Revision 300575931 of "HMS Erin (1913)" on enwiki

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{{Infobox Ship Image
 | Ship image =  [[Image:HMS Erin.jpg|300px|HMS Erin]]
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{{Infobox Ship Career
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 | Ship flag =  [[Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|60px|Royal Navy Ensign]]
 | Ship name =  
 | Ship namesake = [[Erin]] 
 | Ship ordered =  
 | Ship builder =  
 | Ship laid down =  1 August 1911
 | Ship launched =  3 September 1913
 | Ship completed =  
 | Ship commissioned =  August 1914
 | Ship decommissioned =  December 1922
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 | Ship fate =  Scrapped
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{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
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 | Ship class =  
 | Ship displacement =  27,500 tons normal<br />30,250 tons full load
 | Ship length =        {{convert|559|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}
 | Ship beam =    &nbsp; {{convert|91|ft|abbr=on}}
 | Ship draught = &nbsp; {{convert|28|ft|abbr=on}}
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 | Ship propulsion =  Parsons 4 shaft [[steam turbine]]s,<br/>15 Babcock boilers,<br/>26,500 hp (20 MW)
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 | Ship speed =  {{convert|21|kn|km/h|0}}
 | Ship range =  
 | Ship complement =  1,070
 | Ship sensors =  
 | Ship EW =  
 | Ship armament =  10 × [[BL 13.5 inch /45 naval gun|13.5 in (345 mm) Mk VI guns]] </br>(5 twin turrets)<br/>16 × 6 in (152 mm) guns<br/>6 × [[QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss|6 pdr (57 mm) guns]]<br/>2 × [[QF 3 inch 20 cwt|3 in (76 mm) 20 cwt anti-aircraft guns]]<br/>4 x 21 in (533 mm) [[torpedo]] tubes
 | Ship armour =  12 in (305 mm) main belt,<br/>6 in (152 mm) upper belt,<br/>10 to 3 in (203 to 305 mm) over turrets
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'''HMS ''Erin''''' was a [[battleship]] of the [[Royal Navy]], a modified contemporary of the [[King George V class battleship (1911)|''King George V'' class]]. She was originally ordered for the navy of the [[Ottoman Empire]] and to be named '''''Reshadiye''''' but was seized by the [[United Kingdom]] on the outbreak of [[World War I]].

== Background and construction ==
After the [[Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78|Russo-Turkish War]] of 1877–1878, Sultan [[Abdulhamid II]] withdrew the [[Ottoman Navy]] from use and left the ships to rot. One of the important reasons of this decision was his fear of dethronement like Sultan [[Abd-ul-Aziz|Abdulaziz I]]. In 1903, the [[First Lord of the Admiralty]], [[William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne]], inspected the condition of the Ottoman Navy and reported that "there was no navy!"

However, the naval arms race of the early 20th century prompted the Ottoman government to embark upon a programme of re-armament by purchasing ships from the best shipbuilders in the world: at that time, in the United Kingdom. By 1914 this programme had purchased forty ships from British yards.

Other navies were undergoing similar programmes of naval expansion. A naval rivalry between [[Argentina]] and [[Brazil]] led the latter to order a battleship from [[Armstrong Whitworth]] in the spring of 1911, to be named ''Rio de Janeiro''. However, by 1913 the two nations had solved their conflicts and Brazil ceased her payments to Armstrong.

The Ottoman Navy placed two orders for battleships: one with [[Vickers]] to be called ''Reshadiye'', and one with Armstrong to be called ''Mahmud Resad V''. However, financial difficulties led the latter to be abandoned; instead the Ottoman Navy took over the Armstrong contract for ''Rio de Janeiro'' from [[Brazil]], renaming her ''[[HMS Agincourt (1913)|Sultan Osman I]]''. A third ship, to be named ''Fatih'', was ordered from Vickers in 1914 but cancelled on the outbreak of war. 

[[George Thurston]]'s design for ''Reshadiye'' was based on contemporary British battleships of the [[King George V class battleship (1911)|''King George V'' class]], but had a heavier secondary armament and accommodation differences, particularly [[Squat toilet|Turkish-style lavatories]]. The coal bunkerage and endurance were also less than British practice and the armour belt was shallower.

In the final days before war broke out on 4th August 1914, the British Government took over the vessel for incorporation into the Royal Navy, even though the Turkish crew had arrived to collect her.

At the same time the British also took over a second Turkish battleship, a unique vessel being built by [[Armstrong Whitworth|Armstrong]] — the ''[[HMS Agincourt (1913)|Sultan Osman I]]'' which was renamed [[HMS Agincourt (1913)|HMS ''Agincourt'']]. These actions were technically illegal<ref>The Turkish ships were seized just before war actually broke out on August 4th. In the absence of a war, which could have provided a "national interest" excuse, this was illegal in the opinion of both the Third Sea Lord Sir Archibald Moore and the Attorney-General. Fromkin 1989, pages 56-58</ref>, but the First Lord of the Admiralty [[Winston Churchill#First Lord of the Admiralty|Winston Churchill]] did not want to risk the ships being used against the British, and it had consequences. 

The takeover caused considerable ill-feeling in Turkey, where public subscriptions had partially funded the ships which had cost £4 million pounds. In that period, Ottoman government was in a financial deadlock and for the budget of these battleships, people's donations were asked. In taverns, cafes, schools, markets everybody donated some amount of money for the Ottoman Navy. To encourage this campaign, plentiful donations were rewarded with a "Navy Donation Medal".
 
This proved a factor in turning Turkish public opinion against [[United Kingdom|Britain]], especially as the Turkish Navy had been pro-Britain — the Army having been pro-German. How far it helped put Turkey (and its [[Ottoman Empire]]) into the war on the side of [[Germany]] and the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]] against the [[Triple Entente]] of Britain, [[France]] and [[Russia]] (29 October 1914) is debatable. To capitalize on this, Germany made a gift to Turkey of the [[battlecruiser]] [[SMS Goeben|SMS ''Goeben'']] and of the [[light cruiser]] [[SMS Breslau|SMS ''Breslau'']].

== Seizure ==
When on 27 July 1914 Mr. Rauf went to Newcastle on behalf of the Ottoman government to arrange for transportation of ''Sultan Osman I'', the First Lord of Admiralty [[Winston Churchill]] was aware that an embargo would mean a diplomatic crisis but he could not take the risk that these battleships would be engaged against the Royal Navy.{{Fact|date=October 2008}}

Accordingly, on 3 August 1914, Churchill declared that the British government had embargoed the two battleships. Mr. Rauf in his memoirs says, "We paid the last instalment (700,000 Turkish liras). We reached an agreement with the manufacturer that the ships would be handed over on 2 August 1914. Nevertheless, after we made our payment and half an hour before the ceremony, the British declared that they have requisitioned the ships … Although we protested, nobody paid attention."{{Fact|date=October 2008}}

When Germany violated Belgian territory, Great Britain was compelled to declare war on 4 August 1914 and both battleships were taken over by the Royal Navy. This act caused significant outcry in Turkey and was instrumental in the decision of the Ottoman Empire to ally with Germany in October 1914.

== Service ==
[[Image:Resadiye.jpg|thumb|left|Sketches showing the transformation from ''Reshadiye'' to ''Erin'' {{ffdc|Resadiye.jpg|9 June 22}}]]
''Reshadiye'' was commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS ''Erin'', and ''Sultan Osman I'' became [[HMS Agincourt (1913)|HMS ''Agincourt'']].

''Erin'' joined the [[2nd Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)|2nd Battle squadron]] of the [[Grand Fleet]], and fought in the [[Battle of Jutland]]. She became flagship of the [[Nore]] Reserve in 1919 and was scrapped in 1922 to comply with the [[Washington Naval Treaty]].

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* Conway's ''All the world's fighting ships 1906–1921''
* D. K. Brown, ''The Grand Fleet'', Chatham, 1999.
* David Fromkin, "A Peace to End All Peace". Penguin Books, Harmondsworth , Middlesex UK, 1989. ISBN 0 14 015445 0

==See also==
{{Commonscat|HMS Erin}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/battleships/erin/hms_erin.htm Maritimequest HMS ''Erin'' Photo Gallery]

{{WWIBritishShips}}
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[[Category:Barrow-built ships]]
[[Category:Battleships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Naval ships of the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Royal Navy battleships]]
[[Category:Unique battleships]]
[[Category:World War I battleships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1913 ships]]

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