HMS Glatton

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. HMS Glatton in 1918. After a fire on board, inspectors made a shocking discovery about her magazine’s insulation. Image: Wikimedia Commons. Adapting the vessels to meet the Royal Navy’s requirements for shore-bombardment duties proved to be