All the ships of the British Navy 1939 poster

[Riley Blue]

I received this from my sister this morning and thought it might be of interest. My Dad joined the RN in 1937 and she had been 'turning out'; this was about to be binned.

[Simpo Two]

Very nice. Nelson and Rodney bottom left - the 'Queen Anne Mansions'. Would have been huge had the Washington Treaty not meant the backs had to be chopped off.

[Riley Blue]

I think it's fascinating. What immediately impressed me was the number of ships; the text mentions a cruiser fleet of 70, I read the total of commissioned ships today is 72. How times (and warfare) has changed.

[yellowjack]

I remember having a pack of cards called "Know Your Navy" in the late 1970s or early 1980s. They came in a neat plastic wallet, split into two half packs. Each card had a silhouette of a class of naval vessel on the front of it, and a description of the type and a "Top Trumps" style list of attributes on the back. Now I'll admit that there were a lot of different mine warfare classes, and still a few diesel/electric submarines about, but it was pre-Falklands War and there were still older frigate classes in service too. HMS Broadsword was definitely in the pack so that would place it between 1979 and 1982. Now I think you'd be lucky to get place mats and coasters for a table for four from the Royal Navy's different classes of ships.

ETA: It would appear from images like this...

...on the internet, that they did "cheat" a bit even then, and put different aircraft types and some RFAs in the pack, along with a couple of cards that had (4 to a card) missiles on them...

Edited by yellowjack on Tuesday 3rd May 16:31

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Nice.

Somewhere in the loft I've a framed set of cigarette cards from about 1939. They are scenes of Britain, and apparently they were withdrawn sharpish at the start of war for fear of being suggested targets for bombing raids.

[Simpo Two]

From 'All the World's Fighting Fleets' - Royal Navy, September 1939:

(+ indicates building)

Battleships: 11 + 9
Battle Cruisers: 3
Large Cruisers: 15
AA Cruisers: 6
Other Cruisers: 43 + 19
Aircraft Carriers: 5 + 6
Seaplane Carriers: 1
Destroyers and Flotilla Leaders: 176 + 8
Submarines: 57 + 18
Torpedo Boats: 26 + 10
Gunboats: 21
Sloops, Escort Vessels etc: 53 + 7

[yellowjack]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

Nice.

Somewhere in the loft I've a framed set of cigarette cards from about 1939. They are scenes of Britain, and apparently they were withdrawn sharpish at the start of war for fear of being suggested targets for bombing raids.

In the absence of those cigarette cards the Luftwaffe got by using the Baedeker Tourist Guide To Great Britain which had been updated and published as recently as 1937. Gustav Braun von Stumm, a propagandist for the German Foreign Office, is credited with saying "We shall go out and bomb every building in Britain marked with three stars in the Baedeker Guide" in 1942, when there was some "tit-for-tat" bombing of cultural and historical centres both here and in Germany.

[Pieman68]

Wow, the size of the fleet is incredible

Grandad was RN during WW2. Finding his service record is proving very problematic (as is his birth certificate bizarrely)

We know he was on Ark Royal at some point but that's about it

[Simpo Two]

Pieman68 said:

Wow, the size of the fleet is incredible

It had to be, there was a huge empire and many trade routes and thousands of merchant ships to protect.

Pieman68 said:

Grandad was RN during WW2. Finding his service record is proving very problematic (as is his birth certificate bizarrely)

Officer or rating? Have you looked at the Navy Lists? https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/2406...

[Pieman68]

Simpo Two said:

Officer or rating? Have you looked at the Navy Lists? https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/2406...

Rating. We think there's a bit of a family secret somewhere along the way as we can't find a birth certificate for him yet he's on the 1921 census living with his grandparents at 2 years old

And he definitely served - pretty sure it says Fleet Air Arm on the band

[Simpo Two]

Pieman68 said:

Rating. We think there's a bit of a family secret somewhere along the way as we can't find a birth certificate for him yet he's on the 1921 census living with his grandparents at 2 years old

He might have been illegitimate and had a name change. Have you looked in the 1939 Register too?

Pieman68 said:

And he definitely served - pretty sure it says Fleet Air Arm on the band

That's a good start. You could try asking Hans at https://www.unithistories.com/. Whilst the site is principally for officers he has remarkable search powers.

Also https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your...

[Pieman68]

Simpo Two said:

That's a good start. You could try asking Hans at https://www.unithistories.com/. Whilst the site is principally for officers he has remarkable search powers.

Also https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your...

Yeah we've found him there as well, living with his uncle from what we can see

Thanks for all of your help, much appreciated

[BrettMRC]

There is a similar poster from just before WW1 that shows the entire grand fleet + some of the foreign squadrons assembled for the royal review, probably half as many ships again!

Thank you for sharing, if I see a copy of that come up for a reasonable price I'll be all over it!

[Pinkie15]

Shame it doesn't 'zoom' well, was looking for my grandad's 'home' for most of WW2, HMS Renown.

Would love a print/poster like that.

[nre]

Pinkie15 said:

Shame it doesn't 'zoom' well, was looking for my grandad's 'home' for most of WW2, HMS Renown.

Would love a print/poster like that.

Try clicking on the image in thumbsnap

Renown is on the third row from the front with its bow on the second crease from the right

Edited by nre on Wednesday 4th May 20:46

[DudleySquires]

Nice. I’ve seen this or something very similar before, however it’s great that you’ve got a hard copy of it.

Is it significant that the Navy is referred to as ‘British’ rather than ‘Royal’?

[hidetheelephants]

yellowjack said:

I remember having a pack of cards called "Know Your Navy" in the late 1970s or early 1980s. They came in a neat plastic wallet, split into two half packs. Each card had a silhouette of a class of naval vessel on the front of it, and a description of the type and a "Top Trumps" style list of attributes on the back. Now I'll admit that there were a lot of different mine warfare classes, and still a few diesel/electric submarines about, but it was pre-Falklands War and there were still older frigate classes in service too. HMS Broadsword was definitely in the pack so that would place it between 1979 and 1982. Now I think you'd be lucky to get place mats and coasters for a table for four from the Royal Navy's different classes of ships.

ETA: It would appear from images like this...

...on the internet, that they did "cheat" a bit even then, and put different aircraft types and some RFAs in the pack, along with a couple of cards that had (4 to a card) missiles on them...

On a similar note the difference in content between the Critchley books for 1979 and 1989 is quite noticeable, thereafter the thickness quickly falls into pamphlet territory.

[Simpo Two]

Worth pointing out that some of the ships in the poster represent a whole CLASS of ship. So there were many more individual ships than you see there.

[Pinkie15]

nre said:

Pinkie15 said:

Shame it doesn't 'zoom' well, was looking for my grandad's 'home' for most of WW2, HMS Renown.

Would love a print/poster like that.

Try clicking on the image in thumbsnap

Renown is on the third row from the front with its bow on the second crease from the right

Edited by nre on Wednesday 4th May 20:46

Thanks for that.

Have viewed in thumbsnap (on my phone), but zooming in the names are illegible

[gazapc]

Pinkie15 said:

nre said:

Pinkie15 said:

Shame it doesn't 'zoom' well, was looking for my grandad's 'home' for most of WW2, HMS Renown.

Would love a print/poster like that.

Try clicking on the image in thumbsnap

Renown is on the third row from the front with its bow on the second crease from the right

Edited by nre on Wednesday 4th May 20:46

Thanks for that.

Have viewed in thumbsnap (on my phone), but zooming in the names are illegible

There are some higher resolution versions available online
https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/iiif/p9539coll1...

Hadn't realised two of the KGV class were to be called HMS Jellico and HMS Beatty (becoming Anson and Howe). Cancelled Lion class also shown.

Edited by gazapc on Saturday 7th May 00:58