battle line. Agincourt with 14 12-inch guns saw her. I did not challenge her, said Agincourt's captain, so as not to give our division's position away. Passing through a gap in the British battle line, Seydlitz came within less than a mile of the 5th Battle Squadron. Malaya with eight 15-inch guns saw and recognized the German battlecruiser, but did nothing. Marlborough with ten 13.5-inch guns identified her as a large ship, but did not fire. I missed the chance of a lifetime, Marlborough's gunnery officer said later. I saw the dim outline of the ship. It had the main armament trained on it, and put it at a range of 4,000 yards on the sights, and asked the captain for permission to open fire. He replied no, as he thought it was one of our own ships." After the Battle of Jetland, much like before, there really isn't anything to say about Agincourt's career besides escorting convoys to Norway and back to Britain, as well as being present at the surrendering of the High Seas fleet at the end of the war. In March of 1919, she would be placed in the reserve fleet at Rossyth. In April of 1921, she was placed on the disposal list, but then used in experimental work, but by December of 1922, she would be sold to Rossyth Shipbreaking Company. She would still be intact in 1924, and to comply with the Washington Naval Treaty, she was cut in half and the two sections were taken out within 24 hours. This certainly was a different ship to research. I had no intentions of learning about the early 20th century rubber market, but it was surprisingly interesting. Agincourt with her 14 12-inch guns along the centerline of the ship would be a very intimidating sight, but let me know what you guys think of Agincourt's story, and until next time good luck and have a good week.