H.M.S. Renown was a strikingly handsome ship, a one-off in the Royal Navy, and so often used for royal junkets that she became a de facto royal yacht in the reign of Edward VII, 1901 - 1910. Above, a detail from an impressionistic canvas by Charles Dixon shows the Renown at the head of the Royal Navy during the Diamond Jubilee Review at Spithead, June 26, 1897. National Maritime Museum
HMS Renown was a second-class battleship, meant for scouting and colonial duties, armed with 10" guns and considerably smaller than the first-line Majestic class. At 380' long x 72' beam, she displaced 12,350 tons (versus 14,850 for the Majestics) and was designed for 12,000 hp, yielding a maximum speed of 18 knots. Renown mounted a secondary armament of 10 6-inch quick-firing (QF) guns, had an 8" Harvey armor belt with 9-10" protection on vital systems, 6" on the turret faces and 6" on the casemates of the secondary battery. Armor protection further included a slope-sided internal armored deck which bent down to join the double bottom just below the waterline, providing extra protection of the ship's vitals and against flooding from shell damage. This curved, internal armored deck promptly became a standard feature of British capital ships and was widely copied in other navies. Renown was in effect a lighter version of the Majestic class, as can be appreciated by a comparison of the design details: side-by-side funnels, arrangement of masts, boats, etc. Renown's 10"/32 main guns were barbette mounted with open-backed shields. Nelson's famous signal made as the fleets approached at Trafalgar ("England expects every man to do his duty") served as the ship's motto, carved into a large mahogany scroll over the aft turret (see photo below).
An exceptionally beautiful warship, Renown was often selected for duties of state. She was the flagship of the great flotilla assembled to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee at Spithead in 1897; she later served as the Mediterranean flagship for three years, before being converted to serve as the transport for the Duke and Duchess of Connaught's visit to India in 1902 and the Prince of Wales' tour of India in 1906, escorted by the monster armored cruiser HMS Terrible. For this duty she had nearly all of her secondary guns removed, becoming more frankly a royal yacht. She is seen at left on her return from the latter duty, painted in white tropical colours for the sweltering voyage, with the royal crest mounted just below the wheelhouse and extra-tall topmasts for ceremonial flag displays. But perhaps her greatest contribution was her 3-year spell as the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet under Sir Jack Fisher. Fisher was already being groomed for promotion to First Sea Lord, the top uniformed post at the Admiralty. Fisher brought the Renown back with him from his earlier posting as C-in-C of the West Indies station; unorthodox to the last, he insisted on using his beloved flagship in his new posting, the most prestigious command in the Royal Navy. This was a position customarily reserved for the latest and mightiest product of Portsmouth's Royal Dockyard.
It is thought that Renown's qualities -- being handier and faster than her peers -- influenced Fisher's thinking about the future direction of battleship development, possibly suggesting the desired qualities for the battlecruiser type. Certainly many of Fisher's desired reforms for the service were worked out in Renown's admiral's stateroom during his tenure as C-in-C Med. These reforms were instituted only a few years later, with the enthusiastic support of King Edward VII.
Renown in a charming postcard view, departing at the cocktail hour for a destination far beyond the blue horizon. At left is the official royal yacht Victoria and Albert. Enlarge
While in "the Med" Fisher tried on many of the theories and practices he would later use to reorganize the entire service. Fisher brought an enthusiasm for naval strategy and real-life battle practice which shook up the complacent world of the fleet. The Mediterranean Fleet in particular -- Britain's greatest collection of battleships, but with only 3 cruisers -- had been known for obsessive spit-and-polish and infrequent gunnery practice: the powder did so smudge the paintwork, don't you know. Suddenly spit and polish took a rear seat to military efficiency as Fisher practiced gunnery, amphibious landings, and torpedo tactics with characteristic gusto. But life was not all battle drill and maneuvers. As Fisher's flagship, Renown saw many a merry entertainment in her posh admiral's cabin. Fisher's mania for music and dancing delighted many of the younger officers -- he actually had a dance floor installed on the Renown -- and on the whole, the men in his command loved him.
As for Renown, she was detached for subsidiary service as a royal yacht in 1907. Her most illustrious service in this time ws to transport the King and Queen of Spain to and from Britain for a state visit. In 1909, she decommissioned and was reconfigured as a stokers' training ship. After four years in this humble duty, Renown was decommissioned in 1913 and sold for scrap the following year; she was broken up at Blyth, just missing the First World War. Her contemporaries, the Majestics, were the oldest British capital ships employed in the fighting, often in support of the ill-starred Gallipoli campaign. Torpedoes and mines destroyed many of the pre-dreadnoughts (8 from the British fleet alone) and one dreadnought as well.
Specifications for the Renown:
Dimensions: 402' x 72' x 26'9" Displacement: 12,350 tons normal; 12,390 full load. Armament: (4) 10"/32 Mk IV, 2x2; (10) 6" QF in single casemates; (12) 12-pdr QF; (12) 3-pdr; (2) MG. Armor: Harvey type. 8"/2" belt; turrets: 8" face, 2" roof; deck: 3"/1"; conning tower: 10"; barbette: 10". Fuel capacity: 1,000 tons of coal std, 2,300 tons maximum. Propulsion: 8 coal-fired Scotch boilers; (2) 3-cyl inverted vertical triple expansion engines developing 12,900 hp, shafted to twin screw. Maximum speed: 19 kts. Endurance: 8,500 nm at 15 kts. Crew: 674. Initial cost: £900,000 at 1900 valuation.
Metric Specs:
Dimensions: 123m x 22m x 8.15m Displacement: 12,350 tons; 12,390 full load. Armament: (4) 254 mm/32 Mk IV (2x2); (10) 152 mm QF in single casemates; (12) 12-pdr QF; (12) 3-pdr: (2) MG. Armor: Harvey type. 1200 mm belt; turrets: 203 mm face, 50 mm roof; decks: 76/25 mm; conning tower: 254 mm; barbettes 254 mm. Fuel capacity: 1,000 tons of coal std, 2,300 tons maximum. Propulsion: 8 coal-fired Scotch boilers; (2) 3-cyl inverted vertical triple expansion engines developing 9,600 kW, shafted to twin screw. Maximum speed: 35 km/hr. Endurance: 15,700 km @ 28 km/hr. Crew: 674. Initial cost: £900,000 at 1900 valuation.
Adm. Fisher is receiving guests in his well-appointed stateroom aboard Renown. Queen Victoria in a large gilt frame presides over the day's entertainment. Enlarge
