Book Review of
The British Battleship HMS Vanguard
Top Drawings no. 123
Author: Witold Koszela
Kagero Polish-English Publication
ISBN: 978-83-66673-77-9
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2021
MSRP: $24.95
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2021
MSRP: $24.95
HISTORY:
HMS Vanguard was a British fast battleship built during the Second World War and commissioned after the war ended. She was the biggest and fastest of the Royal Navy's battleships, the only ship of her class, and the last battleship to be built.
The RN anticipated being outnumbered by the combined German and Japanese battleships in the early 1940s, and had therefore started building the Lion-class battleships. However, the time-consuming construction of the triple-16-inch turrets for the Lion-class would delay their completion until 1943 at the earliest. The British had enough 15-inch (381 mm) guns and turrets in storage to allow one ship of a modified Lion-class design with four twin-15-inch turrets to be completed faster than the Lion-class vessels that had already been laid down.
Work on Vanguard was started and stopped several times during the war, and her design was revised several times during her construction to reflect war experience. These stoppages and changes prevented her from being completed before the end of the war.
Vanguard's first task after completing her sea trial at the end of 1946 was, early the next year, to convey King George VI and his family on the first Royal Tour of South Africa by a reigning monarch. While refitting after her return, she was selected for another Royal Tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1948. This was cancelled due to King George's declining health and Vanguard briefly became flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet in early 1949.
After her return home in mid-1949, she became flagship of the Home Fleet Training Squadron. Throughout her career, the battleship usually served as the flagship of any unit to which she was assigned. During the early 1950s, Vanguard was involved in a number of training exercises with NATO forces. In 1953 she participated in Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Review.
While she was refitting in 1955, the Admiralty announced that the ship was going to be put into reserve upon completion of the work. Vanguard was sold for scrap and was broken up beginning in 1960.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Operators: Royal Navy
Preceded by: Lion class (planned), King George V class (actual)
Succeeded by: None
Built: 1940–1946
In commission: 1946–1960
Completed: 1
Scrapped: 1
Name: Vanguard
Ordered: 14 March 1941
Builder: John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland
Cost: £11,530,503
Yard number: 567
Laid down: 2 October 1941
Launched: 30 November 1944
Commissioned: 12 May 1946
Decommissioned: 7 June 1960
Identification: Pennant number: 23[1]
Motto: We Lead
Fate: Scrapped, 1960
Badge: On a field blue, issuing from group of four white and green demi-lions in gold supporting a spear issuing white
Type: Fast battleship
Displacement: 44,500 long tons (45,200 t) (standard), 51,420 long tons (52,250 t) (deep load)
Length: 814 ft 4 in (248.2 m) (o/a)
Beam: 108 ft (32.9 m)
Draught: 36 ft (11 m) (deep load)
Installed power: 8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers of 130,000 shp (97,000 kW)
Propulsion: 4 shafts; 4 steam turbine sets
Speed: 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range: 8,250 nautical miles (15,280 km; 9,490 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement: 1,975
Sensors and processing systems: 1 × Type 960 early-warning radar, 1 × Type 293 search radar, 1 × Type 277 height-finding radar, 2 × Type 274 15-inch fire-control radar, 4 × Type 275 5.25-inch fire-control radar, 11 × Type 262 40 mm fire-control radar
Armament: 4 × twin 15 in (381 mm) guns, 8 × twin 5.25 in (133 mm) dual-purpose guns, 10 × sextuple, 1 × twin, 11 × single 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors AA guns
Armour: Belt: 4.5–14 in (114–356 mm), Deck: 2.5–6 in (64–152 mm),
Barbettes: 11–13 in (279–330 mm)
Gun turrets: 7–13 in (178–330 mm)
Conning tower: 2–3 in (51–76 mm)
Bulkheads: 4–12 in (102–305 mm)
THE BOOK:
Kagero is based in Lublin, Poland.
This book is a staple-bound soft-cover of 20 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows color illustrations of sections of the HMS Vanguard against an all green background.
The illustration at the tip is an above view of the center of the ship. It shows a tan deck, tops of the superstructure and turret tops that are black.
The bottom illustration also is of the center of the ship and shows the side of the hull and the superstructure.
The back cover has a color illustration of a side and top view of the Vanguard. The side view further shows the black waterline on the bottom of the hull.
This book starts with the history and specifications of the Vanguard, in Polish and English.
This is followed by a black and white photo of the actual Vanguard.
The book contains 93 line drawings in 1/200th scale of:
Cutaways of the hull interior, side and top view of the bow, sides and top of the upper deck, top views of the shelter and boat decks, top view of the bow superstructure with side turrets, top view of no. 1 platform deck, top view of the admiral’s bridge, top view of bow superstructure, top view of mid-ship superstructure, side view of mid-ship superstructure and its top, side view of after-deck superstructure, top views of upper deck and shelter deck, the bow medium artillery 133mm turrets, the aft and bow funnels, all the masts, the main artillery fire-control station as seen in 1946 and in 1953, medium artillery fire control station, 381mm main battery turret A, B and X, medium artillery turret 133mm, Mk-VI barrel 40mm Bofors, STAAG Mk. II 40mm twin Bofors, 40mm single Bofors Mk. VII, Hotchkiss 47mm salute gun, deck crane, paravane, diesel picket boat, 25ft fast motor boat and barge, 32ft cutter, 27 ft whaler boat and 14 ft sailing dinghy.
Inserted into the book are 2 folded sheets that show more line drawings. They are both 27” x 18” format, printed on both sides and each is folded 4 times to fit the book.
Both are to 1/400th scale and printed on both sides.
The face side of the 1st sheet shows line drawings of the top and sides of the HMS Vanguard.
The reverse side shows line-drawings of the post and starboard sides with lists of the names of the structures.
The face side of the second sheet has color illustrations of the port and starboard sides and the deck of the HMS Vanguard.
The reverse side shows these views just as uncolored line drawings.
This book will be of interest to modelers planning on building a HMS Vanguard.
There are kits available from: Hasegawa brand, kit no. 40115 in 1/450th scale, from Frog brand, Kit no. F-126 in 1/450th scale also and from Flyhawk brand, kit no. FH 1166 in 1/700th scale.
It will interest naval historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Kagero books and all Kagero titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
HMS Vanguard was a British fast battleship built during the Second World War and commissioned after the war ended. She was the biggest and fastest of the Royal Navy's battleships, the only ship of her class, and the last battleship to be built.
The RN anticipated being outnumbered by the combined German and Japanese battleships in the early 1940s, and had therefore started building the Lion-class battleships. However, the time-consuming construction of the triple-16-inch turrets for the Lion-class would delay their completion until 1943 at the earliest. The British had enough 15-inch (381 mm) guns and turrets in storage to allow one ship of a modified Lion-class design with four twin-15-inch turrets to be completed faster than the Lion-class vessels that had already been laid down.
Work on Vanguard was started and stopped several times during the war, and her design was revised several times during her construction to reflect war experience. These stoppages and changes prevented her from being completed before the end of the war.
Vanguard's first task after completing her sea trial at the end of 1946 was, early the next year, to convey King George VI and his family on the first Royal Tour of South Africa by a reigning monarch. While refitting after her return, she was selected for another Royal Tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1948. This was cancelled due to King George's declining health and Vanguard briefly became flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet in early 1949.
After her return home in mid-1949, she became flagship of the Home Fleet Training Squadron. Throughout her career, the battleship usually served as the flagship of any unit to which she was assigned. During the early 1950s, Vanguard was involved in a number of training exercises with NATO forces. In 1953 she participated in Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Review.
While she was refitting in 1955, the Admiralty announced that the ship was going to be put into reserve upon completion of the work. Vanguard was sold for scrap and was broken up beginning in 1960.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Operators: Royal Navy
Preceded by: Lion class (planned), King George V class (actual)
Succeeded by: None
Built: 1940–1946
In commission: 1946–1960
Completed: 1
Scrapped: 1
Name: Vanguard
Ordered: 14 March 1941
Builder: John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland
Cost: £11,530,503
Yard number: 567
Laid down: 2 October 1941
Launched: 30 November 1944
Commissioned: 12 May 1946
Decommissioned: 7 June 1960
Identification: Pennant number: 23[1]
Motto: We Lead
Fate: Scrapped, 1960
Badge: On a field blue, issuing from group of four white and green demi-lions in gold supporting a spear issuing white
Type: Fast battleship
Displacement: 44,500 long tons (45,200 t) (standard), 51,420 long tons (52,250 t) (deep load)
Length: 814 ft 4 in (248.2 m) (o/a)
Beam: 108 ft (32.9 m)
Draught: 36 ft (11 m) (deep load)
Installed power: 8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers of 130,000 shp (97,000 kW)
Propulsion: 4 shafts; 4 steam turbine sets
Speed: 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range: 8,250 nautical miles (15,280 km; 9,490 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement: 1,975
Sensors and processing systems: 1 × Type 960 early-warning radar, 1 × Type 293 search radar, 1 × Type 277 height-finding radar, 2 × Type 274 15-inch fire-control radar, 4 × Type 275 5.25-inch fire-control radar, 11 × Type 262 40 mm fire-control radar
Armament: 4 × twin 15 in (381 mm) guns, 8 × twin 5.25 in (133 mm) dual-purpose guns, 10 × sextuple, 1 × twin, 11 × single 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors AA guns
Armour: Belt: 4.5–14 in (114–356 mm), Deck: 2.5–6 in (64–152 mm),
Barbettes: 11–13 in (279–330 mm)
Gun turrets: 7–13 in (178–330 mm)
Conning tower: 2–3 in (51–76 mm)
Bulkheads: 4–12 in (102–305 mm)
THE BOOK:
Kagero is based in Lublin, Poland.
This book is a staple-bound soft-cover of 20 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows color illustrations of sections of the HMS Vanguard against an all green background.
The illustration at the tip is an above view of the center of the ship. It shows a tan deck, tops of the superstructure and turret tops that are black.
The bottom illustration also is of the center of the ship and shows the side of the hull and the superstructure.
The back cover has a color illustration of a side and top view of the Vanguard. The side view further shows the black waterline on the bottom of the hull.
This book starts with the history and specifications of the Vanguard, in Polish and English.
This is followed by a black and white photo of the actual Vanguard.
The book contains 93 line drawings in 1/200th scale of:
Cutaways of the hull interior, side and top view of the bow, sides and top of the upper deck, top views of the shelter and boat decks, top view of the bow superstructure with side turrets, top view of no. 1 platform deck, top view of the admiral’s bridge, top view of bow superstructure, top view of mid-ship superstructure, side view of mid-ship superstructure and its top, side view of after-deck superstructure, top views of upper deck and shelter deck, the bow medium artillery 133mm turrets, the aft and bow funnels, all the masts, the main artillery fire-control station as seen in 1946 and in 1953, medium artillery fire control station, 381mm main battery turret A, B and X, medium artillery turret 133mm, Mk-VI barrel 40mm Bofors, STAAG Mk. II 40mm twin Bofors, 40mm single Bofors Mk. VII, Hotchkiss 47mm salute gun, deck crane, paravane, diesel picket boat, 25ft fast motor boat and barge, 32ft cutter, 27 ft whaler boat and 14 ft sailing dinghy.
Inserted into the book are 2 folded sheets that show more line drawings. They are both 27” x 18” format, printed on both sides and each is folded 4 times to fit the book.
Both are to 1/400th scale and printed on both sides.
The face side of the 1st sheet shows line drawings of the top and sides of the HMS Vanguard.
The reverse side shows line-drawings of the post and starboard sides with lists of the names of the structures.
The face side of the second sheet has color illustrations of the port and starboard sides and the deck of the HMS Vanguard.
The reverse side shows these views just as uncolored line drawings.
This book will be of interest to modelers planning on building a HMS Vanguard.
There are kits available from: Hasegawa brand, kit no. 40115 in 1/450th scale, from Frog brand, Kit no. F-126 in 1/450th scale also and from Flyhawk brand, kit no. FH 1166 in 1/700th scale.
It will interest naval historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Kagero books and all Kagero titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.