HMS King Edward VII

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HMS King Edward VII

HMS King Edward VII, named after King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom

Edward VII was Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910....
, was the lead ship of the King Edward VII class
King Edward VII class battleship

The King Edward VII class was a Ship class of predreadnought battleships launched by the Royal Navy between 1903 and 1905....
of British
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-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 1940s....
predreadnought battleship
Battleship

A battleship is a large, heavily armour warship with a main artillery battery consisting of the largest calibre of guns. Battleships were larger, better armed, and better armored than cruisers and destroyers....
s.

Technical Characteristics
HMS King Edward VII was laid down at Devonport Dockyard
HMNB Devonport

Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three UK operating bases for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, Devon, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England....
on 8 March 1902. She was launched by King Edward VII on 23 July 1903, and completed in February 1905.

Although King Edward VII and her seven sister ships of the King Edward VII class
King Edward VII class battleship

The King Edward VII class was a Ship class of predreadnought battleships launched by the Royal Navy between 1903 and 1905....
were a direct descendant of the Majestic class
Majestic class battleship

The Majestic class was a ship class of predreadnought battleships, built under the Spencer Programme of 8 December 1893, which sought to counter the growing naval strength of France and the Russian Empire....
, they were also the first class to make a significant departure from the Majestic design, displacing about 1,000 tons more and mounting for the first time an intermediate battery of four 9.2-inch (234-mm) guns in addition to the standard outfit of 6-inch (152-mm) guns.

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HMS King Edward VII, named after King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom

Edward VII was Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910....
, was the lead ship of the King Edward VII class
King Edward VII class battleship

The King Edward VII class was a Ship class of predreadnought battleships launched by the Royal Navy between 1903 and 1905....
of British
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-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 1940s....
predreadnought battleship
Battleship

A battleship is a large, heavily armour warship with a main artillery battery consisting of the largest calibre of guns. Battleships were larger, better armed, and better armored than cruisers and destroyers....
s.

Technical Characteristics

HMS King Edward VII was laid down at Devonport Dockyard
HMNB Devonport

Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three UK operating bases for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, Devon, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England....
on 8 March 1902. She was launched by King Edward VII on 23 July 1903, and completed in February 1905.

Although King Edward VII and her seven sister ships of the King Edward VII class
King Edward VII class battleship

The King Edward VII class was a Ship class of predreadnought battleships launched by the Royal Navy between 1903 and 1905....
were a direct descendant of the Majestic class
Majestic class battleship

The Majestic class was a ship class of predreadnought battleships, built under the Spencer Programme of 8 December 1893, which sought to counter the growing naval strength of France and the Russian Empire....
, they were also the first class to make a significant departure from the Majestic design, displacing about 1,000 tons more and mounting for the first time an intermediate battery of four 9.2-inch (234-mm) guns in addition to the standard outfit of 6-inch (152-mm) guns. The 9.2-inch was a quick-firing gun like the 6-inch, and its heavier shell made it a formidable weapon by the standards of the day when King Edward VII and her sisters were designed; it was adopted out of concerns that British battleships were undergunned for their displacement and were becoming outgunned by foreign battleships that had begun to mount 8-inch (203-mm) intermediate batteries. The four 9.2-inch were mounted in single turrets abreast the foremast and mainmast, and King Edward VII thus could bring two of them to bear on either broadside. Even then, King Edward VII and her sisters were criticized for not having, a uniform secondary battery of 9.2-inch guns, something considered but rejected because of the length of time it would have taken to design the ships with such a radical revision of the secondary armament layout. In the end, it proved impossible to distinguish 12-inch and 9.2-inch shell splashes from one another, making fire control impractical for ships mounting both calibers, although King Edward VII had fire-control platforms on her fore- and mainmasts rather than the fighting tops of earlier classes.

Like all British battleships since the Majestic class, the King Edward VII-class ships had four 12-inch (305-mm) guns in two twin turrets (one forward and one aft), the first five King Edwards, including King Edward VII herself, mounted the Mark IX 12-inch gun. Mounting of the 6-inch guns in casemate
Casemate

A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress....
s was abandoned in King Edward VII and her sister ships, the 6-inch instead being placed in a central battery amidships protected by 7-inch (178-mm) armored walls. Otherwise, King Edward VII's armor was much as in the London class
Formidable class battleship

The Royal Navy's Formidable class of battleships were an eight-ship class of predreadnoughts designed by William Henry White and built in the late 1890s....
battleships, although there were various differences in detail from the Londons.

King Edward VII and her sisters were the first British battleships with balanced rudders since the 1870s and were very maneuverable, with a tactical diameter of 340 yards (311 m) at 15 knots (27.75 km/h). However, they were difficult to keep on a straight course, and this characteristic led to them being nicknamed "the Wobbly Eight" during their 1914-1916 service in the Grand Fleet. They had a slightly faster roll than previous British battleship classes, but were good gun platforms, although very wet in bad weather.

Primarily powered by coal, King Edward VII had oil sprayers installed during her construction, as did all of her sisters except HMS New Zealand
HMS New Zealand (1904)

HMS New Zealand was a King Edward VII class battleship battleship of the Royal Navy. Like all ships of the class she was named after an important part of the British Empire, namely New Zealand....
, the first time this had been done in British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
battleships. These allowed steam pressure to be rapidly increased, improving King Edward VII's acceleration. The eight ships between them were given four different boiler installations for comparative purposes; King Edward VII's is variously reported to have had 10 Babcock and Wilcox
Babcock and Wilcox

The Babcock & Wilcox Company is an United States firm engaged in the design, engineering, manufacture, service and construction of power generation and pollution control systems and equipment for Public utility and industries....
boilers and six cylindrical boilers or 10 Babcock and Wilcox
Babcock and Wilcox

The Babcock & Wilcox Company is an United States firm engaged in the design, engineering, manufacture, service and construction of power generation and pollution control systems and equipment for Public utility and industries....
boilers and three cylindrical boilers.She exceeded her designed speed on trials.

King Edward VII was a powerful ship when she was designed, and completely fulfilled the goals set for her at that time. However, she was unlucky in that the years of her design and construction were ones of revolutionary advancement in naval guns, fire control, armor, and propulsion. She joined the fleet in early 1905, but was made obsolete in less than two years by the commissioning of the revolutionary battleship at the end of 1906 and the large numbers of the new dreadnought
Dreadnought

Dreadnought may refer to:* Dreadnought, a type of battleship of the early 20th century, following the launch of the HMS Dreadnought in 1906...
battleships that commissioned in succeeding years. By 1914, King Edward VII and her sister ships were, like all predreadnoughts, so outclassed that they spent much of their 1914-1916 Grand Fleet service steaming at the heads of divisions of the far more valuable dreadnoughts, protecting the dreadnoughts from naval mines by being the first battleships to either sight or strike them.

Operational History

King Edward VII consented to having King Edward VII carry his name on the condition that she always serve as a flagship
Flagship

A 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 most well known....
. The Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-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 1940s....
honored this wish throughout her career.

HMS King Edward VII commissioned on 7 February 1905 at Devonport Dockyard
HMNB Devonport

Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three UK operating bases for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, Devon, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England....
for service as Flagship, Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function....
, Atlantic Fleet
British Atlantic Fleet

The Atlantic Fleet was a major fleet formation of the Royal Navy.There have been two main formations in the Royal Navy officially called the Atlantic Fleet....
. She underwent a refit in 1906-1907. Her Atlantic Fleet service ended when she paid off at Portsmouth Dockyard on 4 March 1907.

On 5 March 1907, King Edward VII recommissioned as flagship of Admiral
Admiral

Admiral is the military rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral....
Lord Charles Beresford
Lord Charles Beresford

Charles William de la Poer Beresford, 1st Baron Beresford Order of the Bath Royal Victorian Order , known as Lord Charles Beresford until 1916, was a United Kingdom Admiral and Member of Parliament....
, Commander-in-Chief, Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet

The Channel Fleet is the historical name used for the group of Royal Navy warships that defended the waters of the English Channel.Various fleets of Royal Navy ships have operated in the channel since the 16th century to fight the Spanish Armada in 1588 or the Netherlands invasion fleet that brought William III of England to England in 168...
. She underwent another refit at Portsmouth in 1907-1908.

Under a fleet reorganization on 24 March 1909, the Channel Fleet became the 2nd Division, Home Fleet. Accordingly, King Edward VII recommissioned as Flagship, Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral

Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. A Vice Admiral is typically senior to a Rear Admiral and junior to an Admiral....
, Home Fleet on 27 March 1909. She underwent a refit at Portsmouth from December 1909 to February 1910. She recommissioned at Portsmouth on 1 August 1911 as Flagship, Vice Admiral, Third and Fourth Divisions, Home Fleet.

Under a fleet reorganization in May 1912, King Edward VII and all seven of her sisters of the King Edward VII class (Africa
HMS Africa (1905)

The most recent HMS Africa was a predreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. She was the penultimate ship of the King Edward VII class battleship....
, Britannia
HMS Britannia (1904)

The sixth HMS Britannia of the British Royal Navy was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the King Edward VII class battleship. Like all ships of the class she was named after an important part of the British Empire, namely Britannia, the Roman Empire name for Great Britain....
, Commonwealth
HMS Commonwealth (1903)

HMS Commonwealth, was a of the British Royal Navy. Like all ships of the class she was named after an important part of the British Empire, namely the Commonwealth of Australia....
, Dominion
HMS Dominion (1903)

HMS Dominion was a of the Royal Navy. Like all ships of the class she was named after an important part of the British Empire, namely the Dominion of Canada....
, Hibernia
HMS Hibernia (1905)

HMS Hibernia was a King Edward VII class battleship predreadnought battleship of United Kingdom's Royal Navy. Like all ships of the class she was named after an important part of the British Empire, namely Ireland....
, Hindustan
HMS Hindustan (1903)

HMS Hindustan was a King Edward VII class battleship pre-dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy . Like all ships of the class she was named after an important part of the British Empire, namely the Indian Empire....
, and Zealandia
HMS New Zealand (1904)

HMS New Zealand was a King Edward VII class battleship battleship of the Royal Navy. Like all ships of the class she was named after an important part of the British Empire, namely New Zealand....
) were assigned to form the 3rd Battle Squadron
3rd Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)

The Royal Navy 3rd Battle Squadron was a squadron consisting of Battleships. The 3rd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet....
, assigned to the First Fleet, Home Fleet. King Edward VII commissioned at 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....
as Flagship, Vice Admiral, 3rd Battle Squadron, First Fleet, Home Fleet, on 14 May 1912.

The 3rd Battle Squadron was detached to the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
in November 1912 because of the First Balkan War
First Balkan War

The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, and achieved rapid success....
(October 1912-May 1913); it arrived at Malta
Malta

Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....
on 27 November 1912 and subsequently participated in a blockade
Blockade

A blockade is an effort to cut off the communications of a particular area, by force. It is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually directed at an entire country or region, not a fortress or city....
by an international force of Montenegro
Montenegro

Montenegro , Montenegrin language/Serbian language: ???? ????, Crna Gora , ) is a country located in Balkans. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south....
and in an occupation of Scutari. The squadron returned to the United Kingdom in 1913 and rejoined the Home Fleet on 27 June 1913

Upon the outbreak of World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, the 3rd Battle Squadron was assigned to the Grand Fleet and based at Rosyth
Rosyth

Rosyth is a town with a population of approx 15,000 located on the Firth of Forth on Scotland's east coast, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline....
, with King Edward VII continuing her service as squadron flagship. The squadron was used to supplement the Grand Fleet's cruiser
Cruiser

A cruiser is a large type of warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. The first cruisers were intended for individual raiding and protection missions on the seas....
s on the Northern Patrol. On 2 November 1914, the squadron was detached to reinforce the Channel Fleet and was rebased at Portland. The squadron returned to the Grand Fleet on 13 November 1914, although King Edward VII remained behind temporarily, not returning to the Grand Fleet until 30 November 1914.

King Edward VII served in the Grand Fleet until her loss in January 1916. During sweeps by the fleet, she and her sister ships often steamed at the heads of divisions of the far more valuable dreadnought
Dreadnought

Dreadnought may refer to:* Dreadnought, a type of battleship of the early 20th century, following the launch of the HMS Dreadnought in 1906...
s, where they could protect the dreadnoughts by watching for mines or by being the first to strike them.

On 6 January 1916, King Edward VII, having transferred her flag temporarily, departed Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow

Scapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Orkney Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy....
at 0712 hours on a voyage around the northern coast of Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
to Belfast
Belfast

Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of Devolution#United Kingdom Northern Ireland Executive and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland....
, where she was scheduled to undergo a refit. At 1047 hours she struck a mine
Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy 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 ship....
that had been laid by the German auxiliary cruiser SMS Möwe off Cape Wrath
Cape Wrath

Cape Wrath is a Headlands and bays in Sutherland, Highland , in northern Scotland. It is the most northwesterly point on the island of Great Britain....
. The explosion
Explosion

An explosion is a sudden increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases....
occurred under the starboard engine room, and King Edward VII listed eight degrees to starboard. Her commanding officer, Captain MacLachlin, ordered her helm put over to starboard to close the coast and beach the ship if necessary, but the helm jammed hard to starboard and the engine rooms quickly flooded, stopping the engines. Counterflooding reduced her list to five degrees.

Signals to the passing collier
Collier

Collier or Colliers may refer to:Coal industry*Colliery, coal mining and selling*Collier , a bulk cargo ship which carried coal...
Princess Melita induced her to close with King Edward VII and attempt to tow the battleship; soon flotilla leader
Flotilla leader

A flotilla leader was a warship suitable for commanding a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships, typically a small cruiser or a large destroyer ....
HMS Kempfenfelt also arrived and joined the tow attempt. Towing began at 1415 hours, but King Edward VII settled deeper in the water and took on a 15-degee list in a rising sea and strong winds and proved unmanageable. Princess Melita's towline parted at 1440 hours, after which Captain MacLachlin ordered Kempfenfelt to slip her tow as well.

With flooding continuing and darkness approaching, Captain MacLachlin ordered King Edward VII abandoned. Destroyer
Destroyer

In navy terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a Naval fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers ....
Musketeer came alongside at 1445 hours, and she and destroyers Fortune
HMS Fortune (1913)

HMS Fortune was an Acasta class destroyer, and the twenty-first ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name. She was launched in 1913 and was sunk at the battle of Jutland in 1916....
and Marne, took off the crew without loss of life, the last man off being Captain MacLachlin, who boarded destroyer Nessus at 1610 hours. Fortune, Marne, and Musketeer departed to take the battleship's crew to port, while Nessus stayed on the scene until 1720 hours with tugs
Tugboat

A tugboat, or tug, is a boat used to maneuver, primarily by towing or pushing, other ships in harbors, over the open sea or through rivers and canals....
that had arrived to assist. After Nessus departed, the tugs continued to stand by, and saw King Edward VII capsize at 2010 hours and sink around nine hours after the explosion.

At the time it was not clear whether King Edward VII had hit a naval mine
Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy 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 ship....
or a been torpedo
Torpedo

Note: Prior to 1900, in naval usage "torpedo" could also refer to what today is called a naval mine. For that usage, see naval mine.The modern torpedo is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity t...
ed. The presence of the minefield was determined from an examination of German records after the war.

The wreck of King Edward VII, in 115 meters (377 ft) of water, was first visited by divers in April 1997.

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