originally known lead ship class pre dreadnought battleships ship ordered purchased united_kingdom ending argentine chilean naval arms race british service initially assigned transferred mediterranean_fleet rejoined home_fleet transferred act flagship beginning world war august escorted troop convoys indian_ocean transferred canal patrol december defending canal early ottoman attacks ship transferred dardanelles february saw action bombarding ottoman fortifications assigned convoy escort duties atlantic early paid april provide crews anti submarine vessels ship disarmed proposed second raid sold scrap design description ordered chile response argentine purchase armoured cruisers italy time heightened tensions argentina crisis subsided financial problems forced chile ship sale early concerned russia buy united_kingdom stepped purchased incomplete ships chile december ship designed chilean specifications particularly requirement fit dock regarded british second class battleship general characteristics overall length feet inches beam feet inch draught feet inches deep load displaced long tons standard load long tons deep load deep load metacentric height feet crew numbered officers enlisted men propulsion ship powered cylinder inverted vertical triple expansion steam engines driving propeller dozen yarrow water tube boilers provided steam engines produced total indicated horsepower intended allow reach speed knots mph engines proved powerful anticipated exceeded knots mph sea trials carried maximum long tons coal steam nautical miles knots mph service sister proved economical thought estimated range nautical miles knots armament ship armed calibre inch guns twin gun turrets fore aft superstructure guns fired pound projectiles muzzle velocity provided maximum range yards gun maximum elevation firing cycle guns claimed seconds gun provided shells secondary armament consisted fourteen calibre inch guns guns mounted central battery main deck casemates abreast upper deck major problem guns main deck mounted low ship feet water deep load high speed heavy weather sea rolling guns fired pound projectiles muzzle velocity rate rounds minutes maximum elevation maximum range yards ship carried rounds gun defence torpedo boats provided fourteen pounder guns guns modified use standard pound shell pounder cwt gun british service fired inch projectiles muzzle velocity maximum range rate fire unknown rounds gun carried ship mounted pounder hotchkiss guns fighting tops removed ship armed pair inch submerged torpedo tubes broadside provided torpedoes armour armour scheme roughly comparable duncan class waterline main belt composed krupp cemented armour inches thick feet high feet inches waterline normal load fore aft inch oblique bulkheads connected belt armour barbettes belt continued reduced thickness inches thick abreast barbettes reduced inches fore aft barbettes continued forward bow supported ship spur type ram continued aft steering gear compartment terminated inch transverse bulkhead upper inch armour covered ship rear barbettes level upper deck upper deck casemates protected inch faces sides enclosed rear inch plates inch guns main deck separated inch screens inches plating protecting funnel rear longitudinal inch bulkhead divided battery turret faces inches thick sides rear inches thick roofs inches thick sighting hood protecting gunners inches thick upper deck barbettes inches thick faces inches rear level inches respectively conning tower protected inches armour face inches rear deck armour inside central citadel ranged inches thickness outside citadel lower deck inches thick sloped meet lower belt armour construction service pre world war ordered chile laid february launched january completed june commissioned chatham dockyard june service home_fleet fleet reorganization january home_fleet channel_fleet collided sister ship triumph june suffered damage propellers aft hull ship refitted chatham dockyard june july briefly placed reserve october april recommissioned service mediterranean_fleet ship reassigned home_fleet given lengthy refit september march recommissioned march assigned flagship world war world war ship escorted indian troop convoys bombay september november destruction german light cruiser raiding indian_ocean escort duty unnecessary transferred canal patrol december help defend canal remained flagship january february ship helped defend canal near offensive ottoman forces relieved flagship armored cruiser later february transferred dardanelles service joined february took attack fort march triumph detached dardanelles march operations forts returned dardanelles march participated main attack narrows forts march supported main landings april subsequent landings including attack june september german submarine unsuccessfully attacked voyage bay took bombardment january left dardanelles february departing february gibraltar attached 9th cruiser squadron service convoy escort duty atlantic transferred 9th march departing march arriving plymouth april paid chatham april provide crews anti submarine vessels went reserve undergoing refit chatham employed accommodation ship beginning february autumn disarmed stripped use proposed second attempt block entrance harbor war ended operation place ship briefly target ship listed sale march sold scrap june
HMS Swiftsure (1903)