hms iron duke hms iron duke dreadnought battleship royal_navy lead ship class named honour 1st duke wellington built keel laid january launched months later commissioned home_fleet march fleet flagship armed main battery inch guns capable speed knots mph served flagship grand_fleet world war including battle jutland inflicted significant damage german battleship sms early main fleet action january relieved fleet flagship war operated mediterranean flagship mediterranean_fleet participated allied intervention russian civil war black_sea turkish war assisted evacuation refugees assigned served training ship remained active duty years london naval treaty specified iron duke class battleships scrapped converted gunnery training ship armour armament removed render unfit combat served capacity outbreak second world war september moored scapa_flow harbour defence ship october badly damaged german bombers run aground avoid sinking continued serve anti aircraft platform duration war eventually refloated broken scrap late 1940s design feet inches long overall beam average draught displaced long tons designed long tons combat loading propulsion system consisted parsons steam turbines steam provided eighteen boilers engines rated shaft horsepower produced speed mph cruising radius nautical miles economical mph crew officers enlisted men wartime grew armed main battery inch naval guns mounted twin gun turrets arranged superfiring pairs forward aft fifth turret located amidships funnels rear superstructure close range defence torpedo boats provided secondary battery inch vii guns ship fitted pair inch cwt anti aircraft guns pounder guns typical capital ships period equipped torpedo tubes submerged broadside protected main armoured belt thick ship deck thick main battery turret faces thick turrets supported thick barbettes service history laid january launched october year completing fitting work began sea trials november ship completed march joined home_fleet completing trials home_fleet served flagship admiral sir july war continent rest home_fleet ordered proceed scapa_flow portland safeguard fleet possible german surprise attack world war august outbreak world war home_fleet reorganised grand_fleet remained flagship fleet admiral 1st evening november grand_fleet conducted fruitless sweep southern half north_sea stood main body support vice admiral 1st fleet port scapa_flow november fleet initially remained port german raid december sent reinforce british forces area receiving information possibility rest german fleet sea gave order fleet sortie try intercept germans time retreated went sea 2nd 4th battle squadrons gunnery practice north december following day rest fleet joined sweep north_sea concluded december rest fleet conducted gunnery drills january west evening january bulk grand_fleet sailed support rest fleet engaged ensuing following day returning operation went refit away acted temporary fleet flagship work completed february returned scapa_flow march grand_fleet conducted sweep northern north_sea conducted training manoeuvres cruise took place march april grand_fleet conducted patrol central north_sea returned port april patrol area took place april followed gunnery drills april grand_fleet conducted sweep central north_sea encountering german vessels carried meet admiral new sea lord returned scapa_flow time participate sweep north_sea returning scapa_flow immediately departed fleet conducted gunnery training mid june 2nd battle squadron 1st conducted gunnery training august completing drills ships returned scapa_flow august ship took meeting time prime minister scapa_flow august september fleet went cruise northern end north_sea conducted gunnery drills rest month grand_fleet conducted numerous training exercises went october period work lasted october days later majority fleet conducted sweep north_sea returning port october november participated fleet training operation west cruise took place december later month took gunnery drills conducted experiment sorts determine accuracy ship gunners concluded result satisfactory collided tanker january scapa_flow sank tanker come loose severe gale winds miles hour undamaged accident typical routine gunnery drills squadron exercises occurred january fleet departed cruise north_sea february intended use sweep bad weather prevented operations southern north_sea result operation confined northern end sea night march rest fleet sailed scapa_flow support light forces raided german base time grand_fleet approached area march british german forces severe gale threatened light craft guided destroyers rest fleet retired independently april grand_fleet conducted demonstration distract germans defensive minefields baltic_sea fleet returned scapa_flow april proceeding south response intelligence reports germans launch raid grand_fleet arrive area germans withdrawn fleet conducted demonstration german attention focused north_sea battle jutland attempt lure destroy portion grand_fleet german high seas fleet composed dreadnoughts pre dreadnoughts light cruisers torpedo boats departed jade early morning fleet sailed concert rear admiral battlecruisers supporting cruisers torpedo boats royal_navy room intercepted german radio traffic containing plans operation admiralty ordered grand_fleet totalling dreadnoughts battlecruisers sortie night cut destroy high_seas_fleet day battle steamed 4th battle squadron 9th ship british line initial action fought primarily british german battlecruiser formations afternoon grand_fleet approached scene large caliber shells fell near caused damage minutes later closed effective gunnery range yards german fleet took dreadnought sms fire fell short target ship gunner claimed hits german battleship fact scored seven hits inflicted significant damage shortly fighting disabled german cruiser sms badly damaged earlier engagement resumed opened fire crippled cruiser nearby destroyers secondary battery range yards gunners claimed sunk destroyers hit second fact missed targets entirely shortly german destroyers attempted launch torpedo attack british line began firing sinking destroyer credited determining ship fired shells melee difficult according naval historian following german destroyer attack high_seas_fleet rest grand_fleet saw action battle confusion aboard exact location course german fleet information bring fleet action grand_fleet began nighttime cruising formation early morning june grand fleet area looking damaged german ships spending hours searching found returned scapa_flow arriving course battle fired ninety rounds main battery rounds secondary guns subsequent actions north_sea august germans sortied time bombard hoped draw battlecruisers destroy british signals intelligence german wireless allowing time deploy grand_fleet attempt engage decisive battle sides withdrew opponents submarines inflicted losses british cruisers nottingham torpedoed sunk german boats german battleship sms damaged british submarine returning port issued order prohibited fleet southern half north_sea overwhelming risk mines boats odds defeating high_seas_fleet decisive engagement high aftermath jutland royal_navy determined horizontal protection particularly ammunition magazines insufficient result ships grand_fleet additional armour installed went dock work october work saw long tons armour added ship completed december november dry dock admiral replaced commander grand_fleet served flagship january transferred flying platforms aircraft installed turrets post war career march transferred mediterranean_fleet served flagship ship went black_sea april participate allied intervention russian civil war route ship stopped constantinople april involved destruction warships travelled constantinople provided landing party occupy city outer forts returned black_sea remained june returned mediterranean returned black_sea late arrived october met white russian protected cruiser october ship stopped returned january january stopped ports inspect situation white russians june shore parties destroyer shark destroyed turkish guns forts protecting black_sea september steaming coast training cruise received news greek defeat turkey admiral mediterranean fleet commander ordered proceed expected disturbances served flagship british naval forces participating evacuation greek refugees city present great fire devastated city chaos number refugees managed come alongside small boats brought aboard battleship following month allies held conference aboard turkish dispute ship proceeded constantinople november queen elizabeth relieved mediterranean_fleet flagship transferred mediterranean_fleet squadron flagship moved march training squadron remained squadron flagship period relieved sister navy considered adding anti torpedo sister ships plan discarded ships replaced terms plan economical year aircraft launching platform mounted turret removed ship went dry dock periodic refit work lasted anti aircraft guns installed forward superstructure aircraft platform turret removed period returned service recommissioned gunnery training ship served capacity year half november terms london naval treaty disarmed converted gunnery training vessel work lasted september commissioned new sea trials ship turrets removed small guns types installed atop barbette anti aircraft guns installed later removed high angle director anti aircraft guns added place aft rangefinder long tons steel belt armour removed long tons material removed ship long tons added ship recommissioned october devonport gunnery training ship featured film brown resolution released july present attended coronation review twin inch dual purpose gun mount installed aft barbette second world war second world war base ship floating anti aircraft platform scapa_flow secondary guns removed coastal defence base october medium bombers attacked scapa_flow damaged near misses prevent sinking crew run ship aground march ship beached attacked luftwaffe aircraft time eighteen attacked harbour surrounding installations badly damaged heavy cruiser norfolk ship presence scapa_flow affected germans plans operation atlantic sortie battleship german aerial reconnaissance spotted battleships harbour erroneously identified active units home_fleet mistaken impression heavy units home_fleet port german fleet commander decided break atlantic resulted ship later repaired returned service harbour ship duration war remained beached remained royal_navy inventory march sold scrapping beached scapa_flow ship refloated april transferred august september sold moved glasgow arriving november subsequently broken scrap bell display
HMS Iron Duke (1912)