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HMS Irresistible (1898)
Encyclopedia
HMS Irresistible—the fourth British Royal Navy
ship of the name—was a pre-dreadnought battleship.
on 11 April 1898 and launched on 15 December 1898 in a very incomplete state to clear the building ways for the construction of battleship . Irresistible was completed in October 1901.
Irresistible had the same-calibre armament and was similar in appearance to the Majestic-
and Canopus- class
es that preceded her. She and her sister ships are often described as improved Majestics, but in design they were effectively enlarged Canopuses. The Canopus class employed Krupp armour in their construction; this possessed greater strength for a given weight compared to that of the Majestics Harvey armour
, allowing the Canopuses to be lighter and faster without sacrificing protection; however, in Irresistible, Krupp armour was used to improve protection without reducing the size of the ship. Irresistible thus was larger than the ships of the two preceding classes, and enjoyed greater protection than the Majestics and the higher speed of the Canopuses. Irresistibles armour scheme was similar to that of the Canopuses, although the armour belt
ran all the way to the stern
being 215 ft (65.5 m) long, 15 ft (4.6 m) deep and 9 in (22.9 cm) thick. It tapered at the stem to 3 in (7.6 cm) thick and 12 ft (3.7 m) deep, and at the stern to 1.5 in (3.8 cm) thick and 8 ft (2.4 m) deep. The main battery turret
s had 10 in (25.4 cm) of Krupp armour on their sides and 8 in (20.3 cm) on their backs.
Irresistible improved on the main and secondary armament of previous classes, being upgunned from 35- to 40-cal 12 in (304.8 mm) guns and from 40- to 45-cal 6 in (152.4 mm) guns. The 12 in (304.8 mm) guns could be loaded at any bearing and elevation, and had a split hoist with a working chamber beneath the turrets to reduce the chance of a cordite
fire spreading from the turrets to the shell and powder handling rooms and to the magazines.
Irresistible had an improved hull form that endowed better handling at high speeds than the Majestics and inward-turning screws which allowed reduced fuel consumption and slightly higher speeds than in previous classes, but at the expense of reduced maneuverability at low speeds.
With the appearance of the new dreadnought
-type battleships and battlecruiser
s beginning in 1906, predreadnoughts such as Irresistible were outclassed; however, they still performed some front-line duties during the early part of the First World War
.
on 4 February 1902 for Mediterranean Fleet
service and relieved turret ship
as guard ship at Gibraltar
. She suffered two mishaps during her years in the Mediterranean, colliding with the Norwegian
merchant steamer while steaming in fog on 3 March 1902, sustaining considerable side-plate damage, and running aground at Malta
on 5 October 1905. She underwent a refit a Malta after her grounding, and a second refit there from October 1907-January 1908.
In April 1908, Irresistible transferred to the Channel Fleet
, where she collided with a schooner
while steaming in fog on 4 May 1908, suffering no damage. She was assigned to the Nore Division in 1909, and was reduced to a nucleus crew in May 1910. Her Channel Fleet service ended on 1 June 1910, when she paid off at Chatham Dockyard for a refit.
Her refit completed, Irresistible commissioned at Chatham on 28 February 1911 to serve in the 3rd Division, Home Fleet, at the Nore
. In 1912, she was assigned to the 5th Battle Squadron
.
under the Channel Fleet. Irresistible covered the landing of the Plymouth Marine Battalion at Ostend
, Belgium
, on 25 August, and thereafter covered the occupation.
In October-November 1914, Irresistible was temporarily attached to the Dover Patrol
. Her duties included bombardment of German Army
forces along the Belgian coast in support of Allied troops fighting on the front. On 3 November, she was dettached to support East Coast Patrols during the Gorleston Raid. Irresistible returned to the Channel Fleet later in November 1914.
The 5th Battle Squadron transferred to Sheerness
on 14 November to guard against a possible German invasion. The squadron transferred back to Portland on 30 December.
for service in the Dardanelles Campaign
, serving as flagship
of the British Dardanelles Squadron until March 1915. She took part in the opening bombardment of the Turkish
forts guarding the entrance to the Dardanelles on 18–19 February, as well as later bombardments of the entrance forts and Narrows
forts. While supporting the initial landings, she knocked out two 9.4 in (238.8 mm) guns at Fort Orkanieh on 25 February.
Irresistible relieved the battleship as second flagship of the British squadron on 28 February, continuing this duty until 6 March. In early March, she again supported landings.
s to intercept this manoeuvre. Irresistible was badly damaged when she struck one of these mines at about 16:16 local time. The starboard engine room flooded very rapidly, killing all but three of the men on duty there, and then the midship bulkhead collapsed, causing the port engine room to flood and leaving Irresistible without power, listing to starboard, and down by the stern. She drifted helplessly into range of Turkish guns, which laid down a heavy fire on her. Her main gun turrets began to fail, and she was obscured by smoke and spray.
_survivors_on_hms_agamemnon_(1906)_quarterdeck_march_1915.jpg)
All the crew, except for the captain and a few volunteers, were transferred to destroyer , which then transferred them to battleship . Battleship was sent to bring Irresistible under tow, but Ocean temporarily grounded, and Irresistible continued to drift nearer the shore. Towing Irresistible clear proved out of the question because of her list, heavy enemy fire, and the shallowness of the water. Ocean rescued the remaining men from Irresistible, which was left to her fate, abandoned and adrift. Ocean herself struck a mine at about 18:05 while withdrawing, was abandoned at around 19:30, and herself sank without loss of life, unobserved by Allied forces, at around 22:30.
That evening, the destroyer entered the Dardanelles to torpedo and sink the two abandoned battleships to prevent their capture in case they had remained afloat, but could find no sign of them. The Turks reported that the derelict Irresistible had drifted closer to shore and suffered further severe damage from their shore batteries before sinking at about 19:30.
Irresistibles crew suffered about 150 casualties during her sinking.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ship of the name—was a pre-dreadnought battleship.
Technical characteristics
HMS Irresistible was laid down at Chatham DockyardChatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
on 11 April 1898 and launched on 15 December 1898 in a very incomplete state to clear the building ways for the construction of battleship . Irresistible was completed in October 1901.
Irresistible had the same-calibre armament and was similar in appearance to the Majestic-
Majestic class battleship
The Majestic class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships, built under the Spencer Programme of 8 December 1893, that sought to counter the growing naval strength of France and the Russian Empire...
and Canopus- class
Canopus class battleship
The Canopus class was a group of six pre-dreadnought battleships of the Royal Navy which were designed by Sir William White for use in the Far East and entered service between 1899 and 1902. The lead ship was which was followed by , , , and...
es that preceded her. She and her sister ships are often described as improved Majestics, but in design they were effectively enlarged Canopuses. The Canopus class employed Krupp armour in their construction; this possessed greater strength for a given weight compared to that of the Majestics Harvey armour
Harvey armor
Harvey armor was a type of steel armor developed in the early 1890s in which the front surfaces of the plates were case hardened. The method for doing this was known as the Harvey process....
, allowing the Canopuses to be lighter and faster without sacrificing protection; however, in Irresistible, Krupp armour was used to improve protection without reducing the size of the ship. Irresistible thus was larger than the ships of the two preceding classes, and enjoyed greater protection than the Majestics and the higher speed of the Canopuses. Irresistibles armour scheme was similar to that of the Canopuses, although the armour belt
Belt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
ran all the way to the stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
being 215 ft (65.5 m) long, 15 ft (4.6 m) deep and 9 in (22.9 cm) thick. It tapered at the stem to 3 in (7.6 cm) thick and 12 ft (3.7 m) deep, and at the stern to 1.5 in (3.8 cm) thick and 8 ft (2.4 m) deep. The main battery turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount 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.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
s had 10 in (25.4 cm) of Krupp armour on their sides and 8 in (20.3 cm) on their backs.
Irresistible improved on the main and secondary armament of previous classes, being upgunned from 35- to 40-cal 12 in (304.8 mm) guns and from 40- to 45-cal 6 in (152.4 mm) guns. The 12 in (304.8 mm) guns could be loaded at any bearing and elevation, and had a split hoist with a working chamber beneath the turrets to reduce the chance of a cordite
Cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom from 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. Like gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates and consequently low brisance...
fire spreading from the turrets to the shell and powder handling rooms and to the magazines.
Irresistible had an improved hull form that endowed better handling at high speeds than the Majestics and inward-turning screws which allowed reduced fuel consumption and slightly higher speeds than in previous classes, but at the expense of reduced maneuverability at low speeds.
With the appearance of the new dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
-type battleships and battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
s beginning in 1906, predreadnoughts such as Irresistible were outclassed; however, they still performed some front-line duties during the early part of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Pre-World War I
Irresistible commissioned at Chatham DockyardChatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
on 4 February 1902 for Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
service and relieved turret ship
Turret ship
Turret ships were a 19th century type of warship, the earliest to have their guns mounted in a revolving gun turret, instead of a broadside arrangement....
as guard ship at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. She suffered two mishaps during her years in the Mediterranean, colliding with the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
merchant steamer while steaming in fog on 3 March 1902, sustaining considerable side-plate damage, and running aground at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
on 5 October 1905. She underwent a refit a Malta after her grounding, and a second refit there from October 1907-January 1908.
In April 1908, Irresistible transferred to the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
, where she collided with a schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
while steaming in fog on 4 May 1908, suffering no damage. She was assigned to the Nore Division in 1909, and was reduced to a nucleus crew in May 1910. Her Channel Fleet service ended on 1 June 1910, when she paid off at Chatham Dockyard for a refit.
Her refit completed, Irresistible commissioned at Chatham on 28 February 1911 to serve in the 3rd Division, Home Fleet, at the Nore
Nore
The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary, England. It marks the point where the River Thames meets the North Sea, roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point in Kent....
. In 1912, she was assigned to the 5th Battle Squadron
British 5th Battle Squadron
The British 5th Battle Squadron was a squadron consisting of battleships. The 5th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During the First World War, the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet.-August 1914:...
.
World War I
When the First World War began in August 1914, the 5th Battle Squadron was based at Portland and assigned to patrol duties in the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
under the Channel Fleet. Irresistible covered the landing of the Plymouth Marine Battalion at Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, on 25 August, and thereafter covered the occupation.
In October-November 1914, Irresistible was temporarily attached to the Dover Patrol
Dover Patrol
The Dover Patrol was a Royal Navy command of the First World War, notable for its involvement in the Zeebrugge Raid on 22 April 1918. The Dover Patrol formed a discrete unit of the Royal Navy based at Dover and Dunkirk for the duration of the First World War...
. Her duties included bombardment of German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
forces along the Belgian coast in support of Allied troops fighting on the front. On 3 November, she was dettached to support East Coast Patrols during the Gorleston Raid. Irresistible returned to the Channel Fleet later in November 1914.
The 5th Battle Squadron transferred to Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
on 14 November to guard against a possible German invasion. The squadron transferred back to Portland on 30 December.
Dardanelles campaign
On 1 February 1915, Irresistible transferred to the DardanellesDardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
for service in the Dardanelles Campaign
Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign
The naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign of the First World War were mainly carried out by the Royal Navy with substantial support from the French and minor contributions from Russia and Australia. The Dardanelles Campaign began as a purely naval operation...
, serving as flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the British Dardanelles Squadron until March 1915. She took part in the opening bombardment of the Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
forts guarding the entrance to the Dardanelles on 18–19 February, as well as later bombardments of the entrance forts and Narrows
Narrows
Narrows is a term for restricted land or water passages. Most commonly it refers to a strait, though it can also refer to a water gap....
forts. While supporting the initial landings, she knocked out two 9.4 in (238.8 mm) guns at Fort Orkanieh on 25 February.
Irresistible relieved the battleship as second flagship of the British squadron on 28 February, continuing this duty until 6 March. In early March, she again supported landings.
Loss
On 18 March, Irresistible participated in the main bombardment of the Narrows (where the waterway narrows to one mile in width) forts of Çanakkale and Kilitbahir. The Turks had previously noted that the British ships turned to starboard into Erin Keui bay when withdrawing, and had laid a line of naval mineNaval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
s to intercept this manoeuvre. Irresistible was badly damaged when she struck one of these mines at about 16:16 local time. The starboard engine room flooded very rapidly, killing all but three of the men on duty there, and then the midship bulkhead collapsed, causing the port engine room to flood and leaving Irresistible without power, listing to starboard, and down by the stern. She drifted helplessly into range of Turkish guns, which laid down a heavy fire on her. Her main gun turrets began to fail, and she was obscured by smoke and spray.
That evening, the destroyer entered the Dardanelles to torpedo and sink the two abandoned battleships to prevent their capture in case they had remained afloat, but could find no sign of them. The Turks reported that the derelict Irresistible had drifted closer to shore and suffered further severe damage from their shore batteries before sinking at about 19:30.
Irresistibles crew suffered about 150 casualties during her sinking.