HMS Majestic (1895)
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| Image:HMS Majestic (Majestic-class battleship).jpg | |
| Career | Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Portsmouth Dockyard |
| Laid down: | February 1894 |
| Launched: | 31 January 1895 |
| Commissioned: | December 1895 |
| Status: | Torpedoed and sunk, May 27, 1915 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 14,900 tons |
| Length: | 413 ft (126 m) |
| Beam: | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Draught: | 27.5 ft (8.38 m) |
| Propulsion: | water tube boilers, triple expansion steam engines, 2 screws |
| Speed: | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h) |
| Complement: | 757 |
| Armament: | 4 × 12 inch (305 mm) guns 12 × 6 inch (152 mm) guns 16 × 12 pdr guns 12 × 3 pdr guns 5 torpedo tubes |
| Armour: | Harvey armour. 9 inch (200 mm) side belt, 3 inch (80 mm) deck, 10 inch (250 mm) barbettes, 5 inch (100 mm) secondary turrets |
HMS Majestic was a Majestic-class pre-Dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy, built at Portsmouth Dockyard and commissioned into the Channel Squadron in December 1895. In 1906 Majestic joined the Atlantic Fleet briefly before being relegated to reserve. In 1912 Majestic joined the Home Fleet. She collided with her sister ship Victorious in July of that year.
At the outbreak of World War I, Majestic served with the Battle Squadron and performed convoy escort and coastal bombardment duties. In 1915, under the command of Captain H. F. G. Talbot, Majestic joined the Mediterranean Fleet and participated in the Dardanelles Campaign including the final attempt to force the straits by naval power alone on March 18, 1915.
On May 27, while stationed off W Beach at Cape Helles, Majestic became the third battleship to be torpedoed off the Gallipoli peninsula in two weeks. Around 06:45 Commander Otto Hersing of the U-21 fired a single torpedo through the defensive screen of destroyers and anti-torpedo nets, striking Majestic and causing a huge explosion. The ship began to list to port and in nine minutes had capsized in 16 metres of water, killing 49 men. The upturned hull remained visible for many months until it was finally submerged during a storm on the night of November 17.
[edit] References
- Roger Chesneau and Eugene M. Kolesnik, ed., Conway's All The Worlds Fighting Ships, 1860-1905, (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1979), ISBN 0-85177-133-5
- Dittmar, F. J and Colledge, J. J., "British Warships 1914-1919, (Ian Allen, London, 1972), ISBN 0-7110-0380-7
[edit] External links
Majestic class battleship |
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| Caesar · Hannibal · Illustrious · Jupiter · Magnificent · Majestic · Mars · Prince George · Victorious |
| Preceded by: · Followed by: List of battleships of the Royal Navy |
