HMS Invincible

HMS Invincible

HMS Glorious

HMS Queen Mary

HMS Invincible

HMS Glorious

HMS Queen Mary

Britain

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.0	6.0	6.0

Class:

Battlecruiser

Research:175 000

Purchase:490 000

Show in game

Description

The Invincible-class, HMS Invincible (85), 1916 is a rank V British battlecruiser with a battle rating of 6.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Hot Tracks".

The brainchild of First Sea Lord "Jacky" Fisher, the Invincible class were the first battlecruisers ever to be built, pioneering the design which was based around the idea of an enlarged and upgunned armoured cruiser that should have the firepower and protection to devastate enemy cruisers and raiders, yet be fast enough to outrun opposing battleships. Built between 1906 and 1909, the Invincible class formed the foundation of this new type of ship which became a key part of the ongoing Anglo-German naval arms race.

Compared to the average cruiser, HMS Invincible was significantly better protected and able to withstand cruiser fire in most circumstances with minimal damage taken, and her eight 305 mm cannons posed a huge threat to any cruiser she could encounter. In addition, her relatively high speed was fast enough to actually outrun some cruisers, making the Invincible the perfect counter to German high seas raiders, as Admiral Von Spee found out during the Battle of the Falkland Islands.

However, as the first class of a whole new type of warships, the Invincibles inevitably became more and more obsolete as faster and stronger battlecruisers came into service over the following years. In War Thunder, the HMS Invincible represents a severe threat to any and all cruisers in the game but, due to the thin armour and 6-gun broadside, the ship lags behind when it comes to fighting other capital ships.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Citadel178 / 152 / 38 mm

Main fire tower178 / 178 / 178 mm

Hull25 mm (steel)

Superstructure16 mm (steel)

Number of section10

Displacement20 135 t

Crew1 032 people

HMS Invincible is a 20,000t vessel with 1,032 crew members, an average crew count for a battlecruiser. The ship has a 150 mm main armour belt which is backed up by 50 mm of turtleback armour and an array of coal bunkers. The main turrets have 177 mm armour on turret faces and barbettes.

This leaves the ship reasonably resistant to 152 mm and 203 mm shells at long to medium ranges, nevertheless enemy battleships with their much larger cannons will have little trouble cleaving through your protection at any practical range. The armour is ineffective at stopping shells of a calibre larger than 283 mm. The lack of AA guns and rather thin deck armour is insufficient when it comes to fending off strike aircraft.

Whilst the belt armour does extend far enough below the waterline to give some level of protection from shallow torpedoes, the ship is still vulnerable to torpedoes which hit below the belt armour.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB58 / 28 km/h

RB49 / 24 km/h

Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	58	28
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	49	24

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB22 774 → 28 604

RB28 736 → 36 092

Total cost of modifications173 800

275 000

Talisman cost2 000

Crew training140 000

Experts490 000

Aces1 500

Research Aces670 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

450 / 600 / 100 %

190 / 190 / 190 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 6 900 Cost: 11 000 210 Rudder Replacement Research: 9 700 Cost: 15 000 290 Propeller Replacement Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 260 Engine Maintenance Research: 19 000 Cost: 30 000 580	Damage Control Division Research: 6 900 Cost: 11 000 210 Fire Division Research: 9 700 Cost: 15 000 290 Shrapnel Protection Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 260 Ventilation Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 260 New Pumps Research: 19 000 Cost: 30 000 580 Ammo Wetting Research: 19 000 Cost: 30 000 580	Anti-Air Armament Targeting Research: 6 900 Cost: 11 000 210 305mm_uk_4crh_mk6a_navy_apc_ammo_pack Research: 6 900 Cost: 11 000 210 102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_SAP_ammo_pack Research: 6 900 Cost: 11 000 210 Auxiliary Armament Targeting Research: 9 700 Cost: 15 000 290 305mm_uk_4crh_mk7a_navy_cpc_ammo_pack Research: 9 700 Cost: 15 000 290 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 260 Improved Rangefinder Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 260

Armament

Primary armament

4 х Turret2 x 305 mm/45 Mark X cannon

Ammunition220 rounds

Vertical guidance-3° / 13°

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		1,000 m	2,500 m	5,000 m	7,500 m	10,000 m	15,000 m
Mark IIa HE	HE	72	72	72	72	72	72
Mark VIa APC	APC	493	437	359	298	250	190
Mark VIIa SAPCBC	SAPCBC	265	234	192	159	133	101

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Mark IIa HE	HE	831	386	0	0.1	53.13	79°	80°	81°
Mark VIa APC	APC	831	389.8	0.025	17	13.64	48°	63°	71°
Mark VIIa SAPCBC	SAPCBC	831	386	0.035	17	36.3	48°	63°	71°

Secondary armament

12 х Turret4 inch/40 QF mark III cannon

Ammunition100 rounds

Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control Select secondary weapon. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.

Anti-aircraft armament

Turret76 mm/45 QF 3in 20cwt HA Mark I cannon

Ammunition150 rounds

Turret3 pdr QF Hotchkiss cannon

Ammunition300 rounds

An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control Select anti-aircraft weapons. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.

Additional armament

Setup 128 x 450 mm R.G.F. Mark VI** torpedo

Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.

Usage in battles

Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Main battery of eight 305 mm guns with access to SAP rounds can make short work of enemy cruisers, and APC can punish larger targets
• Faster than the other capital ships, inferior only to SMS Von der Tann in terms of top speed
• Belt armour can shrug off medium calibre gunfire from cruisers and destroyers, and extends below the waterline to give protection against shallow torpedoes
• Shell rooms are well below the waterline and hard to hit with gunfire
• Numerous secondary battery guns with a high rate of fire that can easily deal with close range attacks from smaller unarmoured vessels
• Has underwater torpedo launchers, which can potentially catch close targets unaware

Cons:

• Vertical armour is very weak against large calibre guns from other capital ships; battleships can often cause crippling damage
• Non-existent deck armour and extremely poor anti-aircraft armament makes the Invincible highly vulnerable to bombers
• 305 mm guns struggle to penetrate battleship belt armour beyond 10km, and the APC rounds suffer from poor post-penetration damage
• Can only fire a full broadside while parallel to an opponent - Angling the ship will only allow a broadside of 6 guns
• Secondary battery SAP shells have low penetration; the guns will struggle to damage even most light cruisers
• Main battery turret armour is thin on the roof, often resulting in disabled turrets or damage gun breeches
• Vulnerable to deep running torpedoes
• Underwater torpedoes have low range and a relatively small warhead in comparison to most deck mounted torpedoes aboard cruisers and destroyers

History

A photograph of HMS Invincible, the first British Battlecruiser, in 1907.

HMS Invincible was the lead ship of her class of three battlecruisers built for the Royal Navy. She was the first modern battlecruiser ever built, and pioneered the ship type, featuring less armour in exchange for more speed. Her construction led to a "battlecruiser arms race", including ships such as the German Von Der Tann and Derflingger classes as well as the Japanese Kongo class. During the First World War, Invincible participated in the Battle of the Heligoland Bight, as well as the Falklands Battle where she and her sister ship Inflexible sank the armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. She ultimately met her demise at the Battle of Jutland, when her magazines detonated following hits from the German force.

Design and development

Invincible, as the first battlecruiser ever built, was the brainchild of First Sea Lord Jackie Fisher, who was responsible for a wide range of innovations including the Dreadnought. The ships were designed to be fast, with a top speed of 25 knots (46 km/h), but also extremely well armed, with a main battery of 12 inch (305 mm) guns. However, this came at the expense of armour, meaning that Invincible had a weaker armour protection compared to the dreadnoughts. The massive 41 000 horsepower engines that powered the Invincible took up a massive amount of space inside the hull, requiring a reduction in armour.

Invincible, being a larger vessel than her armoured-cruiser predecessors, displaced over 20 000 tons at full load. She had an armament of eight 12 inch (305 mm) guns in four twin turrets, with one fore, one aft, and two on beam positions. The turrets were placed in a position so that all four turrets could fire on a broadside. Invincible carried a secondary armament of twelve 4 inch 40 QF naval guns in single mounts, placed across the fore and rear superstructures. She carried a single 76 mm and 47 mm gun for anti-aircraft defence, as well as four 450 mm torpedoes. Invincible was laid down in April of 1906, and launched a year later in 1907. She was fully commissioned in 1909 and entered service with the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the British Grand Fleet.

Operational History

Invincible entered service with the British Grand Fleet and participated in fleet manoeuvres along with the rest of the fleet. However, it was apparent during her early service that her main turrets were problematic as the faulty electric turret horizontal drives prevented them from turning properly. As a result, the battlecruiser spent much of late 1913 and early 1914 in dock, receiving new, hydraulic turret drives to replace her electric ones. She was also fitted with a new ranging fire director, but this had not been completed by the time of the outbreak of the First World War.

Heligoland Bight and the Falklands

Following the start of the First World War, Invincible saw her first action at the Battle of Heligoland Bight. There, she fired 18 rounds at the crippled cruiser Cöln, but failed to obtain hits. Later, Invincible participated in a more important action, the Battle of the Falklands. As part of the British West Indies squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Christopher Cradock, she steamed from Port Stanley (in the Falklands) with her sister ship Inflexible to intercept the German squadron led by Admiral Von Spee; Spee's cruiser squadron, led by armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, attempted to attack the British base at Port Stanley hours before. As the battlecruisers had a 5-knot advantage over the German armoured cruisers, they quickly caught up and began straddling the German cruisers with 12 inch shells. After a several hour long battle, both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were sunk, the former with no survivors. Invincible was hit numerous times, but suffered no significant damage.

After the Falklands battle, Invincible returned to Port Stanley for repairs, followed by a more lengthy refit at Gibraltar. During this time, her ranging director was completed (it had been left unfinished with the outbreak of war) and her funnel was extended to reduce the amount of smoke entering the bridge and forward superstructure.

Battle of Jutland and sinking

HMS Invincible blowing up after a German shell detonated her ammunition magazines.

Invincible ultimately met her demise at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, just a year after she sank the cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at the Falklands. In May of that year, she was assigned to Admiral Beatty's battlecruiser group and ordered to cruise into the north seas to intercept a potential breakout of the German fleet. Soon after, Invincible, along with her sister ships Inflexible and Indomitable, spotted a group of seven enemy ships including two armoured cruisers and promptly fired upon them. They succeeded in crippling the cruiser Wiesbaden with a hit to the engine room, as well as a similar heavy hit to the cruiser Pillau.

Soon after, Beatty's battlecruisers spotted the German battlecruiser line, and promptly opened fire on the battlecruisers Lutzow and Derfflinger. Invincible hit Lutzow twice beneath the waterline, which would eventually lead to her demise. However, she ended up directly in front of Lutzow and Derfllinger, who fired several salvoes at her. One of these shots hit the ship's midships 12 inch shell magazines, which exploded and blew the ship in half. Almost her entire crew of 1026 were killed, including her commanding officer Rear Admiral Horace Hood; six survivors were rescued by escorting destroyers. Hood's widow would later launch the battlecruiser/fast battleship HMS Hood, the heaviest battleship in the world for 20 years.

Invincible lies at a depth of 55 metres in the North Sea, cut in half by the massive magazine explosion that doomed her. Her wreck is protected by the Protection of Military Remains act of 1986.

Devblog

HMS Invincible was laid down in April 1906 as the lead ship of her class of three new armoured cruisers, intended to replace the preceding Minotaur-class. The ship was launched a year later and completed in March 1909, subsequently being commissioned into service with the Royal Navy. Thereafter, HMS Invincible took part in fleet manoeuvres and several reviews before being sent to drydock for refit. In 1911, the warship was officially redesignated into a battlecruiser, thus becoming the first ship of this kind.

In 1913, HMS Invincible was ordered to the dockyard once more to replace her electrically powered turret traverse mechanisms with hydraulic ones in order to fix ongoing problems and make the ship battle-worthy. However, while works were still being undertaken, the declaration of war on Germany in August 1914 signalled the start of WWI and HMS Invincible was quickly recommissioned.

Already at the outbreak of the conflict, HMS Invincible saw herself in the thick of the action, engaging German ships at the Battle of Heligoland Bight in late August 1914. Later that year, in December, HMS Invincible, along with her sister ship HMS Inflexible, took part in the Battle of the Falkland Islands, sinking the two German armoured cruisers, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, during the engagement.

HMS Invincible also took part in what would become her last engagement - the well-known Battle of Jutland in May 1916. During the battle, HMS Invincible was struck by fire coming from the German battlecruisers Lützow and Derfflinger, detonating her midships magazine and causing the warship to break in half.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the HMS Invincible from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• HMS Invincible Devblog Images
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Videos

HMS Invincible vs Von der Tann - Vehicle Comparison - Flipped StuG

See also

Other WW1-era battlecruisers

• SMS Von der Tann
• IJN Ikoma

External links

• [Devblog] Heroes of Jutland: HMS Invincible

References

• Bowman, C. (2016, July 23). Dive on the wreck of HMS Invincible (Watch). Retrieved January 04, 2021, from https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/dive-wreck-hms-invincible.html
• Naval Encyclopedia. (2020, October 15). Invincible class battlecruisers (1907). Retrieved January 04, 2021, from https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/ww1/UK/invincible-class-battlecruisers/

Vickers-Armstrongs Limited
Ships
Tribal-class	HMS Eskimo · HMCS Haida
Invincible-class	HMS Invincible*
Kongō-class	IJN Kongo**
Tanks
Light Tanks	VFM5*** · Vickers Mk.11***
Light Tank Mk VI	Light AA Mk I
Light Tank Mk VII	Tetrarch I
Light Tank Mk VIII	Alecto I
Tank, Infantry, Valentine	Valentine I · Valentine IX · Valentine XI · Archer
Vickers MBT	Vickers Mk.1 · Vickers Mk.3 · Vickers Mk.7***
Heavy Tanks	Independent****
Export	▂МК-IX "Valentine" · Vickers Mk.E****
See also	Vickers-Armstrongs Aircraft Limited
	*Previously Armstrong Whitworth
	**Built for Japan
	***Vickers Defence Systems
	****Previously Vickers Limited

Britain battlecruisers
Invincible-class	HMS Invincible
	HMS Queen Mary*
Renown-class	HMS Renown · HMS Repulse
Courageous-class	HMS Glorious
Admiral-class	HMS Hood
	* Unique ship