HMSCampania was aseaplane tender andaircraft carrier, converted from an elderlyocean liner by theRoyal Navy early in theFirst World War. After her conversion was completed in mid-1915 the ship spent her time conducting trials and exercises with theGrand Fleet. These revealed the need for a longerflight deck to allow larger aircraft to take off, and she was modified accordingly.Campania missed theBattle of Jutland in May 1916, but made a number of patrols with elements of the Grand Fleet. She never saw combat and was soon relegated to a training role because of her elderly machinery. In November 1918Campania was anchored with the capital ships of the Grand Fleet when a sudden storm caused her anchor to drag. With no second anchor being laid, she hit several of the ships and the collisions punctured her hull; she slowly sank, with no loss of life.

Campania after her second refit
History
United Kingdom
Name	Campania
Builder	Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering,Govan,Glasgow
Laid down	1892
Launched	8 September 1892
Acquired	27 November 1914
Commissioned	17 April 1915
Fate	Sank in theFirth of Forth, 5 November 1918
General characteristics
Type	Aircraft/Seaplane carrier
Displacement	20,570long tons (20,900 t)
Length	622 ft (189.6 m)
Beam	65 ft (19.8 m)
Draught	28 ft 5 in (8.7 m)
Installed power	28,000 ihp (21,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 × shafts, 2 ×VTE steam engines
Speed	19.5knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph)
Complement	600
Armament	6 × 4.7 in (120 mm) guns 1 ×3 in (76 mm)AA gun
Aircraft carried	10–12
Aviation facilities	1 ×Flying-off deck forward

Originally built as a passenger liner forCunard Line's service between Liverpool and New York in 1893,RMS Campania was the holder of theBlue Riband award for speed early in her career. In October 1914, she was sold to the shipbreakersThos. W. Ward as she was wearing out.^[1]

TheRoyal Navy purchasedCampania from the shipbreakers on 27 November 1914 for £32,500, initially for conversion to anarmed merchant cruiser equipped with eightquick-firing 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns. The ship was converted byCammell Laird to an aircraft carrier instead and the two forward 4.7-inch guns were removed in favour of a 160-foot (48.8 m)flying-off deck. Twoderricks were fitted on each side to transfer seaplanes between the water and the twoholds. The amidships hold had the capacity for seven large seaplanes. The forward hold, underneath the flight deck, could fit four small seaplanes, but the flight deck had to be lifted off the hold to access the airplanes. HMSCampania wascommissioned on 17 April 1915.^[2]

The first takeoff from the flight deck did not occur until 6 August 1915 when aSopwith Schneiderfloatplane, mounted on a wheeled trolley,^[3] used 130 feet (39.6 m) of the flight deck while the ship was steaming into the wind at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph). The Sopwith aircraft was the lightest and highest-powered aircraft in service with theRoyal Naval Air Service, and the close call in a favourable wind demonstrated that heavier aircraft could not be launched from the flight deck.^[4]

By October 1915Campania had exercised with the Grand Fleet seven times, but had only flown off aircraft three times as theNorth Sea was often too rough for her seaplanes to use. Her captain recommended that the flying-off deck be lengthened and given a steeper slope to allow gravity to boost the aircraft's acceleration and the ship was accordingly modified at Cammell Laird between November 1915 and early April 1916. The forward funnel was split into two funnels and the flight deck was extended between them and over thebridge to a length of 245 feet (74.7 m), so that aircraft from both holds could use the flight deck. A canvas windscreen was provided to allow the aircraft to unfold their wings out of the wind, and akite balloon and all of its supporting equipment were added in the aft hold.Campania now carried sevenShort Type 184torpedo bombers and three or four smaller fighters or scouts; a Type 184 made its first takeoff from the flight deck on 3 June 1916, also using a wheeled trolley. This success prompted theAdmiralty to order the world's first aircraft designed for carrier operations, theFairey Campania. The ship received the first of these aircraft in late 1917 where they joined smallerSopwith 1½ Strutter scouts.^[4] At various timesCampania also carried theSopwith Baby andSopwith Pup.^[5]

Campania failed to receive the signal to deploy when theGrand Fleet departedScapa Flow on 30 May 1916 en route to theBattle of Jutland, but she sailed two hours and fifteen minutes later. Even though she was slowly overtaking the fleet early in the morning of 31 May, she was ordered to return to Scapa Flow as she lacked an escort and Germansubmarines had been reported in the area.^[6] The ship participated in some anti-submarine and anti-Zeppelin patrols, but she was later declared unfit for fleet duty because of her defective machinery and became a seaplane training and balloon depot ship.^[5] In April 1918Campania, along with the Grand Fleet, was transferred from Scapa Flow toRosyth.^[7]

On the morning of 5 November 1918,Campania was lying at anchor offBurntisland in theFirth of Forth. A suddenForce 10 squall caused the ship to drag anchor. She collided first with thebow of the nearbybattleshipRoyal Oak, and then scraped along the side of thebattlecruiserGlorious.Campania's hull was breached by the initial collision withRoyal Oak, flooding herengine room and shutting off all main electrical power. The ship then started to settle by thestern, and sank some five hours after breaking free. The ship's crew were all rescued by neighbouring vessels. A NavalBoard of Inquiry into the incident heldCampania's watch officer largely responsible for her loss, citing specifically the failure to drop a second anchor once the ship started to drift.^[9]

The wreck of HMSCampania was initially afforded protection under theProtection of Wrecks Act, being designated in 2000. This designation was revoked in 2013 when the site was re-designated as aHistoric Marine Protected Area under theMarine (Scotland) Act 2010.^[10] The remains of the fourCampania aircraft and seven 1½ Strutters that she had on board when she sank are still entombed in her wreck.^[4]

• Corbett, Julian (1997).Naval Operations. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol. III (reprint of the 1940 second ed.). London and Nashville, TN: Imperial War Museum in association with the Battery Press.ISBN 1-870423-50-X.
• Friedman, Norman (1988).British Carrier Aviation: The Evolution of the Ships and Their Aircraft. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-054-8.
• Layman, R. D. (1989).Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1859–1922. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-210-9.
• Maber, John M. (1983). "HMS Campania 1914–1918". In Roberts, John (ed.).Warship VII. London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN 0-85177-630-2.
• Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gray, Randal (ed.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 1–104.ISBN 0-85177-245-5.

• DiveBunker: Dive sites
• Historic Environment Scotland."Campania Historic MPA (HMPA4)".