HMS Thunderer (1911)

Thunderer at anchor, shortly after completion in 1912
History
United Kingdom
NameThunderer
Ordered1909
BuilderThames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Poplar, London
Laid down13 April 1910
Launched1 February 1911
Commissioned15 June 1912
Decommissioned1921
ReclassifiedAs cadet training ship, 1922
FateSold for scrap, 6 November 1926
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeOrion-class dreadnought battleship
Displacement21,922 long tons (22,274 t) (normal)
Length581 ft (177.1 m) (o/a)
Beam88 ft 6 in (27.0 m)
Draught31 ft 3 in (9.5 m)
Installed power
Propulsion4 × shafts; 2 × steam turbine sets
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range6,730 nmi (12,460 km; 7,740 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement738–1,107 (1917)
Armament
Armour
  • Belt: 8–12 in (203–305 mm)
  • Deck: 1–4 inches (25–102 mm)
  • Turrets: 11 in (279 mm)
  • Barbettes: 10 inches (254 mm)

HMS Thunderer was the fourth and last Orion-class dreadnought battleship built for the Royal Navy in the early 1910s. She spent the bulk of her career assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets. Aside from participating in the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 and the inconclusive action of 19 August, her service during World War I generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea.

After the Grand Fleet was dissolved in early 1919, Thunderer was transferred back to the Home Fleet for a few months before she was assigned to the Reserve Fleet. The ship was converted into a training ship for naval cadets in 1921 and served in that role until she was sold for scrap in late 1926. While being towed to the scrapyard, Thunderer ran aground; the ship was refloated and subsequently broken up.