1/700 HMS Royal Sovereign 1941 (WSW)
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by Jerry Lloyd |
1/700 HMS Royal Sovereign 1941 (WSW)
HMS Royal Sovereign as she looked in September 1941, known as the 'Tiddly Quid' she was built at HM Dockyard Portsmouth completing in May 1916, the armoured bridge fitted in 1932 was reported as being too cramped by her Captain, an aircraft catapult and crane fitted to her quarterdeck in 1933 was removed again in 1936, a February 1939 plan to fit a new HMS Valiant type bridge and 30 degree main turret elevation was cancelled when war broke out and plans to fit an extra 2 inches of deck armour were considered in 1939, 1940 and 1941, in January 1940HMS Royal Sovereign took Britain's gold bullion reserves to Canada for safekeeping, originally designed to do 23 knots her very best speed in 1940 was 19 knots attained chasing enemy warships in the Med, she would find a major role protecting vital convoys and in June 1941 she had a big refit in the USA having ten 20mms added returning to Britain for her radars to be fitted at Greenock competing in August 1941, her new radars were type 284 gunnery panel on her forward rangefinder, type 285 AA on both her HACS, a type 273 surface search lantern on her mainmast and type 279 air search on her mastheads, like her sisters she finally had the extra deck armour fitted in 1942 and the following year she returned to the USA for a second major refit when twin 20mms were fitted and her two ancient 50 foot steam launches were replaced by 45 foot motor picket boats, she sailed back to England carrying evacuee children returning home, in early 1944 after an inspection she would miss D-Day bombardment duties due to her badly worn shell handling gear so in March she was loaned to the Soviets returning in 1949 to be scrapped.
