H.M.S. Britannia (1904)
| H.M.S. Britannia (1904) | |
|---|---|
| Pendant Number: | 27 (1914) 21 (Jan 1918) N.40 (Apr 1918)[1] |
| Builder: | Portsmouth Royal Dockyard[2] |
| Ordered: | 1903-04 Programme[3] |
| Laid down: | 4 Feb, 1904[4] |
| Launched: | 10 Dec, 1904[5] |
| Completed: | 8 Sept, 1906[6] |
| Commissioned: | 2 Oct, 1906[7] |
| Torpedoed: | 9 Nov, 1918[8] |
| Fate: | by UB.50 |
H.M.S. Britannia was one of eight King Edward VII class battleships. She entered service in 1906 and spent most of her service in the Great War with a shifting roster of her sisters in the Third Battle Squadron.
Construction
The keel of the Britannia was laid down without ceremony on 4 February, 1904, on the same day that her sister ship New Zealand vacated the slipway.[9] She was launched on 10 December by Lady Londonderry in front of a large crowd.[10] On 2 October, 1906, Britannia was completed to full complement under Captain Robert N. Ommanney for service in the Atlantic Fleet.[11]
Service
As part of the Channel Fleet, Britannia started a refit in Portsmouth in August 1908, after Battle Practice.[12]
Britannia was assigned to the Third Battle Squadron upon its creation in May, 1912 and remained with the Squadron until being detached along with Africa — a ship that would become her traveling buddy — in September, 1916.[13]
In October, 1916, she and Africa were assigned to the British Adriatic Squadron.[14] In March, 1917, the pair were sent to join the Ninth Cruiser Squadron.[15] The two battleships operated in the North Atlantic with Ninth Cruiser Squadron with a dwindling number of cruisers throughout the war. By November, 1918, they were gone.[16][17][18]
Some time between September and November, 1918, Britannia was moved to "Miscellaneous Service", though she remained in commission.[19] She was torpedoed and sunk on 9 November off Cape Trafalgar, becoming the last Royal Navy ship lost in the war.[20]
Radio
By the end of 1913, she and the rest of the Third Battle Squadron were all equipped with Battleship Auxiliary W/T sets.[21]
Captains
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
- Captain Robert N. Ommanney, 7 August, 1906[22] – 19 September, 1907[23]
- Captain Frederick R. W. Morgan, 19 September, 1907[24] – 27 July, 1909[25]
- Captain Montague E. Browning, 27 July, 1909[26][27] – 1910
- Captain George A. Ballard, 9 December, 1910[28][29] – 1 December, 1911[30]
- Captain Charles F. Thorp, 1 December, 1911[31][32] – 6 December, 1913[33]
- Captain Henry G. G. Sandeman, 6 December, 1913[34][35] – 18 May, 1916[36]
- Captain Alexander V. Campbell, 18 May, 1916[37] – 19 July, 1916[38]
- Captain Stuart St. J. Farquhar, 19 July, 1916[39][40] – 19 April, 1917[41]
- Captain Francis W. Caulfeild, 19 April, 1917[42][43] – 9 November, 1918[44] (vessel lost under his command)
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 31.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 31.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 38.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 38.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 31.
- ↑ Navy (Dockyard Expense Accounts), 1907–1908. p. 36.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1908). p. 287.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 31.
- ↑ "The Duke of Connaught at Portsmouth" (News). The Times. Friday, 5 February, 1905. Issue 37309, col D, p. 6.
- ↑ "Launch of the Britannia" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 12 December, 1904. Issue 37575, col D, p. 6.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 3 October, 1906. Issue 38141, col B, p. 4.
- ↑ Report from Lord Charles Beresford dated 10 April, 1908, in Naval Policy - Strategy - Tactics: Miscellaneous papers from Private Office received by record office at The National Archives. ADM 116/942, unnumbered folio halfway within series.
- ↑ See Third Battle Squadron (Royal Navy) for details on her service in 3BS.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (October, 1916). p. 20.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1917). p. 14.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (July, 1918). p. 21.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (August, 1918). p. 21.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (November, 1918). p. 21.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (November, 1918). p. 19.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 31.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1913. W/T Appendix, p. 13.
- ↑ Ommanney Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 993.
- ↑ Ommanney Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/19. f. 153.
- ↑ Morgan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 37.
- ↑ Morgan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 37.
- ↑ Browning Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 124.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1910). p. 287.
- ↑ Ballard Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 65.
- ↑ The Navy List. (April, 1911). p. 287.
- ↑ Ballard Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 65.
- ↑ Thorp Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 20.
- ↑ The Navy List. (August, 1912). p. 288.
- ↑ Thorp Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 20.
- ↑ Sandeman Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 4.
- ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 392n.
- ↑ Sandeman Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 4.
- ↑ Campbell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 465.
- ↑ Campbell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/521. f. 465.
- ↑ Farquhar Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 341.
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1916). p. 392p.
- ↑ Farquhar Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 341.
- ↑ The Navy List. (November, 1917). p. 391x.
- ↑ Caulfeild Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 255.
- ↑ Caulfeild Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 255.
Bibliography
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
- Parkes, O.B.E., Ass.I.N.A., Dr. Oscar (1990). British Battleships 1860–1950. London: Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0850526043. (on Bookfinder.com).
- Preston, Antony (1972). Battleships of World War I. New York, NY: Galahad Books. ISBN 0883653001.
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