HMS Neptune (1909)

Neptune before 1914
Class overview
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	St Vincent class
Succeeded by	Colossus class
Completed	1
Scrapped	1
History
United Kingdom
Name	Neptune
Namesake	Neptune
Ordered	14 December 1908
Builder	HM Dockyard, Portsmouth
Laid down	19 January 1909
Launched	30 September 1909
Completed	January 1911
Commissioned	11 January 1911
Out of service	November 1921
Fate	Sold for scrap, September 1922
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Dreadnought battleship
Displacement	19,680 long tons (20,000 t) (normal)
Length	546 ft (166.4 m) (o/a)
Beam	85 ft (25.9 m)
Draught	28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)
Installed power	25,000 shp (19,000 kW) 18 × Yarrow boilers
Propulsion	4 × shafts; 2 × steam turbine sets
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range	6,330 nmi (11,720 km; 7,280 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	756–813 (1914)
Armament	5 × twin 12-inch (305 mm) guns 16 × single 4-inch (102 mm) guns 3 × 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour	Belt: 8–10 in (203–254 mm) Bulkheads: 5 and 8 in (127 and 203 mm) Deck: 1.25–3 inches (32–76 mm) Conning tower: 11 in (280 mm) Turrets: 11 in (280 mm) Barbettes: 5–10 inches (127–254 mm)

HMS Neptune was a dreadnought battleship built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century, the sole ship of her class. She was the first British battleship to be built with superfiring guns. Shortly after her completion in 1911, she carried out trials of an experimental fire-control director and then became the flagship of the Home Fleet. Neptune became a private ship in early 1914 and was assigned to the 1st Battle Squadron.

The ship became part of the Grand Fleet when it was formed shortly after the beginning of the First World War in August 1914. Aside from participating in the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, and the inconclusive action of 19 August several months later, her service during the war generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea. Neptune was deemed obsolete after the war and was reduced to reserve before being sold for scrap in 1922 and subsequently broken up.