HMS Iron Duke was a
battleshipA battleship is a large, heavily armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest caliber of guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers or destroyers. There are currently no battleships in service....
of the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
, the
lead shipThe lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. Almost always, this is only applicable for military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of
her classThe Iron Duke-class was a group of four dreadnought battleships built for the British Royal Navy before the First World War. The class comprised four ships: , , , and...
, named in honour of
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, KP, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century....
. She served as the
flagshipA flagship is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, a designation given on account of being either the largest, fastest, newest, most heavily armed or, for publicity purposes, the best known. In military terms, it is a ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships...
of the Grand Fleet during the
First World WarWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, including at the
Battle of JutlandThe Battle of Jutland ; informally known by participants as Der Tag , was the largest naval battle of World War I, and the only full-scale clash of battleships in that war...
. For the majority of the Great War, she was based with the rest of the Grand Fleet at
Scapa Flowright|thumb|250px|Scapa Flow, viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy...
, Scotland.
Iron Duke was launched on 12 October 1912 at
PortsmouthPortsmouth is a city located in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is the United Kingdom's only island city and is located on Portsea Island. The City of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Football Club are both nicknamed Pompey...
, England, the first of
her classThe Iron Duke-class was a group of four dreadnought battleships built for the British Royal Navy before the First World War. The class comprised four ships: , , , and...
. After
commissioningShip commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
, she joined the
Home FleetThe Home Fleet is the traditional name of the fleet of the Royal Navy that protects the United Kingdom's territorial waters.-Pre-First World War:...
as the flagship of Admiral Sir
George CallaghanAdmiral of the Fleet Sir George Astley Callaghan GCB GCVO entered the British Royal Navy as a cadet in 1865...
. Shortly before the beginning of hostilities, Callaghan was relieved by Admiral Sir
John JellicoeAdmiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO was a British Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I. His handling of the fleet at Jutland remains controversial...
, who made Iron Duke the flagship of the newly organized Grand Fleet.
Her only major combat service during the First World War came in the
Battle of JutlandThe Battle of Jutland ; informally known by participants as Der Tag , was the largest naval battle of World War I, and the only full-scale clash of battleships in that war...
on 31 May 1916, where she served in the
Fourth Battle SquadronThe British Royal Navy 4th Battle Squadron was a squadron consisting of battleships. The 4th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During World War I the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet...
. She delivered a number of significant shell hits on the German battleship
SMS KönigSMS König
["SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German.] was the first of four König class dreadnought battleships of the German Kaiserliche Marine during World War I...
, at the point when the two main fleets collided.
She later became the flagship for a short time of Admiral Sir
David BeattyAdmiral of the Fleet David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy. Achieving career success at an early age, he commanded the British battlecruisers at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, a tactically indecisive engagement after which his aggressive approach was...
when he assumed command of the Grand Fleet in late 1916, although he soon moved his flag to .
After the war, she was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, where she again served as flagship, this time for Admiral Sir
John de RobeckAdmiral of the Fleet Sir John Michael de Robeck, 1st Baronet GCB, GCMG, GCVO was an admiral in the British Royal Navy who commanded the Allied naval force in the Dardanelles during World War I....
. She served with the Mediterranean and Atlantic Fleets until she was paid off in 1929.
In 1931, after the
London Naval TreatyThe London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed on April 22, 1930, which regulated submarine warfare and limited naval shipbuilding.-Conference:...
, Iron Duke was disarmed and she served as a gunnery training vessel. "B" and "Y"
turretA gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.A turret is a rotating weapon platform...
s and the
torpedo tubeA torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes in a horizontal direction.There are two main types of torpedo tube:*Those designed to operate below water level, as fitted to submarines and some surface ships...
s were removed, two
AAAnti-aircraft warfare, or air defence, is any method of engaging hostile military aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces or denial of passage through a specific airspace region, area or anti-aircraft combat zone...
guns were mounted and another AA gun was mounted in place of the "B" turret. In 1939, another twin turret was mounted at the "X" turret.
During the
Second World WarWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she was used as a base ship at Scapa Flow, where she was forced to beach during an air attack in 1939. She was refloated and saw continued service until the conclusion of hostilities. She was sold in 1946 as scrap, and broken up in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 1948. Iron Duke
s bell is on display at Winchester CathedralWinchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe. It is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun and is the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and...
. A wide variety of domestic nick-nacks made of teak from Iron Duke
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HMS_Iron_Duke_Barrel.JPG are sold to the public.
External links
Iron Duke photo gallery