HMS Prince of Wales (1902)

Prince of Wales underway, 1912
History
United Kingdom
Name	Prince of Wales
Namesake	Prince of Wales
Builder	Chatham Dockyard
Cost	£1,185,744
Laid down	20 March 1901
Launched	25 March 1902
Christened	The Princess of Wales
Completed	March 1904
Commissioned	18 May 1904
Decommissioned	10 November 1919
Fate	Sold for scrap, 12 April 1920
General characteristics
Class and type	London-class pre-dreadnought battleship
Displacement	14,140 long tons (14,370 t)
Length	431 ft 9 in (131.6 m) (o/a)
Beam	75 ft (22.9 m)
Draught	27 ft 3 in (8.3 m) (mean)
Installed power	20 Belleville boilers 15,000 shp (11,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Range	5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	747
Armament	2 × twin 12 in (305 mm) guns 12 × single 6 in (152 mm) guns 16 × single 12 pdr (3 in (76 mm)) guns 6 × single 3-pdr 1.9 in (47 mm) guns 4 × 18 in (450 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour	Waterline belt: 9 inches (229 mm) Bulkheads: 9–10 inches (229–254 mm) Barbettes: 6–12 inches (152–305 mm) Gun turrets: 8–10 inches (203–254 mm) Casemates: 6 inches (152 mm) Conning tower: 14 inches (356 mm) Deck: 1–2.5 inches (25–64 mm)

HMS Prince of Wales was a London-class pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She was one of two ships of the London- or Queen sub-class. Shortly after completion the ship was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet and then to the Atlantic in 1909 and Home Fleets three year later. Prince of Wales often served as a flagship during her career.

The ship was assigned to the Channel Fleet after the beginning of the First World War in August 1914 and ferried Royal Marines to Belgium that same month. In early 1915, she was ordered to the Mediterranean to support Allied forces in the Dardanelles Campaign, but Prince of Wales only remained there briefly before being ordered to the Adriatic to reinforce Italian forces there in case of an attack by the Austro-Hungarian Navy. The ship was ordered home in early 1917 and reduced to reserve upon her arrival. Prince of Wales served as an accommodation ship until she was listed for sale in late 1919. The ship was sold for scrap in mid-1920 and broken up thereafter.