.jpg) HMSMajestic | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSMajestic |
| Builder | Portsmouth Dockyard |
| Laid down | February 1894 |
| Launched | 31 January 1895 |
| Commissioned | December 1895 |
| Fate | Sunk, 27 May 1915 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Majestic-classpre-dreadnoughtbattleship |
| Displacement | 16,060long tons (16,320 t) |
| Length | 421 ft (128 m) |
| Beam | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Draught | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement | 672 |
| Armament | |
| Armour |
|
HMSMajestic was aMajestic-classpre-dreadnoughtbattleship of theRoyal Navy. Commissioned in 1895, she was the largest pre-dreadnought launched at the time. She served with theChannel Fleet until 1904, following which she was assigned to theAtlantic Fleet. In 1907, she was part of theHome Fleet, firstly assigned to theNore Division and then with theDevonport Division. From 1912, she was part of the 7th Battle Squadron.
When theFirst World War broke outMajestic, together with the rest of the squadron, was attached to the Channel Fleet during the early stages of the war before being detached for escort duties with Canadian troop convoys. She then had spells as aguard ship at theNore and theHumber. In early 1915, she was dispatched to theMediterranean for service in theDardanelles Campaign. She participated in bombardments ofTurkish forts and supported theAllied landings atGallipoli. On 27 May 1915, she was torpedoed by aU-boat atCape Helles, sinking with the loss of 49 men.
Majestic was 421 feet (128 m)long overall and had abeam of 75 ft (23 m) and adraft of 27 ft (8.2 m). Shedisplaced up to 16,060long tons (16,320 t) atfull load. Her propulsion system consisted of two 3-cylindertriple-expansion steam engines powered by eight coal-fired, cylindricalfire-tubeScotch marine boilers. By 1907–1908, she was re-boilered with oil-fired models.[1] Her engines provided a top speed of 16knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) at 10,000indicated horsepower (7,500 kW). TheMajestics were considered good seaboats with an easy roll and good steamers, although they suffered from high fuel consumption. She had a crew of 672 officers andratings.[2]
The ship was armed with amain battery of fourBL 12-inch (305 mm) Mk VIII guns in twin-gun turrets, one forward and one aft. The turrets were placed on pear-shapedbarbettes; six of her sisters had the same arrangement, but her sistersCaesar andIllustrious and all future British battleship classes had circular barbettes.[1][2]Majestic also carried asecondary battery of twelveQF 6-inch (152 mm) /40 guns. They were mounted incasemates in two gun decksamidships. She also carried sixteenQF 12-pounder guns and twelve QF 2-pounder guns for defence againsttorpedo boats. She was also equipped with five 18 in (457 mm)torpedo tubes, four of which were submerged in the ship'shull, with the last in a deck-mounted launcher.[2]
Majestic and the other ships of her class had 9 inches (229 mm) ofHarvey steel in theirbelt armour, which allowed equal protection with less cost in weight compared to previous types of armour. This allowedMajestic and her sisters to have a deeper and lighter belt than previous battleships without any loss in protection.[1] The barbettes for the main battery were protected with 14 in (356 mm) of armour, and theconning tower had the same thickness of steel on the sides. The ship's armoured deck was 2.5 to 4.5 in (64 to 114 mm) thick.[2]
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Majestic was laid down at thePortsmouth Dockyard in February 1894. She was launched on 31 January 1895, after whichfitting-out work commenced. She was commissioned into theRoyal Navy less than a year later, in December 1895, serving with theChannel Squadron at thePortsmouth division. She was present at theFleet Review atSpithead for theDiamond Jubilee ofQueen Victoria on 26 June 1897,[3] and was laterflagship to Vice-AdmiralSir Harry Rawson, Commander-in-Chief of theChannel Fleet. CaptainGeorge Egerton was appointed in command on 28 June 1899,[4] and paid off in April 1901, when CaptainEdward Eden Bradford was appointed in command as she became theflagship of Rear-AdmiralArthur Wilson, who had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of theChannel Squadron.[5] She took part in theCoronation Review held atSpithead for KingEdward VII on 16 August 1902,[6] and in September that year was head of a squadron visitingNauplia andSouda Bay atCrete in theMediterranean Sea.[7] She underwent a refit atPortsmouth from February to July 1904, and then became a unit of theAtlantic Fleet when a reorganisation resulted in the Channel Fleet becoming the Atlantic Fleet in January 1905. On 1 October 1906, she paid off into reserve at Portsmouth.[3]
Majestic recommissioned at Portsmouth on 26 February 1907 to becomeflagship of theNore Division in the newHome Fleet, stationed at theNore. She began a refit later that year in which she received radio and new fire control systems.[8] When the flag was transferred to another ship in January 1908, she became aprivate ship in theNore Division. In June 1908,Majestic transferred to theDevonport Division of the Home Fleet, stationed atDevonport. Her refit was completed in 1909, and in March 1909 she transferred to the 3rd Division at Devonport, then in August 1910 to the 4th Division at Devonport, where she underwent another refit in 1911. In May 1912,Majestic became part of the 7th Battle Squadron in the 3rd Fleet at Devonport. On 14 July 1912 she collided with her sister shipVictorious during manoeuvres, suffering no serious damage.[3]
Upon the outbreak of theFirst World War in August 1914,Majestic and the rest of the 7th Battle Squadron were assigned to theChannel Fleet.Majestic underwent a refit in August and September 1914, then covered the passage of theBritish Expeditionary Force to France in September 1914. She was detached from the 7th Battle Squadron from 3 October 1914 to 14 October 1914 to escort the first Canadian troop convoy. At the end of October 1914,Majestic was transferred to theNore to serve as guard ship there. On 3 November 1914, she transferred to theHumber to serve as guard ship there. In December 1914 she became a unit of theDover Patrol, and combined with battleshipRevenge to bombard German coastal artillery from off ofNieuwpoort, Belgium, on 15 December 1914. In January 1915, she was based atPortland.[3]
In February 1915,Majestic was assigned to participate in the upcomingDardanelles Campaign to open theTurkish Straits, and she departed early that month under the command of Captain H. F. G. Talbot to join theMediterranean Fleet. Upon arriving atMalta, she was fitted with what was termed "mine-catching" gear[3] so that she could serve as a "mine-bumper".[8] She joined the Dardanelles force on 24 February 1915, and on 26 February 1915 departedTenedos to bombard theOttoman Turkish inner forts at theDardanelles that morning.[3] On 26 February 1915,Majestic and battleshipsAlbion andTriumph became the firstAllied heavy ships to enter the Turkish Straits during the campaign, firing on the inner forts from 0914 until 1740 hours.Majestic took a hit below thewaterline, but was able to continue operations and patrolled the area again on 27 February 1915. She supported the early landings, shelling the forts from 1125 until 1645 hours on 1 March 1915 and again while patrolling on 3 March 1915. She arrived atMudros on 8 March 1915.[3]
On 9 March 1915,Majestic circumnavigated the entrance to the Dardanelles and bombarded Ottoman Turkish positions from 1007 until 1215 hours. She returned to Tenedos on 10 March 1915, patrolled off the Dardanelles again on 15 March 1915, and again returned to Tenedos on 16 March 1915.[3]Majestic participated in the final attempt to force the straits by naval power alone on 18 March 1915. She opened fire on Fort 9 at 1420 hours and also engaged Turkish field guns hidden in woods. She shelled Fort 9 until she ceased fire at 18:35; the fort meanwhile fired on the mortally damaged battleshipOcean.Majestic was hit four times, twice in her lower tops and twice on her forecastle, and returned to Tenedos at 2200 hours with one dead and some wounded crew members.[9]Majestic returned to patrol duties on 22 March 1915. She shelled Turkish positions on 28 March 1915 from 0950 to 1015 and from 1250 to 1340 hours and again opened fire on 14 April at 1458 hours. On 18 April, she fired on the abandoned British submarineE15 aground nearFort Dardanos and in danger of being captured; two picket boats, one fromMajestic and one fromTriumph, destroyedE15 with torpedoes, although the boat fromMajestic was itself sunk by Turkish shore batteries while retiring.Majestic returned to Tenedos on 21 April 1915.[10]
On 25 April 1915,Majestic was back in action, signalling London that Allied landings had begun atGallipoli and supporting them with coastal bombardments until 1915 hours. She brought 99 wounded troops aboard at 2110 hours and recovered all her boats before anchoring off Gallipoli for the night. On 26 April 1915, she was back in action early, opening fire at 0617 hours. On 27 April 1915 she exchanged fire with Turkish guns, with several Turkish shells achieving very near misses before both sides ceased firing at 1130 hours. On 29 April 1915 she again was anchored off Gallipoli.[10]Majestic relievedTriumph as flagship of Admiral Nicholson,[8] commanding the squadrons supporting the troops ashore offCape Helles, on 25 May 1915.[10][a]
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On 27 May 1915, while stationed off W Beach at Cape Helles,Majestic became the third battleship to be torpedoed off the Gallipoli peninsula in two weeks. Around 0645 hours, CommanderOtto Hersing of the GermansubmarineU-21 fired a singletorpedo through the defensive screen ofdestroyers and anti-torpedo nets, strikingMajestic and causing a huge explosion. The ship began to list to port and in nine minutes had capsized in 54 feet (16 m) of water, killing 49 men.[10][b] Her masts hit the mud of the sea bottom, and her upturned hull remained visible for many months until it was finally submerged when her foremast collapsed during a storm.[10]
In October 2021, Turkey opened theGallipoli Historic Underwater Park, an underwater museum offÇanakkale accessible toscuba divers. The park includes a number of wrecks from vessels sunk during the Dardanelles and Gallipoli campaigns, includingMajestic and the battleshipTriumph.[11] The wreck ofMajestic now lies at a depth of 24 m (79 ft), and it is largely intact.[12]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1915 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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40°02′30″N26°11′02″E / 40.04167°N 26.18389°E /40.04167; 26.18389
