Renown '44

DESIGN

The Renown class battlecruisers were originally planned as improved versions of the Revenge class battleships, but construction was halted with the outbreak of World War I as they would not be ready in a timely manner. Upon becoming First Sea Lord, Admiral Lord Fisher gained approval to restart their construction in January 1915 as battlecruisers that could be built and brought into service quickly. The Director of Naval Construction was able to quickly produce a design which met the First Sea Lord's requirements and the builders agreed to deliver the ships in 15 months. Although they did not manage to meet the ambitious schedule, HMS Renown took just 18 months to build. Upon their completion, Repulse and her sister ship Renown were the fastest capital ships in the world. Renown was the 7th ship in the Royal Navy to carry that name in service.

SERVICE

First World War

Renown was laid down on 25 January 1915, launched on 4 March 1916, and completed on 20 September 1916. She served with the Grand Fleet in the North Sea during the remaining two years of the First World War, but never fired a shot in anger during the war. On 12 December 1917, Renown put to sea with other elements of the fleet in an unsuccessful attempt to intercept a German destroyer flotilla that had destroyed a Scandinavian convoy and most of its escorts off the coast of Norway. For the rest of the war the ships patrolled the North Sea uneventfully. Both Renown and Repulse were present at the surrender of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow on 21 November 1918.

HMS Renown as built, 1916.

Inter-war Years

When the Grand Fleet was disbanded, Renown was assigned to the Battlecruiser Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet. In June she was refitted in preparation for a tour of Canada, Newfoundland and the United States by the Prince of Wales, and both flying-off platforms were removed. A 30-foot (9.1 m) rangefinder replaced the 15-foot (4.6 m) model in 'Y' turret and a 20-foot (6.1 m) rangefinder was added to the armored hood over the conning tower. From January to March 1920, Renown was refitted more extensively as a "royal yacht". Her aft 4-inch mounting and both 3-inch AA guns were removed to make room for a promenade deck and extra accommodation. A large deck house was built on the shelter deck between the funnels. The port side housed a squash court while the starboard side was a cinema. The ship sailed in March for Australia and New Zealand with the Prince of Wales aboard and made many stops en route. She returned to Portsmouth in October and was placed in reserve in November.

Renown was commissioned in September 1921 to embark the Prince of Wales for a tour of India, The Philippines and Japan. On her return to the UK in Summer 1922 she underwent a reconstruction. This was in line with the work undertaken on her sister, Repulse, but incorporated several lessons that had been learned. A new, thicker, armor belt was added, deck armor was improved and torpedo bulges were added. The 4" mount previously removed in 1920 was replaced, high angle AA guns were added and a new high angle director was fitted. She also had a flying off platform reinstated to the top of "B" turret.

Her reconstruction was finished in September 1926, and she was assigned to the Battlecruiser Squadron until being detached to convey The Duke and Duchess of York to Australia in 1927. Upon her return she rejoined the Atlantic Fleet. Renown became the flagship of the Battlecruiser Squadron when Hood was refitting between 1929 and 1931. When Hood returned to her role of flagship, Renown was sent for her own refit between 1931 and June 1932 which improved her anti-aircraft defences and added provisions for a catapult and a floatplane for reconnaissance purposes. The flying-off platform was also removed.

The ship participated in King George V's Silver Jubilee Fleet Review at Spithead on 16 July. Together with Hood, Renown was sent to Gibraltar to reinforce the Mediterranean Fleet during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War of 1935–36, and transferred to Alexandria in January 1936 where she was assigned to the 1st Battle Squadron. She returned home in May and rejoined the Home Fleet.

1936 Rebuild

In September 1936 Renown underwent her rebuild, based on that performed on HMS Warspite. Her superstructure and funnels were removed down to the level of the main deck. The masts were removed along with her main and secondary armament. Her engines and boilers were replaced with more efficient equipment which saved 2500 tons of weight and increased the available power from 112,00 to 120,000 SHP. Some of the saved space was used for additional fuel and 4.5" magazines. Deck armor was increased with 4 inch thick armor being added over the magazines and 2 inches of armor over the engine rooms. A new catapult and aircraft hangar were added abreast her rear funnel. A new tower superstructure with splinter protection was built; her new superstructure and funnels gave her a radically different appearance.

The main battery turrets were modified to allow greater elevation to 30 degrees. The entire secondary armament was replaced with twenty dual-purpose 4.5 inch guns in ten twin turrets. Octuple pom-pom mounts were added, two between the funnels and one at the rear of the aft superstructure. Her underwater torpedo tubes were removed and replaced with eight above water tubes.

HMS Renown following her major rebuild between 1936-39.

Second World War

Renown was recommissioned on 28 August 1939 as part of the Home Fleet. She spent September patrolling in the North Sea, but was transferred to the South Atlantic in October to help search for the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. The ship joined Force H at the Cape of Good Hope in November to prevent Admiral Graf Spee from breaking into the South Atlantic, but they were unsuccessful. She remained in the South Atlantic after Admiral Graf Spee was scuttled and did not return to the Home Fleet until March 1940. Renown took part in the Norwegian Campaign and engaged Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in an inconclusive battle on 9 April. Renown was hit by two 28cm shells which caused slight damage. In return she hit Gneisenau with one 15 inch shell and two 4.5 inch shells which damaged a rangefinder on "A" turret and knocked out her main rangefinder. The German ships were able to maintain a higher speed in the heavy sea state and were able to disengage from battle after an hour and a half. As a result of damage from battle and the weather, Renown was under repair from 20th April to May 20th. On her return to service, she spent much of June engaged in patrols and investigating sightings of German capital ships as well as covering the Allied evacuation from Norway.

In August 1940, Renown arrived in Gibraltar as part of Force H. In November 1940 Force H covered the small aircraft carrier HMS Argus as she flew off Hurricane fighters bound for Malta from a position south of Sardinia. Later that month, Force H participated in the inconclusive Battle of Cape Spartivento. Renown bombarded Genoa on 9 February 1941 with little effect. On their return to Gibraltar, Force H unknowingly sailed within 30 miles of the Italian Fleet which had been dispatched to engage the Royal Navy. Due to several misunderstandings and poor communications on the Italian side, Force H returned to Gibraltar unscathed. From March to July 1941, Force H was mainly involved in convoy escort duties in the Atlantic and Mediterranean before being involved in the hunt for the Bismarck. There were more convoy duties until August 1941, when Renown was replaced by HMS Nelson in order to return to the UK for a refit which took until November 1941.

On her return to service, Renown was assigned to the Home Fleet and provided cover to Arctic Convoys until March 1942. During her time with the Home Fleet she was adopted by the city of Leicester during Warship Week. In April 1942, she was designated as flagship of Force W which was formed to provide escort to aircraft carriers flying Spitfires to Malta during Operation Calendar and Operation Bowery. Renown rejoined the Home Fleet once those missions were completed and returned to providing cover to Arctic convoys. In October 1942 she was again assigned to Force H to participate in Operation Torch and prevent the Italian or Vichy French fleets interfering with the landings.

Renown returned to Britain to refit from February to June 1943; her catapult and aircraft were removed while the hangar was converted to a laundry and a cinema. The ship brought Winston Churchill and his staff back from the Quebec Conference in September and conveyed them to the Cairo Conference in November. She rejoined the Home Fleet in December, just in time to be transferred to the Eastern Fleet a few weeks later. Renown arrived in Colombo at the end of January 1944, where she became flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron. She participated in Operation Cockpit, an air strike against port and oil facilities on Sabang. The ship bombarded Japanese-occupied facilities on Car Nicobar in the Nicobar Islands and Port Blair in the Andaman Islands on 30 April – 1 May. Renown supported the air strike against Surabaya, Java as well as the follow-on attack against Port Blair. After another air strike on 25 July on Sabang the ship bombarded the city. She bombarded facilities in the Nicobar Islands from 17–19 October. On 22 November Renown was replaced as flagship by HMS Queen Elizabeth and began a refit at Durban from December to February 1945. In March she was recalled to the UK to relieve HMS Rodney to guard against a last sortie by the remaining ships of the German Kriegsmarine. She received the German Naval delegation on 10th May to determine arrangements for Allied warships to make their entry into German ports following surrender. This involved establishing the dispositions of U-boats and the size and location of minefields. Renown hosted a meeting between King George VI and President Truman on 3 August when the latter was en route home from the Potsdam Conference. A planned major refit and reconstruction was cancelled in September 1945 and she was used as part of a training establishment until she was placed in reserve. Renown was scrapped in August 1948.

HMS Renown at anchor. Devonport, 1945

Renown was entitled to use the following battle honors, including those earned by previous ships of the name.

See here for links to Update notes.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.11.9.

• First available for completing 19 stages of the Hamburg Dockyard in December 2022, during Update 0.11.11 and 12.0.