AFRICA HMS 1906

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aukepalmhof
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AFRICA HMS 1906

Post by aukepalmhof » Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:42 pm

CENTENARY OF NAVAL AVIATION SHORT S27.

On the back of the stamp is given: On 10 January 1912 Lieutenant Charles Samson, Royal Navy took off in his modified Short S27 aircraft from HMS AFRICA whilst she was at anchor off Sheerness, to become the first Royal Navy pilot to take off from a ship.

Built as a first class battleship on the Chatham Dockyard for the Royal Navy.
27 January 1904 laid down.
20 May 1905 launched as the HMS AFRICA one of the King Edward VII class.
Displacement 16,350 tons standard, 17,500 tons full load. Dim. 138.20 x 24.00 x 8.20m. (draught).
Powered by compound expansion steam engines, 18,000 ihp., twin screws, speed 19 knots.
Armament 4 – 12 inch, 4 – 9.2 inch, 10 – 6 inch QF, 12 – 12pdr QF, 14 – 3pdr. QF and 4 – 18 inch torpedo tubes.
Crew 777.
06 November 1906 commissioned.

She was the last battleship and largest battleship built on the yard.
After commissioning became a unit of the Atlantic Fleet.
4 March 1907 in collision with the British steamer ORMUZ off Portland in the English Channel.
June 1908 transferred to the Nore Division, Home Fleet.
April 1909 transferred to the Second Division, Home Fleet.
As flagship of Vice Admiral Sir William Henry May commander of the Third and Fourth Division, Home Fleet.
November 1911 in reserve at the Nore with a small core crew.

January 1912 she was fitted out at Sheerness with a sloping seaplane runway, which stretched forward from the bridge.
10 January 1912 when HMS AFRICA was at anchor in the River Medway, Flight Lieutenant Charles Samson made a successful take-off in a Short S-27 seaplane; it was the first British take-off from a vessel.

1912 Her flight equipment was transferred to HMS HIBERNIA and she underwent a refit in Chatham and returned to full commission after the refit, where after she joined the 3rd Battle Squadron, Home Fleet.
November 1912 ordered to the Mediterranean when the First Balkan War broke out.
27 November 1912 the AFRICA arrived at Malta, and thereafter used for blockade duty off Montenegro and the occupation of Scutari, Albania.
February 1913 returned to the U.K. and for a short time joined the 4th Battle squadron.
When her sister vessels returned again in the UK in the 3rd Battle Squadron she joined the squadron in the Home Fleet, the squadron consisting of all eight King Edward VII class was known as the “Wobbly Eight”.

After the outbreak of World War I the squadron joined the Grand Fleet and was based at Rosyth. The squadron was used for the Northern Patrols.
02 November 1914 the squadron was sent to the Channel Fleet and based in Portland for a short time. On 13 November the squadron was returned to the Grand Fleet.

December 1915 to January 1916 underwent a refit in Belfast.
02 May 1916 she arrived at Sheerness and the squadron was rebased on 29 April 1916 to Sheerness.
03 May 1916 under Nore Command till August 1916.

Thereafter she underwent a refit at Portsmouth Dockyard and after completion she was transferred from the 3rd Battle Squadron to the Adriatic Sea to reinforce the Italian Navy against the Austro-Hungarian Navy.
January 1917 she received orders to leave from the Adriatic for a refit in Gibraltar.
Her 6 inch guns on her main deck were replaced by with 4 – 6 inch guns a deck higher, the guns on the lower deck could not be used inrough weather, as they were constantly awash.

March 1917 joined the 9th Cruiser Squadron for service off West Africa, mostly used for convoy duty from Freetown to South Africa.
December 1917 till January 1918 underwent a refit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

October 1918 returned to Portsmouth, and in November 1918 went into reserve.
After the war used shortly as a depot ship for the 9th Cruiser Squadron and also employed as an accommodation ship.
December 1919 used as a replacement as a “stokers training vessel” at Portsmouth.
March 1920 placed on the sale list.
30 June 1920 sold to Ellis & Company, Newcastle upon Tyne, where after she was scrapped at Newcastle.

Gibraltar 2009 42p sg?, scott?

Source: Chatham built warships since 1860 by Philip MacDougall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Africa_(1905)
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Last edited by Anonymous on Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:42 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Reason: Correction of minor errors

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