Recently we had quite the pickup come into our shop – a Switch from ‘Q’ Turret on HMS Lion… with plenty of history behind it – we decided to feature it as October’s item of the month – and tell you a bit of history about the item, and the brilliant ship that was HMS Lion.
The Battle of Jutland, fought between the British Royal Navy and the Imperial German Navy on 31st May to 1st June 1916, was the largest naval battle of the First World War. Among the ships that saw action during this monumental clash was HMS Lion, a battlecruiser that served as the flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty. During the battle, HMS Lion suffered significant damage, particularly to its ‘Q’ turret, a vital part of the ship’s firepower. A unique relic from this event—a switch from the turret, mounted on a wooden board—has survived the passage of time, offering a tangible connection to one of the most dramatic episodes of naval warfare.
The Battle of Jutland and HMS Lion’s Q Turret
During the fierce fighting of the Battle of Jutland, HMS Lion’s ‘Q’ turret was struck by a 12-inch shell from the German battlecruiser SMS Lützow. The shell penetrated the turret, causing a massive explosion that killed nearly 100 sailors who were stationed in the turret and the hoist rooms below. The armoured roof and face of the turret were torn off by the blast, rendering the turret useless for the remainder of the battle.
Amid the chaos, a heroic act saved the ship from almost certain destruction. Major Francis Harvey, the Marine officer in charge of the Q turret, had been mortally wounded in the explosion. Despite his injuries, he ordered the magazine (where tons of cordite were stored) to be flooded, preventing an even greater catastrophe. His quick thinking averted what would have been a devastating explosion, likely sinking the ship and killing everyone aboard. Major Harvey died soon after, but his final act earned him the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross. His bravery remains a defining moment in Royal Marine history.
As Winston Churchill later remarked, “In the long, rough, glorious history of the Royal Marines there is no name and no deed which in its character and consequences ranks above this.”
The Significance of the Q Turret Switch
The relic in question—a switch from HMS Lion’s Q turret, mounted on a wooden board—commemorates this extraordinary moment in naval history. The switch is accompanied by a plaque inscribed: “Switch from Q Turret H.M.S. Lion, Jutland Battle 31-5-16,” offering a direct link to the battle. An attached photograph (not included with the piece) shows the damage sustained by the Q turret, further emphasising the brutal realities of naval combat.
The damage to HMS Lion required extensive repairs, and the remnants of Q turret were removed during the ship’s stay at the port of Rosyth, Scotland, following the battle. It took until mid-July for HMS Lion to be fully repaired and ready to return to action. The Q turret, a vital part of the ship’s firepower, was not replaced until much later.
HMS Lion: The Splendid Cat of the Royal Navy
HMS Lion was the lead ship of the Lion-class battlecruisers, often referred to as the “Splendid Cats.” Designed to outmatch the latest German battlecruisers, the Lion-class ships represented a significant upgrade over their predecessors in terms of speed, armament, and armour. Built at a time of intense naval arms races between Britain and Germany, HMS Lion was a symbol of British naval power and a flagship in many pivotal engagements.
At the start of the First World War, HMS Lion participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight (1914), where she sank the German light cruiser SMS Cöln. She also played a major role in the Battle of Dogger Bank (1915), where she faced off against German battlecruisers, though she sustained serious damage during the engagement.
As Vice-Admiral Beatty’s flagship, HMS Lion was a key player at the Battle of Jutland, but the near-catastrophic fire in her Q turret underscored the dangers of battlecruiser design, where heavy firepower was often paired with relatively light armour to achieve high speeds. Despite these vulnerabilities, HMS Lion was repaired and continued to serve through the remainder of the war, including in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bightin 1917.
Legacy of HMS Lion
After the war, HMS Lion’s role in the Royal Navy diminished. She was placed in reserve in 1920, and in 1924, the once-proud battlecruiser was sold for scrap, a victim of the Washington Naval Treaty, which sought to limit the naval arms race and reduce the number of capital ships in service.
However, relics like the switch from Q turret serve as lasting reminders of HMS Lion’s role in the great naval battles of the First World War. They evoke not only the technical prowess of these ships but also the bravery and sacrifice of the sailors and officers who fought aboard them. For collectors and historians, such objects provide a tangible link to the past, ensuring that the stories of ships like HMS Lion and men like Major Francis Harvey continue to be remembered and celebrated.
The switch from HMS Lion’s Q turret, which survived one of the most significant naval battles in history, is more than just a piece of metal. It is a symbol of bravery, sacrifice, and the brutal realities of war at sea. Major Harvey’s actions during the Battle of Jutland remain a defining example of courage under fire, and this relic helps to preserve the memory of those who served aboard HMS Lion during one of the most critical periods in naval history.