HMS King Edward VII

HMS King Edward VII underway
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS King 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 off Cape Wrath, 6 January 1916
General characteristics
Class and type	King Edward VII-class pre-dreadnought battleship
Displacement	Normal: 15,585 to 15,885 long 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	18.5 knots (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)

HMS King Edward VII, named after King Edward VII, was the lead ship of her class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the British Royal Navy. Armed with a battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) and four 9.2 in (234 mm) guns, she and her sister 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 the Devonport Dockyard, and was laid down in March 1902, launched in July 1903, and completed in February 1905.

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

On the morning of 6 January 1916, while steaming to Belfast for a refit, King Edward VII struck a naval mine that had been laid by the German auxiliary cruiser SMS Möwe. Attempts to tow King Edward VII to port failed when she took on a dangerous list, so she was abandoned and her crew evacuated to several destroyers. King Edward VII sank later that day.