For other ships with the same name, see HMS Liverpool.
HMS Liverpool was a 4,800 ton Town-classlight cruiser of the Royal Navy commissioned in 1909. Named for the port city of Liverpool, the cruiser served continuously in home waters subordinated to the Home Fleet from 1909 through the initial stages of the First World War.
During the war, Liverpool fought in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, operated off the coast of West Africa, and served in the Adriatic and Aegean. On 27 October 1914, the cruiser assisted in the rescue of the crew of Audacious. Liverpool made efforts to tow the battleship to port, but Audacious eventually capsized and exploded. After the Armistice was signed, Liverpool operated in the Black Sea during the Russian Civil War until placed in reserve in June 1919.
Built by Vickers Sons & Maxim at Barrow-in-Furness, she was the first Liverpool to be named for the port city in the 20th Century and the first to be constructed of steel. Launched on 30 October 1909 and commissioned in 1910, Liverpool was one of five cruisers ordered to the Bristol sub-class specification.[1] The Bristol sub class was the first medium (or 2nd class) cruiser design to be built for the Royal Navy since the late 19th Century.[1] Their main armament consisted of two 6 in (150 mm) and ten 4 in (100 mm) guns — a mixed configuration deemed "unsatisfactory" and discontinued in the subsequent Weymouth sub-class in favour of a uniform complement of eight 6 in (150 mm) guns.[2]
She was assigned to the 1st Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet on commission and transferred to the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron in 1913. At the beginning of the First World War, Liverpool was serving with the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron.[1] She participated in the first engagement of the war, the Battle of Heligoland Bight, on 28 August 1914 grouped with five other Town cruisers under command of Commodore William Goodenough.[3] After the German cruiser Mainz was heavily damaged and disabled, Goodenough ordered his ships to cease firing on her at 12:55 pm and a rescue operation was subsequently undertaken. Liverpool, accompanied by the destroyers Firedrake and Lurcher, manoeuvred close to the cruiser in an effort to recover the surviving crew. Small craft from Liverpool were deployed to retrieve crewmembers who had abandoned ship while Lurcher positioned alongside Mainz to transfer the remaining personnel on board.[4]Liverpool detached from the main force at 7:45 pm to transport 86 embarked prisoners to Rosyth, including a son of Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz.[5]
Two-months later, on 27 October, Liverpool was in the company of Audacious when the battleship struck a mine during a morning exercise by the Grand Fleet off the coast of Ireland. Unsure of the circumstances of the incident, the Admiralty ordered the fleet to withdraw as a precaution while Liverpool remained as an escort. Audacious attempted to proceed to Lough Swilly but the flooding proved to be grievous. Other vessels, including the liner Olympic, converged on the position after Audacious transmitted an SOS. Repeated attempts to tow the immobile Audacious were ineffectual and the crew was steadily evacuated.[6] The battleship capsized and exploded at 20:45 with the loss of a petty officer on board Liverpool, killed by scattered debris fragments.
Adriatic and Aegean (1915-1918)
In 1915, Liverpool was detached from the Grand Fleet and sent to patrol the coast of West Africa in support of a search for the armed merchant cruiserKronprinz Wilhelm.[1]Liverpool's mission was unsuccessful and the cruiser arrived at her namesake port in June for boiler repairs. After the repairs were completed, Liverpool deployed to the Mediterranean in November.[1] She was ported in Brindisi, which functioned as a naval base for Allied warships operating in the Adriatic against Austria-Hungary. The cruiser, in concert with the Italian Pilade Bronzetti, pursued the Austrian destroyer Wildfang in February 1916, necessitating the latter's retreat to Cattaro.[7] During the Battle of the Otranto Straits, Liverpool was under command of Captain G.H. Vivian and at a reduced state of readiness. Her unpreparedness was compounded by the captain's decision to use the cruiser's reduced state as an opportunity to undergo routine maintenance of the cruiser's boilers.[8] Signals received from Saseno classified as "Urgent" were intercepted at 0350 am and disregarded because Liverpool's wireless room was unable to read Italian and had been the recipient of similar signals previously.[8] Ultimately, Liverpool remained in port and no order was issued by Admiral Alfredo Acton for Liverpool to sail despite the cruiser's eventual readiness and Captain Vivian's personal request.[9]
Liverpool was transferred to the Aegean Squadron in January 1918.[1] Armistices with the Central Powers were signed later that year. With the Black Sea's accessibility restored and the Allies committed to intervention during the Russian Civil War, Liverpool was ordered to the region and engaged in operations supporting the "White" Army from November.[1] On the 23rd, Liverpool and the French armoured cruiserErnest Renan, escorted by two Australian destroyers, transported military delegations to the port of Novorossisk to establish contact with Russian General Denikin.[10] She returned to Britain in mid-1919 and was relegated to reserve status in June, berthed at Devonport Dockyard.[1]
Placed on the disposal list in March 1920,[1]Liverpool was sold to Stanlee, then acquired by Slough Trading Company in November 1921 and broken up in Germany.[11] A silver bell and plate were preserved and presented to the Birkenhead-built battleship Rodney. The objects came into the possession of the sixth Liverpool in the late 1930s as gifts following the light cruiser's commission.[12]
Image gallery
HMS Liverpool and another naval vessel, together with RMS Olympic, try to take HMS Audacious in tow. The view is from the passenger areas of RMS Olympic
View from the passenger decks of RMS Olympic as HMS Liverpool (left) strains to tow the sinking HMS Audacious (bow seen on right), dated October 26 (sic) 1914.
After aborting the attempts to tow, the crew of HMS Audacious take to lifeboats to be taken aboard RMS Olympic. The Olympic passengers and amateur photographers, Edith and Mabel Smith of Derby, dated the event in their album as 26 October (sic) 1914.
Gray, Randal (1985), Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921, Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-85177-245-5
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMS Liverpool (1909).
Worldwar1.co.uk - Bristol-class cruiser
February 28, 2023
liverpool, 1909, other, ships, with, same, name, liverpool, liverpool, town, class, light, cruiser, royal, navy, commissioned, 1909, named, port, city, liverpool, cruiser, served, continuously, home, waters, subordinated, home, fleet, from, 1909, through, init. For other ships with the same name see HMS Liverpool HMS Liverpool was a 4 800 ton Town class light cruiser of the Royal Navy commissioned in 1909 Named for the port city of Liverpool the cruiser served continuously in home waters subordinated to the Home Fleet from 1909 through the initial stages of the First World War LiverpoolHistoryUnited KingdomNameHMS LiverpoolNamesakeLiverpoolBuilderVickers LimitedLaid down17 February 1909Launched30 October 1909CommissionedOctober 1910FateSold for scrapping 8 November 1921General characteristics 1 Class and typeTown class light cruiserDisplacement4 800 tons normal 5 300 tons deep loadLengthOverall 453 ft 138 m Beam47 ft 14 m Draught15 6 ft 4 8 m PropulsionParsons turbines Four screws 12 Yarrow boilers 22 000 shp 16 MW Speed25 kn 46 km h Range5 070 nmi 9 390 km at 16 kn 30 km h carried 1350 tons of coal 1250 tons fuel oilComplement480Armament2 BL 6 inch 152 4 mm Mk XI guns 10 BL 4 inch 101 6 mm Mk VII guns 1 3 inch 76 mm gun 4 3 pounder guns 4 machine guns 2 18 inch 450 mm torpedo tubesArmour2 in 51 mm 1 inch inch deck 6 in 150 mm conning towerDuring the war Liverpool fought in the Battle of Heligoland Bight operated off the coast of West Africa and served in the Adriatic and Aegean On 27 October 1914 the cruiser assisted in the rescue of the crew of Audacious Liverpool made efforts to tow the battleship to port but Audacious eventually capsized and exploded After the Armistice was signed Liverpool operated in the Black Sea during the Russian Civil War until placed in reserve in June 1919 Contents 1 History 1 1 Grand Fleet 1914 1915 1 2 Adriatic and Aegean 1915 1918 2 Image gallery 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditGrand Fleet 1914 1915 Edit Built by Vickers Sons amp Maxim at Barrow in Furness she was the first Liverpool to be named for the port city in the 20th Century and the first to be constructed of steel Launched on 30 October 1909 and commissioned in 1910 Liverpool was one of five cruisers ordered to the Bristol sub class specification 1 The Bristol sub class was the first medium or 2nd class cruiser design to be built for the Royal Navy since the late 19th Century 1 Their main armament consisted of two 6 in 150 mm and ten 4 in 100 mm guns a mixed configuration deemed unsatisfactory and discontinued in the subsequent Weymouth sub class in favour of a uniform complement of eight 6 in 150 mm guns 2 She was assigned to the 1st Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet on commission and transferred to the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron in 1913 At the beginning of the First World War Liverpool was serving with the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron 1 She participated in the first engagement of the war the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28 August 1914 grouped with five other Town cruisers under command of Commodore William Goodenough 3 After the German cruiser Mainz was heavily damaged and disabled Goodenough ordered his ships to cease firing on her at 12 55 pm and a rescue operation was subsequently undertaken Liverpool accompanied by the destroyers Firedrake and Lurcher manoeuvred close to the cruiser in an effort to recover the surviving crew Small craft from Liverpool were deployed to retrieve crewmembers who had abandoned ship while Lurcher positioned alongside Mainz to transfer the remaining personnel on board 4 Liverpool detached from the main force at 7 45 pm to transport 86 embarked prisoners to Rosyth including a son of Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz 5 Two months later on 27 October Liverpool was in the company of Audacious when the battleship struck a mine during a morning exercise by the Grand Fleet off the coast of Ireland Unsure of the circumstances of the incident the Admiralty ordered the fleet to withdraw as a precaution while Liverpool remained as an escort Audacious attempted to proceed to Lough Swilly but the flooding proved to be grievous Other vessels including the liner Olympic converged on the position after Audacious transmitted an SOS Repeated attempts to tow the immobile Audacious were ineffectual and the crew was steadily evacuated 6 The battleship capsized and exploded at 20 45 with the loss of a petty officer on board Liverpool killed by scattered debris fragments Adriatic and Aegean 1915 1918 Edit In 1915 Liverpool was detached from the Grand Fleet and sent to patrol the coast of West Africa in support of a search for the armed merchant cruiser Kronprinz Wilhelm 1 Liverpool s mission was unsuccessful and the cruiser arrived at her namesake port in June for boiler repairs After the repairs were completed Liverpool deployed to the Mediterranean in November 1 She was ported in Brindisi which functioned as a naval base for Allied warships operating in the Adriatic against Austria Hungary The cruiser in concert with the Italian Pilade Bronzetti pursued the Austrian destroyer Wildfang in February 1916 necessitating the latter s retreat to Cattaro 7 During the Battle of the Otranto Straits Liverpool was under command of Captain G H Vivian and at a reduced state of readiness Her unpreparedness was compounded by the captain s decision to use the cruiser s reduced state as an opportunity to undergo routine maintenance of the cruiser s boilers 8 Signals received from Saseno classified as Urgent were intercepted at 0350 am and disregarded because Liverpool s wireless room was unable to read Italian and had been the recipient of similar signals previously 8 Ultimately Liverpool remained in port and no order was issued by Admiral Alfredo Acton for Liverpool to sail despite the cruiser s eventual readiness and Captain Vivian s personal request 9 Liverpool was transferred to the Aegean Squadron in January 1918 1 Armistices with the Central Powers were signed later that year With the Black Sea s accessibility restored and the Allies committed to intervention during the Russian Civil War Liverpool was ordered to the region and engaged in operations supporting the White Army from November 1 On the 23rd Liverpool and the French armoured cruiser Ernest Renan escorted by two Australian destroyers transported military delegations to the port of Novorossisk to establish contact with Russian General Denikin 10 She returned to Britain in mid 1919 and was relegated to reserve status in June berthed at Devonport Dockyard 1 Placed on the disposal list in March 1920 1 Liverpool was sold to Stanlee then acquired by Slough Trading Company in November 1921 and broken up in Germany 11 A silver bell and plate were preserved and presented to the Birkenhead built battleship Rodney The objects came into the possession of the sixth Liverpool in the late 1930s as gifts following the light cruiser s commission 12 Image gallery Edit HMS Liverpool and another naval vessel together with RMS Olympic try to take HMS Audacious in tow The view is from the passenger areas of RMS Olympic View from the passenger decks of RMS Olympic as HMS Liverpool left strains to tow the sinking HMS Audacious bow seen on right dated October 26 sic 1914 After aborting the attempts to tow the crew of HMS Audacious take to lifeboats to be taken aboard RMS Olympic The Olympic passengers and amateur photographers Edith and Mabel Smith of Derby dated the event in their album as 26 October sic 1914 HMS Liverpool Bristol class cruiser Notes Edit a b c d e f g h i j Gray Randal 1985 p51 Gray Randal 1985 p52 Osborne Eric W 2006 The Battle of Heligoland Bight p52 Osborne Eric W 2006 The Battle of Heligoland Bight pp91 2 Osborne Eric W 2006 The Battle of Heligoland Bight p103 Younghusband Norman 2006 The Development of Mine Warfare A Most Murderous and Barbarous Conduct p83 Halpern Paul G 1995 A Naval History of World War I p158 a b Halpern Paul G 2004 The Battle of the Otranto Straits Controlling the Gateway to the Adriatic in WWI p71 Halpern Paul G 2004 The Battle of the Otranto Straits Controlling the Gateway to the Adriatic in WWI p110 Kinvig Clifford 2006 Churchill s Crusade The British Invasion of Russia 1918 1920 p94 Colledge J J amp Warlow Ben 2003 Ships of the Royal Navy The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy p193 A City s Gift to Warship H M S Liverpool in the Mersey The Times 9 January 1939 ancs ac uk Accessed 25 April 2008 References EditColledge J J Warlow Ben 2006 1969 Ships of the Royal Navy The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy Rev ed London Chatham Publishing ISBN 978 1 86176 281 8 Jane s Fighting Ships of World War One 1919 Jane s Publishing Company Gray Randal 1985 Conway s All the World s Fighting Ships 1906 1921 Conway Maritime Press ISBN 0 85177 245 5External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMS Liverpool 1909 Warships1 com Bristol class cruiser webarchive Worldwar1 co uk Bristol class cruiser Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title HMS Liverpool 1909 amp oldid 1135115276, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
