hms hms invincible class battlecruiser british_royal_navy built world war active career war tried hunt german battlecruiser light cruiser mediterranean_sea war broke sister ship invincible sank german armoured cruisers sms battle bombarded turkish forts dardanelles damaged return fire struck maneuvering beached prevent sinking sent malta gibraltar permanent repairs transferred grand fleet damaged german battlecruiser watched invincible explode deemed obsolete war sold scrap design invincible class ships formally known armoured cruisers redesignated battlecruisers admiralty order november unofficially number designations including cruiser battleship dreadnought cruiser battle cruiser general characteristics significantly larger armoured cruiser predecessors class overall length beam draught deep load displaced long tons load long tons deep load nearly long tons earlier ships propulsion paired sets parsons direct drive turbines housed separate engine room drove shaft high pressure ahead astern turbines coupled shafts low pressure turbines inner shafts cruising turbine coupled inner shaft eventually disconnected bladed propellers feet inches diameter inner shafts outer propellers feet inches diameter turbines powered thirty yarrow water tube boilers boiler rooms turbines designed produce total shaft horsepower reached nearly shp trials designed knots mph reached knots mph trials sister maintained average speed knots days passage north_atlantic august carried long tons coal additional long tons fuel oil sprayed coal increase burn rate fuel capacity steam nautical miles speed knots armament mounted inch guns twin powered turrets secondary armament consisted sixteen guns turret roof guns transferred superstructure total number guns reduced remaining guns enclosed casemates given blast shields time better protect gun crews weather enemy action guns replaced inch guns anti aircraft armament consisted single inch cwt gun high angle mount aft end superstructure carried july pounder hotchkiss gun high angle mounting maximum elevation fitted november august inch vii mount added april inch submerged torpedo tubes fitted stern fourteen torpedoes carried armour armour protection given heavier waterline belt measured inches amidships contrast inches belt predecessors belt inches thick roughly fore aft inch gun turrets reduced inches fore turret bow extend aft rear turret gun turrets barbettes protected armour turret roofs cemented armour thickness main deck lower deck armour mild steel torpedo bulkheads inch thickness fitted abreast magazines shell rooms battle jutland revealed vulnerability additional armour added area magazines turret roofs exact thickness known unlikely thick total long tons construction authorized naval expansion program built shipyard clyde laid february launched june commissioned october early career commissioning assigned temporary flagship admiral fleet sir new_york september collision battleship damaged bow refitted october november fore funnel raised feet reduce smoke interference bridge world war outbreak world war flagship mediterranean_fleet accompanied command admiral sir encountered german battlecruiser light cruiser morning august headed east bombardment french port britain germany war turned shadow germans headed battlecruisers problems boilers able break contact reached morning 5th time war declared german invasion belgium admiralty order respect italian neutrality stay outside mile limit italian coast entrance passage observe port directly stationed northern exit expecting germans break west attack french troop transports light cruiser gloucester southern exit sent better positioned react german sortie germans sortied august headed east constantinople trailed gloucester expecting turn west kept battlecruisers malta shortly midnight august set sail knots spotted hours earlier received incorrect signal admiralty stating britain war austria war declared august order hours later followed standing orders guard adriatic austrian breakout attempt seek finally august given clear orders chase passed 7th steering north east believe heading dardanelles resolved guard exit unaware intend come remained mediterranean blockade dardanelles ordered home august rear admiral destroyed german german commanded admiral november response admiralty ordered squadron sent destroy germans squadron command admiral sir consisted invincible flag departed november cruisers rocks coast brazil 26th departed following day reached port stanley morning december making voyage atlantic wished destroy radio station port stanley sent armoured cruiser light cruiser harbor clear british warships morning december spotted pre dreadnought grounded defend town wireless station receive signal little expecting engagement ships furthermore armoured cruiser cornwall light cruiser bristol engines repair armed merchant cruiser patrolling outer harbor entrance armoured cruiser kent anchored outer harbor scheduled relieve germans expecting resistance guns caused sheer planned bombardment wireless station fall main body ships sortie harbor retreating german ships southwest horizon fresh dry dock knots mph advantage ships bottoms limited speeds knots mph best light cruiser ships opened fire range dropped yards invincible opened fire shortly ships began leipzig range closed yards ordered squadron separate ordered light cruisers turn southwest armoured cruisers turned north east cover retreat german ships opened fire scored hit sms hit invincible shell burst belt armour sides fired rapidly half hour engagement opened range little ships outside effective range german guns british gunnery poor period scoring hits rounds fired primary cause smoke guns funnels british germans turned south hope british vision obscured opened range yards british saw course change futile british battlecruisers gave chase knots mph minutes later british opened fire yards minutes later turned east battle time strategy close range british ships bring secondary armament play successful able open fire maximum elevation course smoke bothered sides multiple hits regardless germans failed detonate hit insignificant area contrary starboard engine room action ordered ships wakes gain advantage turned northwest attempt cross british actually bring undamaged starboard guns bear port action british continued hit regularly time ceased fire survivors slowed earlier damage battered hour half invincible ranges yards despite damage crew continued fire ceased firing ready order cease fire ammunition freed shot british continued pound captain given order slowly capsized british able rescue men fired inch shells battle hit times obscured invincible smoke man killed wounded aboard battlecruisers battle battle repaired refitted gibraltar arrived dardanelles january replaced flagship mediterranean_fleet bombarded turkish fortifications february start little effect march results line british ships march attempted suppress turkish guns minefields swept turkish return fire heavy hit number times shell knocked left gun turret shell hit yard killed wounded everybody heavy shell unknown size hit port feet waterline plating shell hit foremast level flying bridge set fire navigator sea cabin hit destroyed cables voice pipes running foremast fire control director smoke fire wounded withdrew turn head wind fire quickly returned turkish forts hit little effect later turning seriously damaged probably size blew large hole starboard bow flooded forward torpedo flat drowning men beached island prevent sinking taken long tons water temporarily repaired feet hole sailed malta escorted april nearly worked loose heavy weather route towed stern hours repaired repair malta early june sailed home reached june joined grand_fleet command rear admiral hood battle jutland end 3rd temporarily assigned grand_fleet gunnery practice entire grand_fleet admiral battlecruisers ordered sea prepare excursion german high seas fleet order support admiral hood took battlecruisers ahead grand_fleet invincible intercepted radio message british light cruiser attached reporting sighting enemy cruisers reports seven enemy ships steering north hood interpreted attempt escape ordered increase speed knots steered east southeast cut fleeing ships minutes later invincible intercepted message reporting enemy battlecruisers sight later signals reporting engaging enemy south easterly course hood ordered speed course south southeast attempt converge british ships sight hood requested course position speed received reply hood continued course gunfire spotted direction light cruiser chester dispatched investigate gunfire flashes chester encountered light cruisers hipper badly damaged hood turned investigate able drive german cruisers away invincible opened fire followed minutes later german ships turned south firing torpedoes attempted find shelter mist turned invincible hit engine room knocked engines hit escorted light cruiser destroyers 2nd 9th 12th half flotilla attacked 3rd succession driven hood remaining light cruiser canterbury destroyers escort confused action germans launched torpedoes disabled destroyer shark gunfire having turned west close ships broadside oncoming torpedoes invincible turned north turned south present profile torpedoes torpedoes missed passed underneath invincible turned north helm jammed come stop fix problem quickly squadron reformed heading west grand fleet hood turned south lead battlecruisers hipper battlecruisers yards away immediately opened fire hipper flagship quickly took hits lion invincible including hits waterline forward invincible ultimately doom invincible abruptly appeared clear target german ships fired invincible sank seconds inch shell struck roof invincible turret flash detonated magazines ship blew broke killing crew officers men including rear admiral hood remained company rest battle encountered hipper battlecruisers yards away sun setting opened fire hit times german battlecruisers rescued appearance pre dreadnought battleships british shifted fire new threat hit able turn career loss battlecruisers jutland led force reorganised squadrons 2nd jutland little significant naval activity routine patrolling thanks kaiser order ships allowed sea assured victory torpedoes fired german boat patrols august missed astern february collided british submarine isle minor damage fitted flying ramps fitted turrets early november present scapa_flow surrender german high seas fleet end war saw end older vessels remaining invincible class ships paid january decommissioned march chile briefly considered purchasing ship sale sold scrap december scrapped germany following year mount canadian named battlecruiser
HMS Inflexible (1907)