.gif)
HMS Formidable (1898)
Encyclopedia
HMS Formidable (1898)—the third of four ships of that name to serve in the Royal Navy
—was the lead ship of her class
of pre-dreadnought
battleship
s. She was the second British battleship to be sunk by enemy action during the First World War
. Despite reports of submarine activity, whilst on exercise in the English Channel
in 1914, she sank after being hit by two torpedo
es.
Formidable had the same-calibre armament and was similar in appearance to the Majestic-
and Canopus-class
es that preceded her. She and her sister ship
s are often described as improved Majestics, but in design they were effectively enlarged Canopuses. The Canopuses employed Krupp armour
in their construction, which possessed greater strength for a given weight compared to that of the Majestics Harvey armour
; this allowed the Canopuses to be lighter and faster without sacrificing protection. In Formidable, however, Krupp armour was used to improve protection without reducing the size of the ship. Formidable thus was larger than the ships of the two preceding classes, and enjoyed greater protection than the Majestics and the higher speed of the Canopus class. Formidables armour scheme was similar to that of the Canopus class, 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.
Formidable improved on the main and secondary armament of previous classes, being upgunned from 35- to 40-calibre 12 in (304.8 mm) guns and from 40- to 45-calibre 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.
Formidable 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 Formidable were outclassed; however, they still performed some front-line duties during the early part of the First World War.
. She began a refit at Malta
in 1904 which lasted until April 1905, and in April 1908 transferred to the Channel Fleet
. Paid off at Chatham Dockyard
on 17 August 1908, Formidable began another refit and recommissioned on 20 April 1909 for service in the 1st Division, Home Fleet stationed at the Nore
. On 29 May, she transferred to the Atlantic Fleet
.
In May 1912, Formidable was reduced to a nucleus crew and transferred to the 5th Battle Squadron
in the Second Fleet, Home Fleet, again at the Nore, where she served until the outbreak of war in August 1914. Hard steaming during this service led to her developing serious machinery problems.
. After covering the safe transportation of the British Expeditionary Force to France in August 1914, Formidable took part in the transportation of the Portsmouth
Marine
Battalion
to Ostend
on 25 August.
On 14 November, Formidable and the other ships of the 5th Battle Squadron were rebased at Sheerness
because of concern that a German invasion of Great Britain was in the offing. The squadron was relieved by Duncan-class battleship
s of the 6th Battle Squadron and transferred to Portland on 30 December.
Sir Lewis Bayly
, the 5th Battle Squadron spent 31 December participating in gunnery exercises off the Isle of Portland
, supported by the light cruiser
s and . After the exercises, that night the fleet remained at sea on patrol even though submarine
activity had been reported in the area. With rough sea conditions and the wind increasing, submarine attacks would have been difficult to carry out effectively and so were not thought to be a significant threat. Formidable was steaming at 10 kn (12.2 mph; 19.6 km/h) at the rear of the squadron off Portland Bill
just 20 nmi (23 mi; 37 km) from Start Point
, when at 02:20 on 1 January 1915 a torpedo
from struck the number one boiler
port side. It was thought that she might be saved by reaching the coast, but by about 02:40 she had taken a list of 20° to starboard and her commanding officer—Captain
Noel Loxley—gave the order to abandon ship. Darkness and worsening weather made it difficult to get the men and boats over the side; some small boats being thrown into the water upside down.
At about 03:05, Formidable was struck by a second torpedo on the starboard side. Amidst a 30 ft (9.1 m) swell the pinnace
s and launch
along with other boats (one of which capsized soon after) were launched, and the two light cruisers came alongside and managed to pick up 80 men in the deteriorating weather. By 04:45, she seemed in imminent danger of capsizing, and a few minutes later she rolled over onto many of the men in the water and sank quickly. Captain Loxley remained on the bridge
along with his Fox terrier
Bruce, calmly overseeing the evacuation of the ship.
In rough seas near Berry Head
, a Brixham
fishing trawler—Provident, under the command of Captain W. Piller—picked up the men from one pinnace before it sank, saving 71 members of the crew. The second pinnace took off another 70 men, of which 48 were brought ashore alive after it was eventually spotted from the shore the following night, 22 hours after the sinking. The total loss of life of Formidable was 35 officers (including Captain Loxley) and 512 men out of a total complement of 780. The body of Captain Loxley's dog, Bruce, a war dog
, washed ashore and was buried in a marked grave in Abbotsbury Gardens in Dorset
.
Formidable was the third British battleship to be sunk, and the second to be sunk by enemy action, during the First World War.
.
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...
—was the lead ship of her class
Formidable class battleship
The Royal Navy's Formidable class battleships was an eight-ship class of pre-dreadnoughts designed by Sir William White and built in the late 1890s...
of pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s. She was the second British battleship to be sunk by enemy action during 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...
. Despite reports of submarine activity, whilst on exercise in the English Channel
English 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...
in 1914, she sank after being hit by two torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es.
Technical characteristics
HMS Formidable was laid down at Portsmouth Dockyard on 21 March 1898 and launched on 17 November 1898. She was completed in September 1901, but due to difficulties with machinery contractors her readiness for service was delayed, and she was not commissioned for another three years.Formidable 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 ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
s are often described as improved Majestics, but in design they were effectively enlarged Canopuses. The Canopuses employed Krupp armour
Krupp armour
Krupp armour was a type of steel armour used in the construction of capital ships starting shortly before the end of the 19th century. It was developed by Germany's Krupp Arms Works in 1893 and quickly replaced Harvey armour as the primary method of protecting naval ships.The initial manufacturing...
in their construction, which 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....
; this allowed the Canopuses to be lighter and faster without sacrificing protection. In Formidable, however, Krupp armour was used to improve protection without reducing the size of the ship. Formidable thus was larger than the ships of the two preceding classes, and enjoyed greater protection than the Majestics and the higher speed of the Canopus class. Formidables armour scheme was similar to that of the Canopus class, although the armour belt 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.
Formidable improved on the main and secondary armament of previous classes, being upgunned from 35- to 40-calibre 12 in (304.8 mm) guns and from 40- to 45-calibre 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.
Formidable 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 Formidable were outclassed; however, they still performed some front-line duties during the early part of the First World War.
Pre-World War I
Formidable commissioned on 10 October 1904 at Portsmouth Dockyard for service in the Mediterranean FleetMediterranean Fleet (Royal Navy)
The British Mediterranean Fleet was part of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between the United Kingdom and the majority of the British Empire in the Eastern Hemisphere...
. She began a refit 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...
in 1904 which lasted until April 1905, and in April 1908 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...
. Paid off at Chatham Dockyard
Chatham 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 17 August 1908, Formidable began another refit and recommissioned on 20 April 1909 for service in the 1st Division, Home Fleet stationed 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....
. On 29 May, she transferred to the 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. The first was created in 1909 and lasted until 1914...
.
In May 1912, Formidable was reduced to a nucleus crew and transferred 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:...
in the Second Fleet, Home Fleet, again at the Nore, where she served until the outbreak of war in August 1914. Hard steaming during this service led to her developing serious machinery problems.
World War I
At the beginning of the First World War, Formidable and the 5th Battle Squadron were based at Portland and assigned to the Channel Fleet to defend 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...
. After covering the safe transportation of the British Expeditionary Force to France in August 1914, Formidable took part in the transportation of the Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
Marine
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
to 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....
on 25 August.
On 14 November, Formidable and the other ships of the 5th Battle Squadron were rebased 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....
because of concern that a German invasion of Great Britain was in the offing. The squadron was relieved by Duncan-class battleship
Duncan class battleship
The Duncan class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy. From 1889, Britain's “rank as a first-class power was bound up with its Mediterranean position” and these lightly armoured fast ships were intended to help meet combined Russian and French threats. Their period of...
s of the 6th Battle Squadron and transferred to Portland on 30 December.
Loss
Under the command of Channel Fleet Commander-in-Chief, AdmiralAdmiral
Admiral is the 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 . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Sir Lewis Bayly
Lewis Bayly (Royal Navy officer)
Sir Lewis Bayly , KCB, KCMG, CVO, was a British admiral during the First World War.-Early life:Bayly was born at Woolwich on 28 September 1857. He was a greatgreatnephew of Admiral Keats. Bayly joined the Royal Navy in 1870. He served in the Third Anglo-Ashanti War and against pirates in the Congo...
, the 5th Battle Squadron spent 31 December participating in gunnery exercises off the Isle of Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
, supported by the light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s and . After the exercises, that night the fleet remained at sea on patrol even though submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
activity had been reported in the area. With rough sea conditions and the wind increasing, submarine attacks would have been difficult to carry out effectively and so were not thought to be a significant threat. Formidable was steaming at 10 kn (12.2 mph; 19.6 km/h) at the rear of the squadron off Portland Bill
Portland Bill
Portland Bill is a narrow promontory of Portland stone, which forms the most southerly part of Isle of Portland, and therefore also the county of Dorset, England....
just 20 nmi (23 mi; 37 km) from Start Point
Start Point, Devon
Start Point is a promontory in the South Hams district. It is one of the most southerly points in Devon, England, . It marks the southern limit of Start Bay, which extends northwards to the estuary of the River Dart....
, when at 02:20 on 1 January 1915 a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
from struck the number one boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
port side. It was thought that she might be saved by reaching the coast, but by about 02:40 she had taken a list of 20° to starboard and her commanding officer—Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Noel Loxley—gave the order to abandon ship. Darkness and worsening weather made it difficult to get the men and boats over the side; some small boats being thrown into the water upside down.
At about 03:05, Formidable was struck by a second torpedo on the starboard side. Amidst a 30 ft (9.1 m) swell the pinnace
Pinnace (ship's boat)
As a ship's boat the pinnace is a light boat, propelled by sails or oars, formerly used as a "tender" for guiding merchant and war vessels. In modern parlance, pinnace has come to mean a boat associated with some kind of larger vessel, that doesn't fit under the launch or lifeboat definitions...
s and launch
Launch (boat)
A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding...
along with other boats (one of which capsized soon after) were launched, and the two light cruisers came alongside and managed to pick up 80 men in the deteriorating weather. By 04:45, she seemed in imminent danger of capsizing, and a few minutes later she rolled over onto many of the men in the water and sank quickly. Captain Loxley remained on the bridge
Bridge (ship)
The bridge of a ship is the room or platform from which the ship can be commanded. When a ship is underway the bridge is manned by an OOW aided usually by an AB acting as lookout...
along with his Fox terrier
Fox Terrier
Fox Terrier refers primarily to two different breeds of the terrier dog type: the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier. Both of these breeds originated in the 19th century from a handful of dogs who are descended from earlier varieties of British terriers, and are related to other modern...
Bruce, calmly overseeing the evacuation of the ship.
In rough seas near Berry Head
Berry Head
Berry Head is a coastal headland at the southern end of Torbay, to the southeast of Brixham, Devon, England.-National Nature Reserve:Berry Head to Sharkham Point is a haven for several nationally rare and threatened species which are dependent upon the thin limestone soils, mild climate and exposed...
, a Brixham
Brixham
Brixham is a small fishing town and civil parish in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Brixham is at the southern end of Torbay, across the bay from Torquay, and is a fishing port. Fishing and tourism are its major industries. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of...
fishing trawler—Provident, under the command of Captain W. Piller—picked up the men from one pinnace before it sank, saving 71 members of the crew. The second pinnace took off another 70 men, of which 48 were brought ashore alive after it was eventually spotted from the shore the following night, 22 hours after the sinking. The total loss of life of Formidable was 35 officers (including Captain Loxley) and 512 men out of a total complement of 780. The body of Captain Loxley's dog, Bruce, a war dog
War dog
Dogs in warfare have a long history starting in ancient times. From 'war dogs' trained in combat to their use as scouts, sentries and trackers, their uses have been varied and some continue to exist in modern military usage.-History:...
, washed ashore and was buried in a marked grave in Abbotsbury Gardens in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
.
Formidable was the third British battleship to be sunk, and the second to be sunk by enemy action, during the First World War.
Wreck site
Formidables wreck site is designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986Protection of Military Remains Act 1986
The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which provides protection for the wreckage of military aircraft and designated military vessels. The Act provides for two types of protection: protected places and controlled sites. Military aircraft are...
.