Sometimes poor quality-control can be as lethal as bad design – this was certainly true in the case of HMS Glatton.
On the outbreak of war in August 1914, the Admiralty began buying warships that British shipyards were building for foreign navies. The purchases included two coast-defence battleships under construction for the Norwegian Navy by Armstrong Whitworth at Elswick, which were to be commissioned as the monitors Glatton and Gorgon.
Adapting the vessels to meet the Royal Navy’s requirements for shore-bombardment duties proved to be a lengthy business – a host of changes had to be made, including modifying their guns to fire standard British ammunition and fitting huge anti-torpedo bulges. Their completion was further delayed when the Admiralty ordered Armstrong Whitworth to give priority to completing the ‘large light cruisers’ Courageous and Furious.
Mobility in mortuary contexts