HMS Anson (1886)

Bow view of Anson at anchor, circa 1897
History
United Kingdom
NameAnson
NamesakeAdmiral George Anson
Ordered1883
BuilderPembroke Dockyard
Cost£662,582
Laid down24 April 1883
Launched17 February 1886
Completed28 May 1889
FateSold for scrap, 13 July 1909
General characteristics
Class and typeAdmiral-class ironclad battleship
Displacement10,600 long tons (10,800 t)
Length330 ft (100.6 m) (p.p.)
Beam68 ft 6 in (20.9 m)
Draught27 ft 10 in (8.5 m)
Installed power
  • 7,500 ihp (5,600 kW) (normal)
  • 11,500 ihp (8,600 kW) (forced draught)
Propulsion
Speed16.9 kn (31.3 km/h; 19.4 mph) (forced draught)
Range7,200 nmi (13,300 km; 8,300 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement525–536
Armament
Armour

HMS Anson was the last of six Admiral-class ironclad battleships built for the Royal Navy during the 1880s. The ship was completed, except for her armament, in 1887, but had to wait two years for her guns to be installed. She was assigned to the Channel Fleet in mid-1889 as a flagship for the fleet's second-in-command. Two years later, the passenger ship SS Utopia sank with the loss of 562 lives after colliding with Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar. In mid-1893, Anson was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, subsequently returning home in 1900 when she was assigned to the Reserve Fleet. She recommissioned for the Home Fleet in early 1901. Anson was paid off three years later and then sold for scrap in 1909.