Set sail with us as we unravel the epic tale of HMS Vanguard—the Royal Navy’s last, most advanced battleship that never fired a shot in anger! Discover how this engineering marvel became a symbol of a bygone era and a royal yacht. Dive in for history, tech, and a dash of royal drama. Subscribe for more naval legends and comment your favorite Vanguard fact below! #history #navy #battleships #technology #documentary
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@dentrolastoria
0:00 - Introduction and Historical Context
1:37 - Global Naval Arms Race
4:13 - Conception and Design of HMS Vanguard
6:19 - Technical Innovations and Capabilities
12:18 - Delayed Launch and Postwar Purpose
15:32 - Flagship and Service Years
19:08 - Decommissioning and Last Years
20:51 - Demolition and Historical Legacy
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@dentrolastoria
0:00 - Introduction and Historical Context
1:37 - Global Naval Arms Race
4:13 - Conception and Design of HMS Vanguard
6:19 - Technical Innovations and Capabilities
12:18 - Delayed Launch and Postwar Purpose
15:32 - Flagship and Service Years
19:08 - Decommissioning and Last Years
20:51 - Demolition and Historical Legacy
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00in the landscape of twentieth century naval history few vessels have embodied the end of an entire era in the
00:09transition to technological modernity as authentically as hms vanguard
00:15the last battleship ever launched by the royal navy this ship represented the engineering pinnacle of a lineage of sea
00:25giants that had ensured britain's unrivaled dominance
00:29of the oceans and yet the vanguard was also a creation that came too late behind schedule
00:38conceived in the midst of world war ii to counter the threats of the axis it entered service when the
00:47conflict was already over finding itself projected into a world where naval power had definitely
00:54shifted from massive battleships to the flight decks of aircraft carriers and soon after with the introduction of
01:04nuclear reactors first for submarines and then for surface ships this is the story technical but not
01:14exclusively so of the last battleship in the world the last capital ship of the empire a magnificent exercise
01:22in technology and style unfortunately however useless for the war but useful only for sailing across the
01:31seas at speed and we can say in reasonable safety to fully understand the origin of hms vanguard it is
01:41necessary to go back to go back in time to immerse ourselves in that complex strategic scenario
01:49of the 1930s which saw the gradual collapse of naval armament limitation treaties we're talking about
01:58the washington and then the london treaties in that period the second half of the 1930s the great world
02:06powers had resumed an arms race that seemed to have been set aside after the great war but it had
02:13come back
02:14with a vengeance nazi germany was developing plans for the bismarck class it had already put the first
02:23pocket battleships into service the first pocket battleships of the deutschland class and was working
02:30on chalmers class battle cruisers italy through the royal italian navy was planning the construction of the
02:37latorio class the three battleships latorio latorio veneto and roma which we've already talked about
02:44several times can be found in different videos on the channel the japanese empire aiming for the
02:50continental conquest of china and the creation of an exclusive sphere of influence was working in absolute
02:58secrecy on what would become the monstrous giants of the yamato class at that time the royal navy
03:06was in a position of serious vulnerability it had several ships inherited from the great war
03:13modernized but as for truly modern ships it had very few only the king george the fifth class whose
03:22construction choices even at the design level had faced budget constraints that class was supposed to
03:31have a large array of 14 inch guns of 356 millimeters but it was precisely the budget limitations
03:41that reduced the total number of guns from 12 to 10 it might not seem like much to you and
03:48yet that was
03:49already a sign just like the fact that even the royal navy itself after developing the battleships which
03:56were quite controversial for the class's design philosophy nelson with her 406 millimeter guns had gone back
04:04in caliber to 356 a caliber that by then was only being used by the u.s navy so in
04:131939 the then third lord of the
04:16admiralty sir bruce frazier proposes a bold idea to try to get past this difficult period to build
04:26high-speed battleships therefore also capable of operating with the fleet aircraft carriers using 15 inch
04:35cannons already existing stored in the royal navy's warehouses because they were surplus weapons that came from
04:44reserves for other ships for example the queen elizabeth class or weapons that had been removed from
04:51the glorious class aircraft carriers after their reconstruction the glorious class is the first
04:58class of british aircraft carriers it was initially conceived as huge amphibious assault cruisers heavily
05:06armed but with the conversion into aircraft carriers the heavy weapons had been removed
05:12all in all the idea was brilliant in its pragmatism the cannons even the turrets although dating back
05:21to an earlier period still had a successful reliable and powerful design those weapons had already been tested
05:29and hadn't caused any problems moreover by reusing those weapons the construction time for the new ship
05:37the vanguard would have been reduced by several years the project was eventually approved by the admiralty
05:45at the beginning of 1941 just a few months before the battle of the denmark strait the battle we've already
05:52told you about during the hunt for the bismarck the battle that marks the end of the age of hms
05:57hood
05:58the mighty hood the pride of the british navy and that puts the new prince of wales in serious trouble
06:06the vanguard that's the chosen name would be the 11th ship in the history of the british navy to bear
06:13this
06:13name and it was laid down on october 2 1941 although the main armament of the vanguard as we said
06:22was
06:23let's say second hand the hull and the internal systems represented the absolute excellence of british
06:31engineering let's look at some data the vanguard had an overall length of over 248 meters and a width
06:39of almost 33 meters these dimensions were necessary to ensure the ship's stability even in very rough
06:47seas and to accommodate a powerful engine system one of the innovations planned and already visible to
06:54the naked eye was the so-called flared bow which was markedly flared in english it's called a flare
07:03previous ships in fact suffered from a bow that was too low which tended to plunge into the
07:09heavy waves of the north atlantic causing heavy spray and extreme dampness aboard the ships the vanguard
07:17on the other hand could be an extraordinarily stable and dry ocean platform capable of maintaining high
07:26speeds even in very rough seas then the protection system the armor enough to withstand 15 inch shells
07:37and modern torpedoes the main armored belt extended for most of the length of the ship with a thickness
07:45ranging from 330 to 356 at the most vulnerable points such as the ammunition magazines or the conning tower
07:56the underwater protection then included a three-layer system of watertight compartments empty or filled with
08:04sea water designed to absorb and dissipate the kinetic energy of an explosion such as from a torpedo
08:12before it could disrupt the engine rooms and put them out of action let's talk then about speed about propulsion
08:19because to move a mass that when fully loaded exceeded 51 000 tons a huge ship that could match the
08:30speeds of modern enemy vessels
08:32and operate alongside the new fast aircraft carriers the vanguard had to be equipped with a remarkable
08:40driving force namely four parsons geared steam turbines
08:47powered by eight admiralty high pressure water tube boilers this apparatus was capable of developing an
08:55an impressive power of 130 000 horsepower distributed over four propeller shafts during sea trials the ship
09:05exceeded the design specifications reaching the exceptional the exceptional speed 31.57 knots and
09:15for a ship of that size this agility combined with a balanced rudder and optimized hydrodynamic hull
09:25made the vanguard exceptionally maneuverable despite its size
09:31a battleship is defined by its size by its balance by its tonnage by its protection and of course also
09:39by its
09:40armament we have already mentioned that the eight main guns of the vanguard 381 millimeters mark one
09:47were arranged in twin turrets that were let's say taken from other designs the four turrets were two at the
09:56stern and two at the bow in super firing mode but they were not exactly the same turrets from the
10:02great war
10:03they had been modified with thicker armor increasing the elevation of the guns up to 30 degrees and then allowing
10:12for a maximum range by working on the rifled barrels up to 34 000 meters that is 34 kilometers with
10:22armor
10:22piercing shells weighing 879 kilograms a true machine of destruction on the seas
10:29but the vanguard didn't just keep old artillery it was also equipped with 16 new dual purpose
10:40133 millimeter guns in eight twin turrets these guns served as secondary armament for example to engage
10:49smaller ships more elusive and faster opponents and at closer ranges but also as anti-aircraft weapons for
10:57for example for barrage fire in addition to the 133 millimeter guns the vanguard was equipped with as
11:05many as 73 beaufort's 40 millimeter guns for pure anti-aircraft defense because the experience of the war had
11:15taught how dangerous aircraft were for ships at sea the vanguard however had above all a major innovation
11:24the new radar systems and computerized fire control systems it was the first ship to be equipped with systems to
11:33direct gunfire
11:35these systems covered both the main guns and the secondary and anti-aircraft guns with linked control centers
11:45to detect track and open fire on different targets whether surface or aerial both in optimal conditions
11:56with excellent visibility and in total darkness or thick fog or even in the presence of battle smoke
12:05the computers were analog electromechanical types clearly they were not the modern computers we have today but for
12:13the 1940s they represented an incredible innovation however this ship so advanced in concept even though it
12:22reused some technologies from the past never saw combat why because its construction in the shipyard was
12:32heavily delayed by the events of the war and not only that when the vanguard was laid down in the
12:40autumn of
12:401941 the real threat to great britain was the u-boats the german submarines the battle of the atlantic
12:50the need to provide constant escort to the transport ships that brought supplies from canada and the united states
12:58especially food supplies to besieged great britain for this reason the british admiralty slows down
13:06it deprioritizes the construction of large ships in favor of smaller ships the escort vessels the ones that are immediately
13:16needed
13:16there's also another factor that slows down the construction of the vanguard and that's the sinking of hms prince of
13:23wales and the
13:24battle cruiser hms repulse in
13:28in december 1941 by the japanese air force that event had shaken british public opinion
13:37and had deprived the british empire of the only high potential surface naval force in the far east
13:46it had shown that even the most modern battleships like the prince of wales
13:51could be vulnerable without adequate air cover for this reason the designers of the vanguard went back
14:00to the drawing board while the hole was still there with construction yet to begin additional
14:07detection radars were added and the internal protection was reinforced the consequence of all
14:13these changes of all these ongoing revisions is that the ship still incomplete was only launched on
14:20november 30 1944. princess elizabeth the future queen elizabeth ii was called to christen it in a ceremony
14:32filmed by the newsreels of the time which became one of the most important public ceremonies almost two years passed
14:40from the launch before the vanguard was completed and delivered to the royal navy
14:44it was august 9 1946 80 years ago in the meantime the world has changed nazi germany no longer exists
14:57fascist italy had already ceased to exist for some time japan had surrendered after the atomic bombs on
15:05hiroshima and nagasaki the threat posed by the axis navies had vanished the greatest british battleship in
15:13history was left without its original purpose so what should be done with it after the war ended the royal
15:22navy
15:22found itself managing an immense fleet while the british national economy was exhausted due to war debts
15:33many battleships from that period all veterans of the great war as well were quickly decommissioned and
15:40sent to be scrapped however the vanguard is brand new extremely modern how can you send a ship that
15:47has just been completed to be scrapped you can't it wouldn't make any sense you would even risk a public
15:55backlash with people accusing the government of wasting money for this reason it is assigned a different
16:03role as both flagship and royal yacht in 1947 king george the sixth already suffering from serious health
16:14problems was a heavy smoker and was developing lung cancer he needed a long period of rest away from the
16:22harsh english winter
16:25so even having to deal with the post-colonial phase and diplomatic issues with the union of south africa
16:35the vanguard was chosen as the ceremonial transport for the royal family for this reason
16:42the admiral's quarters inside the ship were redesigned and furnished with fine furniture to host the king
16:48the queen mother and princesses elizabeth and margaret the hall was repainted to an immaculate
16:56almost yacht-like finish on february 1st 1947 the battleship set sail from portsmouth for an ocean crossing
17:05that became a global media event the newsreels of the time broadcast images of the royals playing bridge
17:14on the main deck of the vanguard or reviewing the crew in full white dress uniform the journey to south
17:23africa lasts three months and the vanguard serves as a true floating embassy it clearly impresses the local
17:31people who had never seen such a big beautiful and powerful ship upon returning home the ship resumes
17:39its strictly military duties between 1948 and 1954 the vanguard alternates between serving as the flagship of
17:51the home fleet and as a training ship for cadets a school ship during this period she also takes part
17:58in
17:59numerous and important joint exercises with the newly formed nato both in the mediterranean and in the
18:06north atlantic the simulations involve the defense of convoys against a new enemy the soviet navy in 1953
18:16the vanguard takes part in the famous spithead naval parade in honor of the coronation of the new
18:23queen elizabeth ii who had taken the place of her father who died of cancer but by the mid 1950s
18:32maintaining
18:33the vanguard within the royal navy becomes politically and economically unsustainable that ship hasn't even
18:41been in service for 10 years yet but because of its size and the need for a constant crew of
18:47nearly 2 000
18:48men along with a daily consumption of fuel all of this put a heavy burden on the admiralty's finances
18:55which was gradually reducing its budgets to finance the development of the first nuclear submarines
19:01and of new aircraft carriers which in reality never actually saw the light of day in 1955 the battleship
19:11was withdrawn from active service and placed in reserve at portsmouth reserve status meant that the ship
19:19was sealed its guns closed with plugs and protected by protective tarps and the internal systems deactivated
19:29keeping on board a reduced crew just for routine maintenance and to check for any water leaks in those years
19:37which were basically years of oblivion british public opinion and also several naval historians associations
19:45launch a vibrant media campaign to demand that the vanguard be spared from demolition
19:52it is still a wonderful ship but the proposal to turn it into a museum ship
19:58following the example of what the united states was doing with some ships
20:03or what britain itself had done with hms belfast which you can still find today anchored on the thames
20:11it falls on deaf ears the vanguard is the last of its kind it's the last of the mohicans if
20:18you want
20:18to put it that way when it comes to battleships to demolish it means to erase a chapter of history
20:26the request to turn it into a museum clash with the harsh economic reality of the post-war period
20:33the value of the high quality steel that made up the battleship's hull free from post-atomic
20:40radioactive contamination it represented an economic resource that was too valuable for the british
20:47government which was desperately searching for money on october 9 1959 the administrator announces
20:55formally that the hms vanguard is being sold to the british iron and steel corporation for the sum of
21:03about 560 000 pounds at the time the fate is sealed the vanguard must be dismantled demolished the final
21:12journey takes place in august 1960 14 years after the ship entered service and it is marked by one last
21:23dramatic twist on august 4th of that year while the vanguard is being towed out of portsmouth harbor
21:31in front of a silent crowd the ship suddenly veers off the main shipping channel
21:38the cause is probably a strong gust of wind or maybe it was a mistake by the tugboats
21:45the fact is that the hull runs aground in the mud near the steel and west pub
21:52just a few meters from the historic docks it takes several attempts the intervention of five tugboats
22:00and even the help of the tide to free that giant and get it back on course
22:05the newspaper's the newspaper's headline vanguard refuses to leave portsmouth but that's just an
22:12impression once it reaches fazlane the demolition proceeds systematically layer by layer and the
22:22radar structures and the 15-inch guns the thick steel plates of the hull are cut and melted down
22:31industrial furnaces within two years nothing remains of the vanguard nothing but the photos and the
22:40historical memory of a ship that never fired a cannon shot at the enemy a ship whose value could
22:47not be measured only in terms of tonnage sunk or battles won which were zero but also in symbolic
22:55and technological terms the vanguard was an example of the refinement of a weapon concept the battleship
23:03but it was done too late when battleships were already destined to be replaced historians have often
23:12described the vanguard as an expensive anachronism a huge waste of industrial resources that could have
23:21been put to better use for example in the construction of escort carriers supporters on the other hand
23:27have pointed out that the ship fully fulfilled its role as a deterrent and as an instrument of diplomacy
23:34in addition to being an experimental ship used for the first time to test the effectiveness of new
23:41computerized systems albeit analog applied to weapons with the disappearance of the vanguard the book of
23:50the world's great battleships definitively closed because yes it's true the united states kept some
23:58iowa class ships in reserve and then reactivated them during the vietnam war and in the 1980s but that's
24:07history a history made of cannons it's over and it ended when the vanguard this beautiful elegant steel giant
24:17was cut into pieces in a scrap yard today the vanguard remains in photographs images technical sheets and in
24:27historical memory like the last majestic guardian of a world that is now very distant almost forgotten
24:37a world made up of majestic ships that sail the seas able to engage in battle with the enemy by
24:43bringing
24:44their guns to bear in a broadside calculating the distance to the target and opening fire all of
24:50this no longer exists today except in memory in photos in portraits and hopefully also through this video
24:58which sought to celebrate 80 years after it first went to sea the last great marvelous but anachronistic
25:07which sought to celebrate 80 years after it first went to sea the last historic battleship in history