HMS Illustrious (1896)

HMS Illustrious c. 1905
History
United Kingdom
BuilderChatham Dockyard
Laid down11 March 1895
Launched17 September 1896
CompletedApril 1898
Commissioned15 April 1898
Decommissioned21 April 1919
FateSold for scrapping 18 June 1920
General characteristics
Class and typeMajestic-class pre-dreadnought battleship
Displacement16,060 long tons (16,320 t)
Length421 ft (128 m)
Beam75 ft (23 m)
Draught27 ft (8.2 m)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement672
Armament
Armour

The third HMS Illustrious of the British Royal Navy was a Majestic-class pre-dreadnought battleship. The ship was built at the Chatham Dockyard; her keel was laid down in March 1895, her completed hull was launched in September 1896, and she was commissioned into the fleet in April 1898. She was armed with a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns and a secondary battery of twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns. The ship had a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).

Illustrious was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet until 1904. Transferred to the Channel Fleet (which was subsequently reorganised to the Atlantic Fleet) she underwent a refit which was duly completed in early 1906. Rendered obsolete by the emergence of the new dreadnoughts, she served with the Home Fleet from 1908. One of the oldest battleships in the Royal Navy when the First World War broke out, she served as a guard ship at various regions around Northern England until late 1915. Her main armament was removed and she then served as a store ship for the remainder of the war. She was decommissioned in 1919 and scrapped the following year.