HMS Victorious (1895)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Victorious.

HMS Victorious in 1898
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Victorious
Ordered1893–1894 Naval Estimates
BuilderChatham Dockyard
Laid down28 May 1894
Launched19 October 1895
CompletedNovember 1896
Commissioned4 November 1896
Decommissioned28 March 1920
FateSold for scrapping 9 April 1923
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
  • Belt armor: 9 in (229 mm)
  • Deck: 2.5 to 4.5 in (64 to 114 mm)
  • Barbettes: 14 in (356 mm)
  • Conning tower: 14 inches

HMS Victorious was one of nine Majestic-class pre-dreadnought battleships of the British Royal Navy. She was armed with a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns in two twin turrets, and was capable of a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). She served primarily on home waters, and participated in the Fleet Review for the Diamond Jubilee for Queen Victoria in 1897. She served briefly in the Mediterranean in 1898 before being transferred to the China Station later that year; Victorious remained in East Asian waters until 1900, when she returned to the Mediterranean.

After returning to the United Kingdom in 1904, Victorious served as the second flagship of the Channel Fleet. She remained in active service with the fleet in various units until 1908, when she was modernized and then placed in reserve. At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 she was mobilized with three of her sister ships into the 9th Battle Squadron, though by January 1915 she was again withdrawn from front-line service. In September her main guns were removed to arm a pair of monitors. Victorious was subsequently used as a repair ship. After the end of the war she was renamed Indus II; plans to use her as a harbor ship were cancelled and, in April 1923, she was sold for scrap.