seven class pre dreadnought battleships built royal_navy 1890s completion initially placed reserve service returning briefly reserve ship assigned following year mediterranean_fleet remained returned home refit ship assigned home_fleet served flagship fleet second command reduced reserve taken service ship sold scrap early design description design royal sovereign class ships derived admiral class ironclad battleships greatly enlarged improve provide space secondary armament preceding class ironclad battleships ships displaced long tons normal load long tons deep load length perpendiculars feet overall length feet inches beam feet draught feet inches crew consisted officers ratings royal powered pair cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines driving shaft engines designed produce total indicated horsepower maximum speed knots mph steam provided cylindrical boilers forced draught ships carried maximum long tons coal gave range nautical miles speed knots mph main armament consisted breech loading inch guns mounted twin gun barbettes fore aft superstructure gun provided rounds secondary armament consisted quick firing inch guns rounds gun carried ships sixteen pounder dozen pounder hotchkiss guns fitted defence torpedo boats pounders upper fighting removed remaining light guns lower fighting tops main deck followed royal sovereign class ships mounted seven inch torpedo tubes removed armour scheme similar waterline belt compound armour protected area barbettes inch belt feet long total height feet inches feet water transverse bulkheads inches thick closed ends belt belt inch steel armour closed inch transverse bulkheads barbettes protected compound armour ranging thickness inches casemates inch guns protected armour equally thick deck armour ranged inches walls forward conning tower inches thick aft conning tower protected inch plates construction career royal sovereign class ordered supplement normal naval estimates named tree king charles_ii hid sixth ship serve royal_navy ship laid shipyard floated drydock november arrived october fitting completed sea trials june cost completion placed reserve portsmouth years later january service formed response rising tensions europe following germany kaiser telegram support boer government squadron disbanded november ship returned reserve portsmouth recommissioned march service mediterranean_fleet relieve battleship departed portsmouth march arrived malta april relieved battleship departed mediterranean arrived plymouth portsmouth following day paid june soon moved refit casemates provided inch upper deck guns february recommissioned portsmouth service home_fleet battleship crew nucleus summer participated combined exercises atlantic involving home_fleet mediterranean april operating home_fleet isles sister ship revenge bottoms lightly damaged struck sunken wreck flagship home_fleet second command relieving sister took annual maneuvers july august march paid portsmouth crew transferred battleship following day ship recommissioned skeleton crew service newly formed reserve home refit chatham explosion small arms magazine killed injured july participated manoeuvres crew transferred battleship ocean recommissioned new nucleus crew serve emergency reserve ship chatham unit took annual maneuvers coast portugal eastern atlantic june july january recommissioned reserve devonport nucleus crew april reserve ships nucleus crews devonport formed relieved sister parent ship division june turn relieved duty sister november ship taken service december towed battleship august sold january subsequently broken ferry
HMS Royal Oak (1892)