Here are Oscar Parkes’s words on the last years of the Iron Duke:

“Reduced to gunnery and boys training ship under London Treaty ’31-’32, when B and Y turrets, conning tower, belt armour and torpedo tubes were removed and boiler power reduced. Speed 18 knots. In 1939 removed to Scapa Flow and guns used for shore defence. As a depot ship was injured by near misses from bombs 17 October ’39 and bottomed, but continued in service. Sold March 1946.”

I took that to mean guns removed for shore defence, but the words could also mean that the ship was positioned so that its remaining guns were usable as shore defence.

Pelvin, Richard MR wrote: > UNCLASSIFIED > > As a gunnery training ship IRON DUKE actually retained six of her 13.5 > inch guns and some of her 6 inch. ISTR she was also used for trials and > at one stage mounted twin 4 inch BD mounting that was the prototype for > the 4.5 inch BD. > > CENTURION lost her all her guns as a target ship. > > > Ric Pelvin > > > > There was even an Iron Duke, the Iron Duke, existing in September, 1939, > but without its guns. > > > IMPORTANT: This email remains the property of the Australian Defence > Organisation and is subject to the jurisdiction of section 70 of the > Crimes Act 1914. If you have received this email in error, you are > requested to contact the sender and delete the email. > > > *********************************************************** > Visit the Mahan Naval History Discussion List WebSite at: > http://www.navalstrategy.org > for info on Subscribing/Unsubscribing and Digest and > Links to other Sites of Naval Interest > *********************************************************** > > > >

— John Forester, MS, PE Bicycle Transportation Engineer 7585 Church St. Lemon Grove CA 91945-2306 619-644-5481 forester@johnforester.com www.johnforester.com

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