HMS Indefatigable: Beyond the First Explosion at Jutland

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Thank you all for watching this video! Like the Lützow video, it was hard to find pictures. So, there will be photographs from some of her sisters. I also saw that some people wanted more map animations, so there will be more of those in the video. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it.

[@kidmohair8151]

I think you are becoming *very* interested in this history thing. funny how that happens huh?

[@GregorySayer1]

Many thanks. The details of the ship's weaker armour and the references to certain works are of tremendous interest. My great uncle was one of those who disappeared that awful day 108 years ago.

[@adztaylor2277]

My Great Grandfather was on HMS Indefatigable (William Edwin Farnham) when she was hit and sunk, and his name lays with many others who lost their lives on that fateful day on Plymouth Hoe War Memorial (Battle of Jutland 31 May 1916 4:02 pm). May all who lost their lives continue to rest in peace, we will never forget.

[@RayyMusik]

Stoker in the Med during summer must have been a dream job. 😓😬

[@theodoresmith5272]

Stoker in the Indian Ocean and Caribbean would have sucked all the time.

[@williamcarrington61]

Stokers on the "K" Boats must not have so pleased .

[@victoriacyunczyk]

I have to imagine the Pacific was worse

[@davidabney7700]

At Jutland, the Battlecruiser Indefatigable,was at the end of Admiral Beatty's battle line ahead Battlecruisers. Her opposite at this point, was SMS Von Der Tann German Battlecruiser. A well engineered,battlecruiser with much emphasis on armor and lighter interest on the big guns, with four 2-barrel 11-inch rifles and numerous 5.9" secondary armament. The additional armor provided Von Der Tann better protection than her British counterpart, the Indefatigable. Really came in handy at Jutland. Both battlecruisers fired some 50+rounds at each other before the 11-inch guns of Von Der Tann found X-turret on Indefatigable. The German shell penetrated the armor around X-turret and a subsequent explosion blew off the stern of the superstructure. A nano-second later a 2-round salvo found A-turret on the bow. Ocean archeologist have surveyed and studied the wreck sight of Indefatogable in recent years and came up with this analysis of that fateful explosion and subsequent sinking of the Brit Battlecruiser Indefatigable in May 1916. Many thanks for this video concerning this British Battlecruiser.

[@mikeholton3914]

its been my understanding that the German Battlecruisers were designed to be more heavily armored as they (the Germans, knowing that they didn't have the hulls the British had) would be expected to be in the Line of Battle, where the British philosophy was to not expect them to be there,(having plenty of actual Battleships for the Line of Battle) rather for them to scout, and sweep the seas in front of the battle line of enemy ships scouting for the German LoB. Jutland to me was a battle of quantity versus quality with the results reflecting on both sides the plus and minus of each side's limitations.

[@blackpowder4016]

Add to that British shells had defective Krupp-licensed fuses (types 80 and 82) that often exploded on impact instead of after penetrating, or which fell out in flight or failed to explode at all. Vickers actually paid Krupp until the outbreak of war in 1914 and after that put the royalty money into a sequestered fund until the Trading With the Enemy Amendment Act of 1916. It was a major revenue stream for Vickers who charged the government £10,764,000 for the fuses. The patent had actually expired in 1914 but Vickers' agreement with Krupp allowed royalty payments past the patent expiration date. After the war, at The Anglo-German Arbitration Tribunal, Krupp demanded over £300,000 in unpaid royalties between 4th August 1914 and 30th September 1917 plus the interest for the whole non-payment period (1914 to 1926). After eight years of negotiations and stalling, Vickers were allowed to negotiate debts directly with Krupp and on September 1, 1926 Vickers paid Krupp £40,000.

[@briannicholas2757]

A very well done video, congratulations. It's nice you included her other service. Indefatigable is usually just remembered for her catastrophic end. Her loss and that of Queen Mary, us wholly attributable to Beatty's obsession with speed of fire over accuracy. This forced gun crews to engage in unsafe practices to keep Beatty off their backs. Beatty was a political admiral who should never have been given command of ships going into battle. His constant mistakes, cost the British a much more decisive victory at Jutland and ultimately cost the lives of thousands of British Sailors.

[@guaporeturns9472]

He actually saved the lives of thousands of Germany sailors.. hurray!!!

[@briannicholas2757]

@@guaporeturns9472 he was Admirals Hipper and Scheer's best subordinate.

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@briannicholas2757 😂

[@michaelpielorz9283]

The Doggerbank battle revealed flaws in british and german turret designs. the germans investigatet and improved their design. Churchill forbade investigations, because he wanted a "clean" Victory.after Jutlandthis awful myth was created to save him, insulting thousands of brave sailors! those men knew about a powder flash they do not want to commit suicide! The rate of fire is dictated by the speed of the hoists.it`s simply not possible to store powderbags or shells in "sweet spots"! So stop insulting brave sailors!!

[@michaelpielorz9283]

O come on not again that myth of unsafe ammunition handling insulting thousands of brave sailors as suicidal idiots how would it be possible to load faster than the hoists. that myth was created to save churchill who forbade investigations after doggerbank when german and british ships showed flaws in the powder hoists.and passages.the germans did so and vever lost a ship because of a powder explosion. please blame the rihgt person!

[@theswampangel3635]

Excellent and well balanced presentation on a controversial topic.

[@HandyMan657]

Well done man, thank you.

[@talpark8796]

stokers exhausting themselves in the hot mediterranean sun? 🤨😆 thx for the upload

[@2bidfilmsguy]

Thank you for the regular quality content, it saddens me that your channel is not more popular, regardless I just wanted to let you know I appreciate what you do and wish you the best of luck with the channel

[@stephenrichards339]

Excellent video thank you

[@brianomalley7501]

Another great job you keep; me interested keep them coming your good at what you do thank you looking forward to the next one

[@spacecase13]

Extremely enjoyable and well put together! You got my subscription.

[@mako88sb]

Thanks for the great video. Subscribed. Btw, about an hours drive from were I live is the Kananaskis lower lake area with a trail that will take you to the top of Mt Indefatigable. About a 3 hr trek. The trailhead has been closed for a number of years because it’s been designated a grizzly bear habitat. Right beside it is Mt Invincible. There are numerous mountains in the area named for the British ships involved at Jutland. Also for some of the men. Including Mt Cornwell named for 16 year old Jack Cornwell posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

[@dennislloyd494]

Fascinating, lived in Calgary for many years and I am an RN buff and I didn't know that. I have heard of a town called Galatea around there and always wondered?? Thank you.

[@marcofrank2082]

Really very good. You have come a long way. I am happy for that. Keep up the good work. For the algorithm 😃👍🏻

[@paulhubsch5111]

I got "Castles of Steel" myself recently, highly recommended.

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Excellent book! Certainly at the top of my list of book recommendations to get an idea of WW1 at sea.

[@paulhubsch5111]

@@ImportantNavalHistory I particularly like the personal backgrounds and characterisations of, for example among many others, Jellicoe, Churchill and Beatty, or Kaiser Wilhelm II and Admiral Scheer and how their flaws and strengths interact with each other, for better or worse. Battleship/naval history books usually are more technically focused (the ones i have at least, which admittedly aren't that many). And second-hand it wasn't even expensive (I had to wait about 4 weeks for it though, for it to cross the Atlantic to Germany without being torpedoed :-D).

[@ol9363]

Listened to the Audiobook version recently. Fantastic book

[@kidmohair8151]

I did that like and comment thing for the algo-deities. I'm already subscribed.

[@gschmale]

Excellent Thanks !

[@Absaalookemensch]

From Indefatigable to Explodable in one battle. Excellent design if they're kept away from getting shot at.

[@bkjeong4302]

Indefatigable was so fragile even cruisers-as in, the ships she was supposed to go after-could penetrate her armour and magazine-detonate her.

[@Absaalookemensch]

@@bkjeong4302 Yes, she was very Explodable. Excellent for shore bombardment duties, if there were no heavy shore artillery to face.

[@mikepotter5718]

Excellent design for dealing with armored cruisers.

[@bkjeong4302]

@@mikepotter5718 That’s Invincible. Indefatigable was so poorly armoured she was bad even at dealing with armoured cruisers. Not to mention that building a capital ship that’s only capable of doing the job of a cruiser (I.e. killing enemy cruisers) is strategically a dumb idea.

[@mikepotter5718]

@@bkjeong4302 Von Spee didn't agree with you. The indefatigables were a minor reworking of the invincibles.

[@dennislloyd494]

Good to round out the story of a ship whose claim to fame shouldn't only be blowing up at jutland Castles of steel was the best book I've read on this era.

[@08jag81]

Thanks! what I have read it was stacking of cordite (propellant) bags, not ammunition, outside and open flash doors.

[@CliveN-yr1gv]

Great stuff and some amazing imagery. I must find out how AUSTRALIA collided with NEW ZEALAND. There's Anzac rivalry for you!

[@leeneon854]

Covered this very well, seaman, farmer gives account in 60s it's amazing recording, saying, ship went over on her beam ends, port side, and he dropped into water, because he was in crows nest, forward mast, clear of the ship,the ship exploded, and he noted guns, flew of like match sticks 12 inch guns there were, he said,also he and AB Elliot found captian, in the sea, but later died due to wounds, before destroyer turned up,seaman, Elliot and farmer was pick by German torpedo boat. S16

[@Area51UFOGynaecology]

this is probably the worst warship built in the 1900s, only 100mm armor protecting the forward and rear magazines, means it cant even work as a battlecruiser

[@leeneon854]

Actually more to it than that, UK had budget restrictions, as guy explains, pretty much just enlarged invincible class.

[@brownwrench]

Surprised no HMS Indespensible or Indestuctible

[@brownwrench]

Speed does not help that much if the enemy is a better than you.

[@giovannidepetris6335]

But is so vulnerable couldn t their role be made more appropriate? It is suicidal to say that speed is amor there is no ship faster than a shell of an enemy

[@markrussell6881]

Herbert Asquith, although his middle name was Henry.

[@thomaslinton5765]

Why is this important?

[@Cronoviajero]

What a name for a ship. Hahaha!

[@rohanthandi4903]

I heard the true story of these ships from an old bloke in Birmingham at a park. He insisted, that the 3 BCs well it turns out the ships had failed inspection and had engine faults and the fleet wanted to get rid of them. So an elaborate ruse was employed and the magazine doors were left open. They were sailed on str8 course and the men were taken off by launch. The plan was for them to explode and lure the germenz in, allowing the fleet to cut them off. What of the men you might ask? they were assigned to the janitorial corps