Скачать или смотреть Gunnery Target Ships: Weird yet Useful Conversions

In the age of battleships and big gun naval warfare, how did navies train their gunners to hit moving targets under realistic conditions? The answer came in the form of radio-controlled gunnery target ships—obsolete warships converted into remotely operated vessels used for live-fire exercises and weapons testing. This video explores the remarkable histories of three such ships: SMS Hessen, HMS Agamemnon, and HMS Centurion, each with an unusual second life that extended their service across decades and even multiple wars.

SMS Hessen, a German pre-dreadnought launched in 1905, began life as a typical battleship but was made obsolete just a year later by HMS Dreadnought. Rather than scrapping her, the German Navy refitted Hessen into a cutting-edge remote-controlled target ship in the late 1930s. She received new machinery, armor designed to withstand fire from Bismarck-class guns, and advanced control systems. Hessen would go on to serve through World War II and was later transferred to the Soviet Union, where she remained in use until 1960—nearly 60 years after her launch.

HMS Agamemnon, one of the last British pre-dreadnoughts, was converted into a gunnery target ship after World War I. Her transformation was extensive: she was stripped of armament, reinforced for survivability, fitted with ballast for stability, and rewired for wireless remote control. She was used for a wide range of experimental trials, including aerial strafing, gas attack simulation, and live-fire gunnery from cruisers and battlecruisers. Her endurance and the data she provided proved vital for understanding the effectiveness of modern naval weapons and armor.

HMS Centurion, a dreadnought of the King George V class, was also turned into a target ship in the interwar period. Like Agamemnon, she was refitted with wireless control and used in extensive gunnery trials. But her story didn’t end there. In World War II, she was transformed yet again—this time into a dummy battleship, disguised to resemble the new HMS Anson in order to confuse Axis reconnaissance. She later participated in convoy operations and was finally scuttled as a blockship off Omaha Beach during the D-Day landings, helping to form part of the Mulberry Harbor.

These ships weren’t just cannon fodder—they were critical to naval innovation. Their unique adaptations helped gunnery crews sharpen their skills, provided data that shaped future warship design, and even played roles in deception and amphibious operations.

This is part one of a two-part series on remote-controlled gunnery ships. From early radio systems to daring decoys, these vessels prove that even obsolete battleships could find a powerful second act in naval history.

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0:00 Intro
1:30 SMS Hessen
6:29 HMS Agamemnon
14:32 HMS Centurion

Sources/Other Reading:

https://www.amazon.com/Castles-Steel-...

https://www.amazon.com/British-Battle...

https://www.amazon.com/Jutland-1916-C...

https://www.amazon.com/Jutland-Unfini...

https://www.amazon.com/Kaisers-Battle...

https://www.amazon.com/Ironclads-Drea...

https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Battleship...

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/...

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-coll...

https://www.amazon.com/British-Battle...

Video Information:
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