1 9 1 6
May Contractors Trials and
commissioned for Trials.
Build completion
and commenced Acceptance Trials.
Joined Grand
Fleet at Scapa Flow.
31st Took part in the
Battle of Jutland.
Obtained several
hits on German battleship DERFFLINGER.
(Note: Ships must
have been in poor state of preparation for war and been
working-up for service.)
June to December
Deployed with Grand
Fleet based at Scapa Flow.
1 9 1 7
Grand Fleet
deployment in continuation.
Flying platforms
fitted to B and X Turrets for trials of aircraft from major
warships.
1 9 1 8
Grand Fleet
deployment in continuation.
Took part in
escort of German warships into Scapa Flow for formal surrender
after end of hostilities in November.
(Note: Later some
of these ships were scuttled by their crews in Scapa Flow.)
1 9 1 9
Joined 2nd Battle
Squadron in Atlantic Fleet.
1 9 2 0 t o 1 9 2 1
Atlantic Fleet
deployment in continuation.
Deployed with
Atlantic Fleet.
1 9 2 2
January to
August
Atlantic Fleet service
in continuation.
Nominated for refit.
(Note: Refit had
been postponed as a result of Washington Treaty)
September Taken in hand for refit.
1 9 2 3
Under refit.
1 9 2 4
January to May
Under refit.
Harbour trials.
Trials personnel
joined.
June Refit completion.
Sea trials and
re-commissioning for Mediterranean Fleet service.
July to December
Mediterranean Fleet
deployment.
1 9 2 5 t o 1 9 2 6
Mediterranean
Fleet service in continuation.
Routine docking
and essential repairs in Malta (1926).
Visited Palestine
(October 1926).
1 9 2 7
Refit in UK
(March to June).
Resumed
Mediterranean service on completion.
1 9 2 8
Mediterranean
service in continuation.
Officer's court
martial.
Exercise and
visits programme (November-December).
1 9 2 9
Exercise and
visits programme including Italy (March).
Mediterranean
service in continuation.
Returned to UK to
re-commission (October).
Resumed
Mediterranean Fleet deployment.
1 9 3 0
January to August
Mediterranean service including Fleet exercises and visits
Spring and Summer Cruiser Visits and Exercise programme including Joint
exercises at
Gibraltar
with Home Fleet ships.
September Second
Summer Cruise
October
31st
Returned to Malta from Cruise
November to December
(Presumably deployed in Malta.)
1 9 3 1
January to February
Deployed
in Malta
March
14th Sailed
for Gibraltar
19th
Carried out exercises with Home Fleet ships.
April
4th Took passage to Marseilles.
6th Arrived at Marseilles
7th Visited St Raphael, France
14th
Visited Golfe Juan, France
21st
Passage to Malta
24th
Returned to Malta.
May
Deployed in Malta
June Sailed
from Malta to refit and re-commission
July to September
Under
refit.
October to December
Re-commissioned during refit
Carried out post refit harbour and sea trials
1 9 3 2 to 1 9 3 3
Mediterranean Fleet service in continuation
Nominated for major refit and modernisation
1 9 3 4
January to April
Deployed with
Mediterranean Fleet based in Malta.
May Passage to Devonport
for refit.
Paid-off and
taken in hand for modernisation by HM Dockyard, Devonport.
June to
December
Taken in hand (June).
(Note: Work done included:
Fitting of
improved bulge system for protection against submarine torpedo attack.
Installation of
improved secondary armament for AA defence
Improved armour
protection.
Redesign of
bridge structure.
Removal of
submerged torpedo tubes and fit of four torpedo tube mountings on
upper deck.
Improved W/T
installation.
Fit of new
catapult on X Turret.)
1 9 3 5
Under dockyard
control.
(Note: This ship
was the most fully modernised of the Class.)
Suspected
sabotage inquiry (December 1935)
1 9 3 6
January to July
Under dockyard control.
Post refit trials.
August Re-commissioned for
service in Mediterranean.
September to October
Trials and shakedown in
Home waters.
Flagship of 2nd Battleship
Squadron (October).
November to December
Home waters deployment.
1 9 3 7
January
19th Took
passage to Gibraltar to resume Mediterranean Fleet service.
24th
Arrived at Gibraltar.
31st
Deployed at Gibraltar for joint Fleet exercises
February On
completion sailed from Gibraltar for visit to Palma, Majorca.
14th Sailed
from Majorca for Valencia, Spain.
(Not : Involved in Spanish civil war incident and came under air attack.
25th Return
passage to Gibraltar.
March Deployed
at Gibraltar.
18th Sailed
from Gibraltar on 18th for passage to Plymouth
22nd Arrived
at Plymouth.
April
24th Sailed
from Plymouth for visit to Bay of Biscay ports.
(Note : This was part of National policy to provide defence for British flagged
mercantiles
and to enforce blockade.
26th At La
Rochelle, France
27th At St
Jean de Luz on 27th.
(Note : These ports were near Spanish border)
May
4th At St
Jean de Luz.
7th At St
Jean de Luz.
10th At La
Pallice, France.
15th At St
Jean de Luz.
19th At St
Jean de Luz
20th At St
Jean de Luz.
23rd At La
Pallice on 23rd
24th Sailed
for Bay of Biscay patrol
27th At St
Jean de Luz
29th At St
Jane de Luz
31st At St
Jean de Luz.
June
Carried out Bay of Biscay patrol.
1st
Called at La Pallice
2nd Sailed
for Plymouth.
4th
Returned to Plymouth.
July to December
Visited Liverpool.
Home Fleet deployment.
1 9 3 8
January to November
Deployed
in Home Fleet
Took
part in Exercises and Visits Programmes
Carried body
of Queen Maud of Norway back to Oslo.
December
Re-commissioned for Home Fleet Service.
1 9 3 9
January to August
Home Fleet deployment in
continuation.
Took part in Exercise and
visits programme.
Based at Rosyth and war station nominated.
D e t a i l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
September
1st Arrived
at Scapa Flow.
4th Deployed for patrol and search in North Sea and Western Approaches with Home Fleet.
6th Returned to Scapa
Flow
October Took part in search for German
battle cruiser GNEISENAU with Home Fleet.
14th Hit by torpedo fired from U47 whilst at anchor in Scapa Flow and 18 minutes later by two
more torpedoes from same submarine.
Rolled over and sank about 30 minutes after first
torpedo hit.
786 of her ships company lost their lives in this
disaster. (Casualty
List -
note
on casualties)
(Note: For details see Report of Official Enquiry,
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
by Corelli Barnett and HITLERS U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.)
