HMS King Edward VII

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HMS King Edward VII was the lead ship of the King Edward VII class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the British Royal Navy. Named after King Edward VII, she represented a major step forward in firepower for British battleships, carrying four 12-inch guns and four 9.2-inch guns. She was built at Devonport Dockyard, laid down on 8 March 1902, launched on 23 July 1903 by Queen Alexandra, and completed in February 1905. She was commissioned on 7 February 1905 and served as a flagship in several fleets, starting with the Atlantic Fleet, then the Channel Fleet, and later the Home Fleet. By 1912 she was part of the 3rd Battle Squadron with her sister ships.

In terms of size and design, King Edward VII displaced about 15,600 tons normally and up to around 17,000 tons when fully loaded. She was about 454 feet long, with a beam of 75 feet and a draft of about 25.5 feet. Her propulsion came from two steam engines and sixteen boilers, giving roughly 18,000 indicated horsepower for a top speed of about 18.5 knots. She carried a crew of around 777 men.

Her armament included four 12-inch guns in twin turrets fore and aft, and four 9.2-inch guns in single turrets. She also had ten 6-inch guns, a number of smaller quick-firing guns for defense against torpedo boats, and four submerged torpedo tubes. The armour protected key areas with a belt around the hull and thick turret, barbette, and conning tower armour.

During World War I, King Edward VII served with the Grand Fleet, taking part in numerous North Sea patrols and operations. She fought in the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915 as part of the fleet’s efforts to control the sea lanes around Britain.

On 6 January 1916, while sailing to Belfast for a refit, King Edward VII struck a mine laid by the German auxiliary cruiser Möwe off Cape Wrath. Efforts to tow the ship failed as she listed, so she was abandoned. The destroyers and tugs that came to her aid rescued most of the crew, but the ship capsized and sank later that day. The loss was initially puzzling, as the existence of Möwe’s minefield was not known at the time, and it was not quickly recognized that the ship had struck a mine.