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The two Gorgon class monitors had been built as coastal battleships for the Norwegian navy, but in 1914 they were taken over by the Royal Navy. Work on converting them for British use began in January 1915, but was suspended in May 1915. Work did not resume until September 1917, and the two ships did not enter service until the summer of 1918.
HMS Glatton was destroyed after an internal explosion on 16 September 1918, only days after arriving at Dover. The explosion (in her 6in magazine) caused a fire which threatened to detonate the 9.2in magazine. That explosion might have caused serious damage to Dover and to other ships in the harbour, and so the badly damaged Glatton was sunk by four torpedoes. Later investigators discovered that cork insulation had been replaced by newspaper, leaving the magazine very vulnerable.
HMS Gorgon had entered service at Dover in June 1918. She fired the last shots against German batteries on the Belgian coast. After the war, several attempts were made to sell her, but she was eventually used as a target ship.
Displacement (loaded) |
4,900t |
Top Speed |
15kts as designed |
Armour – belt |
7in-3in |
- bulkheads |
4in-3in |
- barbettes |
8in-6in |
- turret faces |
8in |
- conning tower |
8in |
- decks |
2.5in-1in |
Length |
310ft |
Armaments as designed |
Two 9.4in guns |
Armaments as built |
Two 9.2in Mk XII guns |
Crew complement |
305 |
Launched |
1914 |
Completed |
1918 |
Ships in class |
HMS Gorgon (Nidaros) |