HMS Warrior was a armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She was stationed in the Mediterranean when the First World War began and participated in the pursuit of the German battlecruiser and light cruiser . Warrior was transferred to the Grand Fleet in December 1914 and remained there for the rest of her career. She was heavily damaged during the Battle of Jutland in 1916, after which she withdrew and was later abandoned and sank in a rising sea.
Warrior displaced 13550LT as built and 14500LT fully loaded. The ship had an overall length of 505feet, a beam of 73feet and a draught of 27feet. She was powered by four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, driving two shafts, which developed a total of 23650ihp and gave a maximum speed of 23.3kn.[1] The engines were powered by 19 Yarrow water-tube boilers and six cylindrical boilerss. The ship carried a maximum of 2050LT of coal and an additional 600LT of fuel oil that was sprayed on the coal to increase its burn rate. At full capacity, she could steam for 7960nmi at a speed of .[2]
Her main armament consisted of six BL 9.2-inch Mk X guns in single Mk V turrets; two on the centreline (one each fore and aft) and four in the corners about the funnels. Her secondary armament of four BL 7.5-inch Mk II or Mk V guns in single Mk II turrets was carried amidships, between the wing 9.2-inch guns. Twenty-six Vickers QF 3-pounders were fitted, ten on turret roofs and eight each on the forward and aft superstructures. The last four ships of the cruisers had a secondary armament of turreted 7.5-inch guns rather than the 6inches guns in casemates of the first two ships; these latter four were sometimes referred to as the Warrior class.[3] Because of the extra topweight of the turrets in comparison to their half-sisters their stability was reduced which made them very good seaboats and steady gun platforms.[1] The ship also mounted three submerged 17.7-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, one of which was mounted in the stern.[2]
Warrior was ordered as part of the 1903–04 naval construction programme as the first of four armoured cruisers and laid down on 5 November 1903 at Pembroke Dockyard. Her eponym, the once-innovative armoured frigate (at the time converted to a depot ship), was renamed to HMS Vernon III in 1904 to free up the name. She was launched on 25 November 1905 and completed on 12 December 1906.[4] On completion, Warrior was assigned to the 5th Cruiser Squadron in the Channel Fleet until 1909, when she was transferred to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron.[5] On 15 September 1909 one of Warriors boiler tubes failed during firing practice, and she was repaired at Devonport Dockyard.[6] In 1913 the ship was transferred to the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet. She was involved in the pursuit of the German battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau at the outbreak of World War I, but was ordered not to engage them.[5] Warrior participated in the Allied sweep which led to the sinking of the Austro-Hungarian light cruiser during the Battle of Antivari in August 1914.[7] A few days later she was ordered to Suez to defend the Suez Canal against any Turkish attack and remained there until 6 November when she was ordered to Gibraltar to join a squadron of French and British ship to search for German warships still at sea off the African coast. This was cancelled on 19 November after the location of the German East Asia Squadron was revealed by survivors of the Battle of Coronel.[8]
Warrior joined the Grand Fleet in December 1914 and was assigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Keith Arbuthnot.[9] At the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, the 1st Cruiser Squadron was in front of the Grand Fleet, on the right side. At 5:47 p.m.,[10] the squadron flagship,, and Warrior spotted the German II Scouting Group and opened fire. Their shells felt short and the two ships turned to port in pursuit, cutting in front of the battlecruiser, which was forced to turn away to avoid a collision. Shortly afterwards they spotted the disabled German light cruiser and closed to engage. When the two ships reached a range of from Wiesbaden they were spotted in turn at 6:05 by the German battlecruiser and four battleships who were less than away. The fire from the German ships was heavy and Defence blew up at 6:20.[11] Warrior was hit by at least fifteen 28cm (11inches) and six 15cm (06inches) shells,[12] but was saved when the German ships switched their fire to the battleship when its steering jammed and caused Warspite to make two complete circles within sight of much of the High Seas Fleet.[11]
Warrior was heavily damaged by the German shells, which caused large fires and heavy flooding, although the engine room crew - of whom only three survived - kept the engines running for long enough[13] to allow her to withdraw to the west.[14] She was taken in tow by the seaplane tender who took off her surviving crew of 743. She was abandoned in a rising sea at 8:25 a.m. on 1 June[15] when her upper deck was only 4 feet (1.2 m) above the water,[16] and subsequently foundered.[5]
On 8 September 2016 Dr Innes McCartney of Bournemouth University announced that he and a team from the Sea War Museum Jutland had discovered the wreck of the Warrior. The wreck was discovered in a search on 24 August 2016. The ship lies completely upside down, at a depth of 80 meters in an area of soft sea bed, up to the level of the upper deck.[17] The ship appears to be largely intact, with no sign of the illegal metal salvage that has occurred on other Jutland wrecks. Warrior is the last of the 25 ships sunk at the Battle of Jutland to be located. There are concerns that the wreck may be exploited by illegal metal scavengers, despite the wreck being protected by the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.[18]