|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Naval History by Country :
|
|||||||||||||
| VIEW ALL OF OUR CURRENT ART SPECIAL OFFERS ON ONE PAGE HERE | |||
| NAVAL ART | AVIATION ART | MILITARY ART | SPORT ART |
|
HMS Mars
World Naval Ships  Royal Navy Battleships Pre-Dreadnought Battleships Majestic Class  HMS Mars |
[UP] - HMS Caesar - HMS Hannibal - HMS Illustrious - HMS Jupiter - HMS Majestic - HMS Magnificent - HMS Mars - HMS Prince George - HMS Victorious |
|
HMS Mars of the Majestic Class battleships. Mars served with the Channel Fleet in the winter of 1906 and again in 1907. At the outbreak of WW1 she served with the 4th Division of the Home Fleet. Mars then served as a guardship in the Humber in August 1914. With her turrets removed at Belfast she became a transport ship and covered the evacuations of Anzac and Cape Helles in January 1916. This evacuation was a major event with 83,048 troops, 186 guns and 1697 horse drawn vehicles with 4,695 horses and mules. It was expected this evacuation would produce about 30,000 casualties, and Hospitals were prepared for this number at the end only 2 men were wounded in the evacuation. On her return HMS Mars became base ship at Invergordon. HMS Mars was finally sold for breaking May 1921. Armament: four 12 inch guns, twelve 6 inch guns, sixteen 12 pdr guns, twelve 3 pdr guns, 2 maxims, two 2pdr boat guns and five torpedo tubes. Displacement: 14,900 tons. Speed: 16.5 knots. Complement: 757. |
|||
| HMS MARS | 30TH MARCH 1896 | SOLD FOR B/U 9TH MAY 1921 | |
HMS Mars, 1897 A reproduction of this original photo / photo-postcard size 10" x 7" approx available. Order photograph here © Walker Archive. Order Code PH607 |
|||
The Barbette of HMS Mars. |
HMS Mars. A reproduction of this original photo / photo-postcard size 10" x 7" approx available. Order photograph here © Walker Archive. Order Code PH492 |
||
HMS Mars. A reproduction of this original photo / photo-postcard size 10" x 7" approx available. Order photograph here © Walker Archive. Order Code PH566 |
HMS Mars. circa. 1907 A reproduction of this original photo / photo-postcard size 10" x 7" approx available. Order photograph here © Walker Archive. Order Code PH491 |
||
HMS Mars, 1919. Original republished © MPL Photograph (Postcard Size). Price £5 Click here to order. Order Code MP197 |
HMS Mars A reproduction of this original photo / photo-postcard size 10" x 7" approx available. Order photograph here © Walker Archive. Order Code PH353 |
||
|
HMS Mars, 1897. Original republished © MPL Photograph (Postcard Size). Price £5 Click here to order. Order Code MP196 |
HMS Mars. |
||
|
HMS Mars at the Fitting-out Wharf of Laird's at Birkenhead. The private firm of Messrs Laird Bros at Birkenhead had the highest reputation for the vessels of war they produced. These included, among others, the iron frigate Birkenhead, the world-famous cruiser Alabama, the old battleships Agincourt and Vanguard, the historic armour-clad turret ship Huascar and so on down to the first class battleship Royal Oak, the Mars and the Glory. Hardly any other private firm attained greater eminence and the distinguished services it rendered to Naval architecture were recognised not only by the British Government but by foreign governments. The Birkenhead works covered an area of 22 acres in 1897, and the special feature was their series of graving docks for repair and construction of vessels of every size, equipped with powerful steam cranes and ever other convenience, while alongside the fitting-out wharf the largest battleship can lie- as many during construction did- at all states of the tide. In addition there were extensive modern engine shops and boiler works. Photo for sale Magazine photo 8" x 3" Price £10 order code C65 |
HMS Mars. A reproduction of this original photo / photo-postcard size 10" x 7" approx available. Order photograph here © Walker Archive. Order Code PH493 HMS Mars launched 30th March 1896. After 8 years service, she was commissioned into the reserve at Portsmouth and reentered service with the Channel Fleet in the winter of 1906 and again March - May 1907. Between 1908-1912 HMS Mars had 2 refits, and was in the 4th Division of the Home Fleet at the outbreak of world war one. During August 1914 she was sent to the Humber as a guard ship. In February 1915, HMS Mars had her 12 inch turrets removed at Belfast (these turrets were installed in the monitors Earl of Peterborough and Sir Thomas Pickton) after which HMS Mars became a transport ship and covered the evacuations of Anzac and Cape Helles in January 1916. On arrival back to Britain she became a depot ship at Invergordon and finally sold for breaking May 1921. |
||
|
The "Birds" of HMS Mars. Photo taken after coaling, c.1911. A reproduction of this original photo / photo-postcard size 10" x 7" approx available. Order photograph here © Walker Archive. Order Code PH706 |
|||
|
The "Cabinet" of HMS Mars, 1898 |
The Officers of Mars, c.1898. |
||
Captain Henry J May and the officers of HMS Mars c.1900. |
Crew Member Bob Wail of HMS Powerful, and later HMS Mars. A reproduction of this original photo / photo-postcard size 10" x 7" approx available. Order photograph here © Walker Archive. Order Code PHC833 |
||
| Gun Explosion on Board HMS Mars | |||
The Fore Barbette The accident occurred with the left or port gun. |
The Cordite Charges The charge is made up in four parts, each weighing 41 lbs 13 oz, making a total of 167.25 lbs for the full charge. |
||
| Information on the incident taken from the
Army & Navy Illustrated April 1902.
The Channel Squadron were carrying out the usual target practice, each ship firing at a target towed past her by another ship. The Mars had completed her practice, except for the guns in the fore turret. With these guns several misfires had occurred, and the order was given to change the main electric circuit for the spare or auxiliary one. What followed afterwards is not quite clear, the version that follows is the one generally accepted by the Naval establishment pending the result of the enquiry. The charge of cordite in the gun was probably a half-charge. The Mars gun is a 12in wire-wound breech-loading weapon, and the projectile is rammed home by a hydraulic rammer. On the base of the projectile is a soft metal ring, which cuts into the rifling of the gun and makes the shell an airtight fit in the bore. The half-charge of cordite is now inserted in a bag. This bag, since it only fills half the chamber of the gun, should be entered carefully, so that it shall touch the breech-block when the latter is closed, and be close up against the ignition tube. This is possibly one mistake that was made - namely, that the charge entered too far into the gun and may have been a foot or more away from the breech-block and ignition tube. Now on the breech being closed the charge is in a practically airtight chamber, sealed at one end by the projectile and at the other by the breech-block. The order to fire was now given, and the tube was exploded. The flash of it, however, was only enough to cause the bag containing the cordite to smoulder slightly, there not being sufficient oxygen in the chamber to give this small flame a chance of spreading. A pause as directed by the drill book, was now presumably waited, and then came the order to open the breech. Directly the breech was unlocked and the outside air entered the chamber, the smouldering flame revived and the charge exploded, with terrible results for the occupants of the turret. Lieutenant Bourne and Lieutenant Miller were the two officers killed, with another six men killed in the incident. |
|||
Funeral of the Eight Victims at Queenstown The steam launch of the Mars towing the barge with the bodies on board to the Naval pier. |
Last Honours to Dead Comrades Bluejackets and marines presenting arms as the coffins pass on the way to the biers. |
||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HMS Mars - Sister ships of the Majestic Class | ||
| HMS CAESAR | 2ND SEPTEMBER 1896 | SOLD FOR B/U 8TH NOVEMBER 1921 |
| HMS HANNIBAL | 28TH APRIL 1896 | SOLD FOR B/U 28TH JANUARY 1920 |
| HMS ILLUSTRIOUS | 17 SEPTEMBER 1896 | SOLD FOR B/U 18TH JUNE 1920 |
| HMS JUPITER | 18TH NOVEMBER 1895 | SOLD FOR B/U 15TH JANUARY 1920 |
| HMS MAJESTIC | 31ST JANUARY 1895 | TORPEDOED 27TH MAY 1915 |
| HMS MAGNIFICENT | 19TH DECEMBER 1894 | SOLD FOR B/U 9TH MAY 1921 |
| HMS PRINCE GEORGE | 22ND AUGUST 1895 | SOLD FOR B/U 21ST SEPTEMBER 1921 |
| HMS VICTORIOUS | 19TH OCTOBER 1895 | SOLD FOR B/U 19TH DECEMBER 1922 |
|
Everything we obtain for this site is shown on the site, we do not have any more photos, crew lists or further information on any of the ships. COPYRIGHT NOTICE. ALL IMAGES DISPLAYED ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW, AND ARE OWNED BY CRANSTON FINE ARTS OR THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. NO REPRODUCTION OR COPYING ALLOWED ON OTHER WEBSITES, BOOKS OR ARTICLES WITHOUT PRIOR AGREEMENT. |
|
Contact Details |
|
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
 |
