HMSKing Edward VII underway
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMSKing Edward VII
Namesake	King Edward VII
Builder	Devonport Dockyard
Laid down	8 March 1902
Launched	23 July 1903
Completed	February 1905
Commissioned	7 February 1905
Fate	Mined offCape Wrath, 6 January 1916
General characteristics
Class & type	King Edward VII-classpre-dreadnought battleship
Displacement	Normal: 15,585 to 15,885long tons (15,835 to 16,140 t) Full load: 17,009 to 17,290 long tons (17,282 to 17,567 t)
Length	453 ft 9 in (138.3 m) (loa)
Beam	75 ft (22.9 m)
Draught	25 ft 8 in (7.82 m)
Installed power	16 ×water-tube boilers 18,000 ihp (13,420 kW)
Propulsion	2 ×triple-expansion steam engines 2 ×screw propellers
Speed	18.5knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph)
Complement	777
Armament	4 ×BL 12 in (305 mm) Mk IX guns 4 ×BL 9.2 in (234 mm) Mk X guns 10 ×BL 6 in (152 mm) Mk VII guns 14 ×12-pounder 3 in (76 mm) guns 14 ×3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) guns 4 ×18 in (457 mm)torpedo tubes (submerged)
Armour	Belt: 9 in (229 mm) Bulkheads: 8–12 in (203–305 mm) Barbettes: 12 in Turrets: Main battery: 8–12 in 9.2-inch battery: 5–9 in (127–229 mm) Casemates: 7 in (178 mm) Conning tower: 12 in Decks: 1–2.5 in (25–64 mm)

HMSKing Edward VII, named after KingEdward VII, was the lead ship ofher class ofpre-dreadnought battleships built for the BritishRoyal Navy. Armed with a battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) and four 9.2 in (234 mm) guns, she and hersister ships marked a significant advance in offensive power compared to earlier British battleship designs that did not carry the 9.2 in guns.King Edward VII was built at theDevonport Dockyard, and waslaid down in March 1902,launched in July 1903, and completed in February 1905.

The ship entered service with theAtlantic Fleet as the fleetflagship before being transferred to theChannel Fleet in 1907, where she also served as the flagship. The Channel Fleet became theHome Fleet in 1909, where she remained for the next several years. During this period, the fleet was repeatedly reorganized, withKing Edward VII ultimately ending up in the3rd Battle Squadron by 1912, along with her sisters. The ships were sent to the Mediterranean during theFirst Balkan War to enforce the transfer ofScutari to Albania. Following the outbreak of theFirst World War in August 1914, the 3rd Battle Squadron became part of theGrand Fleet, whereKing Edward VII served for the next two years. The Grand Fleet conducted numerous sweeps into theNorth Sea in the hope of catching German vessels at sea, but rarely found action.

On the morning of 6 January 1916, while steaming toBelfast for a refit,King Edward VII struck anaval mine that had been laid by the Germanauxiliary cruiserSMS Möwe. Attempts to towKing Edward VII to port failed when she took on a dangerouslist, so she was abandoned and her crew evacuated to severaldestroyers.King Edward VII sank later that day.

Following the development ofpre-dreadnought typebattleships carrying heavy secondary guns of 8 in (203 mm) diameter in the ItalianRegia Marina and theUnited States Navy, theRoyal Navy decided to build similar ships. Initial proposals called for a battleship equipped with eight 7.5 in (190 mm) guns to support the main battery, though under the direction ofWilliam Henry White, theDirector of Naval Construction, these were replaced with four 9.2 in (234 mm) guns. The new ships, though based on the generalMajestic type that had formed the basis of the preceding four battleship designs, marked the first significant change in the series.^[1] Like all late pre-dreadnoughts that entered service in the mid-1900s,King Edward VII was made almost instantaneously obsolescent by the commissioning of the all-big-gunDreadnought in December 1906, armed with a battery of ten heavy guns compared to the typical four of most pre-dreadnoughts.^[2]

King Edward VII was 453 feet 9 inches (138.30 m)long overall, with abeam of 75 ft (23 m) and adraft of 25 ft 8 in (7.82 m). TheKing Edward VII-class battleshipsdisplaced 15,585 to 15,885long tons (15,835 to 16,140 t)normally and up to 17,009–17,290 long tons (17,282–17,567 t)fully loaded. Her crew numbered 777 officers andratings. TheKing Edward VII-class ships were powered by a pair of 4-cylindertriple-expansion engines that drove twoscrews, with steam provided by sixteenwater-tube boilers. The boilers were trunked into twofunnels locatedamidships. TheKing Edward VII-class ships had a top speed of 18.5knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) from 18,000indicated horsepower (13,000 kW).^[3]

King Edward VII had amain battery of four12-inch (305 mm) 40-calibre guns mounted in twin-gun turrets fore and aft. These were supported by a heavysecondary battery of four9.2 in (234 mm) guns in four single turrets, two on eachbroadside. The ships also mounted ten6-inch (152 mm) 45-calibre guns mounted incasemates, in addition to fourteen12-pounder 3 in (76 mm) guns and fourteen3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) guns for defence againsttorpedo boats.^[3] As was customary for battleships of the period, she was also equipped with five18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes submerged in thehull; two were on each broadside, with the fifth in the stern.^[4]

King Edward VII had anarmoured belt that was 9 inches (229 mm) thick; the transversebulkheads on the aft end of the belt was 8 to 12 in (203 to 305 mm) thick. The sides of her main battery turrets were also 8 to 12 in thick, atop 12 inbarbettes, and the 9.2 turrets had 5 to 9 in (127 to 229 mm) sides. The casemate battery was protected with 7 in (178 mm) of armour plate. Herconning tower had 12-inch-thick sides. She was fitted with two armoureddecks, 1 and 2.5 in (25 and 64 mm) thick, respectively.^[3]

WhenKing Edward VII waslaid down atDevonport Dockyard on 8 March 1902, the first plate was laid byKing Edward VII, who with his wifeQueen Alexandra had just attended the naming and launching ceremony ofHMS Queen.^[5]King Edward VII waslaunched by her namesake on 23 July 1903 and was completed in February 1905. Edward VII consented to havingKing Edward VII carry his name on the condition that she always serve as aflagship. The Royal Navy honoured this wish throughout her career.King Edward VII wascommissioned on 7 February at Devonport Dockyard for service as Flagship,Commander-in-Chief,Atlantic Fleet. She underwent a refit in 1906–1907, during which her superstructure 12-pounder guns were temporarily relocated to the top of her main battery turrets. Her Atlantic Fleet service ended when she paid off atPortsmouth Dockyard on 4 March 1907.^[3][6]

On 5 March,King Edward VII was recommissioned as flagship ofAdmiralLord Charles Beresford, Commander-in-Chief,Channel Fleet. She underwent another refit at Portsmouth in 1907–1908. During this refit, her 12-pounders returned to their original locations, and the 3-pounders on her bridge were removed.^[6] Under a fleet reorganisation on 24 March 1909, the Channel Fleet became the 2nd Division,Home Fleet. Accordingly,King Edward VII was recommissioned as the Flagship,Vice Admiral, Home Fleet on 27 March. She underwent a refit at Portsmouth from December to February 1910. She was recommissioned at Portsmouth on 1 August 1911 as the Flagship, Vice Admiral, Third and Fourth Divisions, Home Fleet.^[7]

Under a fleet reorganisation in May 1912,King Edward VII and all seven of her sisters –Africa,Britannia,Commonwealth,Dominion,Hibernia,Hindustan, andZealandia – were assigned to form the3rd Battle Squadron, assigned to the First Fleet, Home Fleet.King Edward VII was commissioned atSheerness as the Flagship, Vice Admiral, 3rd Battle Squadron, First Fleet, Home Fleet, on 14 May 1912. The 3rd Battle Squadron was detached to theMediterranean in November 1912 because of theFirst Balkan War (October 1912 – May 1913); it arrived atMalta on 27 November 1912 and subsequently participated, as part of an international force, in ablockade of Montenegro and in an occupation ofScutari to force the Macedonians to relinquish the city to the newly-formed Albania. The squadron returned to the United Kingdom in 1913 and rejoined the Home Fleet on 27 June 1913.^[7]

Upon the outbreak of theFirst World War, the 3rd Battle Squadron was assigned to the Grand Fleet and based atRosyth, withKing Edward VII continuing her service as squadron flagship, at the time under the command of Vice AdmiralEdward Bradford. The squadron was reinforced with the fiveDuncan-class battleships,^[8][9] and was used to supplement the Grand Fleet'scruisers on theNorthern Patrol.^[7] On 6 August, the day after Britain declared war on Germany, elements of the Grand Fleet sortied to inspect the coast of Norway in search of a German naval base violating Norwegian neutrality.King Edward VII and the rest of the 3rd Battle Squadron provided distant support to the operation. No such base was found, and the ships returned to port the next day. On 14 August, the ships of the Grand Fleet went to sea for battle practice before conducting a sweep into theNorth Sea later that day and into 15 August.^[10]

In late August,King Edward VII reported that two of her four 12-inch guns had developed cracks in the inner tubes, necessitating replacement. She accordingly leftScapa Flow for Devonport to have the guns replaced, Bradford shifting his flag to her sister shipDominion temporarily.King Edward VII returned to the fleet on 2 September, at which pointDominion was sent to have her guns replaced.^[11] On 2 November, the squadron was detached to reinforce the Channel Fleet and was rebased atPortland. The squadron returned to the Grand Fleet on 13 November, althoughKing Edward VII remained behind temporarily, not returning to the Grand Fleet until 30 November.^[7][12] During sweeps by the fleet, she and her sisters often steamed at the heads of divisions of the far more valuabledreadnoughts, where they could protect the dreadnoughts by watching formines or by being the first to strike them.^[13]

On 14 December, the1st Battlecruiser Squadron,2nd Battle Squadron, and accompanying cruisers and destroyers left port to intercept the German forces preparing toraid Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby. On the first reports of contact with German units on the morning of 16 December, the Grand Fleet commander, AdmiralJohn Jellicoe, ordered Bradford to take the 3rd Battle Squadron to support the ships in contact at 10:00. Four hours later, they met the1st and4th Battle Squadrons,en route from Scapa Flow, though they failed to reach the GermanHigh Seas Fleet before the latter withdrew. The Grand Fleet remained at sea until late on 17 December, at which point the 3rd Battle Squadron was ordered back to Rosyth.^[14]King Edward VII and the rest of the squadron joined the Grand Fleet for another sweep into the North Sea on 25 December. The fleet returned to its ports two days later, having failed to locate any German vessels.^[15]

The 3rd Battle Squadron went to sea on 12 January 1915 for gunnery training, steaming north and passing to the west ofOrkney on the night of 13–14 January. After completing training on the 14th, they returned to Rosyth on 15 January.^[16] On 23 January, the 1st and2nd Battlecruiser Squadrons sortied to ambush the GermanI Scouting Group in what resulted in theBattle of Dogger Bank the following day. Later on the 23rd, the rest of the Grand Fleet, includingKing Edward VII, sortied to support the battlecruisers. The 3rd Squadron ships left first and steamed at full speed to reach ships of theHarwich Force, which had reported contact with German vessels. The battlecruisers intervened first, andKing Edward VII and her sisters arrived around 14:00, by which time the battlecruisers had sunk thearmoured cruiserBlücher and the surviving German ships had fled. The 3rd Battle Squadron patrolled the area with the rest of the Grand Fleet over the night before being detached at 08:00 on 25 January to steam to Rosyth.^[17]

Elements of the Grand Fleet went to sea repeatedly over the next few months. The 3rd Battle Squadron patrolled the central North Sea in company with the3rd Cruiser Squadron from 10–13 March. The two units again went to sea to sweep the central North Sea from 5–8 April. A major fleet operation followed on 11 April, with the entire Grand Fleet sortieing for a sweep of the North Sea on 12–13 April. The squadrons returned to their ports on 14 April to replenish their fuel. Another such operation followed on 17 April, which also failed to find any German ships. The 3rd Battle Squadron returned to Rosyth late on 18 April. The fleet sortied again on 21 April, returning to port two days later. The 3rd Battle Squadron, joined by the 3rd Cruiser Squadron, patrolled the northern North Sea from 5–10 May, during which a GermanU-boat attacked the battleships but failed to score a hit.^[18]

Another sweep into the North Sea took place from 17–19 May, and no German forces were encountered. The fleet went to sea again on 29 May for a patrol south to theDogger Bank before returning to port on 31 May, again without having located any German vessels. The Grand Fleet spent much of June in port conducting training, but the most modern units went to sea on 11 June for gunnery practice to the northwest ofShetland. While they were training,King Edward VII and the rest of the 3rd Battle Squadron, along with the 3rd Cruiser Squadron, patrolled the central North Sea. Fleet activities were limited in July, owing to a threatenedstrike by coal miners, which began on 18 July and threatened the supply of coal for the fleet's ships. The strike continued into August, which led Jellicoe to continue to limit fleet activities to preserve his stocks of coal. The fleet saw little activity in September, and during this period, the Grand Fleet began to go to sea without the 3rd Battle Squadron.^[19]

On 6 January 1916,King Edward VII—having transferred her flag temporarily—departed Scapa Flow at 07:12 on a voyage around the northern coast of Scotland toBelfast, where she was scheduled to undergo a refit. At 10:47, she struck amine that had been laid by the Germanauxiliary cruiserSMS Möwe offCape Wrath five days before.Möwe had slipped past British patrols and laid 252 mines under cover of darkness and a snow storm. The explosion occurred under thestarboard engine room, andKing Edward VII took on alist of 8° to starboard. Her commanding officer, Captain (later Admiral)Crawford Maclachlan, ordered her helm put over to starboard to close the coast and beach the ship if necessary, but the helm jammed hard to starboard and the engine rooms quickly flooded, stopping the engines. Counterflooding reduced her list to 5°. Signals to the passingcollierPrincess Melita induced her to close withKing Edward VII and attempt to tow the battleship. Initially believing the attack to have been from a German U-boat, theflotilla leaderKempenfelt and twelvedestroyers sortied to come toKing Edward VII's aid. After arriving on the scene,Kempenfelt joined the tow attempt. Towing began at 14:15, butKing Edward VII settled deeper in the water and took on a 15° list in a rising sea and strong winds and soon proved to be unmanageable.Princess Melita's towline parted at 14:40, after which Captain Maclachlan orderedKempenfelt to slip her tow as well.^[20][21]

With flooding continuing and darkness approaching, Captain Maclachlan orderedKing Edward VII abandoned. The destroyerMusketeer came alongside at 14:45, and she and destroyersFortune andMarne, took off the crew with the loss of only one life (a man fell between the battleship and one of the rescue vessels), the last man off being Captain Maclachlan, who boarded destroyerNessus at 16:10.Fortune,Marne, andMusketeer departed to take the battleship's crew to port, whileNessus stayed on the scene until 17:20 withtugs that had arrived to assist. AfterNessus departed, the tugs continued to stand by, and sawKing Edward VII capsize at 20:10 and sink around nine hours after the explosion. The cause of her loss was initially unknown, as the British were at that time unaware ofMöwe's minefield, and the battleshipAfrica had passed through the area earlier that day without incident. A shortage of minesweepers also delayed discovery of the minefield.^[20][22]

• Burt, R. A. (2013) [1988].British Battleships 1889–1904. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN 978-1-84832-173-1.
• Corbett, Julian Stafford (1920).Naval Operations: To The Battle of the Falklands, December 1914. Vol. I. London: Longmans, Green & Co.OCLC 174823980.
• Corbett, Julian Stafford (1921).Naval Operations: From The Battle of the Falklands to the Entry of Italy Into the War in May 1915. Vol. II. London: Longmans, Green & Co.OCLC 924170059.
• Corbett, Julian Stafford (1923).Naval Operations: The Dardanelles Campaign. Vol. III. London: Longmans, Green & Co.OCLC 174824081.
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• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969].Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing.ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.OCLC 67375475.
• Dittmar, F. J. & Colledge, J. J. (1972).British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.ISBN 978-0-7110-0380-4.
• Gibbons, Tony (1983).The Complete Encyclopedia of Battleships and Battlecruisers: A Technical Directory of All the World's Capital Ships From 1860 to the Present Day. London: Salamander Books Ltd.ISBN 978-0-86101-142-1.
• McBride, Keith (2001). "'The Wobbly Eight': TheKing Edward VII Class Battleships, 1897–1922". In Preston, Antony (ed.).Warship 2001–2002. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 63–69.ISBN 978-0-85177-901-0.
• Parkes, Oscar (1990) [1957].British Battleships. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1-55750-075-5.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toHMS King Edward VII (ship, 1903).

• "HMS King Edward VII".Maritimequest. Retrieved14 January 2019.
• "Leigh Bishop HMS King Edward VII 97 Expedition". 3 February 1999. Archived fromthe original on 12 April 2005. Retrieved14 January 2019.

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