HMS Sir John Moore was one of eight s built for the Royal Navy in 1915 to conduct shore bombardments during the First World War. The ship was assigned to the Dover Patrol for the duration of the war and was sold for scrap in 1921.
Design and description The Lord Clive design was derived from that of the preceding , modified to suit the smaller and lighter main battery. The ships had an overall length of , a maximum beam of , and a deep draught of . She displaced at deep load. To improve stability, torpedo bulges were incorporated into the hull. Her crew numbered 12 officers and 182 ratings.Buxton, pp. 45, 77
Sir John Moore was powered by a pair of three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by two coal-burning watertube boilers. The engines developed a total of and were designed for a maximum speed of , although the ships proved to be significantly slower, with Sir John Moore reaching a speed of during her sea trials. The Lord Clives had a range of at a cruising speed of .Buxton, pp. 51, 77
Si were armed with a pair of BL Mk VIII guns in a single twin-gun turret; Sir John Moores turret was taken from the elderly predreadnought battleship . Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of a Vickers 3-pounder () and a 2-pounder () guns on high-angle mounts.Buxton, pp. 49, 77
Construction and career Sir John Moore, named for General Sir John Moore, was laid down on 13 January 1915 at Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company's shipyard in Greenock. The ship was launched on 31 May and commissioned on 22 July.Silverstone, p. 268
Following the armistice in November 1918, Sir John Moore briefly served as a tender for the gunnery school. She was placed in reserve in early 1920 and listed for sale. Sir John Moore was sold for scrap on 8 November 1921 and towed to Bremen, Germany, on 23 December 1922 for demolition.Buxton, p. 77
Citations
References