HMS King George V (1911)

A postcard of King George V underway, about 1913
History
United Kingdom
NameKing George V
NamesakeKing George V
BuilderHM Dockyard, Portsmouth
Cost£1,961,096
Laid down16 January 1911
Launched9 October 1911
Commissioned16 November 1912
Decommissioned26 October 1926
FateSold for scrap, December 1926
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeKing George V-class dreadnought battleship
Displacement25,420 long tons (25,830 t) (normal)
Length594 ft 4 in (181.2 m) (o/a)
Beam89 ft 1 in (27.2 m)
Draught28 ft 8 in (8.7 m)
Installed power
Propulsion4 × shafts; 2 × steam turbine sets
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range5,910 nmi (10,950 km; 6,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement869–1,114
Armament
Armour

HMS King George V was the lead ship of her class of four dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the early 1910s. She spent the bulk of her career assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets, often serving as a flagship. Aside from participating in the failed attempt to intercept the German ships that had bombarded Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in late 1914, the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 and the inconclusive action of 19 August, her service during the First World War generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea.

After the war, King George V became flagship of the Home Fleet and then of the Reserve Fleet before she was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet in late 1920. The ship evacuated refugees during the Great fire of Smyrna in September 1922 before returning home at the beginning of 1923. King George V was reduced to reserve and used as a training ship until late 1926 and was sold for scrap later in the year in accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty.