 HMS Albion of the Canopus class, built 1899-1901, is shown moored offshore in 1917 with her torpedo nets spread. The booms usually glimpsed stored along the ships' sides are here seen extended perpendicular from the ship's side to spread the nets. Wire mesh nets were intended to stop inbound torpedoes and protect the capital ships. In practice, the Germans rendered the nets useless by adding razor-sharp cutter teeth to the noses of their torpedoes. In WWI both the Majestic and the Triumph were destroyed by torpedoes while lying with their nets deployed as in this shot; as a result, torpedo nets were abandoned by 1917. Speed, dazzle-painted camouflage schemes, and steering a zigzag course were all adopted as antisubmarine methods, with varying degrees of success.
The photo above, shot from a spotting balloon, gives a very good idea of the deck layout of a British pre-dreadnought. Arrangement of masts, funnels, vents, boats, etc. is clearly visualized.
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Anti-Torpedo Nets |
Seen from one of the ship's small boats, torpedo nets are deployed around an early dreadnought battlecruiser.
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Above, the nets are just being deployed on the Austrian semi-dreadnought Radetzky. The booms are rigged out and the steel nets will drape down from them under water in a protective circle around the vessel's hull. In preparation to get under way, the nets will be rolled up and stowed along the shelf of the hull where the men are standing. | 
Above, the complicated arrangement for rigging out the net booms is apparent from this shot along the ship's side. When deployment is over, booms will be stowed flat against the hull, angled obliquely as seen in the photo at bottom. |
Triumph's torpedo nets spread. On a medium roll, she would dip the muzzles of her long 7.5" guns if they were trained outboard.
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Seen from a vessel across the slip, torpedo nets are rolled up along the sides of the hull. This Austrian battleship is now ready for sea (see photo at bottom of page).
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Quarter view of the German dreadnought battlecruiser Goeben shows torpedo nets stowed and net booms neatly positioned along the hull.
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Some Views of Albion in Action
Albion exchanging fire with the Narrows forts as part of the Gallipoli operation, March 18, 1915. She got off lightly; 3 battleships were sunk that day, and 3 more put out of action by mines and accurate gunfire from the Turks.
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Albion stands guard as British colonial troops head into their landing beach at Gallipoli.
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A stirring view of Albion at sea, making 15 knots during operations against German West Africa, 1914. The British were entirely successful in this little-known episode of colonial warfare, painting yet more of the map red (the colour of the British Empire). A fictitious episode from the imperial struggle in Africa was portrayed in C.S. Forester's novel The African Queen, later made into the well-loved 1953 film with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. In this photo, the net booms are stowed against the hull, angled obliquely on a slant from lower/forward to upper/aft. The nets can be seen rolled up and stowed along the ship's side (black line running horizontally at the upper tips of the folded booms).
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